Sunday, June 12, 2011

Giant Alberta Bears!

Want to Win a Thermacell, Hunter Safety System Harness and Plano Bow Case?  Want to come hunt with us next year in Alberta for an awesome bear hunt? Watch the Wired Outdoors Webisode below and see how you can win! Good luck.



I recently returned from my bear hunt in northern Alberta with Alberta Backwoods Outfitters, www.AlbertaBackwoodsOutfitters.com and once again, shot the bear of a lifetime!  Just when I think I can't top the year before, here I am making another trip to the taxidermist.
Jason Say and Don Ott's Giant bears taken on the same night in Alberta
I hope you enjoy the show above because it was a blast filming it!  Remember, by watching the webisode you can win a Thermacell, Hunter Safety System and Plano Bow case so make sure you watch a see how you can win these great prizes!  Good luck.  Also, we are doing a very special hunt next May, 2012 with Alberta Backwoods Outfitters and taking 4 Wired Fans with us for an amazing week in Alberta.  For all the information watch the show and email Jason Say at info@sportsmenportal.com. 


Sunday, March 27, 2011

Huntin Monster Hogs with the Family

SEE THIS ENTIRE WEBISODE NOW - CLICK PLAY ON THE VIDEO BELOW
 
Stacking up the hogs in Texas - See the video of these hunts at www.WiredOutdoors.com
In my younger years, spending time in the outdoors with family and friends used to be almost a daily occurrence, but as we get older, time spent in the woods with brothers, cousins, and uncles becomes harder to come by. 
Shot my first coyote in Texas!  Came right in to the FoxPro Call
On this hunting adventure I would be taking my twin brother Eric.  I know you will look at the photos and the video and say, we don’t even look like brothers, much less twins, but trust me, we have the birth certificates to prove it.  Like most twins growing up, we shared everything together.  We grew up grabbing the shotguns after school for some squirrel hunting to skipping school to get in an extra day of deer hunting together.
My twin brother Eric at the airport ready to do some hog hunting in Texas
Eric has never had an opportunity to travel out of state for a hunting adventure and since I began Wired Outdoors I have always wanted to go on a hunt where I could bring Eric along as well as our two cousins, Mike and Shawn Bell for a family adventure.  Nothing seemed more appropriate than a late winter hog hunt in Texas.  We have been cooped up all winter long, and boy has this winter ever seemed like a LONG winter, so why not travel south to Texas for a sunny three day hog hunt in early March.
We would be hunting with Manx Outfitters in Central Texas, www.ManxOutfitters.com, and were we in for a treat.  When speaking with Richard, the owner of Manx Outfitters, he asked, “What are you looking for, big hogs, numbers, etc…?”  I said we were looking to just come and shoot some stuff, and not real picky.  We were just looking to have a really good time.
Richard assured me they had lots of hogs and we would have a blast.  He explained that they had 5,000 acres of land, 4,000 fair chase and 1,000 acres of high fence.  I told him that we were only  interested in hunting fair chase hogs and he assured me there were just as many hogs on the outside as there were on the inside, and he wasn’t kidding.  Little did I know we were going to be hunting monster fair chase hogs!
After arriving at the airport we would have a short hour and twenty minute drive to Manx Outfitters and be hunting that afternoon.  I would be up first with field staffer Andy Traister filming.  About an hour in and after scaring about a 100 hogs, we finally got lucky and saw a nice boar coming our way.  To make a short story short, I had my first hog within an hour of the first hunt.  The other guys were not as lucky as me and that was the only hog for the first night.
My first Spot and Stalk Hog. See the video of this hunt on our website at www.WiredOutdoors.com
The next evening I was really excited, because I would be filming Eric and I was hopeful that we would have a great hunt.  Little did I know what we were in store for.  We hunted hard all afternoon and had a few close calls with hogs, but just didn’t have an opportunity to shoot.  About an hour before dark, we came to a field that was just covered up in hogs, including a very BIG BOAR.  After being patient and waiting for the right shot, Eric had his first hog, and it was big.  It weighed out at 300 lbs and just blew me away that there are things like this beast out there just wandering around in the wild!  But like I say in the video, “This hunt wasn’t about trophy animals, but about spending time in the outdoors with our friends and families, but trophy animals are pretty cool too!”  Day two was a really good day with Eric’s giant boar, Shawn connected on a 250lb hog and Andy Traister took his first hog with a bow.
My twin brother Eric's Giant Hog - See this video on our website at www.WiredOutdoors.com
 So like is customary on these trips, we found ourselves in the last hour of the last evening and my cousin Mike still hadn’t had an opportunity to take a hog with his bow.  After many stalks and CLOSE encounters, we found ourselves staring at an absolute monster, and I mean MONSTER hog.  This thing looked like it was something out of a scary comic book.  Now all we had to do was close the gap of about 75 yards.  Even if we were able to close the gap, the closest we will be able to get was about 40 yards because of a stream between us and the hog.  If this was going to happen on a hog of this size, it was going to require an absolutely perfect shot.  After closing the gap, Mike let the arrow fly and we watched it arc over the stream and hit perfectly on this hog as it was quartering away.  (You have to watch this shot available on our website at www.WiredOutdoors.com and click on Webisodes)
Mike's Giant 400lb Monster!  See the awesome video of the shot at www.WiredOutdoors.com
After two hundred yards of tracking we came upon the monster and it actually sent chills down your spine to know that you are in the woods at dark with these giants.  All in all we took 6 hogs in 2 and half days of hunting including two absolute giants, with Manx Outfitters.
See the video of this giant at www.WiredOutdoors.com

Like I had said before, the trip was all about spending time with family and friends!  I will never forget our first trip to central Texas to hunt with Manx Outfitters and I can guarantee you one thing, it won’t be my last.  I can’t wait to see them again next year.  This entire show is now available on our website at www.WiredOutdoors.com and click on Webisodes.

Outfitter - Manx Outfitters - www.ManxOutfitters.com
Manx Outfitters hunts are more than reasonable.  It only costs you $200 for your first hog then $100 for every hog after that.  This includes lodging and meals, so you can do the math.  This hunt is a no brainer and the cost is more than reasonable.  They have 1,000 acres of high fence and 4,000 acres of fair chase so you can hunt them however you like.  To give you an idea of how awesome the hunting is, all our hogs were fair chase hogs.  For more information about Manx Outfitters, watch our webisode below.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Late Season Pennsylvania Whitetail

By Jason Say, Wired Outdoors
WiredOutdoors.com
Facebook – www.Facebook.com/wiredoutdoors

I love to archery hunt, but I will be honest, the thought of late season archery hunting in Pennsylvania has never really appealed to me.  Maybe it is the rut being over, much harsher conditions, not real sure, but the combination has always had me hanging up my bow at the end of the first archery season. Not this year though, I intentionally saved my doe tag to give the second season a chance, and I am glad I did.

In Pennsylvania, when you share the woods with almost a million other hunters, by the time gun season is over and second season archery and flintlock rolls around, these deer tend to hit the deck, making hunting very tough.  I am far from an expert in hunting late season whitetail with a bow, but I have learned a few things that might help a newbie who is looking to hunt the late season.
  • Shooting your bow with 4 layers of clothing and temps in the teens, is MUCH different than shooting a bow in early September.  So practice with all your clothing on.
  • Dress appropriately.  Nothing will end you hunt quicker than getting cold and wet.  I can honestly say that I was comfortable every night on stand and had no problems sticking it out.
  • The woods are COMPLETELY wide open during the late season.  So those stands that were close to the bedding area that you could sneak into early in the season, are no longer an option.
  • Stands that had good cover while there was foliage in the woods may no longer have any cover.  I got caught more than once during the late season in stands that I never got busted in early season. So look for stands that might have 3 or 4 trees together instead of ones where you hang out and are easy to pick off.
  • You may go nights without seeing a deer, but when I found the food sources they were hitting, it wasn’t uncommon to see 12 to 15 deer together.
  • As always, pay attention to your scent.  It is much more difficult during the late season, because who the heck wants to dress in the field when it is freezing cold outside. If you are going to wear your clothing in the truck, filling up with gas, stopping by a friends house, you BETTER make sure you play the wind because if you don’t, you will not have a prayer.  You have to remember, these deer have been shot at for two weeks straight and have zero tolerance for people.  I would encourage you to dress in the field, but I completely understand if you refuse to be dressed only in your underwear standing in a field with temps in the teens
  • Always take care of your equipment.  It is getting near the end of the season and some hunters may have a tendency to get a little lazy and not be quite as careful with their equipment.  I store my bow in nothing but the Plano All Weather Series bow case and never have to worry about it getting banged around.
  • During the late season most stands and climbing sticks can have ice or snow on them making them very slippery.  It can be treacherous getting in and out of your stand.  While we feel it is important to always be attached from the bottom of the tree to the treestand all year long, there is even more chance of slipping and falling during the late season.  So make sure you are always strapped in.  We use the Hunter Safety System Pro Series vest along with the Tree Stand Life Line.
When it was all said and done, after my 6th night of hunting, moving stands, constantly scouting, watching my scent, I was able to fill my Pennsylvania doe tag.  Might not sound like a big deal to many, but anyone who has hunted Pennsylvania will understand.  More importantly, it was an opportunity to extend the season and spend MORE time in the outdoors – and that is always a good thing.
Late Season Pennsylvania Whitetail