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Travis Beck is harvesting only mature deer
It was 1996 when Travis harvested his first deer with a rifle that’s when the obsession started and in 1999 Travis harvested his first buck a 150″ mule deer in western South Dakota since then Travis has harvested 44 bucks and in 2013 Travis harvested his first bull elk with his bow. Travis Beck is harvesting only mature deer
Travis has gotten more and more involved in managing the deer herds in his hunting areas by being on the field staff RAKS. Travis is a pipeline technician and he gets to spend a lot of time in the field working with landowners and gaining new access to hunting areas Travis believes by planning and hard work comes great rewards. Travis Beck is harvesting only mature deer
What makes RAKS so special?
Travis: I was just impressed by the ingredients that are in his products. It seemed like some of the other products I’ve used in the past, you get such a small amount. And with RAKS you get quality, and you get quantity with RAKS. I got a Buster Block. I’m looking at right now, and this thing is 33 pounds.
It’s something that really will last a long a long time if you got a tree stand. I’ve got several stands where they’re a half mile away. And walking out there every couple of weeks to pull your cards, and put more mineral down, or type of feed so you can get your trail camera pictures. Now, with this block, I can put an eight gig memory card in my trail camera, and just get this Buster Block out there, and put some of the RAKS Stack feed around it to draw the deer towards it. And with that eight gig card, I can get 6,000 pictures on there.
So I really don’t have to disturb my area as much when I’m using the Buster Block. And then with the mineral, if you compare the mineral to other minerals, the ingredients, it’s exactly what you’re white-tail bucks, or any mule deer, white-tail. The calcium in there. The counts are just way higher than everybody else.
I got to put some mineral out this last weekend. I took my son out with me, and we got to put some out. And it’s just a heavier mineral than your other stuff. It’s almost like a salt. And this stuff has got more ingredients for the deer. And it almost has a natural smell.
Something that is natural to the deer, and will pull the deer to it. Rather than something that smells like an apple, or something like pears. And I’m actually really impressed just by the smell and the ingredients in there, verses some of the competitors. And like you said, the flashy bag, it draws you to it. But if you look at your ingredients, RAKS verses another brand, and you look at your price, you’re getting the quality of minerals for your deer, verses buying a flashy bag.
Well, I got into archery, I think it was back in 1999
Well, I got into archery, I think it was back in 1999. I got into archery just started, just like everybody else, just trying to figure it out. And I think I went five years before I actually got my first deer. And it’s just something I’ve really enjoyed. And since then, my wife and I have had two kids.
And I’ve got my wife shooting. I have my daughter shooting. My son’s shooting. And there’s some 3D fun shoots that we do here at the local archery shops in the summer. And in the winter months, we’ll do those. And then during the week, if we can, we at least try to get out the range two to three times a week just to go and shoot together.
And it almost just brings us together, and we bond over it. And I really enjoy watching my son shoot and advance with learning to aim and hold steady. And it’s a joy. I really enjoy it.
Well, with training for archery season, it starts right now in the spring. Your trail cameras, and running your minerals, and your feeds. And I will really step up my practice in the summer time. Even if it’s in my basement shooting 10 feet. I’ll shoot, and shoot, and shoot. Anymore, I’ve got into building my own arrows.
And I’ll spin test my own arrows. I’ll make sure my broad heads are on there straight. I’ve been making my own arrows, the fletchings. And even for my wife, I’ll help her out get prepared, too. Because this will be her second year. And then with work, I’m pretty fortunate with work.
I’m outside every day. I hunt the pipeline. I work with the landowners during the summer months and really get to know them well. And I’m able to get on some pretty good places. And sometimes you just don’t get the opportunity. They don’t want you on their land, which is fine.
And getting my tree stands hung. On the computer, I’ll do a lot aerial photo scouting. And then I’ll catch myself printing out those aerial photos, and bringing them to work with me. And if I happen to drive through the area, I’ll look down at that map and I’m like, “Okay, that’s there. That’s there, okay. I get it. I know where I’m going to go now.”
So let’s tell the listeners how you use an aerial map.
Bruce: Pinch points, and funnels. Hey, just stop. I love what you said about aerial maps. So let’s tell the listeners how you use an aerial map. Just give us 90 seconds on that.
Travis: I’ll just go onto Google Earth. And if I’m driving at work, and I’ll like, “Okay, that looks like a pretty good area.” I’ll write my street numbers down on a piece of paper, and I’ll bring that home. And I’ll bring that up on Google Earth and I’ll look for some bottlenecks or the pinch point.
And next thing you know, or not necessarily the next thing you know, but a lot of times the farmer will call in a locate to repair some fencing, or want to do some drain column. Before I know it, I’m working with that landowner. And talking to him about his shelter built, or if he’s got some heavy timber out in the middle of his corn field. And before I know it, it’s like, “Yeah, you can hunt out here.” He says, “That’d be great because then I’d know who’d be out there.”
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