By Jerry Long, April 19, 2010 
Follow along with me on an after-action virtual visit to the Madison, WI Deer and Turkey Classic held 9, 10 and 11 April, 2010.
As a general rule I try to stay away outdoor expositions such as the Deer and Turkey Classic for a variety of reasons. First, they conflict with the fine balance between outdoors time and family time and in my case/opinion are really neither. Second, without an extremely close grip on the wallet they can vie for dollars that could be spent on actual outdoors adventures. Even when not tempted by such events I often need to remind myself that my money should be spent on hunting and not on (the latest nifty) hunting equipment. The last time I attended one was 1993 or 1994.
However, I had one particular need that was best served by attending so I asked outdoors buddy Seth to join me and up we headed on Sunday morning. After cursing Tom Tom for taking me way southwest to get northwest (I should have been suspicious when it said there were gravel roads involved – huh?? – this ain’t Kansas) and paying our $10 entrance fees (after $2 coupon) Seth Seth got me oriented towards the PSE Archery booth. That’s where our expo adventure started.
PSE Archery – I shot the Axe 7 in a fifty pound target bow, the Axe 6 in fifty-five pounds and the Vendetta XL in fifty-five pounds. No thoughts yet on the line up – not enough weight to judge draw cycle or after shot performance. All three bows naturally rolled forward after the shot which was nice. One thing I’ll say is that, whether calling PSE directly or talking to representatives in person, everyone is very nice.
The PSE Axe 7.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources – Seth reminded me my fishing license expired at the end of March. Twenty dollars to the nice lady and I was good to whack and stack some more fishies.
Wisconsin Bow Hunters – After four to five years of communicating via archery forums and e-mails I finally met my WBH District Representative who does so much to help preserve our bowhunting heritage here in Wisconsin.
Safari Room Taxidermy – I’ve chosen Safari Room Taxidermy to mount the gemsbok trophy I’m hoping to bring back from South Africa – here’s a link to the dustyvarmint African Archery Safari 2010 article page. They were just as pleasant and helpful in person as on the phone and their sample work was outstanding.
A beautiful gemsbok.
Byron Ferguson – I’ve always regretted not buying long bow trick shot Byron Ferguson’s book the last time I saw him at a Duck’s Unlimited Outdoor Festival in Virginia. This time I asked him to sign the copy of Become The Arrow I bought. That’s another $10 down.
Become The Arrow by Byron Ferguson.
Greg Miller - Being that I’m a nearly entirely self-taught (which isn’t saying much) whitetail hunter Wisconsin native Greg Miller is an author I’ve long turned to for technique. I’d waited years to have him sign my copy of Proven Whitetail Tactics. He indicated it is now out of print and recently a signed copy in pristine condition went for over $400 on e-Bay. Mine gets read too much to be in pristine condition, but I’m thinking it is going in my fire safe along with the signed copy of Greg’s Aggressive Whitetail Hunting when I’m not reading them.
KME Sharpeners – This excellent little device makes putting a razor edge on the smallest little replaceable blades like those in my Wasp JakHammers or normal-sized heads like Slick Tricks or Magnus Stingers a cinch. Although I don’t have any problems utilizing mine, the demonstrated technique looked infallible and I learned about a final polishing technique utilizing corrugated fiberboard.
The KME broadhead sharpener.
Knife booths – One anonymous knife vendor yielded another ceramic rod steel for $3, see How To – Use a Sharpening Steel. Another had an excellent selection of Victorinox-Forschner knives; see Forschner Knives – Buy Now, Thank Me Later; but not the 8-inch chef’s knife I was looking for.
A ceramic steel.
Dakota Hunting Trips – I stopped to see Chris at Dakota Hunting Trips who I used as the outfitter on my 2006 pronghorn quest. Two things I’ll always remember about Chris. One, he stuck with me through three embarrassing 32-36 yard misses and eventually led me to success at 28 yards. Second, when pulling up to an abandoned farmstead for some post-pronghorn-hunt-bunny-whacking he said, “I hope you don’t mind lots of blood and screaming.” I didn’t and I don’t – I nailed a cottontail in the shoulder with the first shot at 32 yards – go figure.
Chris poses with my lucky-to-have pronghorn.
Adaptive Sportsmen Incorporated – I always like to say hello to ASI president John Mitchell. The guy is an inspiration to me. What can be better than an organization that allows able-bodied persons the privilege of helping physically challenged hunters get into the field? See a video from the 2009 ASI turkey hunt here.
I pose with dedicated whitetail hunter Heather during the 2008 season.
Muddy Treestands – In the top ten of questions on bowhunting forums is, “What about Muddy Treestands and Sticks?” I learned about improvements to their 2010 line and inquired about obtaining a set of sticks for a review for you, the reader. I’ll follow that lead and see where it takes me.
Rhino Blinds – An anonymous vendor had Rhino blinds in stock. I’ve been seeing good discussion regarding the products and the company on archery forums. The blind seems well-constructed, reinforced in all the right places and has the right features. At $220 it has my attention.
Camp Wild Girls – I had the pleasure of meeting fellow Skinny Moose blogger and hunter Terri Lee Pocernich of Camp Wild Girls.
Among other odds and ends that was about it. Total monetary cost was $43 not including travel, Kwik Trip donuts and a lunch snack. Total time including travel was eight hours during which a few I should have been shooting my bow instead. Overall I had a good time. My jury is still out on whether it is worth it to attend.
happy hunting, dv
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