I could never justify going to Iowa to spend time in the woods with Barry Wensel at one of his schools... and it always  pissed me off a little. I mean if you want to learn how to kill big bucks (or any deer for that matter) you can't do better than Barry Wensel. Just recently Barry has made his knowledge available on DVD for a reasonable cost.

Due mainly to Barry's generosity I recently received both discs in the mail. It didn't take too long and I had the package open and ready to rock. I've got to tell you there were visions of sugar plum fairies (you know the kind I mean) dancing in my head. Most were wearing outsized antlers of all sorts of configurations.

I felt like I'd just been handed the missing corner of Captain Kidd's treasure map, the secret password to the cave of gold, the key to Marie Osmonds chastity belt. This was going to be good. No! Better than good. This was going to be great.

Like a school boy with his first Playboy magazine I waited to have some peace and quiet. Alone time as it were. Easier said than done around here.

I didn't know what to expect when I popped the CD into the Player and kicked my feet up in my easy chair. I'd not learned a lot from the men in my family about hunting deer. In the country I grew up in there were dam few deer in the 50's and 60's. All the old uncles were hell on small game but couldn't remember the last time they'd seen a deer. What I learned about deer hunting I mostly learned on my own.

As I grew older good hunting information became more available. A lot of it didn't seem to fit my situation. Those authors mostly faded away. Maybe they didn't know that much anyway. There were guys you could trust of course and right from the beginning two names kept popping up. Barry and Gene Wensel.

Back east they seemed to have done pretty well. But early on they pulled up stakes and headed west. Western Montana that is. I was on my own western sojourn about that time but there weren't any whitetails close to where I lived.
It soon became apparent to me that the brothers had a plan and it was a good one. In those early days it almost seemed that whitetail deer were a non species in the west. Mule deer were the big deal. Like a chicken on a june bug Barry and Gene were after the whitetails.

The twins started dragging some whoppers out of the mountains and cottonwood bottoms. Hell, I didn't even know that deer that big existed out there. Although they were both aware in their hunting I think their real learning started in Montana.

I followed them closely in archery magazines and even some VHS tapes showed up but I never could figure how to apply a lot there stuff to where I lived. Yep, that was it. They were just in a really good place and I'd never learn what I needed to kill big bucks in Missouri.  Then they packed up everything and moved to Iowa. Now I'm paying real attention.
Barry and his brother began knocking down some pretty impressive midwest bucks.

Well, I always wanted to pick their brains about hunting midwestern bucks.but never got a chance to even though I came to know Barry and Gene by running into them at shoots and shows while I was connected to the archery industry by Magnus Broadheads. Until now I never got in a one on one situation in the  woods with either brother. Until now.
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The DVD's were great!! The low key presentation gave me a feeling of one on one with Barry. More or less Barry videoed himself while walking through the woods with you pointing out this sign and that sign, why it's there, how to handle the situation, where to hang stands and a zillion little tips and tricks. It's really about detail. I know I'll be looking at my hunting spots differently in the future.

  Of course the tactics had lead to the taking of several very nice bucks. It's what they are after in the long run, but what I noticed was that you can also apply every  bit of information to taking any deer . Newcomers will cut several years off the curve learning to read sign if they practice the information that is given.


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Quote from: Charlie Lamb on April 20, 2019, 02:46:28 PM
the key to Marie Osmonds chastity belt.

TOO DAMN FUNNY!!!!!

I'M HURTING!!!!

Great review Charlie.  I'll have to get them for sure.

Deno

Yes, it is a good review, but when I saw the title of your post, I thought you were answering the question as to why you are so dumb as to spend countless hours perched in a tree during pouring rain, sleet, snow, and howling freezing winds each fall/winter.

yeah Sam...while I've answered those questions to my own satisfaction years ago... kinda! These days you probably won't find me out there in those conditions that much.

I've already been to google earth looking at my hunting properties and applying Barry's wisdom. I've spent the last 3 years getting to know a new property and the buck (s) I've seen there. Next season he goes down.... Barry promised me.

The really cool thing is that Barry told me he probably had another 10 discs he could do. I can never get enough of it.

Why ain't it fall?

Great post Mr. Lamb! I picked up my DVDs at the Eastern Sportsman Show in Harrisburg PA. Great stuff! I hope he produces other DVDs.
And I agree, is it fall yet!?

I'm definitely gonna try the "rag pole" techniqe this coming fall.

I found one problem with the scent strategy on public land, is that the early pre-rut activity attracts other hunters and they move tree stands to them.  I moved my scenting activities to areas that have no large trees, just plum and cedar thickets.  I found a nice area with such conditions and this coming september I will have five items with me.  A pocket full of cotton balls, a large Damascus knife, a bottle of pre-orbital gland lure, a small roll of hemp twine, and a bottle of super glue.  The knife to prepare hanging branches, the twine to put those branches where I want them in the cedar shrubs and the super glue to firm up the twine and glue cotton balls to my stick.   Is Marie Osmond still available? 

She's looking pretty good on those weight loss commercials, may have to call a locksmith.

Maybe she needs a guitar player.

Good stuff Charlie. I can't wait until I can afford some of these DVDs. Taxed were brutal this year. Hopefully in a couple months I will be able to spend again

Charlie... get somebody who really likes you to give them as a gift. You know, an early Christmas gift. I don't think April is really too early for it.

Well Charlie that detailed illustrative description ( including Marie ) convinced me to spring for the set myself.
Hopefully I'll find some great tips for hunting our crowded public lands in Florida.

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Thanks for sharing  Charlie. Just ordered my copy. Should be here by my b/d next Thursday. Been following Barry and Gene since the original "October Whitetail" video. Now that was a few birthdays ago.