The Jon-ee Handwarmer 12 Step Program - 01/04/03
Yes folks, all you need to do is admit to yourself, to your higher power, and to your friends here at the campfire, that you did indeed hunt with a Jon-ee handwarmer and used the special scent that came with it. Beyond that, we need to begin a dialogue that deals with the misconceptions of deer hunters and the crazy things we did and do. It is only in this way that we can start to heal ourselves.
(Yeah, right.)
Years ago, folks knew so little about deer, and so much of what was known was wrong. Also, a lot of the tools we have now didn't exist. Most of deer hunting lore came down from oral tradition, dads to sons. Outdoor writers were strapped for material when it came to hard facts, and so a lot of the manure your grandpa fed you also found its way to print, and of course you'd believe it if it was in a magazine at the barber shop.
This was also a time when deer herds were still growing in this country, and a lot of the misinformation stayed around for years, because there just wasn't that many deer around to try it on. If Uncle Jake heard about this trick back in the thirties, you might be trying it in the seventies. If neither one of you had ever seen a deer, you were still an average hunter because the annual success rate in your area was 1 in 12 or 1 in 20. If somebody got a deer every year, he kept his secret to himself.
Here is a sample the sort of bad baggage I carried into the woods my first few seasons.
1) During the weeks leading up to the rut, bucks round up does and push them out ahead to spy out hunters.
2) Smoking cherry cavendish in a pipe will attract deer. Ditto for apple flavors
3) Use a small transistor radio, turned down low to attract curious deer to your stand.
4) At midday, build a fire a little away from your stand and cook your lunch, but be ready; the deer will come to investigate.
5) When dressing a deer, be sure to slit it's throat and lay it out with the head pointing down hill for a while to bleed it out before continuing to field dress it. Oh, and make sure to cut out those nasty scent glands next.
6) The timing of the rut is based on the overnight temperature. Cold nights stimulate the gonads of the deer.
7) The oldest, wiliest bucks learn to follow hunters in the woods and keep an eye on them. That's why you never see them, unless you backtrack often.
8) When bow hunting, it is wise to keep an arrow knocked while traveling to and from your stand. You might jump a big buck and get a shot.
9) Squirrels actively warn deer of hunters. Some folks said deer would answer the squirrel's chatter with a snorting sound, but that one was patently stupid -- deer don't make sounds.
So why the Jon-ee handwarmer? Who here remembers the Jon-ee handwarmer? They gave you a bottle of deer attractant and a little scent wick. The idea was that you used this handwarmer to warm the scent wick and the secret forumla in the wick would bring deer running. Actually, it was just anise oil, and the instructions failed to mention the fact that you, the wick, the handwarmer, and everything you touched or wore stunk of lighter fluid.
I figure that if we all sit down and start admitting these terrible misconceptions to each other we can:
1) Dispell these myths and begin the process of recovery
2) Act as a beacon of hope for our brothers still living in the shadows
3) Have immense pleasure laughing at how stupid and gullible we were.
So, I'll start out: Yes friends, I am guilty of at least believing all the above at one time. In fact, I actually saw #1 happen with my own eyes on my first-ever weekend of bow hunting. I was smoking cherry cavendish, and I had my trusty Jon-ee handwarmer wedged into a nearby forked limb belching anise-flavored benzene like crazy. If the deer didn't mind that, my wool clothes still carried the smell of smoke from lunch, and probably a little bit of mothballl to round out the aromatic conucopia. I had climbed into a low limb (sans safety belt) and was overlooking a nearby trail when three doe came through, obviously pushed by an unseen force. Despite having a good shot opportunity I waited, knowing that a big brute was pushing them from behind. I stood motionless, and presently the big guy came through, but somewhat downhill from the others and through bushes that blocked a good shot. It was a monstrous 8 pointer that still haunts my dreams. After that action quieted down, I saw nothing more. However, I was completely satisfied that I had been so close. It was only a matter of time before I scored.
Okay guys, it's your turn. Fess up.
(Yeah, right.)
Years ago, folks knew so little about deer, and so much of what was known was wrong. Also, a lot of the tools we have now didn't exist. Most of deer hunting lore came down from oral tradition, dads to sons. Outdoor writers were strapped for material when it came to hard facts, and so a lot of the manure your grandpa fed you also found its way to print, and of course you'd believe it if it was in a magazine at the barber shop.
This was also a time when deer herds were still growing in this country, and a lot of the misinformation stayed around for years, because there just wasn't that many deer around to try it on. If Uncle Jake heard about this trick back in the thirties, you might be trying it in the seventies. If neither one of you had ever seen a deer, you were still an average hunter because the annual success rate in your area was 1 in 12 or 1 in 20. If somebody got a deer every year, he kept his secret to himself.
Here is a sample the sort of bad baggage I carried into the woods my first few seasons.
1) During the weeks leading up to the rut, bucks round up does and push them out ahead to spy out hunters.
2) Smoking cherry cavendish in a pipe will attract deer. Ditto for apple flavors
3) Use a small transistor radio, turned down low to attract curious deer to your stand.
4) At midday, build a fire a little away from your stand and cook your lunch, but be ready; the deer will come to investigate.
5) When dressing a deer, be sure to slit it's throat and lay it out with the head pointing down hill for a while to bleed it out before continuing to field dress it. Oh, and make sure to cut out those nasty scent glands next.
6) The timing of the rut is based on the overnight temperature. Cold nights stimulate the gonads of the deer.
7) The oldest, wiliest bucks learn to follow hunters in the woods and keep an eye on them. That's why you never see them, unless you backtrack often.
8) When bow hunting, it is wise to keep an arrow knocked while traveling to and from your stand. You might jump a big buck and get a shot.
9) Squirrels actively warn deer of hunters. Some folks said deer would answer the squirrel's chatter with a snorting sound, but that one was patently stupid -- deer don't make sounds.
So why the Jon-ee handwarmer? Who here remembers the Jon-ee handwarmer? They gave you a bottle of deer attractant and a little scent wick. The idea was that you used this handwarmer to warm the scent wick and the secret forumla in the wick would bring deer running. Actually, it was just anise oil, and the instructions failed to mention the fact that you, the wick, the handwarmer, and everything you touched or wore stunk of lighter fluid.
I figure that if we all sit down and start admitting these terrible misconceptions to each other we can:
1) Dispell these myths and begin the process of recovery
2) Act as a beacon of hope for our brothers still living in the shadows
3) Have immense pleasure laughing at how stupid and gullible we were.
So, I'll start out: Yes friends, I am guilty of at least believing all the above at one time. In fact, I actually saw #1 happen with my own eyes on my first-ever weekend of bow hunting. I was smoking cherry cavendish, and I had my trusty Jon-ee handwarmer wedged into a nearby forked limb belching anise-flavored benzene like crazy. If the deer didn't mind that, my wool clothes still carried the smell of smoke from lunch, and probably a little bit of mothballl to round out the aromatic conucopia. I had climbed into a low limb (sans safety belt) and was overlooking a nearby trail when three doe came through, obviously pushed by an unseen force. Despite having a good shot opportunity I waited, knowing that a big brute was pushing them from behind. I stood motionless, and presently the big guy came through, but somewhat downhill from the others and through bushes that blocked a good shot. It was a monstrous 8 pointer that still haunts my dreams. After that action quieted down, I saw nothing more. However, I was completely satisfied that I had been so close. It was only a matter of time before I scored.
Okay guys, it's your turn. Fess up.