Diaphram Calls….Before the Hunt

  I have heard countless hunters explain the reasoning for not being able to use a diaphram call. I have heard everything from the calls choke them to the calls sound like a dying chicken. We’re going to lay some of those hindrances to rest once and for all so that you can learn to be effective with a mouth call.

  First, straight out of the gate, the call has to fit your mouth. There are different calls for different pallet shapes, however, most all of them can be bent to fit the roof of your mouth. Also, the key to making a call fit your mouth is to cut the tape so that it doesn’t choke you when you seat it in your pallet. A common mistake is to cut the tape too short causing the call to be pushed around and come unseated. The diaphram needs to be as long as your reflex will tolerate.

  After you have customized your mouth call to fit your mouth, you will then need to concentrate on the sound that is coming from the call. This is the part that you will have to get the hang of yourself. There are several different methods for achieving the right sound out of a diaphram.

  The main problem that turkey hunters have is using a diaphram with the reeds stuck together. This alone will cause any call to have a high pitch sound and eliminate the ability to rip off sharp clucks and cuts. This also has a big part in the “squeaky” sound that comes out of a diaphram. The top picture shows you what a used diaphram will look like after being in your vest for a while. The bottom picture shows what the reeds are supposed to look like. They should be a latex white color.

  To achieve this is simple. Let your diaphrams soak for about 30 minutes prior to the hunt to loosen the reeds up. When you put the calls back in their case, leave the water dripping from the call. Avoid stretching the reeds to loosen them up, especially if its warm and they have been stored in a vest that is hidden behind the seat of your vehicle. With just a small amount of preparation, you will get the intended sound from the call. The rest is up to you.

Braden Arp

Scent or the Lack Thereof : Part 1

 One of my favorite commercials to date was a Scentblocker® commercial whose slogan was, “Forget the wind, just hunt”. I was so intrigued by this slogan that I simply knew I must have one. I think everyone has had a crisp morning’s hunt spoiled by the sounds of stomps and snorts of winding deer, only to see a glimpse of a monstrous backside that leaves you wondering with every spare minute of what could have been. I definitely had my share of those mornings and also had come to the realization that I had had my fill of missed chances due to scent. I was tired of being smelled and I was tired of worrying about the wind. I was ready to forget the wind and just hunt, just as the manufacturer suggested so I made my Scentblocker® purchase and was ready to get back in the game.

   On the first morning, I reached my stand after a short walk and brief scuffle with the gnat clouds, which I think were victorious, to find my stand on the edge of a swampy mucky mess. Being a fan of what other hunters skip over, I headed up the tree. As I reached my post, I unpacked my jacket and put it on along with my pants. The sweat instantly came rushing from every pore of my body but soon calmed back to a steady stream. I mean it was downright hot. I pulled my bow from the ground and put my head net loosely around my head trying to avoid the reflecting warm breath that I was now channeling down my neck. I settled in and got ready. Daylight was fast approaching.

  I remember thinking several times that if anything came within miles of me that I was sure to be busted. I was thinking of how to orchestrate the morning sounds of sniffs and snorts that would surely come. However, I did have an advantage which was the wind was carrying my scent, or lack thereof, directly away from where the deer would filter in from. It was hot, but I was set up right. I still wasn’t feeling too warm and fuzzy inside, but hey, forget the wind and just hunt right? It was around 8:00 AM when I took a long look down the creek as I heard some squirrels barking. To my surprise, I caught movement just on the edge of a cane break by the creek. It was a deer, and a large bodied deer at that. I zoned in and the deer weaved back out of the cane break and also to my surprise, it was a buck and a nice buck as well. The buck was a hundred or so yards away and coming straight at me, slowly but surely. Just when I thought I had defied the odds, you guessed it, the wind shifted. I had a nice buck to my left and a hard breeze from my right. It was horrific. The wind carried me straight to my trophy as if to serve my scent up on a silver platter saying “run, run for your life”. At that moment, the deer raised his head directly into the wind and gathered every particle of scent into his nostrils that he could.

   “I’m had”, I said to myself and myself was agreeing with me. To my surprise, the buck never spooked. He made about three more steps and repeated the process of winding and smelling.

Every time that I thought he was surely pinning me down, the buck just kept coming. By now he was within eighty yards and not feeling it. One turn into the cane break and the buck was gone. I let out a few soft social grunts and hoped for the best. He popped right back out and stood for what seemed like an eternity.

Scent or the Lack Thereof : Part 2

  Now I had two problems. The wind was carrying me straight to a nice shooter buck and he knew something was there from the sound, but I had no choice but to go after him. I grunted again. He dropped his head and walked another twenty yards this time getting considerably closer to a bad situation.                                                     

  The buck was sixty yards and closing, adamantly trying to pick up a scent. By now he is within range, long range but in range. I knew I had to shoot quickly or I would lose my chance, but I wasn’t quick enough. He took one step in the cane break and walked another ten or so yards leaving me with nothing. It would take one step to get an opening that I felt comfortable with, so I drew my bow. I held my draw for what seemed like minutes. I can still remember my muscles tingling from exhaustion as well as being tapped into a livewire of excitement.

  All of a sudden, I saw a nose protrude from behind the tree and I saw the buck start to move. He made three more steps and stopped, leaving me with a perfect broadside shot. I took it, and it was a good one. The buck ran maybe forty yards before giving up, a nice middle Georgia nine point.

  Stories and memories like these always savor a little sweeter when you know that you have defied the odds for success. It’s a great feeling to know that you have done all you can do and your equipment is doing what it is supposed to. I’ve hunted on countless occasions leaving straight from work, only to have an hour or so in the woods. I can put my Scentblocker® suit straight over my work clothes and not have to worry about it. When I’m done, it goes straight back into a scent proof bag and is ready to go for the next trip. It is just that simple! I remember the days of trying to harness a satellite feed for the latest in wind directions, but it has been so much more enjoyable to forget the wind and just hunt.

  There is always excessive hype over new products and designs that are not really tested in the field. I’m always leery to jump in with both feet without seeing some results for myself. On this particular hunt, I got the results. However, the name of the game is to add equipment and accessories that will enhance how you already do things. It would be foolish of me to ignore all the personal field tests that I have already conducted on things that work for me and things that don’t. I still take a downwind approach and I still use a lot of Scent Shield®, just as you all do I’m sure. In all my experiences, scent control has always been my top priority. A lot of us don’t need to know how to pattern deer and how to find where they are feeding. When you have a lock on your buck, Scentblocker® can help you get the advantage.

Braden Arp

Of Family and Friends

  It was the early spring in 1998, when my step father and I embarked on an adventurous turkey hunt on West Point Lake. Trey, my step father, had hunted this track of land several times the season before and had excellent success in the area we were in. He had taken a few jakes and then some very nice toms which gave me the idea that we had a leg up on the other faithfuls roaming the woods. As daylight began to break, we tried a couple of locater calls, but drew a blank so we made our way down to the food plots just above the hardwood flats that lead down to the lake. Take into consideration that I had been watching videos for several months, so I was already a pro.

“We need to cover as much area as we can and try and make something happen.” I suggested.

“Lead on,” he replied.

Without hesitation, I took the reigns. I knew that I didn’t know anything about turkey hunting, but I couldn’t let him know that. Looking back, I think he already did. He was sporty about it, however, and let me lead us out into never never land far away from anything that resembled what I had been seeing in the videos. After an hour or so of that, we both agreed that for the rest of the trip I would follow as he directed. That was the exact day that I learned to never guide the guide.

We made our way back to the flats and points around the lake making periodic stops to set up and listen. We were drawing blanks with every stop. We walked what seemed like miles along the rocky terrain of the shoreline. By now, it had gotten to be later in the morning and we haven’t heard as much as a whistle from anything. We were both very adamant in our pursuit and realized that our trophy could just be lingering over the next hill. After covering several miles, we were contemplating a move. The problem with a move was that we were already a couple of miles from the truck and then on several miles to another location. We decided to stick it out and cover more area. The longer we walked, the better it looked. There just weren’t any turkeys. I had been telling Trey that I had purchased a new diaphragm the week before.

“It’s the latest thing to hit the market. I saw it on a video. It’s called a High Ball from M.A.D. Calls,” and continued to give him every intricacy of the product as if to be a salesman in an outdoor store. “It’s a higher pitch sound that other mouth calls and will draw a gobble when nothing else will,” I stated.

“Okay, let’s hear it. If it’s as good as you say it is, we should have our bird and be on our way shortly.” He said with frustration in his voice.

I took out my saving grace and placed it in my mouth and let out four soft yelps. It was horrendous. It was the worst sounding thing I’d ever heard. Take into account that I was a novice at best.

“Don’t ever do that again,” he said.

He had no more than got the words out of his mouth until we heard the faint sound of rolling thunder in the distance. When I say faint, I mean faint. Our bird had gobbled. “What do you want to do?” I asked.

“Let’s go. If a turkey answered that, he will answer anything,” he replied. I knew he was excited even though he didn’t want to let on like he was. All morning it had been a battle of the year’s new products and I had won. He just shook his head and walked on.

We walked for what seemed like a mile when we got to the edge of the lake. From this standpoint we could see all around the winding shoreline for miles.

“Hit it again,” he said.

I took out my call and blasted out several aggressive yelps. Instantly, the bird cut me off. There was one minor problem with the situation. We were hearing the tom gobble was due to the fact that the sound traveled a clear path out over the lake and ran up into the coves where we were. The bird was a half mile or so away, but was two to three miles away with the path we had to take to get to him.

“Unbelievable,” he kept saying. “He answered that. Unbelievable.”

We made several more stops along the way locating the bird’s exact whereabouts to make sure we didn’t bump him in the process. To loose this bird would be devastation. We had made these trips several times and something always seemed to get in our way, but not this time. This was the day that our luck had changed. As we moved in closer, he kept telling me not to blast him with hard calls, but sweet talk him with subtleties. “WeÕre going to set up on this point and call him around the side of it. If we can move him off the edge of the lake where he is strutting, we will have a good shot at him,” he said.

We did it just as he said and got set up in front of a large mossy oak in the middle of the point. Softly he whispered to make a couple of soft yelps and then get ready. I settled in. It was a matter of minutes until the powder blue head crested over the rise and coming around the point. We sat and watched as a mature trophy tom strutted and drummed his way up to the flat where we had positioned ourselves. As the bird came into range, he stopped and posed for a few seconds and doubled a thunderous gobble. It was working out perfectly. The curse had been broken. A few more steps are all it took for the bird to get into range for the shot. “Shoot,” he whispered.

I took my aim and released the safety and squeezed off the trigger. The tom went up high and came down fast and left even faster.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said. “Shoot again.”

It was no use. It was a clean miss. Let this sink in. Seven hours, six miles, verbal competitive abuse, and a clean miss was the result. He never said another word but I could tell he was frustrated. I looked over and said “Man, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

He looked at me while taking off his head net and busted into laughter. This is just great. Now, he is laughing at me.

“You missed,” he cackled. “Next season, you need to find a new shotgun!”

Turns out, that was the last hunt that Trey and I were able to take. In the fall of the year, there was a pheasant hunt planned to South Dakota. It took two plane rides and another couple of hours in a vehicle to make it to the lodge. Trey never made it to the lodge. He was involved in an accident while in route which took his life. I can still remember feeling left out because I wasn’t invited for the trip.

“After I get back, we will set up another pheasant hunt later in the season. This is going to be a scout trip. We will hunt several different places and find where the birds are and then later, we will go back and hunt them.”

We never made it to that trip, but one day I will hunt pheasants in South Dakota and finish the trip that was planned some nine years ago. What would life be if all the variables were known? I suppose the answers are endless. There is one thing that I have learned. Do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said. The only certainty of tomorrow is its uncertainty.

Braden Arp

Up Close and Personal

There are few things that deliver the adrenaline rush of having a monster whitetail within a suitable harvest range. We spend months preparing for that one opportunity at a trophy buck. Hunting whitetail deer in this modern era allows the average hunter to tap into tremendous advancements in technology and tactics. We have trail cameras and scent clothes and also a few gadgets that we really haven’t found a use for yet. If one has the money, then the other has just the trick to make you a better, more successful hunter. Let’s face it, we are in the age of technology and we can either gear up and tap in or resort back to what has always worked in the past.

Being a fan of things that work, Adam McCallister wasn’t ready just yet to integrate his hunting styles and techniques. There are allot of do’s and don’ts that have been expressed in the hunting world and the key factor is to take those tidbits of expertise and apply them to the area you are hunting. Adam hunts the foothills of the north Georgia mountains which translates into rolling hills, both steep and shallow. If you have ever lugged a tree stand up and down a sequence of these miniature mountains, you know it can get pretty exhausting to say the least. These situations forced Adam into a style that he has perfected and taken numerous trophy whitetail bucks with. It is a simple concept. It’s hunting in its purest form which is hunting from the ground.

Now I know what you are probably thinking. What about scent control? This is where it gets really technical. I asked Adam about this as well and his response was, “If the wind shifts, I get up and move. It’s the mobility that keeps me hunting from the ground. It is easy to devise a stalk on a buck in the distance when you’re already on the ground. It just makes more sense to me.”

Still not convinced? Being a huge fan of tree stands, I was a little skeptical as well. Adam told me that he had some pictures for me and that he wanted to show me a deer he harvested last year from one of his ground blinds.

“Check these out,” he told me.

I was intrigued to say the least after thinking of how much easier his style was verses the marathon style I have. It just seemed effortless to me, but not wanting to seem too eager, I told him, “Put them on my desk and I will take a look when I get a minute.” Who was I kidding? I couldn’t wait another second. Adam had taken a monstrous north Georgia buck with this method, and for good measure, he added more pictures of another monstrous whitetail he took the year before.

“Those are a couple of good deer, huh? Sometimes you just have to get up close and personal with them,” he said. “I found the nine pointer in late bow season and decided to give him some space, so I held off until the first cool snap in gun season.”

To give clarification to what a cool snap is in Georgia, it means that the weather is finally bearable. This gives you a low of around forty degrees and a high that gets up to the low to mid seventies.

“I decided to set up at the head of a big hollow that has several ridges and draws connecting to it. I was set up right and had the wind to my face. Daylight came and I saw a large bodied deer crossing the hollow using one of the finger ridges as a travel way. I glassed the deer and it was the one I had saw in late bow season. The buck got within a hundred yards of my position and I knew I had to take a shot before I lost sight of him. I steadied my rifle and squeezed off a round. I missed. I fired two more rounds and the buck topped the ridge and was gone. Being on the ground, I stood up immediately and sneaked up to the top of the ridge and I saw the buck walking up the other side of the big hollow I was hunting. I moved into position for another shot. This time the buck was out in the open with nothing between us. I fired a final shot and the buck went down. If I would have been in a tree, I wouldn’t have been able to get that last shot off.”

I sat and I listened to the story and then the second story that followed with similar results, minus the anxiety and misses. The wheels started to turn as I remembered several instances where I could have had better luck had I been hunting from the ground. Granted a ground blind isn’t the perfect set up for all situations, I do believe it can increase your odds in some. It was inevitable that this theory holds water. You know what they say; seeing is believing. It’s hard to argue with a tactic that has produced trophy bucks. I am a huge fan of taking things that work and incorporating them into the areas that I hunt. As for me, I think I have found a way to hunt that big hollow that I left alone last season.

Braden Arp

Coming soon!

  Braden Arp Outdoors will cover a variety of topics from hunting, fishing, camping,  shooting, archery, and outdoor equipment,  to Friday night football in north Georgia. I will post articles and rants of sorts of the day to day happenings, as well as, published articles and stories. I will give you some of the old stuff and some of the new. I am a creative writer by trade. I love the story of the hunt or the details leading up to the bite.

  I am very much family oriented. I have a beautiful wife of 15 years. I also have 2 boys, Brock and Drake, that are 14 and 12. They take up most of my time, but I wouldn’t change a minute of it.

  Feel free to leave comments and opinions. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your stay.