Change of Plans

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• Medalist Apparel


• Hunter Safety System Pro Series


• Lacrosse Alpha Burly Boots


• Matthews Switchback Bow


• Gold Tip Arrows


• Slick Trick 100 Grain Broadheads


• Scott Little Goose Release


• Lumenok


• Leupold RX II Rangefinder


• Ol' Man Climbing Treestand

This archery season has been a big change for me in many ways.  My 5 year old is now in school and getting him on and off the bus was going to cut my hunting time in half.   I wouldn’t change it for the world, and thoroughly enjoy seeing him off and picking him up from the bus, but it was a change that took some getting used to.  Also through the first 3 weeks of season, I had yet to hunt with my cousin Jason.  In the past, we would usually get together for at least a couple of hunts a week, but with our busy schedules, last week was the first opportunity we would get to hunt together.  Obviously, I was excited to get 4 hunts in a row, hunting 3 of them with my cousin.

My first 3 hunts were uneventful.  No deer were seen by either Jason or me, but after our morning hunt on Wednesday, we found an extremely promising spot for our evening hunt.  In the morning, Jason was hunting a block of woods which led him along the back side of a cornfield.  I was hunting across the road and received a text at the end of the morning hunt to meet him at the cornfield.  I met up with Jason after the morning hunt and quickly realized he was extremely excited about his morning.  Jason had to walk along the edge of a cornfield to get to his stand, and said he jumped several deer going back in.  His exact words were “deer were everywhere”.  After talking a little about the morning, we went along the backside of the cornfield and found more deer sign than I had seen all year including several rubs and scrapes along the tree line.  We cleared a couple of lanes and hung our climbers back in the woods in sight of each corner of the cornfield.  I know after leaving we were both extremely confident, and excited for our evening hunt.

Last Wednesday (Oct 21st) was extremely warm and sunny, which from my experience isn’t good for deer movement.  We were excited about the spot we were hunting, but weren’t overly thrilled about the weather.  Our hopes were still high as we entered our climbing tree stands that afternoon.  We were settled by 3:30 and I had begun seeing deer roughly ½ hour into the hunt.  From about four o’clock on, I was either watching or listening to deer in the cornfield in front of me.  Even though, to this point I had seen no bucks, I was enjoying all the action.  At about 5:30 I was watching a button buck and a doe in front of me feeding, when I heard a loud “crash” behind me.  I turned in time to see a nice eight point scatter a bunch of deer.  As soon as I saw the buck, my focus was entirely on him, so I can’t honestly tell you what the other deer did, but he was standing alone behind me at 40 yards.  I quickly confirmed that the doe and button buck were still on the other side of me.  I was right in between a nice buck that had been chasing deer and a doe on the exact opposite side of me 15 yards away.  I remember thinking as the buck saw the doe “this is too good to be true”.  The buck then began a stiff legged walk toward the doe, but also toward a shooting lane I had cleared out earlier that day.  As he hit my shooting lane 18 yards away, I drew and gave a bleat with my mouth.  He stopped broadside, and as he did, I settled the pin behind his shoulder.  At the shot, the Lumenok showed the shot was true and that this should be a fairly easy recovery.

This buck seemed to have read the script on how this evening should go for me up to this point.  At the hit, the buck took 2 jumps and walked to the corner of the cornfield.  He stood for a few seconds, then laid down and rolled his side immediately.  When he went to his side on the ground and was still, I felt the hunt was over.  I needed to sit down (post shot shakes), and hung my bow on my bow hanger.  As I hung the bow on the hook, a deer behind me snorted.  I turned to look at the snorting deer and caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  My buck was back on his feet limping across the road back into the woods.  All of this transpired in less than a minute, but my elation at a nice buck on the ground less than 30 yards from me, turned into confusion and worry.  I figured I would give the buck until quitting time, to let Jason finish out his hunt and give the buck time to expire.  As light faded, I decided to get down and take the grass road to Jason’s stand which was less than 75 yards away from me.  After discussing options, we decided to quietly recover the arrow and go to the corner of the cornfield where the buck first laid down.  I retrieved my arrow and found bright red blood from tip to nock.  As we approached the area where the buck laid down we found 2 large pools of blood with a nice blood trail going back towards the woods.  We marked the trail and decided to go back and get lights and give him some more time.

Heavy blood trail

After about 1 hr, we picked up my uncle for help and the 3 of us went back to try to recover my buck.  We went to the mark we placed on the trail, and immediately realized this wasn’t going to be a hard tracking job.  The blood on the trail was dense and easy to follow but he went much further than I figured he would.  After about 100 yards from where he first went down, we found him lying against a fallen log expired.  The recovery was pretty straight forward, but I am amazed at the will this animal had to keep going.

Photo after recovery

Archery season this year has again provided with yet another great memory of the PA outdoors.  It is definitely my favorite time to be in the woods, spending time with friends and family.

Jason & I very happy after a great night on stand

Uncle and cousin after recovery (thanks for the help guys)

Nathan (son), Ron (father), and myself

United States Outfitters

Date: October 9 - 14, 2009
Location: New Mexico
Species: Elk


Every year the Sportsmen Portal and Wired Outdoors team is proud to raise all the money needed to send two kids suffering from life threatening illnesses on their “Hunt Of A Lifetime”. This past year we were assigned Matthew Ciarlone of Downingtown, PA.

Photo of Matthew Ciarlone who lost his battle to leukemia earlier this year. His father Michael carried this photo everywhere he went.

Matthew Ciarlone, suffering from Leukemia, lost his battle before he had a chance to live his dream of a Midwest Elk hunt. Obviously in circumstances like this, the Hunt Of A Lifetime organization has no choice but to move on to the next child waiting to go on their hunt.

Typical Terrain

Like all the kids we raise money for, I find myself getting emotionally attached to the children as well as their families. When I received the call from Matthew’s father, Michael, that he had passed away, my heart was broken. Being a father myself, I can’t imagine what Matthew’s family was going through. For me, it was impossible to just move on and I knew that I had to do something, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do.

Our Camp

Like I mentioned before, Matthew’s dream was a midwest elk hunt so I knew that I wanted to offer Matthew’s father the opportunity to live out Matthew’s dream and harvest an elk in remembrance of Matthew. I wasn’t going to be able to pull this off without some help. So after a visit with one of the most well established elk hunting operations in the world, United States Outfitters at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, they didn’t hesitate and said, “Lets make this happen!”

New Mexico Sunrise

United States Outfitters runs a first class operation. Coming from Pennsylvania we flew into the Albuquerque Airport where we rented a car for the hour car ride from the airport to the camp. Now United States Outfitters runs numerous camps in New Mexico, Arizona and more. All our arrangements were taken care of and everything came off without a hitch.

Michael and Matthew's Elk

Once arriving in camp we were given an orientation and all the licensing was taken care of. On the hunts we did a lot of hiking, glassing and calling. Our guide Brian Dam was great. During our 5 day hunt he put us on 3 really good bulls, but due to one thing or the other, just couldn't pull it off. Usually due to not being able to get into position quick enough or bad wind.

On the last day of our hunt we took a nice 5x5 but not near the caliber of elk we had opportunities at earlier in the week. Every member in camp had tagged out, harvesting some very nice bulls. I can't say enough about the entire operation at United States Outfitters. If you are looking for a top notch, high success rate with great bulls, United States Outfitters is the place to go.

I would also like to thank United States Outfitters for stepping up and making this hunt happen for this family. I know this hunt will mean more the Ciarlone's than you will ever know. You will also be able to see this hunt on our tv show, Wired Outdoors.

Now I Know!

This story began about 10 months ago during our annual fundraiser for Hunt Of A Lifetime. Every year the Sportsmen Portal and Wired Outdoors team is proud to raise all the money needed to send two kids suffering from life threatening illnesses on their "Hunt Of A Lifetime". This past year we were assigned Arianna Evans of Clarion County and Matthew Ciarlone of Downingtown, PA.

Matthew Ciarlone's photo who passed away from Leukemia this year during our Hunt of A Lifetime fundraiser. Michael didn't go anywhere without that photo.

Arianna's dream was a South Dakota Merriam Turkey hunt and I am happy to report that we were successful in making her dream come true and that hunt will appear this month on our tv show Wired Outdoors. While Arianna's hunt ended with lots of smiles and great memories, unfortunately, Matthew Ciarlone, suffering from Leukemia, lost his battle before he had a chance to live his dream of a Midwest Elk hunt. Obviously in circumstances like this, the Hunt Of A Lifetime organization has no choice but to move on to the next child waiting to go on their hunt. So the money that we raised was put to good use and a little boy, Alex, was sent on his dream whitetail hunt in Alberta.

Typical Terrain on our hunt

Like all the kids we raise money for, I find myself getting emotionally attached to the children as well as their families. When I received the call from Matthew's father, Michael, that he had passed away, my heart was broken. Being a father myself, I can't imagine what Matthew's family was going through. For me, it was impossible to just move on and I knew that I had to do something, and I knew immediately what I wanted to do.

Myself and Michael

Like I mentioned before, Matthew's dream was a midwest elk hunt so I knew that I wanted to offer Matthew's father the opportunity to live out Matthew's dream and harvest an elk in remembrance of Matthew. I wasn't going to be able to pull this off without some help. So after a visit with one of the most well established elk hunting operations in the world, United States Outfitters, they didn't hesitate and said, "Lets make this happen!".

Michael Ciarlone in New Mexico

Now was the hard part, as I knew it was going to be very difficult for Matthew's father to go on this hunt. I put the call into Michael and asked him if he would like to go hunt and film with the goal of having a tv show that was dedicated to the memory of his son. I could immediately hear the hesitation in Michael's voice. I told Michael "that it was entirely up to him and only he could decide if he wanted to do this, so think about it and give me a call in couple of weeks." About two days passed and Michael called me and said, "Matthew would kick my butt if I didn't do this, so yes, I would like to go on the elk hunt."

Typical New Mexico Sunrise

So plans were made and this trip would be muzzleloader hunt on October 9-14th in New Mexico at the Floyd Lee Ranch with United States Outfitters. After arriving in New Mexico we would be staying at a very high elevation and hunting elk in some very rough terrain. Michael being 62 and not used to hunting in these conditions was an absolute trooper. Even though we knew he was really hurting, he got up every day and hunted hard walking and sometimes running after elk. There was something deep within driving him on this hunt. After hunting hard and having one miss, we found ourselves staring at the last few hours of the hunt.

Cameraman Fran and Michael Preparing for the evening hunt

That morning before the last hunt, Michael opened up to all the guests at camp and told them his story and all about his son Matthew. There wasn't a dry eye in the camp and some of the guests even had to get up and leave. Michael explained to everyone how Matthew was his youngest son and his best friend. They did everything together and especially loved being in the outdoors. After hearing Michael open up and just how important this was, I found myself outside staring up at the clear blue sky in New Mexico, saying, "Dear lord, please make this happen for Michael."

Our United States Outfitters Guide - Brian Dam

The last morning hunt we found ourselves walking in the woods and calling, but we didn't hear a bugle all morning long. Things were looking more and more bleak. We were left with less that two hours to hunt when I spotted movement to our right about 150 yards in front of us. The first elk was a cow, but there was not doubt that the second one was a bull. Our guide Brian got Michael in place and confirmed that he was a shooter. Michael took careful aim and let the Thompson Center bark! We could tell the elk was hit, but couldn't see where. So our guide, Brian took off like an Olympic sprinter after this elk. We could see the elk walking through the timber and Michael got in place for another shot. The shot was about 70 yards and it didn't look like he hit him. Again, we were off after this elk and came upon him about 150 yards later laying down and unable to get up. Michael got in place for a finishing shot at about 40 yards, which ended up being a clean miss. We moved Michael to about 25 yards for his fourth and final shot.

Our sleeping facilities for the week

The elk was finally down and I can't really describe the feeling that came over myself, our guide Brian, the cameraman Fran and Michael. Again, there wasn't a dry eye in the woods as Michael did his tv interview over the elk with the photo of his son Matthew in hand and said very simply, "This is for you Matthew! I love you." Michael accomplished what he came to do even when there was nothing left in the tank. He was emotionally and physically exhausted and had nothing left to give. I am so proud of you Michael, you were truly an inspiration.

Michael, myself and Fran Rodenbaugh with Michael and Matthew's Elk

You may be asking what the title of this article, "Now I Know" means. Last month I wrote an article, "Someone is Watching Out For Us" which is all about our success this year and how I feel there is someone watching out for the Wired Outdoors Team. After this hunt in New Mexico, "Now I Know" someone is watching out for us. After Michael fired his last shot, a revelation hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. I said to Michael, "You know, we never shot your gun after arriving at camp." It was obvious that Michael's gun was way off. I personally know better and felt horrible for forgetting to shoot Michael's gun.
Now what one has to wonder is, how was Michael able to hit that elk from 150 yards away, but missed him from 40 yards. The gun was off that much and it just doesn't make any sense other than "Someone was watching out for us". It was perfectly clear to all those on the hunt, there was certainly some help from above. That elk was sent our way for a reason and that shot found it's mark miraculously from 150 yards away. Sure it isn't the biggest elk in the world, but that wasn't what this hunt was all about. This was Michael and Matthew's elk and a hunt that I will never forget. So many times people get wrapped up in the size of animals and that isn't what we are all about. I live for the experiences and moments that we make in the outdoors. This is a memory that I will cherish the rest of my life, and hopefully will help the Ciarlone's as they deal with the loss of their son Matthew. I know that Matthew is smiling down on Michael and one VERY PROUD SON!
You can see this episode this year on our tv show Wired Outdoors! We would also like thank all of those who get involved in our "Hunt of A Lifetime" fundraisers every year. This is an example of why it is so important to get these kids out on there dream hunts. Be watching next week as we introduce our two kids for this year and how you can help.

The Goose Tree Product Review

By Teresa Patterson
www.smartstick.com
Product Features:
• Creates and illusion of landing geese.
• Plays on geese natural instinct to follow birds flying ahead.
• Provides motion and visibility for miles.
• Flags continuously and automatically without revealing   the hunter's location.
• Swivels staying correctly oriented during wind shifts.
• Helps to minimize number of decoys.
• Can be used along river or pond banks in addition to field set up.
Cost: Around $240.00

With more and more hunting pressure, geese are being educated faster and are less likely to work your spread. As a waterfowler one is always attempting to put more birds in the shot path of our decoy spreads and defining the X.

I have found that Larry Juhl’s “the Goose Tree” does just that. The goose tree defines the X and enables the waterfowl hunter to use less decoys.  The simulated landing of geese allows incoming birds to honor the landing birds ahead and lock on the X.  The birds are focused on the X and birds ahead and not on your location in the blind. Thus giving the hunter a better opportunity to be successful.

I along with fellow Field Staffers, Don Ott, Eddie Wise and Bob Miller had the privilege to hunt with the Owner and Creator of the Goose Tree, Mr. Larry Juhl in Wisconsin and saw The Goose Tree first hand in action.  Needless to say the way the birds worked with this decoy system was amazing. At one point it was the ONLY decoy left standing in the field after shooting hours and the birds circled and kept trying to land behind it.  It was totally amazing. We put the Goose Tree to use back here in Pennsylvania and it pulled birds from a large flock right into our gun barrels. Does it work, I can safely say YES!



The Goose Tree took only minutes to put up, was quick and simple. Not to mention your setup time was cut down due to using less decoys in your spread.



I would highly recommend The Goose Tree to anyone who wants to get an advantage on weary decoy shy birds, or if a hunter is looking to add a different look to their spread.  This is a great alternative!

To Those That Wish to Give Back

By Don Ott, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

I won't be redundant in the thanks to everyone involved with the September 19, 2009 3-D Benefit shoot. But as we know if it weren't for those people that see the good in all people and the importance of God in our daily lives the world we live would be in worse condition.   Without our sponsors and those of you who want to make a difference none of this would of been possible.

The preparation for the day was very time consuming. Once you see the outcome and the day comes to an end you can feel the relief and sensation of a task well done.

Once again there were many firsts as are with the great outdoors we all cherish so much.  New friends, old acquaintances, first time shooters, young and old combating the same passion united as one, and smiles that will last a lifetime.  Being blessed with the presence of Tina Pattison, Hunt of a Lifetime Founder, Arianna Evans one of our Hunt of a Lifetime children. Allowing the unknown person to experience the wow factor.

As I listened to so many people comment about the day and ask how to "Get WIRED".  They are pumped and now hopefully they ARE "WIRED".

To those that weren't able to attend you can still be apart of our wonderful family. Get involved, get "WIRED", and continue your support.  Thank you all for your kindness.

Take time to take a friend, loved one or a first timer and introduce them to our wonderful sport.



Above, Pat Gonsman, United Bow Hunters of PA



Sportsman Portal Field Staff, (from left to right), Don Ott, Teresa Patterson, Kyle Schwabenbauer and Andy Traister with Arianna Evans in the center. Arianna was presented with a plaque made by Joanie Haidel, Joanie's Beard Busting Calls.



Buying raffle tickets for prizes.



The "running deer crew", Jimmy Patterson (Teresa's son) and his good friend Nick Eberhardt.



Rex Fahr (right) Teresa's dad organized the 3-D shoot, and Brenda Martz, President of the Loop Sportsman Club.



Tina Pattison's son, Jaimie and his daughter shooting her bow.



The running deer target group effort



Arianna driving her chariot.



Wendy and Mark Blystone some of our "Wired Fans" from Facebook and My Space came out to join us for the shoot that day.



Rex, Jr. (Teresa's brother) and his wife, Larissa Fahr enjoy the concession.





Thanks to all our sponsors.





Jimmy Young and crew came out to support the cause.



Is he milking that deer???



East Coast Archery Manager talking with John Ott.



The "gut gang"



Tanner enjoying the ride.



Ben Fahr (Teresa's brother) and John Lubert out for the shoot.



Nice Sportsman Portal fan truck!