Wired Outdoors

Giant Alberta Bears!

2011-06-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

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.

Huntin Monster Hogs with the Family

2011-03-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

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.

Late Season Pennsylvania Whitetail

2011-01-08T06:24:00.000-08:00

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

Douglas Gets It Done!

2010-10-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, for the past three years, the Wired Outdoors team raises money to send children with life threatening illnesses on their Hunt of A Lifetime. This past year we decided to take our fund raising to another level and from that idea came the event "Camo Cares". This year the entire community pulled together and raised $20,000 for Hunt of A Lifetime. While we raised enough money to send 7 children on their dream hunt, our main recipient was an AMAZING young man, Douglas Fickel.

Douglas with the Wired Team and Olsen Hunter Group Corporate Sponsors

Wired Outdoors Presents Hunt of A Lifetime a Check for $20,000.00

Douglas suffers from Ataxia-telangiectasia. A-T is like having muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy and cancer all rolled into one. This disease is also very rare and only 600 children in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. A-T is a fatal genetic disease that causes progressive loss of muscular control, various types of cancer and immune system problems. Children with A-T are usually unable to walk by the age of ten and rarely survive their teens. If A-T wasn't enough, Doug was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, T-Cell on December 5, 2008. Douglas has spent almost 200 days in the hospital in 2009 and receives chemo every single day of his life, 365 days a year. With all of Douglas's issues he still loves to hunt and reminds us all of how precious are time in the outdoors is.

Meeting Douglas and his family at this year's Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I knew then and there, that we had to do all we could to help Douglas' dream come true. Douglas' first pick for his dream hunt was a moose hunt. Now, I will be completely honest, I was very hesitant and actually tried to sway Douglas to possibly go with his second choice of a black bear hunt. Hunting moose can be very difficult, including lots of walking and being very mobile. Since Douglas is confined to a power wheel chair that weighs over 200 lbs and must be used on a completely level surface due to its very low clearance, I knew a moose hunt could be very difficult. I soon learned that there is nothing you tell Douglas that he can't do.

Kyle, Douglas and Myself shortly after arriving. He was all smiles and ready to go!

The Cabin we would be staying in with Douglas and his family

Inside the Cabin

We would be hunting in northern Maine the week of October 9th during the second season. Kyle and I would both be making the journey to share in the hunt with Douglas and his family as well film the entire hunt for an episode this year on Wired Outdoors. Once arriving, Douglas was very excited to see us and even more excited to go hunting the next morning. The cabin we would be staying in was beautiful and we were excited to be staying with the Fickels to share the entire experience.

Douglas setup the first morning

Douglas evening set up

The next morning couldn't come soon enough and I don't think any of us slept much that first night and Douglas was all smiles and ready to go. The first day was very uneventful and we didn't see any moose. Things were really put into perspective when Kyle and I were both feeling pretty bummed out about not seeing a moose, but you could tell that Douglas loved every minute of it. Just being in the outdoors, sharing in the hunt with the guys, busting chops like guys do, put a smile on his face all day long. While it was so important to Kyle and I to see him shoot a moose, we soon realized that regardless if we saw an animal or not, Douglas just got to be a part of something that has been very rare in his life. For Douglas just going in the middle of the woods with all the guys and hanging out was something that he rarely got to do! He loved every minute of it.

After not seeing a moose the first day, the news got a little worse. Douglas has vision problems that make it impossible for him to use a normal scope. Instead of a traditional scope he uses a hologram sight that makes it possible for him to see his target and he was also given a laser permit, so his dad could assist and make sure that he was on the target before shooting. That evening we discovered that the laser was no longer working and it was going to be impossible to get a new one for a couple of days. This meant that Douglas would be on his own, making sure of his target. I was really beginning to wonder if this was going to be possible.

Douglas ready to go.

The next morning came and once again Douglas was up and ready to go with that awesome smile! We all gathered before heading out and said a little prayer that everyone would be safe, have fun and god would send a moose Douglas' way. Needless to say, we weren't out the door and 75 yards in front of the cabin, Douglas got to see his first moose. It was a big female and we knew then it was going to be a good day!

Douglas taking a nap before the evening hunt

We were driving to our morning location and I look off to my right and there is a big bull moose in the middle of a broccoli field. The bull was making his way to the wood line and our guide Joe was a little hesitant, not knowing if we could get Douglas into a position where we could call the bull. I said, "Joe, pull this truck over, we will get him in position!". Joe was hesitant and for a good reason. The road was bordered by think alders, but at the end of the field in the direction the bull was heading was a small road. We whipped the truck over and got Douglas in position in record time! The bull was still about 300 yards out in the middle of the field and we would need him to respond to the guides calls if Douglas was going to get a shot.

After some calling and raking the the tree branches, it didn't take long and the bull was making his way right to us. Now everyone who knows me knows, when it gets close to moment of truth I can get very excited/nervous/focused, whatever you want to call it. As I am sitting about 6 or 7 yards behind Douglas and his father, getting very anxious, I will never forget how Douglas just kept looking back at me smiling ear to ear as if to say, "Oh yeah, this bull is in big trouble!" The kid literally had ice in his veins.

The bull finally came to about 75 yards and turned broadside and Joe gave the green light. Douglas let the first shot ring out. At that point and time, we weren't sure if he had hit him or not. The bull wheeled out about 40 yards and turned broadside again and Douglas let another shot ring out and there was no doubt, he put it right in the boiler room, an absolutely PERFECT shot! After reviewing the footage later that day, we saw that his first shot was only about 4 inches from the other one directly through both lungs. The kid had just made two perfect shots on a 1000 pound animal all on his own.

Needless to say, the woods erupted with cheers and celebration as Douglas' father Doug ran right at me and hugged me so hard I thought he was going to break my back. Douglas put both his hands in the air and just kept yelling, "That was awesome, that was awesome". It wasn't long and the tears started to flow as everyone realized what had just taken place and we all thanked the man upstairs for making it happen. There was no doubt that he sent that bull our way!

Douglas and his father Doug!

The memory that will always stick with me was watching Douglas' father put Douglas on his back and carry him to his awesome bull moose and getting to see such a special moment between a father and son. In Douglas' interview he was so concerned that he thank everyone that had helped him. As he ended his thank you's he said, "and most of all, I want to thank my Dad for coming hunting with me!" Immediately following, Douglas broke into tears and so did every person in that field. Still with all the things stacked against this young man, the most important thing to him was to say thank you. On that day, I realized that Douglas was not only a great hunter, he is an AWESOME human being!

You DA' Man Douglas!

Kyle and I both felt honored and privileged to be there in that field on that very special day. We both said to each other that we wished everyone who helped send Douglas' on his dream hunt could have been there with us. There are so many people to thank that I can't possibly list them all in this article, but you all know who you are and should be very PROUD of what you helped us accomplish. We can only hope that the show will give you all an idea of what it was like to be there that day with the Fickel family.

Myself and Kyle with Douglas and his dad

This show will air the middle of November and more details will be available on our website at www.WiredOutdoors.com and our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wiredoutdoors. Many people ask us how they can help us make dreams like this come true for kids. If you are interested in helping, you can visit our website at www.wiredoutdoors.com and click on Camo Cares.

Douglas' mom Pam on a full sprint to see her son's moose!

Douglas with him mom and dad and Kyle and I

Camo Cares - What A Day!

2010-06-26T09:47:00.000-07:00

For the past three years Wired Outdoors has been raising money for "Hunt of A Lifetime" and special kids like Timmy Mickle, Arianna Evans and Matthew Ciarlone, but a little over 8 months ago, Kyle and I discussed the possibility of taking our fund raising to the next level. We wanted to have an event where we could send as many kids as possible on their dream hunts and little did we know the magnitude of what was about to take place.

After some serious deliberation we came up with the name for the event, Camo Cares. We felt this name best described the event we envisioned, all about Sportsmen and women taking care of each other. The name also embodied one of the values that all of us at Wired Outdoors hold dear - ALWAYS GIVE BACK!

Fryburg Sportsman's Club hosts the first annual Camo Cares

So began the planning of an event that the entire family could enjoy. Like they always say, one of the most important things is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION and we knew the best place that we could hold the event was the Fryburg Sportsman's Club in Fryburg, Pennsylvania. With over 300 acres of rolling hills, fields and hardwoods with pavilions and food booths, it was the ideal location for our event. After several conversations with the club President, Pam Shattenberg, not only would the event be held at the Fryburg Sportsman's Club they went over and above to became a corporate sponsor. Special thanks to all those folks at the Fryburg Sportsman's Club for all their hard work and donations, we couldn't have done it without you!

Taking Aim on one of the two 30 Target Courses

The day was a full schedule of events including an archery shoot in the morning. The shoot had approximately 170 shooters from all across Pennsylvania with some of the best shooters you will ever see. The highlight for the shooters that day was a archer shoot off at the Plano Tough Buck. The way this event worked was all shooters would line up and shoot at an iron deer target with a 5" open circle over the vitals. Each shooter would only get one arrow and would begin at 20 yards, back up to 30, 40, 50 and so forth. During a round to win an All Weather Series Plano Bow Case two shooters ended up shooting all the way back to 90 yards! Yes, that is right, 5" inch circle at 90 yards. Truly an amazing display and the crowd roared with applause.

Me taking time to introduce some special kids and people, Arianna Evans, Douglas Fickel and Michael Ciarlone

After the archery shoot we had an opportunity to introduce some very special people to all the folks before the raffles began. This is what the event was all about and this year we were blessed with having our past recipients, Arianna Evans, Michael Ciarlone, the father of Matthew, who passed away with leukemia during our fund raising last year and this years recipient, Douglas Fickel. As usual I always find myself getting choked up when it comes to these kids and this year was no different. Each year I am so personally attached to each of the families it always becomes emotional. Most of you have heard Douglas' story but in case you haven't he is suffering from a disease called Ataxia-telangiectasia. A-T is like having muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy and cancer all rolled into one. This disease is also very rare and only 600 children in the United States have been diagnosed with this disease. A-T is a fatal genetic disease that causes progressive loss of muscular control, various types of cancer and immune system problems. Children with A-T are usually unable to walk by the age of ten and rarely survive their teens. If A-T wasn't enough, Doug was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, T-Cell on December 5, 2008. Douglas has spent almost 200 days in the hospital in 2009 and receives chemo every single day of his life, 365 days a year. With all of Douglas's issues he still loves to hunt and reminds us all of how precious are time in the outdoors is.

View the video below all about Douglas and Camo Cares!

This fall we will be hunting with Douglas in Maine for moose to air on our show Wired Outdoors. For more information on the program and when it will air, visit, WiredOutdoors.com.

Douglas, Co-hosts of Wired Outdoors, Kyle, Teresa and Jason and Corporate Sponsors Bobby Yeany of the Olsen-Hunter Group

After introducing the kids and distributing the awards to all the archery shoot winners, the raffles were underway. This year's raffle was unbelievable with tons of prizes including everything from a jet tub, guided hunts, guns, bows, and more. All of our corporate sponsors really stepped up and supplied thousands of dollars worth of products. We would like to thank everyone who donated this year.

Crowd gathers for the raffles

Once the raffles were complete we had an awesome lineup of bands beginning with Cherry Run Junction, then Attagurl Rex and ending with Leverage. The bands were packed and everyone had a blast. Thank you to all the bands and their members for helping making this a special day.

Couple having a great time at the bands!

Once it was all said and done, we had raised over $20,000.00 for our kids and "Hunt of A Lifetime". Far beyond our goals, expectations and wildest dreams. It is truly humbling and overwhelming at the same time. To see folks pull together in tough times like these and open their hearts and wallets to these very special kids, it is what being a sportsman is all about. So many times you see a guy sitting over a giant deer on tv saying, "This is what it is all about!" For us at Wired Outdoors, what happened on Saturday is what it is all about! Things like Camo Cares and the support we received from the community, sponsors, shooters, and fans makes me PROUD to call myself a sportsman.

We look forward to bringing you all the action of Douglas' hunt this fall on Wired Outdoors on the Sportsman Channel. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU all for your support and you should all be very proud of what you have helped us accomplish, we couldn't have done it without you!

Special Thank You to the event staff and all the committee members behind the scene, Gary Rex, Wayne Meier, Kirk Byerley, Wendy Wenner, Mike Weigle, Mike Bell, AJ Johnson, Al Hogue, Vaughn Stewart and Andy Traister.

Tina Pattison, founder of Hunt of A Lifetime

How fitting! Arianna Evans wins the Jet Tub!

Hunting hogs in the Florida "Hammocks"

2010-04-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Jason and I have talked about hog hunting for several years. Hunting hogs with a bow has been something I’ve wanted to try since I first picked up a bow. When Jason called and offered me a chance to go on a 3 day hog hunt with him and friend, Mike Switzer, I jumped at the chance.

Before I knew it, we were off to Florida Cracker Outfitters for our late January Hog hunt. After getting off the plane, we made the short drive to “camp”. When the trip particulars were described to me, I was under the impression we would be “roughing it” for the week. I envisioned a run down camp with the bare necessities. Upon meeting Courtnay (one of the outfitters), we made the 4.5 mile trip off road back to camp. As we drove back the grass road, I was surprised and excited we would be staying so far back in the Florida woods. As we turned into the driveway of “camp”, I was in shock. Before us was a beautiful house/camp where we would be staying for our hunt. This place was butted right against a lake which, as I was told, was chalk full of crappies and bass. It was quite apparent we wouldn’t be “roughing it” this week.

Our "cabin" for the week

View from the back porch

Upon arrival, we were met by a young fellow named Jake who was going to be one of our guides for the week, and Julie our camp cook. Courtnay gave us the rundown on how the week was going to go: The hunt was going to be out of blinds in the morning/evening. In the afternoons, we would try to spot and stalk on any pigs we might see on our travels. We were hunting on private property but these hogs were unfenced and 100% wild with absolutely no human contact. We learned from the outfitters, that Florida hadn’t received much rain and the hogs were hanging in the un-huntable “meadows”. Meadows, by their definition, were practically impenetrable scrub marsh, with saw grass mixed in. After seeing one of these meadows, I quickly understood why we wouldn’t be archery hunting in those areas. Even after receiving this information, I was still thinking this is a slam dunk… we’re hunting hogs after all. Minus my first opportunity, I was proven about as wrong as any individual could be. My perceptions of hog hunting before the trip couldn’t have been more off base. Honestly, I figured they were blind dumb animals, and the hunt would be an easy relaxing adventure with the guys. If I would have handled my first encounter with hogs correctly, I might still believe that. As I quickly found out, I didn’t give these animals nearly enough credit.

After our brief orientation, we quickly shot our bows to make sure they were on and got showers for our first evening hunt. Jason and I were going to hunt together for the week, while Mike Switzer and Courtnay (the outfitter) were going to pair up for the week. On the first evening, Jason decided he would run the camera and I would be the shooter. Jake and Courtnay set us in a Palmetto blind over looking a small wet field next to a swamp. After getting settled in, I was trying to figure out how to get a shot out of our set up. I figured there was a spot in the blind that, if I sat straight up, I could clear the palmetto branches. After about an hour in the blind, Jason whispered “pigs coming from behind us”. I turned and saw 3 hogs coming right to the front of our set up. I readied for the shot and realized the first unexpected problem in trying to take a hog with a bow. These dog gone things just won’t stay still! As I was trying to communicate to Jason on which one I was going to “take”, they would move. The boars were all about the same size with the color variations being orange/black, blonde/black, and all black. I figured I would shoot the first one that gave me an opportunity. As one would present a shot by the time both Jason and I were on him, the hog would move. Before the hogs moved off, I had committed to “taking” each of the three hogs, but we couldn’t get both the camera and the bow on them before they moved. As the last one moved out of the wet field into the swamp, I was becoming disappointed at our misfortune, but that was short lived. The orange/black boar came back out and stood at a perfect slight quarter away at 18 yards. With both the camera and bow settled on him, I released my arrow. To my disbelief, I saw my Lumenok sail about 1 foot high and 2 feet to the left of its mark. I couldn’t believe I missed that shot, let alone missing that bad. I was thinking how did I pull the shot that badly, but after examination from where I was shooting, it was clear I didn’t get over the palmetto. In other words, I completely blew my first ever “slam dunk” shot at a hog, and in front of the camera at that. As we made it back to camp we met with the other outfitter Jeremy and his father Glen. They had already arranged to take us out to some of the blind sites to check trail cams and make a plan for the next morning. After checking 6 different cams, there was no doubt there were plenty of hogs at this place, but 2 sites looked to be much more active than others. We had our plan set for the morning hunt.

Our palmetto blind for the evening

View from inside the blind

Jason and I would be hunting a stand called the eagles nest; while Mike and Courtnay would be hunting the same blind I had my miss out of the previous night. The next morning came, and I made the decision to be behind the camera. We arrived at our location and Jason offered to install the tree arm (holds the camera) for me. We only had one light between the two of us, so Jason took it up the tree to install the arm which left me on the ground with no light. There was a stream about 20 yards on the opposite side of the tree we were about to set up in. I heard splashing and “growling” in the stream. Without a light, I couldn’t see a thing. I figured about that time, I would take the opportunity to run up the ladder to see if Jason needed any help with the tree arm. Jason got a good chuckle out of my availability to help and we finally got settled in our setup just as light was breaking. This morning was a perfect example of how our hunts went for the next day and a half. We heard hogs chasing each other and growling around us, but we never saw a hog. They knew something was up in our area and wouldn’t commit to coming through. As we were finishing up our hunt, we received a text from Mike. He had the same 3 hogs I saw the evening before in front of him, and put a good shot on the blond/black one. We met up shortly after to trail, and hopefully recover this hog. I was filming the recovery and couldn’t believe the blood trail this hog left. I’ve never seen anything like it. After 30 yards Mike recovered his first wild hog, with a perfect shot behind the shoulder.

Mike Switzer with his 1st wild hog

The next 3 hunts were all the same. We had hogs around us but they just wouldn’t commit to our stand locations. After our morning hunt on the last day, Jeremy came to get us and we could see how excited he was for our last evening hunt. The wind finally settled down and the hogs were on their feet. He was scouting while we were on stand and found a couple areas that were “torn up”. He saw several hogs and suggested we go back for a quick lunch while he made a blind and hung stands in the two new locations he found. Since Mike had already had taken a hog, he was on camera duty while I was the shooter for our final evening. As we were getting into our stand, I received a text from Jason saying they had seen 1 big boar and 4 smaller pigs as they were going in to their blind. We also had an encounter with a nice hog within a half hour of our sit but I couldn’t get a shot at him before he moved off. They were definitely up and moving and I was excited to see what the rest of the evening would bring. About 45 minutes before dark, Mike spotted 4 hogs on the hillside directly across from us heading our way. The 2 big boars came into the right of us with the 2 decent hogs standing about 15yards in front of us. I told Mike I wasn’t waiting and I was going to take the boar in front of us. Mike gave me the go ahead so I drew, settled the pin behind his shoulder, and this time my arrow found the vitals. The hog moved off slowly to our left and disappeared into a thick patch about 50 yards from us. The bigger boars circled us and apparently came across my hog because they stopped roughly where we last saw the hit hog and started growling. Now it was time to wait for our guides and Jason to make it over to our stand, but I felt good about the shot and the hog’s reaction after the hit. After about 45 minutes the guys came and we made a straightforward recovery. The blood sign was solid and we found my hog about 70 yards from our stand. It felt great to finally get my first wild hog on the ground!

Jason and I with my 1st wild hog

Our trip ended that night as we were flying out of Jacksonville early the next morning. This hog hunt had so much more than I had expected. The guides and outfitters were some of the best I’ve ever hunted with, and the accommodations were second to none. Just by being around Courtnay and Jeremy for the week, I feel I’ve become a better hunter. On many of my experiences, the outfitters and guides job was to put us on our game we were hunting. When hunting with Florida Cracker Outfitters, the guys taught me everything from how they hunt Florida Hogs, turkeys, deer, and gators, to their heritage and the history of hog hunting in their area. They have great pride in what they do, and will share with you all they have learned through the years. In general this is just a great group of people to hunt with. As you can tell, my first wild hog hunt was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-03-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

Gearbox:

Medalist Apparel
LaCrosse Alpha Burly Boots
Leupold Katmai Binoculars 8x32mm
Leatherman Vista Multi-Tool

This time of year, I'll do almost anything to ward off cabin fever and I'm always anxious to get out in the woods and scour the ground for shed antlers. I'm certainly no expert, but I usually manage to find a few every spring. Plus, it gives me a great opportunity to scout for turkeys and check out some of the bedding areas and big buck sanctuaries that I try to avoid during the fall.

The first places I usually check out are where the deer have been doing most of their feeding. Sometimes these spots are very different from the food sources they rely on during the fall. However this winter, it seemed like the deer in my area were still hitting the oaks in search of the acorns buried under the snow. And once all of that snow melted, I hoped that a few of those ivory antler tips would be easy to spot!

My first shed of the year!

I keep a close eye on my trail cameras to see when the majority of bucks have lost their antlers. This year, it seemed like plently of bucks were still carrying their racks in early March. Still, there were a few hot spots I couldn't resist checking out, and I got lucky on one of my early outtings. I found my first shed of the year in a stand of pines that is bordered by plenty of oak trees.

Knowing that bucks sometimes shed both of their antlers in the same spot, I spent extra time looking around the location of my lucky find. At first, I didn't think the matching antler was nearby, but then something white caught my eye. It was the base of a small piece of antler that had been broken off sometime the previous year.

The small antler piece just as I found it

I was almost in shock when I realized just how small the broken antler was! There was probably no way I ever would have found it if it had not been lying near the first anlter. It was a milestone in my shed hunting career, because not only had I found two antlers in one evening, but I found a matching set!

Anyone can find the big ones, right?!

Some of you might be a little skeptical as to whether the two antlers actually came from the same buck. I was too, but sorting through some old trail camera photos eliminated any doubt in my mind. This buck was definitely a regular in my area and I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of rack he grows this year.

Hiking around the forest in the springtime is always a great experience and I love carrying my camera along and capturing some of the unique sights I usually see. Searching for sheds requires a pace quite a bit slower than my usual speed, so sometimes I notice things that I would probably otherwise pass by.

Streamside skunk cabbage sprouts

I don't know much about fungi, maybe someone can tell me what type it is?

This old deer skull was not the kind of bone I was looking for!

Part of the purpose for my spring wanderings is to keep track of the local flocks of turkeys in anticipation of gobbler season. Warm sunny mornings seem to be the best for hearing gobbles and we've been fortunate to have several of them this month. I never like to get too close to the birds for fear of pressuring them prior to my hunts, and I never do any calling before season. However on my last scouting trip, a little luck and a big camera lens allowed me to capture a couple photos of some local toms who were putting on quite a show!

I love to see those big flocks of early strutters!

There are a few youngsters in the neighborhood who will be experiencing their first turkey hunts this spring. I can't wait to tag along and see if we can call a few of those wily old birds into range! Good luck to everyone with your springtime scouting. Stay Wired!

PA Whitetail Winter Wrap Up

2010-01-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

This year was a very hard hunting year for me in PA. Archery season produced only one shooter buck out of range. I did have an opportunity at a doe but had a clean miss. She too was just out of range and I misjudged the shot distance. Only several other deer were spotted during the many hours in the field of archery here in Pennsylvania. I found hunting public grounds pretty tough. There was very little feed due to the gypsy moths and that pushed the deer into other areas. So all I could hope for was better luck during the Pennsylvania rifle season.

Winter is such a magical time of the year as we watch the woods transform into a silent escape. Food sources being covered whitetails seem to minimize movement. Then there is the invasion of orange disrupting the stillness with echoes of gun fire.

I put in a great deal of time but couldn't get a shooter buck within my sites during archery or rifle seasons here in Pennsylvania. Unable to put that buck on the ground I longed for venison to fill my freezer. I decided that I would take a mature doe as soon as the opportunity would present itself. That opportunity happened the first Wednesday of rifle season. The morning only produced about 2 shots in the far off distance on the Game Lands we were hunting. Then around 10:00AM around 100+ yards I could see 5 deer moving through the timber up the hill from me. About 5 minutes later the turned and headed down the hill at an angle right to me. The first one leading was a big mature doe. I let the rifle bark and she dropped within 30 yards from where I was standing.

The first Saturday of rifle I headed back out hoping to possibly connect with a buck. The snow started about an hour after we were in the woods. And it snowed and snowed and at one time looked like a blizzard. There was no way to keep the camera dry so we packed it away. Within 2 hours we had several inches of snow on the ground. Everything was covered. There was no movement and no shots. It sure didn't seem like the first Saturday of rifle season in Pennsylvania. We saw only one other hunter and by 8 AM he got up and left. The snow wasn't letting up and I knew without hunters moving, the deer weren't going to be moving much either.

Since Don didn't have a rifle he decided to sit looking one way and I would keep an eye on the other. It was so hard to see and it was totally silent. If you weren't seeing the deer you sure weren't going to hear them! Shortly after 9 AM Don sees 2 deer sneaking up behind us. I quickly scope them, no horns. I quickly decided to fill my second doe tag. 30.06 cracked and down went my second mature doe.

I have hunted for many years and in all the years I have hunted I have NEVER shot 2 deer in one year. I never felt the need. I usually was blessed to shoot a buck in archery or rifle and then I was done. It was enough meat to last the year. So this was a first. Jimmy hadn't been having luck at that point hunting either so I told him if I could shoot another doe I would so he could get his deer bologna he likes made. And I don't know if any of you have seen the size of my kid lately? Well he is 13 and 6 foot tall. So we can use more than one deer a year now.

The rest of the season I hunted for a buck but mother nature didn't cooperate much either. Ice, Snow, rain, high winds we had it all. I still went out with the hopes the Lord would bless me with a shooter buck. But it just didn't happen.

I was tickled to finally put a deer on the ground this year. Well, two actually. It will definitely be a Pennsylvania hunting season to remember. Spending time afield is a blessing! The harvest, that's the bonus!

Listening to my loved ones and friends recreate their hunting adventures and sharing my hunts with them brings smiles to everyone's face. Creating memories that will last a lifetime and reinforces our heritage in the minds of those who cherish every trip afield.

Here are some pictures from family and friends who were successful this year during the PA whitetail season.

Dad with his archery doe

Brandon with his archery doe.

Don with his rifle buck

Jimmy's friend Cody with his first buck

Friend Tom's nice rifle buck

Brandon's friend Scott with his flintlock doe

Jimmy with his first ever muzzleloader kill

Lansky Deluxe 5 Hone Sharpening System

2009-12-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

Lansky Deluxe 5 Hone Sharpening System
By Mike Bell, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

Cost
$32.49 online

Product features

Patented, precision-engineered, multi-angle flip-over knife clamp
Sharpening hones on color-coated, finger-grooved safety holders
One guide rod for each honing stone
Specially formulated honing oil
Extra long knife clamp screws
Custom molded storage/carrying case to hold all system components
Complete easy-to-follow multi-lingual instructions

Lansky sharpening angles

17 degree – A severe angle recommended for razor blades, X-Acto blades, scalpels or similar tools. Provides an extremely sharp but delicate edge.
20 degree – A commonly used angle for higher quality blades and provides an excellent edge for kitchen cutlery and filet knives
25 degree – The recommended angle for most knives that need a durable, sharp edge. Ideal for hunting and outdoor knives
30 degree – An outstanding angle for knives that see the heavy use of cutting cardboard, wire or carpets. Recommended for heavy duty use.

Personal Assessment of product

Until coming across the Lansky Sharpening System, I was never able to put a sharp durable edge on my knives. I’ve tried whetstones and though I could put a serviceable edge on my knife, it was never truly sharp. I had friends, and family who were willing to sharpen my knives for me, but I was always bothered by not being able to do it myself. I came across the Lansky Sharpening System from a co-worker. He was telling me about his knife sharpening kit and offered to let me try one of my knives on it. After receiving the kit and a few instructions from my friend, I gave it a shot. I took the system home that evening and brought my dull hunting knife to a razor sharp edge on my first try. This was the first time I was able to get a truly sharp edge on my hunting knife. I was amazed at how easy this system was to use and purchased a Lansky that night. After receiving my system in the mail, I had all my hunting knives honed and ready for the upcoming hunting season. The great thing about this sharpening system is that it takes the “art” out of sharpening knives. Just put your knife in the clamp, decide what angle you want on your blade, attach the rods to the hones, and use the slots built into the clamp to bring you knife to a razor sharp finish. Though I already had an idea how to use the sharpening kit, the instructions were thorough and easy to follow.

Product Limitations

There are only a couple of things I could mention as “limitations” when using the Lansky Knife Sharpening Systems. This system is used by running a hone over the knife as the fixed surface, as compared to running a knife over a whetstone as the fixed surface. A little more care is needed when using the Lansky Sharpening System. The same friend, who introduced me to this kit, also cut himself bad when the hone slipped off the blade and ran his finger into the knife edge. This is completely avoidable ,and the system is safe to use, but always use care when dealing with knives. Also when doing large knives (above 6-7 inches) it is recommended to do ½ of the knife at a time. When trying to sharpen the whole knife at once, the angle changes too much and the rods might not be long enough. I have done our chef’s kitchen knife ½ at a time, and though it took a little longer, the end result was great.

Recommendation

The Lansky Sharpening System is easy to use and has brought out razor sharp edges on knives I have never been able to get sharp before. The process of sharpening my knives before owning the Lansky Sharpening System had been frustrating and often times impossible. After using this system, I believe this product would work great in any outdoorsmen’s home.

Carter's Hunting Lodge

2009-12-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

Date: November 7-14, 2009

Location: Milton, Illinois, Pike County

Species: Whitetail

This year I met with Carter’s Hunting Lodge at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. During that time I made arrangements with Randy Hall and Nathan Carter to hunt with them during the rut. Carter’s Hunting Lodge offers TROPHY whitetail archery hunts in Pike County, Illinois. (You can see the story of my hunt under my Field Journals) Needless to say, I was in for a true hunter’s delight.
Lodge: They offer a comfortable laid back stay at their hunting Lodge. When entering the Lodge you can’t help but be astonished at the big Pike County bucks hanging all over the walls. Not to mention the wall plaques of pictures of hunters with bucks taken over the years. That alone gets you excited for getting in the woods. The Lodge is roomy yet cozy and comfortable. When you came home from hunting the ladies would have a wonderful warm meal ready with all the fixings! Catered from the local eatery Dink’s Diner.

Food: When you came home from hunting the ladies would have a wonderful warm meal ready with all the fixings! Catered from the local eatery Dink’s Diner. The food was delicious and there was plenty to go around! They provide you with two meals per day Noon and Night. A complimentary breakfast will be provided the morning of the hunt. The food was delicious and there was plenty to go around!

Stands: Carter’s has over 8000 acres of prime hunting ground managed with various food sources. There was no need to worry about being crowded by other hunter’s there was plenty of room. They have over 250 stands anywhere from 20-24 feet. All stands are double hung stands mostly done for the purpose of filming. They were either a hang on stand or a permanent built stand. All stands had a ladder which made climbing easy. Carter's can place you in a stand giving the hunter every opportunity according to wind direction and deer movement. Guides will take you to your stand locations and pick you up mid-morning to go in for lunch then back out in the evening. Or you can opt to stay out all day and hunt as we did.

Deer: Carter’s does have an antler restriction of a 140 inch minimum and there is a fee assessed if you choose to shoot less than 140 class bucks. That is why it is TROPHY hunting. By having this restriction Carter’s assures that their bucks are reaching their full potential and maturing. Thus providing the hunter with quite possibly a buck of a lifetime! The big bucks we saw were in the body size of up over 200 pounds with massive antlers. The bucks have interesting characteristics of kickers, drop tines, split brows and so on. A lot of character running around their property! The bucks were big, healthy, big, and did I say they were BIG??

Guides: Carter’s has a Guide for everyone. Some of the return hunters chose to go to their stands on their own and so forth. Which is an option to those repeat clients that are familiar with the stands, property, etc. The Guides will take you and drop you off to your stand each day, recovery and processing of your deer and give you guidance according to your feedback from each days hunt. I know there wasn’t a Guide at Carter’s that you wouldn’t like. All the guys were personable and made you feel welcome as soon as you introduced yourself.

Carter’s has over a 76% return rate with their clients. Which is totally understandable. I know I wanted to go back before I even left! During the week Don and I saw around 50 bucks and more does and fawns than we could count. The stands were comfortable and numerous! They have food plots and water sources all through the property. I absolutely loved my hunt with Carter’s. Everyone treated you like you were family and the Lodge was laid back, comfortable, good food and fun. These boys know how to manage deer! We saw proof of that!

Carter’s also offer hunting property and land for sale in Pike County and surrounding areas with their Real Estate Company, Carter Realty Network.
If you are looking to harvest a Trophy Whitetail in the mid-west with a great group of people, I would highly recommend Carter’s Hunting Lodge.

They are at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor show each year in February, or you can contact Them at:
Randy Hall 1-217-779-0404, P.O. Box 259, Milton, Illinois 62352 randy@carternetworkrealty.com

Trophy Whitetails Free Range, By Don Ott

2009-11-29T03:00:00.000-08:00

Gearbox:

Medalist Stalker Fleece Pants and Coat
Medalist Base Layers
Medalist Packable Rain pants and Coat
Hunter Safety Systems Pro-Series Safety Vest
LaCrosse Alph Burly Rubber Boots
Kodak Easy Share ZD 8612 LS Digital Camera
Canon XHA-1 HD Camcorder

A journey to Pike County Illinois. World record bucks, monster long beards, waterfowl, morel mushrooms and Carter's Trophy Hunting Lodge!

Teresa and I drove all night and arrived in a little town of Milton, Illinois. I pulled off the road and questioned a gentleman at the Post Office in an attempt to locate a gas station and of course a place to graze. The gentleman kindly smiled and pointed directly behind the vehicle and stated, "Well Dink's Diner is the only place to eat in this town and the gas station across the street is open but not manned." I thanked him and proceeded to the gas station.

To my surprise it is an UNMANNED gas station with no human beings present. The sign reads, "24 HOUR SERVICE,SWIPE YOUR CARD. IF NO PRESSURE , WAIT 30 SECONDS FOR THE PRESSURE TO BUILD UP AND PROCEED." Talk about small town America. Population 300 SALUTE! After a few laughs we ventured about 10miles up the road to Pittsfield in hopes to find more resourceful accommodations. Little did we know, eating at Dink's Diner is like eating Mama's home cooking after over indulging there on a couple of occasions.

Pittsfield, Illinois is also home of Jeff Foiles Inc., and the Archery Shop. The only bow shop within 50 miles. After talking to a few of the patrons, this is the place to go for personal care of your bow and friendly staff!

Once we fueled up and found a place to eat we headed to Carter's Trophy Lodge where we were greeted by Nathan Carter.

Once inside, I managed to pick my chin up off the floor and wipe the drool from my lip in astonishment of all the trophy mounts adorned on the walls. Nathan conducted a short safety briefing while checking Teresa's license. Some casual conversation and we were escorted to our humble abode.

Once unloading all our gear we returned to the Lodge and met some of the hunters, our Guides Eddie and Randy.

Talk about resourceful, 8000+ acres owned or leased, 250 double hung stands, bow hunting only for MINIMUM 140 class whitetails. Escorted to the stand site strategically placed due to wind direction, food source and whitetail movement. A cameraman's dream...double hung stands at every location to acquire the over the shoulder shot when presented.

Free range whitetails that are given an opportunity to mature only means one thing, MONSTER BUCKS! For you as the hunter, a chance to harvest a buck of a lifetime.

The first night in camp we took a ride with Randy to check out the property. Hopefully get some footage of bucks and/or buck activity. The deer trails look like cattle paths, fence posts and cedar trees are shredded and the bucks are chasing does. Shortly after admiring a few rubs we rounded the corner to encounter a buck tending a doe. An act of nature that most hunters never see in a lifetime of being afield. We were able to capture this act int he first hour with Carter's Hunting Lodge. To a bow hunter this means the rut is near. Enabling multiple sightings of mature bucks and the ability for the hunter to prey on mother natures weakness of such an elusive animal. The desire to reproduce, forcing the most nocturnal animal to be seen within the guidelines of legal shooting hours. Making dreams come true.

With the camera in hand I attempt to capture the beauty and fruit of Dale Carter's labor as he enables others to enjoy his passion and embrace their innermost desire. The thrill of a whitetail abound on the forest floor as one attempts to put a well placed shot with his or her bow on a buck of a lifetime. Stimulating an endorphin dump that over-rides the brain's ability to remain calm and in control. Stabilizing a tiny pin on a minuet hair in hopes of silencing the pulsating heartbeat in ones head. Better known as BUCK FEVER! I call it heaven on Earth!

Everyday at camp the rut activity was getting more intense. A minimum of six bucks sighted up to eleven on our most active day. The Guides told us if you were here when the rut goes into full swing, peak rut...it is off the hook with buck sightings. Being from Pennsylvania hunting State Game Lands, eleven bucks in one day is virtually unheard of. I couldn't imagine being suspended above the forest floor when the peak rut kicked off at Carter's Hunting Lodge!

Most hunters I talk to that have taken a hunting trip have complained of not seeing doe and very few bucks. This was not the case. We saw plenty of doe and when you saw one running you could bet one thing. There was a buck in pursuit, grunting and growling behind her.

If you are looking for a hunt of a lifetime. I would sincerely recommend Carter's hunting Lodge. Where not only could you shoot a buck of a lifetime, you will encounter a laid back friendly attitude an exemplified personal care from Dale Carter and his staff. It will make you want to take a road trip just to bring you back to the grass roots of our magnificent sport and those family traditions of camaraderie and fellowship in deer camp.

See Carter's Hunting Lodge crew at the Eastern Sports and Outdoors Show and book your hunt of a lifetime!

Shake, Rattle and Drool!!

2009-11-27T12:00:00.000-08:00

Medalist Stalker Fleece Pants and Coat

Medalist Base Layers

Medalist Packable Rain Coat and Pants

Medalist Gloves and Facemask

Medalist socks

Hunter Safety Systems Pro-Series Vest

Hunter Safety Systems Bow Holster

LaCrosse Alph Burly Rubber Boots

PSE Nova Bow 50 #

Rage 100 grain 3 Blade Broadheads

5575 Gold Tip Arrows

True Fire Release

Bushnell Range Finder with Arc

Nikon Binoculars

XHA-1 HD Video Camera

Muddy Tree Arm

Last year at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor show I noticed an Outfitter Booth that had a whitetail hunter’s dream. Big bucks displayed all over their wall. Although I talked to other Whitetail Outfitters, there was something that kept drawing me back to this booth. Finally I went up and spoke with the Outfitter, Carter’s Hunting Lodge in Pike County, Illinois. The gentlemen I spoke with were Randy Hall and Nathan Carter. After working out some minor details we had a hunt planned for me in November, 2009 in Pike County during the rut. Excited isn’t even the word. Although I think everyone dreams of hunting the big mid-west bucks at some point in their hunting career. I realized my dream was going to happen.

Carter's Lodge above.

Some of the impressive bucks hanging on the Lodge wall. These big bucks are enough to make even a seasoned hunter "Drool"!

It seemed like time flew and before you knew it, November was here and it was time to hit the woods with Carter Hunting Lodge. On the way out, Randy sent me a text message showing me the buck one of their hunters from Georgia shot the night before. A 10 point 166 inch. I was "wired!"

166 inch 10 pointer shot the night before I left for Carter's.

Don and I drove the 12 hour + trip to Milton, Illinois. (Right outside of Pittsfield, Illinois) We were greeted by Nathan at the Lodge and after I took a few practice shots with my bow, we met with Randy for a tour of some of the property. When I say some, I mean only a small portion. Carter’s has over 8,000 acres of prime Pike County hunting land. Corn, food plots, deer, and more deer, and did I mention they have deer? Well our first tour proved that the rut was on. We were able to witness and film a small 140 class buck tending a doe at dusk in a field. Proof the rut was on!!!! This made me even more “wired” to get in a stand the next day. During our ride Randy explained how things worked at Carter’s, the food plots, antler requirements of a 140 inch rack or better, tree stands, they have over 250 double stands hung all over the property.

Above talking with Nathan at Carter's Hunting Lodge.

Taking some practice shots.

Above, Randy is showing me trail cam pictures of their big bucks at the office, Carter Network Realty.

Above, our Guide for the week, Eddie Anderson

Our first evening out to hunt we weren’t in the stand more than 45 minutes when we saw out first buck across the hillside, with his nose to the ground, grunting. We also saw a small buck and a doe and fawn. I just knew this was a sign of good things to come.

Big Cedar tree rub...don't think a little spike did this!!!

Don 24+ feet up hooking up camera equipment.

The next morning, Eddie Anderson, our Guide, took us to another location he said had no pressure and hadn’t been hunted. As we pulled into the field to the path leading into our stand, off ran about 20 deer. Does and bucks around 120+ inches. “Small bucks” as we would refer to them out at Carter’s for the week. Back home they would have been “shooters”! As we were gathering our equipment form Eddie’s truck we heard crashing down in the woods behind us and a buck grunting loudly. We all just smiled! As Eddie lead us down the path to our tree perch for the day, the woods reeked of buck urine. It smelled like you walked into a “Tinks” factory. There were scrapes about every 50-75 yards along the path. The whole walk in we still heard grunts and deer running all around us. Eddie smiled and told Don, “You better have that camera ready at first light!” As we were climbing into our stand, hauling up cameras, equipment, my bow, there were literally deer walking all around us. As if we weren’t even there. I was so “wired” for daylight to hit so we could see the sights. I was like a kid at Christmas!!! I thought daylight would NEVER arrive. I kept whispering to Don, “Camera light yet?” I wanted to know as soon as he had camera light so if a buck arrived I had the go! As the sun rose over the tree tops, deer started to filter into the hollow. We had a small pond in front of us and could hear wood ducks hit the pond. Soon we saw some doe and fawns head into the pond for a drink. Then our first buck a small buck. We heard and saw a piece of farm equipment in the field above us cutting corn. Everything was late this year getting cut due to the high amount of rain they received out in Illinois. Nathan, Randy, Eddie, Dale kept telling us, “The deer are in the corn!” Well, we saw proof of this. As the corn was being cut, we looked up the hill and a string of deer started out of the corn down the hollow. One right after another came, does, small bucks. It was something! It was only 11 AM and we had seen more deer than I could have imagined. Around Noon we saw a movement at the other side of the pond and sure enough it had a high rack. But I was unable to tell how big he was. He slowly moved around the pond and to my right side with another small rack buck. (small meaning about 110+) As he stepped out I knew he wasn’t a “Carter Shooter” but he was a buck with potential. At home…he would have been drawn on. But I let him walk. Don and I were just excited to see a nice buck. The day was busy. At one time, Don said, “Teresa, small buck to your right!” I answered, “I know, but I have doe right under me to the left!” There was just action and deer moving ALL DAY LONG!!!! It made the day go by so fast. Finally I hear movement behind us. Don was filming deer at the pond and as I look I see a buck with a “Noticeable” rack on the bank behind us at about 300 yards. He was following a doe. I tell him there is a buck. Possible shooter! So the bleating grunts and rattling started. After about 10 minutes we see the buck coming back down the hill to a deep ravine behind us. He crests the hill 20 yards and offers a broadside shot. At this time…Don and I are whispering back and forth whether or not he was a 140 inch rack. He was high, heavy, a 10 point…but did he have it all? The only thing that left me unsure was he had shorter brow tines. But I was ready to draw and Don said, “No, I think he’s close but not sure. May not be there. Let him go!” So I watched as this beautiful 10 point, walked out of range…VERY SLOWLY may I add. But I was so Wired Up with the fact I got to see a buck like this at 20 yards. My hopes were high for another.

Above, the 10 pointer I passed up.

As we got back to camp, one of the guys, Victor, had already gotten his deer first day in camp. 141 inch buck. Victor has gotten a buck at Carter’s 6 out of 8 years hunting there.

Don was explaining to the guys about the buck we passed on. Teasing he would pay them to tell me it wasn’t a 140 inch buck even if it was. He was hoping he didn’t make a mistake by telling me not to shoot. The guys all gathered around and watched the footage. They said he was REAL close, but not sure if he quite made a 140. Could be, but not sure. Plus he was a young deer. All I know…if this guy makes it until next year…he is going to be a beast! Needless to say they all agreed we did the right thing. Randy kept trying to stress to us, “If you have to THINK about it and try to add the buck’s rack up in your head…..he’s too close for comfort…let him walk!! When you see a big boy…you will just know…there won’t be ANY thinking or judging!” At this point, it wasn’t as if we didn’t believe Randy…but not having bucks of this caliber around our home hunting grounds, it WAS hard to believe. But I was still Wired up for the next day to arrive.
Next day, being so much activity went on there, we decided to hunt the same stand. Saw the same 10 point again. At this point he kept looking bigger. But he wasn’t in shooting distance. Another small 120 buck and numerous does and small bucks. The wind was around 25mph that day. The afternoon lead us to another stand up over the hill that was at a point of numerous cornfields. You could see forever from this stand. Eddie told us this was a good afternoon stand and that this is where they had been seeing all the big bucks at. Meaning 180, 195+. The wind didn’t seem to bother the deer here like it does back home. We saw several does and some more small bucks.

Morning lead us to another stand overlooking a cut cornfield with green grass bordering. This is the stand where we realized what Randy had been telling us. Around 8:30 AM we saw a doe across the field ready to jump a fence. Don said, “Get ready!” Sure enough all you could see were antlers and then the BIG BOY jumped the fence. This was the biggest bodied deer I had ever seen in my life. Mass the whole way out his antlers. A big heavy 12 point, dogging a doe, grunting across the field. He followed her and got within 60 yards, but there was no leaving her. We heard his growls…YES; I said Growls and Roars behind us. I had never heard anything like this in my life. COOL! The day passed with some small bucks, does and fawns. The next day more of the same.

Everyone in camp was talking about the big bucks they were seeing. Everyday we saw deer, bucks, and “Carter Shooter” bucks. But until this point nothing within range. As everyone back in camp agreed around the dinner table, you just can’t wait to get back out the next day and see what is around the tree! Why? Because you know you are going to see something and it just may be that shooter.

Everyone at camp, at home, my friends on facebook, kept telling me that “Thursday” was BBD day. Back to our stand in the hollow, or holler as they say out there. Does and small bucks near the pond in the morning. Late morning behind us, Don sees a MONSTER, at least a 190 inch buck chasing a doe behind us. I knew this buck had to be big. I have NEVER seen Don this excited and frantic about a buck. This one he was over the top. He grabbed the grunt call, horns, bleat and through the kitchen sink at it. But to no avail. Around 3 PM I look up on the hill and about 400 yards I see a buck rubbing his horns on a tree. Don caught him with the camera. After a few grunt roars, we turned his head and headed down the path toward the ravine. Don was keeping an eye there to see if he would come our way, when out to my right came 2 doe busting down out of the field! I was sure a buck was chasing them. The stopped to my right at a scrape. I could tell the one doe was in and was keeping an eye on what might be following behind. When something caught my eye to the left coming around the pond. I could tell it was a bigger bodied deer but didn’t want to move too much to spook the doe 10 yards in front of me standing in the scrape. Just then, the doe walked over to my left also about 20 yards behind me. Did you ever just get a feeling like “this isn’t good!” Why? I didn’t’ know. I mean usually you would want doe by your stand. Especially in the rut, especially if they are in heat! But something just didn’t feel right. Just then I looked up the path coming to my stand and I saw HIM! Yes, as soon as my eyes lay upon this buck I KNEW HE WAS A “Carter Shooter”!!! He was wide past his ears and HIGH! I started praying! I can honestly say this is the FIRST buck I ever saw in the woods that made my knees shake!!! He was smelling our drag line headed right down the path to us. If he continued I knew I would have a ten yard broadside shot! Then it happened. The doe moved. Too soon. Meaning he didn’t make it down the path far enough to get a closer shot. He saw them and started his show. Lifting each leg high with each step and stomping it down all the while never taking his eyes off the does.

As he went behind a brush area I drew. He was 30 yards. The doe started to move down the ravine and he angled away. Hard quartering away. I fired off the shot. WHIFF!!! To his left. WHAT???? This cannot be. He took one leap and stood there.

One doe never moved the other, as if nothing had happened, slowly walked down the hill. I knocked another arrow, frantically I may add. Hoping the hot doe would bring him back up past the stand. It started to look that way. But she decided to go down and across the other side. He followed.

Putting on a show. Even turning and looking up the hill as if to laugh.

I was SICK!

Don't I look sick? I just missed the biggest buck of my life!

I could NOT believe the biggest buck of my life just slipped through my fingers. After a few minutes. I realized. That’s hunting. I was excited and thrilled that I even got an opportunity at a trophy buck of that caliber. What happened, I don’t know. Don and I did notice the next morning in the stand there were a few briar twigs high enough where he was standing that the arrow may have hit and deflected. OR it could have been I looked at the shot and didn’t hold through. The heat of the moment I honestly don’t know. At least it was a clean miss. When Eddie came to pick us up that evening,I was so excited in telling him about the buck I missed He just laughed. Saying that you would have thought I had gotten it as excited as we were. Well in reviewing pictures, the buck had kickers and stickers and Randy is guessing in the 160’s. Just wasn’t meant to be.
Friday was like the other days, plenty of deer to be seen, “Carter shooter” bucks, even the one I missed the day before. Just none of them within range.

Relaxing at the Lodge after a long day, laughing and telling stories with Randy Hall and Eddie Anderson.

Saturday we spent time with Randy and Eddie before leaving. Finishing up filming, visiting the Archery Shop and Jeff Foiles shop and display room.

Above, Eddie, Randy and I talking at the "Archery Shop" in Pike County.

Above, Jeff Foiles store and showroom.

Above, Eddie goofing around.

Dale Carter and I at the only eatery in Milton, Dink's Diner.

Don and I

Our first time spent at Carter’s Hunting Lodge will remain with us forever. Don and I saw over 50 bucks through the week. Numerous BIG BUCKS (meaning over 140 inches), does and fawns everywhere. This is a whitetail hunter’s paradise. I know this is a place I plan on coming back next year. If you want to hunt TROPHY whitetail. Come to Carter’s! Plenty of opportunity to see and harvest a TROPHY whitetail. The Lodge is laid back and comfortable, good food, good people, good friends, land, and more land. And oh yeah they have deer!! Their management of the whitetail on their property allows these bucks to get to their full potential. Which allows us the possibility of harvesting a trophy whitetail!

2010 Eastern Sports & Outdoor will Feature More Seminars, Outfitters, New Products and Manufacturer Demonstrations

2009-11-24T02:24:00.000-08:00

HARRISBURG, Pa. The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show, the largest consumer event of its kind in North America, will be bigger and better when it comes to the State Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg February 6-14, 2010.

"Building on last year’s success, we are again bringing in some of the biggest names in hunting and fishing to present seminars and meet our guests. And, of course, we continue to bring in more manufacturers, retailers and outfitters from around the world than any other show in the world," says Chris O'Hara, Manager, Strategic Accounts Eastern Sports & Outdoors Show.

The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show attracts outdoor sports enthusiasts from across the country to view the latest and best hunting and fishing products, plan and book hunting and fishing trips, shop for the latest gear, boats, ATVs and RVs, and enjoy a wide range of contests and family entertainment.

This year’s Show includes more than 1,100 hunting- and fishing-related vendors including a wide range of hunting-related, archery, outdoor-apparel, fishing, and game-call vendors and over 500 outfitters from around the world.

Thompson/Center Arms, one of the world's most respected designers, manufacturers and marketers of premium hunting firearms, is bringing their full line of products and factory representatives to the Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show. Thompson/Center Arms, a Smith and Wesson Company, is widely recognized by hunters as a manufacturer and distributor of innovative irearms that meet the highest precision, performance, craftsmanship, and reliability standards.

Hunting Seminar Speakers and Special Guests:

Michael Waddell
In the world of outdoor television, Michael Waddell is huge. Since joining Team Realtree in 1994, Waddell has gone from cameraman to producer to host of Realtree Road Trips. Waddell also hosts the very popular, Bone Collector's.

Lee and Tiffany Lakosky
Many people have already gotten hooked on the success of Gettin’ Close with Lee & Tiffany, one of the highest rated shows in outdoor television. Now Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, star in the reality based outdoor program, The Crush with Lee & Tiffany on the Outdoor Channel.

Stan Potts
Stan Potts has hunted whitetails for 40 years, harvesting numerous whitetail bucks with a bow, three of which scored over 200 inches. His hunting successes have been featured in North American Whitetail magazine and several other media sources. He has appeared in several hunting videos and television shows, including Realtree Outdoors and Hunter's Specialties Prime Time series. He is a co-host of North American Whitetail Television on the Outdoor Channel. He is also featured on Whitetail Country on ESPN and Hunt Masters on the Outdoor Channel.

Chuck Adams
Chuck Adams is the world's best known and most widely published bowhunter, authoring 4,550 magazine articles and 10 full-length books. He appears 25-30 times each year on ESPN, WGN, and TNN television networks and stars on ESPN's Whitetail Country and Advantage Adventures shows. Adams is the first archer to accomplish the "Super Slam" by taking of all 27 species of North American big game. He also has 111 Pope & Young record-book trophies and 181 Safari Club International records to his credit—the most in history.

Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo
Vicki Cianciarulo, of Lanark, Illinois, is an experienced bowhunter, an enthusiastic nature photographer, the better half of North America's Favorite Hunting Couple, and co-host of the award-winning Archer's Choice and The Choice television shows alongside her spouse, Ralph Cianciarulo.

Bobby Hart
Bob specializes in Long Range Shooting and Hunting, Custom Rifle Building, and Reloading. He also offers an 'accuracy package' that has been proven to greatly increase the reliability of many 'factory' rifles. This combined with a Hart designed muzzlebrake are a few of the general gunsmith procedures done in-house.

Dan Whitmus
Dan Whitmus grew up hunting and fishing in Washington State where his knowledge of the outdoors landed him a manager's role at a 20,000 acre duck and goose lease. In 1999, Dan moved to Idaho to continue his career in the hunting industry, concentrating on elk hunting. Since that time, Dan has won two world elk calling titles and nine state and regional championships.

Fishing Seminars Speakers and Special Guests

Bob Clouser
Bob's love of the outdoors, especially fishing, led him into the fishing business. He is the creator of the famed “Clouser Minnow” fly pattern, known world-wide and has caught more varieties of fish than any other fly. He continues to guide, teach and share his enjoyment with others. He will present casting demonstrations, using visual aids and casting weighted flies
and lines, as well as lectures on “Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass”- (Catching smallmouth from top to bottom using flies and) “Fly Fishing Adventures”, about various species that can be caught on fly rod and flies.

Mark Menendez
There are few bass fishing professionals on the national scene like Mark Menendez. On the water, the 44-year-old Paducah, Kentucky angler has spent the past 17 years earning the reputation of a warrior on tour. His career earnings of more than $900,000.00 along with success in individual tournaments (three wins and 18 top-ten finishes) and season long point
standings are testament to his passion and skill for competition.

Aaron Martin
Missouri native Aaron Martin is quickly becoming a fixture in the bass fishing universe. As the host of the Bass Edge television show, he reaches millions of viewers through the Versus Network and World Fishing Network HD in the U.S., and on WILD TV in Canada. He is also a co-host on The Edge, the #1 bass fishing podcast on iTunes, and is a frequent contributor to
www.bassedge.com and the "Inside Edge" monthly e-newsletter.

Other Seminars
Albert Wutsch, Director of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Academy of Culinary Arts, will again share his butchering skills during daily deer butchering sessions. Sessions will include: fabricating one side of a hanging carcass; breaking down carcasses into sub primal cuts; fabricating cuts into steaks, roasts, stir fry, butterfly and other cuts. Wutsch’s
presentations were some of the most popular seminars at last year’s show.

Tim Flanigan will present a daily seminar on “Tips for Successful Outdoor Photography.” Flanigan has been shooting wildlife photos for the print media for more than thirty years with photo credits in numerous books, magazines, newspapers, greeting and post cards, calendars, travel brochures, phone books and advertisements. His photography can also be seen on the covers of the Pennsylvania Game News Magazine and their annual calendar.

Daily Attractions

Randy Oitker
At age 21, Randy Oitker has already established himself as a professional archer, hunter and exhibition shooter. Oitker travels the country as a precision archer and is known for shooting multiple arrows and hitting multiple targets simultaneously. In 2007, Oitker broke all archery history records by shooting 4 arrows striking 4 individual targets (lifesavers)
simultaneously at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Expo in Harrisburg, PA. Oitker recently traveled to London, England for the Guinness Book Of World Records TV show called Guinness World Records Smashed to make archery history! On April 7, 2009. Oitker shot 6 arrows with one shot 6 arrows at a time and simultaneously hit 6 separate balloons!

Raptors Up Close
Raptors Up Close, a program designed for all ages to educate and teach conservation through an entertaining demonstration with live birds of prey,will present demonstrations on February 9-13. “Raptors Up Close” is filled with visually exciting displays illustrating the power, skills, and beauty of raptors including owls, falcons, hawks and other birds of prey.

Taste of the Great Outdoors
On Tuesday, February 9, from 5 to 8 PM, students from the culinary school at Harrisburg Area Community College will present a variety of delectable game and fish recipes in the Small Arena to the hundreds of attendees who can’t wait to sample unique game recipes and learn new cooking techniques from cooking professionals. During the event over a thousand free samples will be consumed.

Other entertainment includes:

Keystone Regional Duck Calling Contest

The Duck Decoy Painting Contest

Northeastern States Elk Calling Contest

Kids Fishing Contest

Dog Training Demonstrations

Turkey Calling and Owl Hooting Contest

Knife & Tomahawk

Professional Taxidermy

Amateur Wildlife Photography

Antler Scoring

Fly Tying

PA 3-D Bowhunter Challenge

Susquehanna River Gunning Decoy Contest

Capital City BASSMASTER Casting Kids®

NEW! Predator Hunting Contest

Show Dates & Times

Sat. Feb. 6: 10 am - 7 pm

Sun. Feb. 7: 10 am - 5 pm

Mon. Feb. 8: 10 am - 7 pm

Tues. Feb. 9: 10 am - 7 pm

Wed. Feb. 10: 10 am - 7 pm

Thur. Feb. 11: 10 am - 7 pm

Fri. Feb. 12: 10 am - 7 pm

Sat. Feb. 13: 10 am - 7 pm

Sun. Feb. 14: 10 am - 5 pm

The Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show is proud to have the following partner/sponsors: Cabela’s, the official retailer; Thompson/Center Arms, the official firearm; Outdoor Channel, the official network; and Realtree, the official camouflage.

For more information, or to order tickets online visit our website at www.easternsportshow.com .

Change of Plans

2009-10-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-10-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-20T06:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

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!

Millennium M100 Hang on Tree Stand

2009-09-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

By Mike Bell, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

Cost
M100 Hang on Tree Stand with Receiver Mount $219.95
M102 Receiver Mount $28.95 (included with the M100 stand)

M200 20’ stick ladder $69.95
Product features
Durable Powder Coat
Comfortable quiet easy setup
All aluminum construction
Seat folds against tree
Stand folds flat for backpacking
TMA certified full body harness included
Lifetime warranty

Product Specs
Capacity – 300lbs
Weight – 14lbs
Platform size W20” D38”
Seat Size W20” D17”

Personal Assessment of product
The most important thing to me when hunting from a hang on stand is comfort. I believe, when spending long hours in a stand, comfort keeps me sharp when the moment of opportunity arrives. The Millennium M100 is the most comfortable stand I’ve ever hunted. The comfort Tech Seat is made of Textline non-stretch fabric, which does not absorb water, and is quiet to the touch.
Another feature important to me is the weight and portability of a hang on stand. The Millennium M100 only weighs 14 lbs. It has built in shoulder straps, and the ability to fold completely flat. This stand is a breeze to pack in, even on long trips. The Millennium M100 stand attaches to the tree in a completely different manner than any other stand I’ve used. From start to finish it took me less than 10 minutes using the Millennium M200 stick ladder and the M100 stand. First, I hung the climbing sticks. I then attached the receiver (shown in the picture above) to the tree by the chain included. Then it was just a matter of sliding the male fitting on the stand into the quick mount receiver, and the stand was ready to hunt. Another benefit to this system is that you can increase the value by purchasing and hanging several receiver mounts in different areas. Carry the stand with you and slide the stand into the receiver in place and hunt. This allows you the mobility to hunt different areas with just one stand. The stand literally slides into the quick mount in seconds.

Recommendation
The ability to hunt several locations with the same fixed position stand is a great benefit and makes the Millennium M100 an incredible value. I have never experienced the level of comfort and portability this stand provides and would recommend you to give it a try.

Quebec via Planes, Trains & Automobiles

2009-09-27T18:53:00.000-07:00

Medalist Apparel

Lacrosse Alpha Burly Boots

Remington 700 - .300 WIN Mag

Hoyt CyberTec Bow

Carbon Express Terminator Lite Arrows

Slick Trick Broadheads

Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10x

Leupold Katmai Binoculars 8x32mm

ThermaCELL Insect Repellent

Since we got back from our Quebec caribou excursion at Wedge Hills Lodge, things have been pretty hectic with the start of archery season quickly approaching. But before I officially switch into whitetail mode for the next six weeks, I wanted to take a little time to reflect on our trip up north and show everyone a few of my favorite photos.

The view inside the Havilland DHC-2 Beaver that we took to camp.

The extreme remoteness of Wedge Hills Lodge made just getting to camp an adventure! Our journey required a 22-hour ride in the truck, a 12-hour train ride, a 2 hour bush plane flight, and even a ride on a ferry across the St. Lawrence River. I'd have to say that the bush plane was definitely my favorite of the four though. The views were incredible as we skimmed across the hilltops and huge expanse of lakes and tundra!

Wedge Hills Lodge sits on the banks of the George River. брат трахает брата

Caribou hunting in Quebec depends largely on locating migrating herds, and after our arrival, we wasted no time in getting out on the river to see if we could find some animals. The George River is a very large and swift river, and our guide Joe was an expert at maneuvering through the treacherous rapids.

Our first couple of days yielded a sighting of a huge black bear, but no caribou. The weather was fairly warm and the black flies were tenacious! We spent some time exploring the mountains surrounding the river, knowing that migrating herds could show up any day.

A ThermaCELL and a headnet were the best ways to keep the black flies at bay.

Rob McCoy leans into the stiff wind on the top of the mountain.

On the third morning, we were greeted with very cold temperatures and an eerie fog that had settled into the river valley. We all hoped that the turn in weather would have the caribou on the move and produce a turn in our luck as well. If nothing else, we knew the morning's frost should have killed the majority of black flies, and that alone was enough to lift our spirits.

As we motored up the river, several gray figures were spotted moving on the mountain side and then large antlers flashed through the thick alders on the river bank. We excitedly beached the canoe and set out to see if we could get a shot at the startled bulls. We knew the archery gear would have been futile for this situation, so the rifle was the only weapon on this stalk. After a series of short sprints over the boulder-strewn tundra, a shot presented itself, and I downed the first caribou of the trip. The Wired Crew was on the board and we were all ecstatic!

After a few photos, Joe showed us the best way to quarter the caribou and prepare the meat for the pack out to the canoe. And with more herds in the area, we made short work of the butchering and got back to hunting!

Climbing the adjacent mountain gave us a great vantage point, and we soon located a group of three large bulls slowly feeding toward a creek below. One was a massive white bull with wide, sweeping antlers and we all agreed that he was the one to go after.

A short time later, we were perched on the crest of the mountain as those same wide antlers slowly bobbed toward us and the rest is history! Jason sealed the deal on a monster caribou and Rob shot a great bull immediately after him. The footage is tremendous and you won't want to miss it when this episode airs in late October!

It was a fantastic feeling to have all shot bulls in the same day, and as we packed the two big bulls off of the mountain, we retold the stories of the hunts and recounted how incredible the day had been. We reached the canoe completely exhausted, and were really looking forward to the ride back to camp.

Jason takes a load off!

Happiness is a boat-load of antlers!

After such a successful trip to a stunningly beautiful place, I can't help but feel extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity to be a part of it. It's not the boxes full of meat or the antlers we brought home that make me feel that way either. It's the countless memories we made and the time I was able to share with a couple of great friends and members of the Wired Team...and that's what getting 'Wired' is all about! I'd like to send a huge thank you out to all of our fans, friends, and supporters! Good luck during the upcoming archery season!

Wedge Hills Lodge Outfitter Review

2009-09-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Date: Septebmer 8 - 14, 2009
Location: Northern Quebec
Species: Caribou
Outfitter - Wedge Hills Lodge

This was our first trip ever in pursuit of Caribou. One thing that I was looking for when I was researching outfitters was I wanted a true adventure. Well, that is what we got with Wedge Hills Lodge. I met several representatives from Wedge Hills Lodge at the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, and after meeting them, I was impressed with their professionalism so decided to check their references.

Map of Location of Wedge Hills Lodge

After some research and phone calls to references I had made up my mind, we would book our trip with Wedge Hills Lodge in way up Northern Quebec! When I say way up, I mean way up. This would be a 22 hour car ride from northwest Pennsylvania to Sept-Iles Quebec, then a 12 hour train ride the following day and a 1 hour 45 minute float plan to camp.

Getting Ready To Board The Train

Almost time for the last leg of the journey.

When traveling on a trip this long, lots of things can go wrong. But I am happy to say that the trip couldn't have been more smooth and Wedge Hills Lodge was meticulous with all the arrangements including, hotels, flights and more. Most people who know me, know that I am a planner and leaving a trip like this up to the outfitter to make many of the plans was difficult for me. That being said, I couldn't have done it any better myself, all the arrangements were made and taken care of.

Lodging and Food

The lodging was very comfortable and with a five bedroom rustic cabin complete with a wood stove, refrigerator, hot water, electricity and more. We ate breakfast and dinner every night in the main lodge with the rest of the hunters. The food was fantastic and believe me when I say, when it came to the food, I didn't get cheated! Everything from chicken to filet mignon.

Hunting

The hunting at Wedge Hills Lodge is on the George River and mostly done from boat. Guides take you up and down the river in very comfortable boats glassing the mountain sides for migrating caribou.

The George River scenery is breathtaking with lots of caribou. We had the good fortune of timing the migration and seeing lots of caribou. Since the three of us hunting were fairly young and foolish, we wanted to get out of the boat and see the terrain. Our guide Joe was more than accommodating and dropped us off in promising locations.

I will let some of the following photos speak for themselves as the three of us brought home 4 caribou and could have easily brought home our limit of 6 with the rifle, but we were doing it the hard way with the bows. I personally harvested a giant white caribou that I am sure will be a trophy of a lifetime.

My first ever caribou

Rob McCoy's awesome caribou

Kyle's first caribou

Our trip with Wedge Hills Lodge was a fantastic experience and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for the adventure of a lifetime. The cook, guides, owner, camp manager were all more than accommodating and committed to our stay with them. You can visit them online at www.WedgeHillsLodge.com.

The Dream Came True

2009-09-22T05:56:00.000-07:00

Mark Biter, New Enterprise, PA

After having 4 girls born in to our family and not very interested in hunting it was a shock, and the beginning of a dream when our son was born. In April of 1990, it all started. I had just bought a new Winchester model 1300 Wild Turkey Federation shotgun and was looking forward to using it and getting my first long beard.

That morning it was raining but that was not going to stop me. As I headed up the mountain I kept thinking about what might be in store for me this day. I think all turkey hunters dream of that big long beard strutting his way toward our calls.

After only a few minutes with my back against an old tree, I heard the sound all turkey hunters love to hear, a loud gobble. After a few calls on my mouth call, in came the gobbler. After walking to about 20 yards he stood there it seemed just waiting for me to shoot. As I ran to the bird, there it was, finally a long beard. He was 19 pounds with a 9-inch beard. I was so excited. As I was walking out of the woods I came across another hunter. He came over and congratulated me. I told him it was my first long beard and first turkey with this gun and I even got my first son just a few weeks ago. My statement to him may have seemed strange but to me it was something special.

Now this was my dream, to someday see another long beard taken, but this time by my son. As he grew I would share with him stories about hunting. We would lie on the floor in our den and say, tell me another story, and of course I would. But I longed for the time he would be old enough to get a license and hunt with me. Other long beards were to be mine in the following years but in the back of my mind was the day my son would be old enough to hunt turkey's with me. Finally, April 9, 2002, my son Mark turned 12. After completing the Hunter Safety course we went to the hardware store and bought his first license. Only a few days were left until the opening day of Spring Gobbler season.

That morning finally arrived. As we drove to our hunting spot my mind went back 12 years ago when this moment was but a mere dream. After getting our gear together, we paused outside of our truck to thank the Lord for this special time together. We walked up the steep trail stopping every so often just listening for a gobble. After a couple of hours nothing was heard and we decided to move up to the next hollow. After a few calls, we heard what we had been waiting for. Not one but two gobblers answering our calls. I whispered to my son, if they both come in, you take the one on the left and I will take the one on the right. Only a few minutes went by until 2 big long beards appeared. My son followed his bird with his gun as I followed mine. I had told him I would not shoot until he does. The birds kept walking and I could not understand why he would not shoot. I slightly turned my head toward him and said "shoot", and he whispered, "Limb in the way" and before I could get my head back on my gun, BANG, went his Mossberg 20 gauge. My bird was on the way out of there but flopping on the ground out in front of us was my son's first gobbler. I will never forget hearing him shout, "I got him, Dad, I got him."

We both walked down to the gobbler and began to inspect the beautiful bird, noticing all the colors of his head and feathers. He was a nice gobbler with a beard of 9 inches, 1-inch spurs and weighing 18 pounds. My son gave me a hug and said "Thanks, Dad, for taking me turkey hunting". We stood there and bowed our heads and thanked the Lord for this special time. I was not to get a turkey that day, but I think I was happier that day than I was the day I got my first long beard.

As I walked back to the truck with my son and his gobbler over his shoulder, I thought back to that day 12 years earlier and said, "My dream came true." I don't know but maybe in his dreams is the thought, someday I will take my son turkey hunting too. Why, the Lord willing, maybe I will be along for that hunt too.

Clarion County 15 Point Buck

2009-09-22T03:53:00.000-07:00

By Geary Buterbaugh, Knox PA

It was the 2nd day of Pa regular rifle season (12-2-08). My youngest son Shawn taken a 6 point buck on the morning of the first day. As for my hunt so far, I had seen 3 different bucks on the first day but I could not
tell if these were legal or I just couldn't get my gun on the deer in time to make a good shot. I had seen a very quick glimpse of this buck on the first day but I thought he was gone forever- possibly could be shot by
another hunter in the area.

As I thought about the day before, I kept focused on the woods in hopes to see a big buck. I knew of a 12 point with drop tines in the area. This was the buck I had hoped to see. The morning had passed. I was getting tired and a little frustrated since I did not see any deer at all. It was 12 noon, I decided to go back to my house for lunch. My son wanted a ride into town to visit a friend. I came home got back into my hunting gear and returned to the woods. It was now 1pm. Still no deer - my mind started to wander. I thought I seen something cross the right away. I focused on the next right away - did not see anything. I looked down and back up and about 70 yards away - a legal buck walking up through the thicket. I held my Remington 7600 30-06 gun on the next - small opening. When I seen hair in my redfield scope I squeezed the
trigger. Down the deer went. I seen the deer thrashing around- so I fired again -that time I missed clean. The deer didn't move so I waited about 5 minutes. This was the longest 5 minutes of my life while my heart was racing. I walked up to the deer at approx 2pm. The deer I thought was just a legal buck - was a huge 15 point with a 23 5/8 spread. I called everyone on my cell phone contact list! I have never had a big buck before. I never had a need to have one scored. I looked on the Pa Game commission web site - there was very few big bucks posted for Clarion County, Beaver Twp or in WMU 2D. This was truly my hunt of a lifetime!

Geese PLEASE in Wisconsin

2009-09-11T02:15:00.000-07:00

Medalist Cheyenne Shirt & Pants

Medalist Base Layers

Medalist socks

Muck brand Field Boots

Beretta Xtrema 2

Kent Fasteel 3" #2

Canon XHA-1 HD video camera

Dogtra e-collar

River Bottom Goose Call

Sillosock decoys

Big Foot decoys

Smart Stick

Goose Tree Decoy

Just a Bale Blind

Last year I spoke to a gentlemen over the phone who had a product he was interested in me trying out while goose hunting. This would be Mr. Larry Juhl from Janesville, Wisconsin. Needless to say we had quite a lengthy conversation about geese. One conversation lead to another and soon he was telling me about a program he initiated in Janesville to control the nuisance goose population called GEESE PLEASE, (Private Lands Enrolled As Shooting Environments).

Geese Please is a program that Larry Juhl himself implemented to maintain local goose populations at established quota levels and to safely pursue the geese that take up residency within the city limits. These geese are not otherwise subject to public hunting pressure. The program must have Land owner permission, police department authorization for firearm discharge and Parks Department discretion for time, place and duration. The hunters must adhere to all Federal and State waterfowl regulations. Larry has taken great pride in this program and it's success thus far. But not only has he implemented a SAFE and controlled environment for hunter's to take nuisance geese with the city limits, Larry has devoted much of his time in helping with the nuisance resident geese in many ways. such as a make shift fence that he installs at the local parks to help with waste left behind by the geese. The fence works to keep geese off the grass. This is only one way he has worked to help preserve and contain the quarry that he so passionately pursues.

Larry Juhl, Owner Inventor of the Smart Stick, Goose Tree Decoy System and Just a Bale Blind.

In a conversation I had told Larry that this was such a great story line. Since you read so much in the National newspapers how so many cities in order to control their resident goose populations are gassing, sniping, and using various means to kill nuisance geese, rather than finding a way, if possible t control them by hunting as Larry has. He then graciously and without hesitation invited me and the Wired Outdoors crew out to hunt with him and his friends. Of course, I agreed!

We loaded up the Wired Outdoors vehicle and headed into a world of the unknown. We traveled through the night to miss traffic and meet the demands of our host Mr. Larry Juhl. Of which may I say had a very detailed itinerary that was sent prior to our departure.

The trip would take us from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania to Janesville, Wisconsin. A town where kindness spewed from it's residents. The crew met up with our host, Larry Juhl at the Baymont Inn. After quick introductions and a few jokes...which we soon learned was a trademark of Larry's, we were off to tour Janesville. Myself and Don Ott with camera in hand were escorted in Larry's vehicle while fellow crew members Eddie Wise and Bob Miller followed in tow. We toured the parks where the geese take up residency and where a detailed explanation of how a man that loves nature and an avid waterfowl hunter would become a legend in his own town. Every where we stopped you would hear people say, "Oh you are Larry..so and so hunted with you." Or they knew him the moment he stepped in and greeted him with a smile.

Larry is the Owner and Inventor of the Smart Stick and Goose Tree Decoy System. He lives for his Faith, family and love of waterfowl hunting. Assuring that anyone in his company will be given every opportunity to expand his or her knowledge, enjoy a clean joke, and be overwhelmed with a good story. His mere presence will put a smile on your face and to harvest a few geese...well that's just a bonus!

We visited a few of the parks that held the geese. Janesville is known for it's Parks, appropriately named "The City of Parks". Some of the parks we visited to name only a few, Montery Park, Jeffris Park, and Rotary Gardens. It didn't take long to see why the geese are considered a nuisance. With the water and grass it is a natural attractant for geese and there was sign of them everywhere.

Some of the "sights" at the Parks in Janesville.

While on our trip, Larry gave us a grand tour of some of Wisconsin's landmark treasures. Black Hawk Monument, Veterans Plaza, Rock River, the Milton House and of course, Horicon Marsh. This was worth the trip in itself to see history of the Black Hawk War, The Milton House history of the underground railroad and the famous waterfowl mecca of Horicon Marsh. Every town we stopped in had something to see and Larry made sure we saw it.

Black Hawk Rock

Milton House

Don and I looking at various License plates at Texas Roadhouse in Janesville.

Me at the Phabulous Pheasant Farm buying gifts for my neice and nephew.

Now the trip wasn't all site seeing we went to hunt. Hunt we did! starting with the first evening and every morning. The sites were seen all between the morning and evening hunts. Which meant we were very busy during the trip. We enjoyed every minute!

The hunts were each filled with birds in the air, some dropped from the bark of our barrels and some just gave a look and kept on going.

Eddie Wise and I taking aim.

The Goose Tree and the morning's set up.

Eddie with his and Erik's banded birds.

But I can safely say we learned something new each time afield, met knew people and made many friends. To name a few, Lee Chiroff and Mick from the Sportsmen Channel, Paul Juhl, Erik Olson, Carl, John,Dave, the guys from Dakota Decoys, (Kyle you will like this..) Jarod who hunted geese with a bow, and many many more!!

Paul Juhl, Mick, Lee Chiroff (Sportsmen Channel), Jarod, and Allen.

Above, Jarod practicing his aim waiting for the geese to come in.

Above, Erik Olson after "wading" at Ron's.

Carl above with some of our birds from Ron's.

Paul, Hunter and Don

Then we met Mr. Ron Maass our host in North Central Wisconsin who so graciously welcomed us to hunt in his own waterfowl paradise literally in his backyard! I am talking pit blind, goose food plots, beautiful pond, waterfowlers dream! This man was so nice, and the warmest smile on his face. Even while encountering a personal hardship health wise you would never know. His dog Chloe and Drake were instant friends and even had a joint retrieve on birds we dropped on our hunt.

Above the Goose Tree at work in Ron's pond.

Don and I awaiting the geese in Ron's pit blind.

Above, Mr. Ron Maass. What a great guy!

Left to right, Carl, John, Larry, Drake, Don and me.

Larry Juhl, myslef and Ron Maass after our evening hunt.

Below is Chloe, Ron's yellow lab and now Drake's new friend.

The wired Crew, (LtoR) Bob Miller, myself, Don Ott, Drake, Eddie Wise and Chloe.

Another part of the hunt I really enjoyed were meeting some of the adorable youngsters already involved and carrying on our passion for waterfowl hunting. There was little Hunter Juhl, Paul's son and Larry's grandson. Now he can call a goose already at 5 years old. Then there was Nolan the size of a peanut who loved the hunting adventure! And we can't forget Kaylin. The little girl who wasn't a bit shy. A little pistol who loves to spend time with her dad afield. She wasn't very happy with her dad though cause she "wanted to hunt with the girl", meaning me, and we were in opposite blinds that evening. My understanding from Erik is that she scolded him the whole way home about it.

Above is little Hunter Juhl. Below is Nolan.

Above is little Kaylin with Eddie.

Now back to hunting. I know all of the Wired Outdoors crew were anxiously waiting to see the Goose Tree in action. Well, let me tell you this...it works, it works and oh boy does it work!!! In a nut shell the Goose Tree was again invented by Larry who had told me that the concept came to mind with his previous army helicopter pilot experience. When landing a pilot is focusing on the "X", which all we waterfowl hunters know that is where the geese land...on the "X". So if you have geese simulating they are landing via a decoy, geese will follow. The idea of this breaks the mold of common decoy set-up. Instead of the geese coming in directly at you, with using the goose tree they are coming in about 30 yards in front of you sideways. Thus the geese are focusing on the tree and "honoring" the already landing geese. The blinds were bale blinds that fit anywhere from 2 to any number of hunters custom to fit, set up in a triangle safely distanced apart. The family groups of decoys were stratigically placed with a goose tree approximately 30 yards from each blind. When Larry and the guys were working the geese, they banked at the Goose Trees, thus giving the hunters a shot. Here is another quick example...shooting hours are over. Tearing down decoys. The only thing left standing was the goose tree. Don was out in the middle of the field with Nolan and Allen taking the tree down. A flock of 5 geese came in. Drake, Hunter, Paul and I were near the blind. Paul started calling and the geese came in and tried to light behind the goose tree. Lifted and banked around near the tree 3 times before finally leaving the field. These things work! Drake was shaking drastically while he sat ever so steady, (thank you Pat Nolan!), and Don was out under the Goose Tree in amazement! Needless to say not only do I have one ...now so does Bob and Eddie! You should have seen the Wired Outdoors car coming home with 2 goose trees strapped to the vehicle! We will be doing a video product review of the Goose Tree for all to see. And no one else better to explain it than Mr. Juhl himself!

Above, Don, Drake and I in one of Larry's adjustable Just a Bale Blinds.

Below is a 3 man blind.

Above is the Wired Outdoor Team with Larry Juhl in middle, along with our morning birds pulled in by some sweet calls and of course the goose tree.

A group effort.

The trip went by very fast! There were so many aspects of the trip to tell and I am only touching the surface. The stories, so many photos, so much footage, good food, and good people, the learning experience...oh yeah and the calling. Erik Olson worked those birds. Larry, well if you closed your eyes you thought you were listening to the goose himself. I kept teasing saying he was a goose in another lifetime. He was the master. Even Erik said, "He is the closest thing to a goose I have ever heard!" Well I agree!!!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank EVERYONE we met and helped to make this hunting adventure such a wonderful trip! The laughs and memories will last a lifetime as well as the friendships made. We all went away learning a little more about the waterfowl we pursue and the State we visited.

A special thanks to Ron Maass for opening your hunting paradise to the "foreignors" from Pennsylvania. And no words can do justice to the gratitude to our new dear friend Larry Juhl. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! I look forward to the day when we can hunt together again! Your wit, wisdom and kindness have touched us all very deeply.

Oh yeah...one more thing, we did kill some geese! That was the bonus!

Bob doing some filming while Drake watches on.

Drake sporting his "Wired gear".

He decided to stick with the shades and give the hat to Don!

Below is the absolutely beautiful Wolf Creek Lodge we stayed in while hunting with Ron.

Anxiously watching the sky!

Brenda Kelly and I at Horicon Marsh.

Above me interviewing Larry Juhl about his "Geese PLEASE" program.

Above Drake and Don discussing camera shots.

Above, Drake chasing down a cripple at Ron's.

Below, the Wired Outdoors Team walking by the Goose Tree with our morning success.

2009 Clarion County Youth Field Day

2009-08-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that northwest PA is blessed with fantastic hunting, fishing, and other outdoor opportunities. But that's not all local residents have to take pride in. Each summer, this region hosts one of the largest events in the nation aimed at introducing youngsters to the sports of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor pursuits. It's called the Clarion County Youth Field Day and it's sponsored primarily by the Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth (CCSY), along with a large faction of local sportsmen's clubs, businesses, and many national corporations in the outdoor industry.

The event is held at Camp Coffman near Kossuth, PA and is offered free of charge to all participants. Parents must pre-register their children, who must be 8-14 years old. This year, 410 youngsters were in attendance, which was a new record for the event. With all of the parents, volunteers, instructors and sponsors, the camp was a bustling place filled with energy and excitement. You truly have to experience it to believe it!

Kirk Byerley and Andy Traister were on hand to help capture the day's events on video.

Like last year, the Sportsmen Portal staff was on hand to help out and cover the day's events for the CCSY. Once again, we'll be producing a highlight video to be shown at the CCSY's annual banquet this Fall. You won't want to miss it! If you haven't seen last year's video, check it out HERE.

The archery station is always one of the kids' favorites.

I know our Wired Outdoors camera guys were thrilled to be there and the kids kept them busy all day long! It was great to see some familiar faces in the crowd too, and we had the pleasure of spending some time with last year's Hunt of a Lifetime recipient, Arianna Evans and her family. She always brings a smile to our faces and she certainly doesn't cut our guys any slack. As soon as he arrived, she started heckling Jason about his "hunting sandals". We wouldn't have it any other way!

The Wired Outdoors Crew also got to spend some time with Arianna Evans and her family.

Muzzleloader instructors were even dressed in traditional garb this year!

Janice Byerley models a coonskin cap at the trapping station.

As always, the youngsters were treated to a variety of stations that introduced them to numerous outdoor activities and shooting sports. This year's stations included trout fishing, canoeing, shotguns, muzzleloaders, .22 rifles, turkey calling, taxidermy, trapping, wild game tasting, archery, treestand safety, crossbows, camping & Boy Scout programs, an obstacle course/fun run, and drug prevention and awareness.

Turkey calling...by far the the loudest station of the day!

As the crossbow debate rages on in PA , the kids just had a great time shooting them!

Like in past years, the CCSY staff had a tremendous amount of prizes to give to the kids at the end of the day. Lucky participants went home with one of 100 Benelli or Rossi shotguns, dozens of Hoyt bows and Horton crossbows, 3 Marlin .22 rifles, bow cases, and bicycles. Those not luckily enough to win a major prize received a shooters safety kit complete with shooting glasses and ear muffs.

The crowd anxiously awaits for raffle and door prize winners to be announced.

The Wired Outdoors crew was so impressed with Youth Field Day that we wanted to incorporate all of the kids into our upcoming television episodes. That prompted the idea to somehow video all 410 of them shouting, "We are Wired Outdoors!" As the parents can undertand, keeping their attention and the whole group organized was no small task!

Rob McCoy prepares for the big "Wired" shot at the end of the day.

With some help of the CCSY staff and lots of volunteers, we finally got the crowd of youngsters assembled in front of the cameras. And at the count of "1...2...3", a booming "We are Wired Outdoors!" echoed through the valley. The video shots were excellent and will be featured every week during the introduction to each of our television episodes. Wired Outdoors will begin airing on September 29th on the Sportsmen Channel, which is earlier than the original October date. You won't want to miss it!

Over 400 local youngsters will be part of every Wired Outdoors episode this Fall!

Our guys were definitely all 'Wired' for Youth Field Day!

A tremendous amount of work and funding is needed to hold such a fantastic event and this year's sponsors are listed below. Please support these businesses and individuals, as they've made a commitment to promoting and ensuring that our outdoor heritage is preserved for generations to come.

CORPORATE SPONSORS

CLARION CO. ROD & GUN CLUB
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK FOUNDATION
SWARTFAGER WELDING
SPORTSMEN OUFITTERS
TOM'S SALES & SERVICE
CLARION BOARDS INC.
HORTON CROSSBOWS
M & S MEATS
SUMMIT TREESTANDS
HOYT
QUAKER BOY GAME CALLS
FEDERAL AMMUNITION
BENELLI USA
RADIANS INC.
ROSSI FIREARMS
WAL-MART - CLARION, PA
PA GAME COMMISSION
PA FISH & BOAT COMMISSION
RUFFED GROUSE SOCIETY - ALLEGHENY NORTHWOODS CHAPTER

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

JOY MINING MACHINERY
DONNA OBERLANDER
FARMERS NATIONAL BANK
CHARLES TOOL & SUPPLY
KNOX BAKERY
HEETER ENTERPRISES INC.
R. C. BEST TRAPS ECT.
TOM'S RIVERSIDE - KNOX, PA
KAHLE'S KITCHENS
HEARTBREAK HOTEL HUNTING CLUB
IDA'S WHOLESALE
PIONEER ELECTRIC
P.S.C.O.A. LOCAL SCI FOREST
WEAVER EXCAVATING
KNOX AMBULANCE
MILLER'S SPORTING GOODS
PA GUN OWNERS
DARYL RAYBUCK MEMORIAL
SUZAN HAHNFELDT
LIONS CLUB OF HAWTHORN
THE ANTLER CLUB
SHREFFLERS SNACK SHACK
PINE HOLLOW ROD & GUN CLUB
HAWTHORN ROD & GUN CLUB
JAY D. STEVENS, MD
OCH'S BUILDING SUPPLY INC.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP
WENNER'S TAXIDERMY
EMLENTON IGA
K-MART - FRANKLIN, PA
O'NEIL SERVICE
RITNER POOLS & SPAS
THE CARRIAGE INN
KNOX FIRE POLICE
JOHN L. CRAWFORD INC.
LOYAL ORDER OF THE MOOSE NO. 1
PA STATE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS ASSC.
TIM SCHILL
RUPERT FUNERAL HOMES & MONUMENTS
GARY WEAVER & WORK CREW
HIRSCH MEATS
BUCKTAILS OF BEAVER TWP.
SLIGO SPORTSMEN & ARCHERY CLUB

Each Fall, the Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth holds a fundraising banquet and this year, the event is scheduled for Saturday, November 21st at Traditions Banquet Hall near Clarion, PA. This is a fantastic cause and a great banquet and members of the Wired Outdoors staff will be there to show the new highlight video of this year's event. If you'd like to attend the banquet or sponsor the 2010 Youth Field Day, contact Randy Culberson at Sportsmen Oufitters in Knox, PA at 814-797-5253.

Cabelas Advanced Angler Pro Series Drift Sock

2009-08-10T23:41:00.000-07:00

By Mike Bell, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

Cost
Drift sock $19.99 – $44.99

Drift sock Harness $9.99 with purchase of sock

Product features

Fast drying 420 – denier oxford nylon
Weights and floats sewn in for easy opening
Recommended for winds up to 15 mph
Winds over 15 mph… add another drift sock to your setup
Extremely puncture resistant
Drift sock harness with float is $9.99 with purchase of drift sock

Personal Assessment

I have been using the Cabela’s Advanced Angler Pro Series drift sock for a couple years now, and I consider it a must have when drift fishing. I position myself at the top of the area I want to drift and throw the sock into the water attaching it to a cleat on the boat. The weights and floats, sewn into the sock allow it to open quickly and position the sock when in the water. One of my favorite lakes to fish always seems to have a chop and blows up often. Without the drift sock, fishing this lake would be difficult on most days and impossible on others. As everyone knows, when drift fishing or trolling, presentation is what puts fish in the boat. The drift sock greatly increases my odds by slowing my baits down and holding them in front of the fish longer. I also purchased the harness with the float for $9.99 and found it well worth the price. Attach the harness to your sock and you have the capability to disconnect the drift sock from your boat should you hook into a big fish and don’t want the sock in the way. After landing the fish motor back to the float on the harness and recover your sock. The Cabela’s Drift Sock is definitely a great product and well worth the price if you want controlled drifts in the wind.

Recommendation

The Cabela’s Advanced Angler Pro Series Drift Sock has helped me boat many fish by slowing up my presentation and allowing me the control I otherwise wouldn’t have on a windy day. The durability and construction of this product is just as impressive as its benefits on the boat. After two years of use, the Cablea’s drift sock looks as if I just took it out of the box. Overall, I would consider the Cabela’s drift sock an essential item when tackling choppy waters while drift fishing or trolling.

Northern Paradise

2009-07-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

Canon XHA-1 HD Video Camera

Kodak Easy Share Camera

This year we took our yearly summer vacation to beautiful Benezette, PA. Home of the free roaming wild elk in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's elk herd was totally extirpated by 1867 and became totally extinct in it's Eastern range from New England, New York and PA. The PA Game Commission released elk from Yellowstone back into PA between 1913 and 1926. Today the herd has well over 700 elk. They range in Elk and Cameron Counties but are being seen more and more in Clearfield and Clinton counties. If you have never seen PA's wild elk it is well worth a trip!!

We like the serenity and abundant wildlife we can see right from our window or deck from the places we stay. This year we stayed at the first class accommodation's of Winslow Meadow Lodge.

This is home away from home. Everything you need except your food. 4 bedrooms, central air, TV, hot tub, large deck, etc. The place was breath taking enough in itself.

As you all know...utilization of trail camera's allow even a different perspective on what lurks in PA's woods. It definitely helps me to sleep when I am up there just knowing that the technology will capture what magnificent animals that bound about while I am lumbering away. You see, when I go to beautiful Cameron county, I cannot sleep. Not because it's a new place away from home....but because I don't want to miss any wildlife that might be visiting outside the door. Just think about it; wild elk, bears, foxes, and numerous other critters free ranging in natural habitat. My trail camera was out and it allowed me to reduce my nightly trips from the bedroom from 30 to about 20. HA!! I just can't help myself! I go to the door peer out the glass with the spotlight to see what's there! I'm like a little girl at Christmas.

My dad hasn't been to the area in over 20 years and my mom and Grandma have never seen Pennsylvania's wild elk. So Don and I suggested they should drive up early Tuesday and spend the day with us. We all decided it was best to arrive around 6 AM so we could see the elk early before they bed. Boy little did we know what a treat they were in for! That morning we awoke to a cow elk in the front yard and a nice rack buck in the back yard.

We woke up Jimmy and headed out to the gate to meet my family. We could not have picked or put an order in for any better of a morning. It was if God placed an elk behind every corner and tree. Not to mention numerous does, fawns, calves, bucks, bears and turkeys.

We had been at our beautiful lodge for two days and had a general idea as to where some of the big bulls were.

So Don guided the tour. Right on the road to the lodge we saw about 6 cows and 4 calves.

The first stop would then be to where we had been seeing 3 big bulls. Sure enough there they were but that added one more big bull to the group and a lone cow. All within 75 yards off the road. Needless to say Mom and Grandma were in awe and dad was all fired up!

Down the road we come upon another 5 X 5 . On the way into town to see if the old bull # 36 was around we saw a flock of turkeys and poults crossing the road and a sow with a cub. Then headed down by the river and sure enough there were a couple cows and calves crossing the river. A beautiful site!

Mom, Grandma and Dad checking out the elk at a watering hole.

In town not far from the Benezette store was the big ol bull #36. This bull is Old, bowed knees. I have pictures from him from years past. According to the PGC Attendant at Winslow Hill Information Center, he is estimated to be approximately 16 years old.

We proceeded back to the lodge seeing elk and deer all along the way. Pulling into our lane we have a herd of cows grazing in the lawn. Now up until this point we had only seen one cow elk around the property.

After a quick tour of the Lodge we decided to sit on the big deck and enjoy the breeze while Don prepared our meal.

A few minutes later a heard of elk, cows, calves and one nice bull emerged from the tree line and fed through the property.

The whole time the cows were "talking" giving out that high pitch call. It was absolutely grand! Mom and Grandma were in disbelief! A short time later a cow elk came running into the yard and right behind her was the bull in an attempt to get her back with the other girls in the herd. She wanted NO PART of it and stood her ground. She would not leave our yard. We all stood there in total awe. The bull departed back to his harem and you could hear the cows shrill calls in the distance. thinking that was cool, something then happened that sent chills up all of us. The Bull let out a bugle. YES A BUGLE!! Not once, but twice!!!! We could not believe our ears! I have never heard one bugle before. We never have made it up in the fall. But to hear one bugle in JULY???? BREATHTAKING! We all knew we had just been blessed with an amazing memory. We were just all so taken back. Mom was so happy. Something she said she always wanted to hear was an elk bugle and she sure got her wish!

Mom, dad and Grandma had to leave. They Had a wonderful time and we promised we would all go up and spend more time together again in this northern PA paradise.

The cow elk stayed in the yard for another 4 hours. In fact she stayed in the yard for another 2 days until we went home. She was a fixture. It was so nice to be able to go out and sit on the deck and watch a cow elk, numerous deer, raccoons all right before your eyes.

Jimmy trying to sneak on the deck not to spook the elk that came into the yard while he was out front.

Here Don was cooking down at the campfire ring and the cow elk came in. Did you ever see the movie "Wild Hogs"? Well I think Don is going to "slap the Cow" LOL.

We all agreed this was the best vacation we have ever had up there. we have always enjoyed the places we have stayed. But to be able to experience all we did with my family for the first time was a true gift. I know we will be back again next year.

We are already making plans for next summer. Elk country Hide Away we already reserved our stay next September, 2010. This will be our first Fall visit and I can't wait! Benezette is a world away from the city. To see PA wild free roaming elk in an untouched natural setting is something to behold. Paradise not far from home!

Waging War on Whistlepigs

2009-07-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Remington Model 700 VS SF II .22-250

Leupold Vari-X III 6.5x20 50mm (Varmint)

Leupold Katmai 8x32 Binoculars

Harris Bipod

Nosler Ballistic Tip Bullets - 50gr.

Hodgdon Benchmark Powder

CCI BR2 Benchrest Primers

Medalist Silvermax Cap

Although a bow is my preferred weapon of choice for most of my hunting excursions, I’ve always had a love for accurate rifles and long-range shooting. I own a couple of deer and elk rifles that I consider to be fairly accurate by most hunters’ standards, but I’ve never had a rifle that was capable of producing the groups required by hardcore varmint hunters who consistently take shots at over 400 yards. But all that was about to change after a visit to East Coast Gun Sales earlier this summer.

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW FROM OUR HUNT!

I knew I wanted a rifle primarily for groundhog hunting, but also capable of taking coyotes, so before I made the trip to East Coast, I spent a lot of time researching different calibers. After a lot of reading and some talks with some experienced varmint hunters, I had pretty much settled on a .22-250 for the low recoil, flat trajectory, and superior accuracy with a wide range of different loads. My conversation with the staff at East Coast confirmed these facts and after some time examining several different models, I left that day with a new Remington 700 VS SF II and a few accessories guaranteed to help me drive tacks.

The new .22-250 during its first trip to the range.

I could hardly wait to get back home and head to the range to sight it in. After a few rounds at the 100-yard target, a couple of the bullets appeared to miss the paper until I realized that they’d found the same hole as earlier shots. Yes, this rifle was something special! Some fine-tuning at the reloading bench produced even more impressive results, and after a session at my neighbor’s 300-yard range, I was confident that I could kill a whistlepig at that distance.

John glasses the field, looking for grass grizzlies.

Fortunately, not long after getting my rifle sighted in, Jason and I received an invitation from John and Chris O’Hara to come and hunt groundhogs near John’s home in central PA. John works for Summit Treestands and his son Chris is the Event Director for the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show held in Harrisburg, PA every year. After hearing that John and Chris were die-hard varmint hunters with many years of experience under their belts, I was excited to hunt with them and learn as much as I could.

Taking aim while Chris and John watch for the impact.

Jason and I met John and Chris on a Friday after work with plans of hunting that night and again the following morning. The weather was perfect with lots of sunshine and light winds. We were soon perched on top of a knoll overlooking several hundred acres of rolling hayfields interspersed with strips of corn. The plan was to sit for a while and see if we could catch any woodchucks feeding in the freshly cut hayfield.

My first whistlepig with my new rifle from East Coast.

At first, the action was slow. But after about 20 minutes, a cautious grass grizzly emerged from the woodline and slowly entered the field. Without a rangefinder, our group decided the shot would be roughly 200 yards. John took careful aim and sent a 55-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip through the varmint’s chest. We all congratulated him on a nice shot and were happy to be on the board.

John takes careful aim at a distant hog.

A short time later, another whistlepig appeared at the end of the long field. This time, it was my turn and the distance to the hog was slightly over 300 yards. I was hoping my first shot of the evening would be a little shorter, but I wasn’t about to pass up a good opportunity to test the new rifle. When I squeezed the trigger, a puff of smoke flew from the top of the marmot’s head and he dropped in his tracks. The other guys whooped and hollered and I breathed a sigh of relief, happy that the gun performed so well and relieved that I hadn’t botched the shot. Not that I wasn’t confident, mind you, but it’s not often that I shoot at that distance!

Chris with a nice hog he took after a well-planned stalk.

The rest of the evening, we took turns shooting as more chucks emerged from their holes. It sounds funny to say, but the O’Haras take an approach to varmint hunting that would probably be characterized as “run and gun” by most hunters. We moved from one spot to the next, glassing the known hole locations and moving on if no hogs were visible. The tactic proved to be very effective!

John gets in position for a 450+ yard shot.

The action was steady and we harvested hogs from a variety of locations. John was the MVP of the night, notching kills both off-hand and at distances over 450 yards. We all had an absolute blast (pun shamelessly intended)! As the sun began to sink below the rolling hills, we had taken 13 whistlepigs and were all excited to find out what the next day would bring.

The makings of the infamous "double", two hogs with one shot!

Saturday morning came with the threat of thunderstorms as day progressed, so we grabbed some quick breakfast and headed for another one of John's hot spots. Storm clouds loomed in the distance, but we got set up overlooking a likely spot and hoped to get a few shots in before the rain started. As we glassed the fields below, I heard John say, "There's one! No, there's two!"

My face was priceless after taking both chucks off the bale!

John later told me that the chance to take a "double" usually occurs about once a year for a die-hard varminter. And John would certainly know, after averaging between 500 and 700 groundhogs a summer! Being the excellent hosts that they are, both John and Chris wanted me to have the chance to take the shot. We didn't have time to argue, so I quickly found the hogs in the crosshairs. As the .22-250 barked, both marmots tumbled off of the back of the hay bale. I was ecstatic to say the least! And that's when the effects of Groundhog Fever set in...I shook and laughed and bawled all at the same time! Well, maybe it wasn't quite that bad, but I was pretty wound up!

Whistlepigs beware, we're coming to a field near you!

I can't thank John and Chris enough for the invitation to hunt with them and showing us how the pros kill hogs. Well, maybe there's no such thing as varmint professionals, but if there were, these guys would be it! I learned more about long-range shooting in those two days than I probably could have in two years on my own. On the way home, I was actually taking notes and trying to remember all of the tips I'd received over the weekend. No kidding!

I can tell you that if you've never given varmint hunting a try, you owe it to yourself to set aside some time this summer. It had been quite a while since I'd set my sights on a whistlepig, and I honestly forgot how much fun it is! Plus, it's a great opportunity to introduce youngsters to hunting while the weather's warm and sitting motionless for hours isn't a requirement. And like John told me, he rarely meets farmers who aren't accomodating and happy to rid their fields of the burrowing pests. Give varmint hunting a try this summer, you'll be glad you did!

"Banding" Together

2009-06-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

Canon XHA-1 HD Video Camera

Kodak ZD 8612 IS Digital camera

Wired Outdoors T-shirt and hat

Every June for the past 5 years, Don, Jimmy, Bob Miller and I have helped the Pennsylvania Game Commission Band Geese. This is an experience that we as hunters do in order to appreciate not only the game birds more but the Biologists that help to manage these birds.

Jimmy Bob and I waiting to start the day.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service uses data reported from leg bands to track the flight paths of migratory birds. Bands are useful in determining harvest information and life span of specific bird species. Each band has a unique number that identifies the species of bird which is tied to the life history. When you call in a band number, an operator will ask you a few simple questions like the date and location of where the bird was harvested. You will then receive a certificate in the mail containing your name and information on the banded bird. You can also report your band online now and it will give you the information immediately. You can either then print out your certificate or have one mailed to you. Nicknames among waterfowl hunters for leg bands are; jewelry, leg irons, and bling-bling are just a few.

John Dunn, supervisor for the PGC Game Bird Division, records data on newly banded birds and any recaptures at each location.

This year we headed out once again in a neighboring County with Pennsylvania Game Commission’s Justin Vreeland, Wyatt Knepp, John Dunn, Chief Supervisor Game Bird Biologist, and Mary Jo Casalena, Game Bird Biologist. The goal is to band approximately 150 birds per regions. Our first stop was a private owned bed and breakfast that acts as a waterfowl sanctuary and holds a great deal of birds. Scouting reports indicated that there were approximately 150 birds there. So IF the birds cooperated this could be our only stop for the day. This place was beautiful but HUGE. There were so many ponds with grass walkways in between this would be tricky in penning these birds.

Meeting of the minds...Mary Jo, John, Justin and Cary Stultz come up with a game plan on gathering the birds.

So after John, Cary Stultz (volunteer), Mary Jo, and Justin came up with a plan, we headed to our posts to start the slow push to get the geese on land. Needless to say…it didn’t work as planned.

Me, Jimmy and a few other volunteers from PGC Food & Cover wait with the panels to corral the geese.

The geese didn’t want to come out on the grass where we were set up. After several failed attempts and a few hours later we were lucky enough to band 46 birds. On to the next location…a Wal-Mart retaining pond. There again the birds weren’t as cooperative and it took some effort to corral and band a few birds there.

Me holding a juvenile to be banded.

Adam and Grace Rucosky were helping out that day.

Jimmy getting ready to release a newly banded gosling.

Bob with a banded adult.

Regrouping we decided to head to another part of the County where some smaller flocks with sufficient goslings were scouted. Our first stop another private company pond the geese here were actually across the street from the pond and we figured it may be more difficult than expected. However, this was probably one of the easiest locations. Justin, Bob, Don, Cary and Mary Jo drove down by the road and the birds all gathered in a cluster and walked up to the top of the bank by the water where John, Jimmy, Wyatt and I were waiting. We were able to close in the panels with no escape geese right under a nice shaded tree. There we noticed a couple recaptures. These are birds that are already banded. These numbers are again recorded by the Biologists for data. This helps to create a history of the bird’s life. Perhaps they migrated here, where they were banded as to where they were recaptured and etc. One recapture was a nice big gander with a double band.

Justin holding the double banded goose.

Along with regular bands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service puts ‘reward bands’ on some birds. Usually they put these leg bands on adult birds. John Dunn explained that the reward bands are typically worth 100 dollars. In studies they showed that the $100 price actually was enough incentive for a hunter to take the time and report the band. The government sends you a check only after you report the information regarding the band. I was fortunate enough to harvest a banded bird the first year I hunted waterfowl. Actually my third time out. It was like getting paid to hunt! Bob Miller jokes around and says that was what got me hooked and they haven’t been able to get rid of me since. But I was hooked the first time laying in the blind and seeing a flock headed right for us. The sounds of honks, the wing beats over my head….my heart was pumping mad!! That is what got me hooked!

John Dunn banding a goose.

Don holding a juvenile to be banded.

We headed off to two other locations and banded a total of 142 geese for the day. Not too bad after the way the day had started.

Geese are banded in June while in their flightless stage. Geese will molt their feathers at the same time the young are growing theirs.

Adult goose with molting wings. Geese loose old feathers and regrow new ones.

In banding the geese we spread out strategically and slowly walk, almost like a drive and round up the geese to the area where other volunteers have panels (the panels are soft webbed nylon with aluminum rounded edges) that we surround the geese and corral them in. Mary Jo and John have kayaks that they use quite often in the waterways we band at to push the geese to the offshore location we are waiting at.

John and Mary Jo try to use the kayaks to get the geese to move off the water onto land and our waiting position.

At that point the Biologists will enter the pen with the geese, separate the goslings from the adults, sex them male or female and hand the birds to the volunteers to take to other PGC Biologists or certified handlers to then band the geese.

Justin seperating the goslings into the gosling pen.

Above,Goslings in the gosling pen waiting to be banded. Below, all the birds corraled into the panels.

Mary Jo sexing the goose before banding.

We then turn the geese back to the water, field, etc. Holding the geese can also be tricky. Those that are familiar with a Canada goose know how powerful their wings are. Just because they are molting doesn’t make it any different! You need to hold the wings close to the “shoulder” of the birds. Also hold their feet. Which do have slight claws at the end of the webbing and oh yes…they scratch! The goslings and juveniles really don’t have much of a clue as to what is going on. They don’t know any better and are more cooperative. But the older ones…now that is another story. They hiss, flap those powerful wings as fast as the can, and yes, they may even bite.

To expect to come home without feathers and goose droppings on you would be a total misconception. So why do we do this? Simply for the love of the animals we pursue. We as hunters usually only are able to have one of these magnificent birds in hand AFTER we have shot them out of the sky. So to be able to hold one of these powerful, elusive birds while they are alive is a thrill in itself. Not to mention how much we have learned about the life of geese from the Biologists that we are helping. Then there is the whole conservation aspect. It allows me as a hunter to have hands on opportunity in helping this literally continent wide effort to better understand our waterfowl in helping with its conservation through the North America Banding Program.

Above, a leg band being placed on a goose.

The day was full of laughs, and more memories made with friends, family and our partners in the PA Game Commission “banding” together to help towards the conservation of waterfowl.

My opinion every waterfowl hunter should volunteer at least once towards this effort. To see the hard work, time and effort put into banding the geese puts a whole new respect and understanding to those involved in managing our game birds. I didn’t get a banded bird last year, but I know whenever I am lucky enough to harvest a bird with a little jewelry on it’s leg, I have more appreciation towards what went on at the time the leg iron was placed on that bird in hand. Makes the hunt all that more rewarding. It’s full circle!

Alberta Bruins - The Highest of Highs and Lowest of Lows

2009-06-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Medalist Clothing
Hunter Safety System
Parker Frontier Bow
Gold Tip Arrows
Scott's Little Goose Release
LaCrosse Alpha Burly II Rubber Boots
Plano Pillar Lock Bow Case
Magnus Stinger Broadheads
Thermacell

Click the Video Below!

We are home from our trip with Alberta Backwoods Outfitters in Northern Alberta and the trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. The title of this article is a little misleading because the entire adventure truly was a fantastic trip.

On our way!

Fellow field staffer Don Ott was along on this expedition and would be filming and hunting for his first ever black bear. The trip there was very smooth until we arrived in Fort McMurray, Alberta and Don's bow wasn't there. We could only hope that it would show up the following day like the airline promised.

Glad to be in camp

Mitch Chapdelaine, owner of Alberta Backwoods Outfitters was there to pick us up right on time and we were going to get out hunting that night. We would be staying in a tent all week long with a wood stove to keep us warm, at least when we figured out how to use it. That is a whole other story!

Our home for the week

Tent camps are not for the faint of heart, you certainly are not in the lap of luxury, but that is what it is all about. Getting out and roughing it a little is always a blast.

Natasha, our camp cook

Natasha was our camp cook and kept us fed all week long. I think she got sick of me being in her kitchen all morning on my cell phone conducting business, but the only electric outlet was located there. The normal routine at camp was to get up in the morning around 9 or 10, chop some wood for the stove, eat a big breakfast, kick around camp for a while, eat a big lunch and head out hunting around 3:30 pm.

Me in Natasha's way gabbing on my cell phone

One of the things I like the most about bear hunting in Canada is how laid back the days are. It isn't like whitetail hunting where you will go out and sit all day long, but much more relaxed. Most evenings we would hunt from 4:30 pm until 10:30 pm and head back to camp for a warm meal before a small campfire and then off to bed.

I was up first thing in the morning chopping wood! We wouldn't be cold this night.

The first night we made the 1 hour drive from the airport to camp and hurriedly got ready to go hunting. We were a little late getting to stand, but were up and settled by about 7, which gave us over three hours of hunting. We did have a real nice bear come in, but he wasn't what I was looking for.

On Stand The First Night

Once back in camp we had a warm meal and we were off to bed. This is where it gets interesting. Unfortunately, Don and I never had wood stove 101, so needless to say we froze our rear ends off that first night, never really getting the fire started. This would not be the case the next night as I was up bright and early chopping wood and preparing all the kindling for that night. Don can attest that I am now the (self proclaimed) master of the wood stove. In fact, I had it so hot on several nights that Don had to get up and open the window and doors to cool things off. If you can't tell, I am very proud of myself (It is the little things in life).

Canadian version of horseshoes

Hanging out around a warm campfire

The next day we received a call from the airport that Don's bow had arrived, so we were on our way to pick it up. After getting back to camp Don took some practice rounds and was dead on. Since this was Don's first bear hunt, we decided that the bear we had in the first night was a very nice bear and we were going to go back in after him. Don would be hunting and I think I was more excited than he was to (hopefully) see him harvest his very first black bear.

Jaron, one of our fantastic guides

I think you all know what this. I tried to spend as little time as possible in here!

The first couple of hours were uneventful without any activity when Don felt compelled to play a little joke on me that I didn't find all that funny. I had to relieve myself, so while I was going to the bathroom, Don decides to tell me that a bear is coming. If anyone knows me, they understand that I am a little high strung and almost peed on myself.

Typical mud and muck that these quads went through all night long.

Needless to say I wasn't not very happy with Mr. Ott. I explained that there is one golden rule when hunting with me and that is you never joke about game coming! I also explained that it was ON and I would get him back.

Filming a bear on the ground

Well about 20 minutes later I spy a big black ball moving through the thick stuff and proceed to tell Don, "Get your bow a bear is coming!". What does he do, but laugh at me and say, "Yeah right". I of course again emphasize, "No, seriously there is a nice bear coming get your bow!" Again I get the same reply, "Yeah right, I am not falling for it!" Now I am irritated and proceed to call Don a few names and it is at this point and time that he sees the bear coming at about 45 yards away.

Don's first black bear

After seeing that, Don doesn't waste any time getting his bow and getting ready. We knew this bear was going to be shooter and was a bigger bear than the one we saw the night before. At this point and time I am focused on getting the shot on film and Don says to me, "Man, his head is ugly." I promptly replied, "He is a fighter, just shoot him!" After a half hour of in and out at the bait, the bear finally presented Don with a shot and he closed the deal on his first ever black bear.

Don with guides Mitch and Jaron

When we recovered the bear about 80 yards later, I saw what Don meant by an ugly head, this bear was completely bald. It was a very old bear with gray hair on its claws and face and it's teeth were completely wore down. The bear did have a beautiful coat and is going to make a great rug. Mitch, owner of Alberta Backwoods Outfitters, explained that in all his years of guiding that he has never seen a bear like this except on a trail camera one time.

I was really excited for Don. You can ask him and I am sure he will tell you, I was shaking so hard after his shot that the entire tree was moving. Congrats on a great bear Don!

Very gray and very bald

Gray hair all around the claws

New Beargaine for Bears experiencing hairloss issues

Don and I with his first bear

After getting Don's bear out of the way it was my turn to hunt again. Mitch had trail cams set up and had a bait that was being hit by two very big bears. We knew that is where we wanted to be. It is funny how sometimes bears don't like to cooperate and while we had trail cam photos of these two big bears showing up in the evening, that first night the only one that showed up was a decent size bear, but I knew he wasn't the one we were looking for.

Me not long after shooting my first bear of the trip, knowing it was a good shot

So the next evening we decided we were going to hunt the same stand again, and I am glad we did. The evening started with the same bear coming out again and wolfing down all the bait and we were starting to think this night was going to be more of the same like the night before, but that all changes about an hour before dark.

My Canadian black bear

As I already said there was a decent size bear at the bait all evening just making a complete hog of himself, when all of a sudden we see him sit straight up and ears go forward. Not long after that we see a really nice bear making it's way down the trail. I knew immediately that this was not the giant, but a very good bear and if I had the opportunity, I was going to take him.

My Canadian black bear

After running the small bear off, I didn't give him much time and let the arrow fly at 27 yards and put it right behind the shoulder. From the video you will see that this shot is almost a perfect shot on a whitetail, but not a bear. The lungs on a bear are farther back than a whitetail and the shot should have been about 8 inches back. I really believe that my practice all year long on 3D targets and hunting whitetail, it was almost instinct to put the shot right behind the shoulder.

Don and I with my bear

Fortunately after tracking this bear that bled like a stuck pig for the first 75 yards and then nothing but pin drops, we recovered it about 300 yards later through some of the thickest stuff you would ever want to go through. Mitch did a great job, like a little hound dog, finding this bear.

Me with guides Jaron and Mitch

As you can see it is a beautiful bear but what you can't see is the distinctive white markings on the chest. It will make a great rug.

Don's second bear

Now we have two very nice bears down and two to go. Thursday was very windy with little bear movement and I would start out hunting on Friday night in a new stand location. We weren't in the stand long when Don saw movement behind us. I could see a very nice bear, so I asked Don if he wanted to shoot it and he didn't hesitate. As the bear was making his way to the bait, we moved the camera so I could operate it, Don grabbed his bow, put a release on and knocked an arrow.

Within in minutes, Don let the arrow fly to what we both thought was perfect hit. After watching the film, it appeared it could be a little far back, but we both thought that it should still get both lungs. We thought wrong.

After an hour and a half, we got down and tracked this bear for about 75 yards when we jumped it. You could tell it was hurting bad, and Don took off after it. Mitch was there also looking in the opposite direction so we had no choice as we could see it go lay down again.

After getting within 12 yards, Don let the finishing shot fly and he had his second bear. It was very eventful and nerve wracking, but had a good ending.

The giant bear decides to scratch his back a little and let me get even more worked up before he makes his way in our direction

The next night the ending wouldn't be so good. Like I said before we had trail cam photos of a 7.5 foot bear at this bait everyday for the past four days at 12 noon. So we decided, since it was the last day, that we were going to go in at 10 am and hopefully catch this giant coming in.

Once again, the bears weren't all that interested in our well laid plans and we didn't see a bear until 2:00 pm, but once this little guy came in he decided to entertain us the rest of the afternoon. Including; figure eights, pirouettes, tumble rolls and more.

This photo and video don't do this guy justice. He was massive.

Things were looking bleak for getting a crack at the monster bear as 9:00 pm rolled around and we figured he wasn't going to make an appearance, when all of a sudden, the smaller bear sat straight up and stared in the opposite direction. Within in seconds we heard what we thought was an elephant coming through the woods and the small bear ran faster than a racehorse to the thick cover.

We both knew this could mean only one thing. The big bear was on his way and within seconds he made an appearance. To say I was a little rattled is an understatement. Eventually the bear made his way in our direction and I wasn't going to waste anytime when the shot presented itself. He initially was quartering to me, so I passed on him the first time, but once he came back in, he was perfectly broadside at 21 yards.

I came to full draw and unfortunately was not quite positioned in this stand correctly and my elbow hit my safety harness and the tree. Instead of repositioning I made a crucial mistake and I knew it as soon as I let the arrow fly. I leaned my head into the kisser button instead of properly bringing the kisser button to my cheek.

What followed will remain in my head forever. The shot was a terrible shot and hit very low in the middle of the bear. I knew that the situation was bad and our only possible chance of getting this bear was to back out and come back in the morning. Unfortunately that wasn't an option. We were flying out and had to be at the airport at 6:30 am and Mitch had already packed camp up and we were his last hunters for the season.

We got down and examined the arrow and smelled it to see if there was any guts on it. Fortunately there wasn't and after trailing this bear for over 400 yards with very little blood, Mitch felt that the bear would survive. All I can say is, I hope so.

No one ever wants to wound an animal and in my hunting career I have been fortunate enough to have never mortally wounded an animal that I didn't recover. As you can imagine this would have been a storybook ending to a storybook trip with Don and I each coming home with two bears each, but that wasn't the case.

That is hunting and that is the way it happens. Doesn't mean I accept what happened and I will continue to practice with my equipment to make sure a mistake like that doesn't happen again. I may never get a chance at a giant like that again, but I feel blessed to have been given that one opportunity.

The week with Alberta Backwoods Outfitters was top notch. I would like to thank Mitch, Natasha and Jaron for a great week and all their hard work. For more information on Mitch and his operation, visit www.AlbertaBackwoodsOutfitters.com.

My Trapping Season - Part II

2009-06-04T02:24:00.000-07:00

By Kevin McCloskey

Well trapping season (08-09) is finally over for us, and what a good year it was. The boys had a blast, and hopefully learned something along the way. We did real well most of the season, until all the snow showed up. After that much snow things really slowed down.

This would be the last open water we would see. This is one of our beaver area’s, it’s almost 1 mile from the road, add 14in of snow and the walk will wear you out. But when you catch these…

Michael with a 40 + lb beaver

it makes the walk worth it. By the time we got to this spot most of our day was done, the boys were tired, but look at the smile. That is why I do this. These are the times we all will cherish as we get older and the boys find other hobbies {girls} that catch their interest.

Coon and muskrat drying

Fox and coyote ready to sell

Cameron Hall [L] and Michael Mccloskey with some of their furs

This is the end of this season for us, but we are already planning for next year. We are going to do some float trapping down some of the rivers. Should be a blast for the boys.
Well till next time…. Final totals – coon – 38, red fox – 11, grey fox – 2, muskrat – 21, beaver – 4, mink – 1, and coyote – 1.

Sale amount…about $800.

But the memories….Priceless !

Primos Bow Sling

2009-06-04T02:00:00.000-07:00

By Teresa Patterson, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

Key Features

Fits Bows 30" to 40"

Snaps (3) close for secure carry

Molded foam cups to protect your cams

Fits all parallel limb bows

Available In Realtree Hardwoods Green HD and Mossy Oak Break Up Patterns.

Suggested Retail Price around $22.00-$27.00

Protecting your bow and its components while hunting, especially in the brushy cover is tough, but I found the Primos Bow Sling is made for this undertaking. The Bow Sling is an extremely easy to use product; You simply slide the molded foam pockets/cups around your cams, hook the two elasticized bands, then secure the 3 snap closures around your string. Your bow is now ready for travel, hiking and/or storage. I used the Bow Sling all last archery season. Hiking 3 miles back into my stand I found the sling helped make carrying the bow easier that distance. It was barely noticeable on my shoulder with no issues, totally hands-free. I liked the fact when walking through the timber and brush your string was protected from cuts and snags from brush and limbs. The ends are cushioned and rounded to protect the cams. It comes with easy pull tabs to remove quickly. The camo pattern is a bonus and comes in various patterns to satisfy anyone's preference. I have heard stories from other hunters where they are ready to draw on an animal and have noticed their bow string was cut only to shorten their time afield. I think this is a safe alternative to protecting your bow and string and your hunt! The bow sling would really be helpful on the long hunts where you are backpacking in long distances. I know I have even had twigs that were stuck up in my cams after hiking back in the woods. It folds up easy and small so that it can easily be put into a backpack or large pocket out of the way once you reach your destination. You could also hang your bow once home out of the way if you do not place it in a hard case. If you’re looking for a safe and secure method to pack your bow into the woods, the Primos Bow Sling is a great choice that protects the most valuable and fragile part of your bow, the string & cams.

Backwoods Bruins

2009-06-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Medalist Stalker fleece pants and jacket

Medalist Lite weight Base Layers

Medalist Heavy weight base layers

Medalist Cheyenne Shirt

Medalist Watchman Cap

Hunter Safety Systems Pro-Hunter Series Vest

LaCrosse Alpha Burly Rubber Boots

PSE Firestorm Lite

Muzzy broad heads 100 grain 4 blade

Easton ST Excel 400 arrows

Thermacell

Canon XHA-1 HD video camera

Kodak ZD 8612 IS digital camera

I have been blessed to have experienced Alberta Canada twice in less than a year and explored a different facet of being in the bush. Alberta has so much to offer and outdoors person. Having the right Guide gives you a sense of security that allows one to focus solely on placing your sights on the animal you wish to harvest. Those individuals knowledge of woodsman-ship and their love for what they do is transcended into a positive hunting experience. Alberta Backwoods Outfitters caters and pampers the Hunter's quest to kill bears. If you are wanting to experience a true outdoor adventure this is the Outfitter you are looking for. Their focus is on getting the hunter too and from the bush safely. Providing you with the specimens to fulfill your quest.

I was 15 years young in Colorado hunting mule deer with my rifle. Living out of a tent, chopping firewood and bathing from a basin. Or lathering up and plunging into a beaver pond. Now some 32 years later, deja vue. As I feel the desire and passion that was breed in me to cherish God's gifts and sulk in the moment.

Living in a spike tent, dirt floor, utilizing a ground blind modified as a job johnny with a tarpuline shower. Pumping water from a 1 inch hose from a 3 gallon bucket. Allows me to realize how our fore-fathers lived and extravagantly we now live. How fortunate we are to have the technology to provide the things we take for granted, "Home Sweet Home!".

Above, Home Cooking

My Sealy Posterpedic while in Alberta

You can look at it any way you want it isn't going to split!

I saw 8 bears all of which could have been harvested by a bow and arrow. Harvested my first bear ever and capitalized on a second while observing bears being bears. From the ability to be aware of human presence to the exchange of animal behavior of dominance in the interlude of survival with one's mere presence. What a precious gift!

I can't say enough about Alberta Backwoods Outfitter. You need to experience it for yourself.

My trophy

Bears being bears

Camp entertainment 101

Toilet facilities

High Pressure shower

The Camp Cook.

My bald old bear

Jason's favorite time of day...grazing time!

Mitch the Guide

One happy camper

Don't let their youthful looks fool you!

"Beargaine"

Preparing for the future

Mud run

In for the long haul. 7.5 miles deep in the bush!

View from the stand

These aren't Jason's tracks!

Jason just arrowed a bear!

Trying to keep the "state bird" the mosquito at bay.

"Don did you just hear that? I'm not scared!"

Jason's bear.

My second bear

Enjoying a campfire!

Hard Lessons

2009-06-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

Thompson Center New Englander 12ga.

Flambeau Hen Decoy

A-Way Turkey Skinz

Ol' Tom Time & Motion Turkery Vest

David Halloran Custom Slate Calls

Knight & Hale Diaphram Calls

Medalist Silvermax Silkweight Base Layers

Medalist Silvermax Cheyenne Pants

Medalist Silvermax Stalker Jacket

Medalist Silvermax Face Mask

Lacrosse Alpha Burly Boots

Way back at the beginning of spring gobbler season, I was full of confidence and couldn't wait for opening day…and for good reason. To say I'd been "covered up in birds" during my preseason scouting trips would have been an understatement. In fact, I basically decided to not tell anyone about what I’d been seeing for fear that they’d think I was a bald-faced liar. Luckily, my camera doesn’t stretch the truth and since the season is over and there’s not much chance of giving up a secret spot, I might as well share a couple of photos.

[caption id="attachment_5801" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="The local boys strut their stuff!"][/caption]
[caption id="attachment_5806" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="More gobblers than I've ever seen at one time!"][/caption]

With the amount of birds in the area, I didn’t think we’d have much trouble catching up with a few of them.

But that was over a month ago, and as veteran turkey hunters in PA will tell you, a lot can change after opening day. Yes, this year was more about “paying your dues” and being reminded “that’s why they call it hunting” than it was about putting birds on the ground. I heard a lot of local hunters grumbling about silent birds and their lack of success. But then again, what is success when it comes to outdoor pursuits? Anymore, I have a hard time feeling anything but contentment after spending a morning in the field with close friends and family. And after a long, hectic winter at home, I tried to enjoy every moment I was able to spend in the woods whether the gobblers were cooperating or not.

[caption id="attachment_5811" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Droppings and dusting areas were abundant in the local woodlots."][/caption]

As you might have guessed, my friends and I had several “close calls” and situations that “should have been”. One wary old bird even survived after strutting within 10 yards of my muzzleloader, simply because my partner’s watch alarm went off before I could squeeze the trigger. But after looking back on all of those hunts, there’s one that stands out above them all. And it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it involved a first-time hunter and “the one that got away”.

[caption id="attachment_5813" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Buck talks strategies as we set up in the overgrown field."][/caption]

Daybreak found me sitting behind the video camera panning across the silhouettes of my good friend Buck Weaver and his nine-year-old daughter Kaci. Another long-time hunting buddy, Al Hogue, was positioned about 20 yards behind me and was attempting to use his slate call to say good morning to the hen turkeys that were excitedly yelping and cackling in the creek bottom below us. Thundering gobbles too numerous to count echoed in all directions. I couldn’t help but smile and even though I should have known better, I thought to myself, “This is going to be too easy.”

[caption id="attachment_5814" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Buck and Kaci set up in our calling location."][/caption]

As the huge flock of birds assembled in the thick brush just out sight, Al cut loose with a series of loud yelps and cuts. A flurry of gobbles resulted, followed by a lone booming gobble that seemed to silence the other birds. It appeared like the boss Tom was between us and the flock, and the jakes wisely kept their distance. We all knew that Kaci would be happy with any legal bird, and experience told us that we’d have a much better chance of getting the younger birds in range before the old Tom. But on this day, it just wasn’t meant to be.

[caption id="attachment_5815" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="The wily old Tom emerged in the brush."][/caption]

Kaci showed extreme patience and determination while we all waited for the first glimpse of black feathers. After over an hour had passed and both of my legs were asleep, I caught sight of the top of a huge fan about 75 yards away. I knew Buck saw it too, as he and Kaci slowly tried to turn toward the approaching bird. The wary Tom took his time and like they often do, hung up at about 50 yards.

[caption id="attachment_5816" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="He finally came within range of Kaci's 20-gauge."][/caption]

Since Buck literally had his hands full with Kaci and I wasn’t sure if Al could even see the gobbler, I reached down and scratched a series of soft purrs on my slate call. It was more than the old bird could resist, and he slowly headed our way. But instead of coming straight in, the clever Tom circled to our right. As I followed him in the camera, he stopped squarely behind a big oak tree…at least from my point of view.

[caption id="attachment_5817" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="A shot was presented, but the gobbler escaped unharmed."][/caption]

Hoping that Kaci would still be able to shoot when the big gobbler emerged from behind the tree, I told her to wait just a little bit longer. In hindsight, it was probably a mistake. When the monster bird appeared again, I whispered, “Shoot!” But Kaci was straining hard to keep her aim at the hard right angle that the gobbler had taken. The gun roared, but the shot was high and to the left. With the tips of his tail feathers blown off, the strutting gobbler took flight and vanished into the treetops.

[caption id="attachment_5818" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Buck, Kaci, and Al after a very successful hunt!"][/caption]

A lot of lessons were learned that day. Not just by a young hunter, but also by a father, a cameraman, and a wily old gobbler. You can bet that none of them will soon be forgotten. Sometimes I think back to decisions I’ve made that, at the time, seemed like mistakes. I often wonder if I could turn back the clock, would I act differently? It’s tempting to answer yes if we think about “what might have been” and that the result was somehow a failure. But I think lessons learned in the field, and also in life, have an important purpose that we may not always recognize at the time. And to me, it’s a privilege to have the opportunity to learn them. Thanks to everyone who shared time afield with me this spring. I am truly blessed and appreciate each one of you!

You Shoot Daddy!

2009-06-03T00:32:00.000-07:00

It all started 15 years ago on Feb. 23, 1994. Here was a wonderful little girl that hardly anyone had given a chance of survival to. That’s because nobody knew the spirit of this child, or the stubbornness of the parents. Arianna came out fighting and will go down fighting with her family fighting along side. A mother lion is an ominous sight; imagine the sight of a pride of mother lions. As a family, we spent almost as much time in Children’s Hospital as we did our own home those first few years. Arianna has had more procedures and surgeries done to this point than I will my entire life. I can remember having to hold her down, telling her that it would be fine, but in the back of my mind not necessarily believing it. All the while doctors and nurses prodded, probed, and told us all the things that she wouldn’t be able to do rather than what she could do.

Another factor that allowed us to get to this point was the support of our families. Laura and I both had very supportive families that were learning how to deal with Arianna’s problems at the same time as us. We’ve also been fortunate to meet a lot of wonderful people along the way to offer helping hands, shoulders to lean on, and words of encouragement. Probably most importantly as Arianna grew older we began to realize not only the presence of God, but that Arianna was truly a gift from God.

Laura and I really enjoyed fishing and camping at the time, so we had 2 choices. Stop fishing and camping, or take Arianna with us. You can probably figure out which route we chose. In fact, one of our first major purchases was a baby stroller with big tires that would handle the trail and carry a tackle box and small cooler to boot. We couldn’t really justify the $100 price tag at the time, but we’re sure glad that we did. That stroller made it through 4 children and in fact sits in the garage awaiting its next adventure. “Man that stroller afforded us a lot of freedom.”

When Arianna was 5 we moved into Camp Coffman, an old Boy Scout camp that a number of people were trying to maintain as a church camp. The work there was hard, but the fringe benefits were huge. We would commonly see raccoons, deer, cottontails, bear, and turkeys in the yard, not to mention the numerous snakes, and salamanders. There was also a nice pond and stream that allowed us to fish and enjoy the calm of nature. Our next major purchase was a canoe that allowed us to explore the waterways as a family. We were constantly finding ways to get the family involved in nature, is it any wonder that Arianna enjoys the outdoors the way she does? If we weren’t enjoying the outdoors, we were enjoying La-Z-Boy time dreaming of all the stuff we wanted from the Cabela’s catalog. If she wasn’t looking at the Cabela’s catalog, she was flipping through pages of the Bible. She couldn’t read at the time, but if I asked her what she was reading she could often tell me. I’m almost certain that Arianna learned to read from the Bible and the Cabela’s catalog.

We hadn’t lived in Camp Coffman long until we met the people from Clarion County Sportsman for Youth. Arianna was too young to participate in Youth Field Days, but we offered to help in any way that we could. I think many friendships developed from that first meeting. Arianna had participated for 8 years and every person at that event was always very supportive. One of her favorite events was the shotgun shooting. Daryl, and Ken only asked if she wanted to try and they helped her do the rest. One of her other favorite events was fishing, especially the time that Randy Culbertson helped her catch a trout at the fishing pond. It really wasn’t the trout, it was the fact that Randy called her “Babe” that really made her giggle. He still calls her Babe and she still giggles. In other years her Uncle Gary was able to help her catch a trout, as Daddy was rarely able to do so. She was always a hit at the archery event, because I would hold her on my lap as I helped her stabilize the bow. “If deer and turkey only wore balloons in the woods.” Archery had become a big part of our life at that time, because it was something that we could easily do together. I think Tony Tazza was a big draw for the archery event as well, because she thought he was cute.

Last year was the year that we met Dick Blauser from Horton Crossbows. This was the first year for crossbows at Youth Field Days. When we went to the event, Dick approached me and cautiously asked me if I thought I might let her try. It was an understandable question, he didn’t know us and caution should be a high priority. He may have also been thinking, “How are they going to do this?” I looked him in the eye and returned his smile and said “Not only is she going to try the crossbow, she’s going to hit the bulls eye!” He smiled back, gave us our instructions and we gave it our best shot. The first shot barely hit the target, the second was closer to the middle, and I believe the third was right where Arianna wanted it to be. A couple of months later Dick was handing Arianna her very own Horton Crossbow. We had made up our minds that we were going to get her a crossbow for Christmas, but now we had no choice but to get her girl things.

As many of you know, Laura wrote a story of Youth Field Days and shortly after Jason called asking if PA Sportsmen Portal could sponsor Arianna for a Hunt of a Lifetime. We had been following the Timmy Mickle story closely, so the decision was a simple one. Tickets were made and sold; we met most of the people from PA Sportsmen Portal for the first time on March 28 at the check presentation. It was really nice to meet many of you in person, and only hope that we may spend more time together in the future. We also would like to thank Jim, Deb, and Madison from East Coast Gun Sales for all that they had done. Madison, the gloves, hat, and fanny pack were awesome. Arianna looked at them a 100 times between Knox and Custer. We actually wrestled for the hat, but she won.

This would not be Arianna’s first turkey hunt. We thought that turkey hunting would be the easiest for her to try, not because of how easy a target turkey are, but in the method that you usually hunt them. Andy Traister offered to help me out the first year. Andy had a blind and I hadn’t been able to afford one yet. Andy was a successful caller and I hadn’t proven myself yet. Lastly Andy liked Arianna, so we needed someone along who did.

Andy and I cleared out an area the week before. We watched the turkeys go to roost a number of times before our hunt, and I had hunted there for years without much of a change. Andy helped me get Arianna to the blind, and we set out a few decoys. As we sat in the blind and listened to the morning gobbles and fly downs, Arianna was getting more excited. Since nothing came in right away, the excitement faded. Arianna was soon sound asleep in the blind. We had a hen walk in front of the blind and felt she would lure a gobbler behind her. We had 3 jakes fly down on the other side of the woods and come near and then walk away, come near and then... We watched numerous deer cross the hillside in front of us and we watched a red fox work at catching his morning breakfast. “Incredible!” As Andy and I focused on bringing those 3 jakes across the field, we weren’t being attentive to anything else. We decided to take a break when Andy sucked all the air out of the blind. Less than 20 yards away stood a longbeard. We waited patiently to see if he would walk in front of the blind. After a number of minutes, we grew impatient and tried to position Arianna so that she could get the gobbler in her sights. You or I would have swung and shot. If it was only that easy for Arianna. I had to reposition Arianna’s chair, give her the gun, help her line it up, and help her squeeze the trigger. At this point the gobbler was 20 feet from the edge of the blind. Needless to say he walked away unscathed. It was all my fault, just ask Arianna.

Now to the hunt. On Saturday we started our trip as soon as Arianna finished her dialysis. While waiting for dialysis to finish, Uncle Gary called to let me know that he shot his first longbeard. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to share it with him, but I had never heard him so excited in my life. “I think it’s going to be a good week.”

While we were traveling across Ohio we saw orchards and a few lakes, but to be honest with you, Ohio appeared to be a flat, boring state. We crossed Ohio twice and couldn’t wait for it to end each time. Indiana seemed to be a little more interesting as there appeared to be some rolling hills of cropland. We also spotted a few deer to break the monotony. We all noticed that my wife Laura has a rough time distinguishing between whitetails and canada geese. We saw 2 deer and 2 geese, Laura saw 4 deer. There were also a lot of horse farms and aluminum trailer manufacturing. Heck, I could pick out a trailer to haul my bird dogs in, or a camper trailer for the family at 75mph along Interstate 80. We also started to see a lot of irrigation systems in the fields that the kids questioned me about. Everybody was awake and attentive through Indiana.

Eventually we made it to Gary, Indiana, the home of John Cougar Mellencamp. You could tell that Gary was a flourishing town at one time, but just like everything else, those silly ideas just kinda came and went… There was a Cabela’s nearby that we decided to stop at for supper. We also needed to pick up a few things, but that could have waited. I’ll be honest with you when I tell you that I didn’t enjoy my time there, and felt very anxious about the amount of time there. So even though Jason is far worse than I, I was wanting to get back on the road again too.

The Cabela’s in Gary does have an incredible statue of whitetails, done by Dick Idol, at there front entrance. This would be the 5th Cabela’s statue that I have seen. At one time I wanted to see all the statues outside of a Cabela’s store, but they’re poppin’ up so fast this goal is becoming an impractical one.

Probably the best thing about staying at Cabela’s for so long that we didn’t realize until the trip back is, we got to travel through Illinois in the dark. Other than the Chicago, the Illinois, and the Mississippi rivers I don’t think we missed a thing by traveling in the dark. Maybe if we had been traveling further south I would have appreciated Illinois more. I was looking forward to seeing Moline, home of John Deere, but we must have missed the heart of it. As we got further into Iowa the rain increased, the winds nearly pushed us off the road, occasionally we saw hail, and the lightning would light up the sky for miles. Little did we know at the time we were skirting a tornado that had gone through Oklahoma and Kansas. We traveled near Kellogg and saw the huge Quaker Oats Plant in Cedar Rapids. “Look kids the… Oh never mind they’re sound asleep in the back.” Finally we reached Waterloo and the Comfort Inn around 1:00am.

The next morning I was up at 5:30, had 4 cups of coffee, and watched a little Outdoor Channel. “Oh look they’re hunting Merriam’s turkey in South Dakota.” Then I switched to the local news. “Hmmm, tornado in Oklahoma and Kansas.” I hadn’t run into a scarecrow, a tin man, a cowardly lion, or a yellow brick road, so I felt secure in the fact that I was where I needed to be. Then I grabbed a quick shower as the kids had their breakfast. Threw everything back in the van, cleaned it out a little, and was ready to rock,Doc. I think I gave Jason a good “We are, Wired Outdoors!!” as I climbed inside the camera. I’m certain that I saw Don flinch, as he was looking through the view finder. I doubt they’ll ever use that footage? As we were traveling the rest of the way through Iowa, it was obvious that the deer had to run a long ways between woodlots, but I’m sure that they have plenty of corn to hide in most of the season. “Hey what are those huge propellers doing off in the distance?” There were times when we could see 20 to 50 windmills in the distance. I’ll bet they were spinning pretty fast last night. “Hey, doesn’t Lee and Tiffany live around here?” “Maybe we could stop in and see them.” Jason and Don said emphatically that Lee and Tiffany weren’t ready for me. I don’t know what they meant by that.

Well the coffee was wearing off and it wasn’t long until we entered into the land of Laura Ingalls Wilder and childhood memories of Little House on the Prairie. This was also the Land of 10,000 lakes, but I think I counted more than that just along Interstate 90. All those little potholes really warmed my heart as we saw duck species after duck species; mallards, wigeons, shovelers, ringneck ducks, blue-winged and green-winged teal, and my first ever pintail sightings to mention a few. Though Don wasn’t in the same vehicle as me, I’m sure he was slobbering on the windows like a rabid dog. More windmills, more prairie potholes, and more lakes.

Next state South Dakota, we actually stopped to make a production of entering South Dakota. To be honest with you we got great footage, but it was mostly the fact that Jason had to pee. God does work in mysterious ways. Shortly inside South Dakota, Don spotted some turkey on a distant hillside. I’m sure that they were Eastern Turkeys that far east in South Dakota, and not quite what we were looking for, but they were turkeys just the same. As we traveled farther west throughout the prairies we began to see more and more wildlife; deer, ducks, geese, and we began to see a few ringneck pheasant. I’m telling you that had we had “Meg” in the van, she would still be locked in a permanent point. People had told me that South Dakota was a boring state to cross until you get to the Black Hills, but I didn’t see it and neither did my traveling companions. Crossing the prairie was cool; seeing the ducks in the different potholes, the ringnecks using the wildlife fence as nesting cover, and the different terrain. We were seeing things for the first time, whereas everyone else has taken the view for granted.

Let me tell you that crossing the Missouri River was a sight to behold. You reached the top of the prairie and then you dropped into a deep river valley with smooth flowing slopes to the top that were covered with a mixture of cottonwoods, aspens, and spruce. The sight took my breath away, but came back quickly when they confused me. There were signs all over the place about some Lewis and Clark guys. Anybody know what they were talking about?

Well we continued west and watched how the terrain had changed. As we were staying in Custer, people talked about East River and West River. Had I not driven across South Dakota I wouldn’t have fully understood, but I had a visual to relate to. On the east side of the Missouri most of the land was used as cropland, but as you crossed to the other side and climbed the west bank the terrain changed. Not necessarily in appearance, but in its use. On the west side you saw more and more fences with beef cattle inside, Black Angus to be exact. On the east side people wore John Deere and Pioneer Seed hats, but on the west side you began to see a lot of people wearing cowboy hats.

As we traveled further west we could see in the distance, land formations that we believed were probably the Badlands. We also began to see different wildlife. Arianna spotted them first, “What’s that?” As I quickly turned to see what she was asking about I saw my first antelope. A little while later we spied a coyote and a few more antelope. We had even spied some prairie dog towns, but we didn’t really know what we were looking at, at the time. My senses were being over stimulated with new sights, until we reached a town called Box Elder. At the top of the hill after traveling through this valley town I had to pull over and catch my breath. “I think we have just reached what they call the Black Hills.” It was breath taking to say the least. I’ve traveled to a number of different places, but nothing had moved me like when I started to see the mountains and the rolling hills and stream valleys surrounding. Arianna spotted the first Merriam’s turkey. There was a flock of more than 10, yet less than 20. There was a big gobbler trailing that was all fanned out and in full strut. “It was going to be a great week!”

Once we hit Rapid City and began traveling Route 16 towards Custer we were no longer seeing the mountains in the distance, we were driving through and around them. There was 6 to 9 inches of snow covering the ground which made it easy to see the deer. We found out later that we didn’t need any help spying deer; they are all over the place. In fact we saw over 200 between Rapid City and Custer which is about 40 miles away. “There’s the sign for Crazy Horse!!!” That’s where we were going to be hunting, but little did we know…

We finally reached the town of Custer and the Days Inn that we were going to stay in. After we checked in the manager tried to show me our rooms. “Follow me up the stairs.” he said. I asked “Don’t you have an elevator?” At that point we both had a dazed and confused look. Laura came in and the mood turned ugly for a bit. The manager didn’t realize we had a child in a wheelchair, so the second floor seemed perfect since there was only one other room that was being occupied in the hotel. They were turkey hunters too. They found us two new rooms in the basement. Jason and Don brought us pizza and brought Laura some lemonade. She was really thirsty!!!!

The plan for the next day was to meet Frank Schmidt the Hunt of a Lifetime Hunt Coordinator and he would take us to where we were going to set up. Frank is actually the Taxidermist Coordinator for all participants west of the Mississippi, but his role had changed for Arianna’s hunt. Frank looked exactly how I thought he would look, and he drove a big Crew Cab Ford with a diesel. We drove to where we were going to set up and there were about 50 turkeys within sight of the horse paddock. There were a couple of nice long beards and they all had the beautiful white tail feathers. While we decided where to set up the blinds, we had spooked all the turkeys out of the area. They didn’t go far though, as we could hear them yelping and gobbling on the hillside above the horse paddock. To say that they were henned up, that there were a lot of them, and that they were beautiful would be understatements. Little did we know…

I had spoken to Frank for weeks in advance and he kept telling us that we would be hunting near the Crazy Horse Monument. I kept checking aerial maps of the monument before we left and there is a lot of area around the monument, but I had no idea that we were going to be so close. When we drove to our hunting site, we were driving the lane that takes you to the Crazy Horse monument. The horse farm that we were hunting at belonged to Paul and Anne Christensen. Anne was once known as Anne Ziolkowski. If that’s an unfamiliar name to you I understand. Anne is 1 of 10 of Korczak Ziolkowski’s children. He’s the man who was asked to carve the Crazy Horse Monument more than 60 years ago. Yea, you guessed it, I was moved again. This is one heck of a story, and what a legacy to leave your children and grandchildren. The best I got right now is some old turkey calls, a couple of double barrel shotguns, and some old longbows.

We all drove back to the motel and picked up Arianna. This was when Arianna and Frank met for the first time. She was excited to get started to say the least. Frank was too! While driving back to our hunting location Arianna got a good look at Crazy Horse. “Wow!!” was about all she could say. When we finally arrived at Paul and Anne’s, Arianna got a good look at what she was up for in the next few days. Those of you that saw the video, this is when she is bouncing up and down with excitement in the back of Jason’s Trailblazer. Unbeknownst to you, there were about 50 birds within sight. When she’s saying “Don behind you!” there is a huge longbeard gobbling on the other side of the corral. He might actually be the one that ended up in our family room.

We climbed into the blind around 11:00. It was about 34o, clear, with about 9” of snow on the ground. I suppose this is my fault, because I had made the statement a couple of weeks ago that I would like to hunt turkeys in the snow. “Be careful what you wish for!!!” We sat there for 2 to 2 1/2 hours and Arianna had had enough. We unpacked the blinds; cameras, gear, Arianna, and were just getting ready to head to the vehicle when I picked up my Penn’s Woods Waterproof Wizard. We had been soft calling the entire time, and I just had to give it one good call. I peeled off my best yelp and a gobble came back from less than 100 yards away. “Everybody back in the blind!!!” We tried different calls, but the old box call was the one that was getting his dander up today. I lost track of time, but we had hen’s yelping their disapproval and not just one gobbler, but we believe as many as 3 responding to the call. We continued to hear them get closer, and then move away, closer, then… I’m certain that at least one of the hens was less than 10 yards away and one of the gobblers wasn’t far off, but when you’re in a blind it is hard to tell. We listened as one of the gobblers had completely circled the blind. I peaked out my window as he was within range of me, but he must have known that Arianna was the one looking for a turkey today. When he came into Arianna’s sight he was well out of shotgun and crossbow range. He gave us a show, got our adrenaline pumping, but never offered Arianna a shot. When everything quieted down, we gathered everything up and called it a good day.

While we were hunting, Frank had taken Laura and the kids on a trip through Custer State Park. While there they saw whitetail deer, mule deer, antelope, buffalo, elk, Rocky Mountain sheep, Merriam’s turkey, a sharptail grouse, and a coyote. It was rough, but somebody had to suffer through it. “My poor family?”

Day two in the hunting blind had us hearing our first gobble at 4:45. We weren’t actually in the blind yet, as it requires a lot of effort to get Arianna and all our stuff to the blind, but I certainly appreciated the help that Jason, Don, and Gabe offered. I think they also got an understanding of what I have to do, just to get Arianna into the woods. Luckily the battery never died while we were hunting. We had a pretty good idea where the turkey were roosted as Paul had told us, but we weren’t sure as to where at exactly. As we were making ourselves comfortable, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first longbeards, we got to hear more yelps and gobbles then probably any of us had ever heard in our lives. Maybe more than all of us combined had ever heard in our lives. As the sun began to peak over the horizon, birds began to lift from the trees. To be honest there were few fly down cackles, just the rustling of the branches as the birds prepared to lift and then finally committed to fly down. We could sit and listen as the wind was going over the turkeys primary feathers. Occasionally we could see the turkey, occasionally we could see the shadow, and occasionally we could just hear the wind. One hen walked past the blinds within feet of Jason. Others landed to the right of our blinds, well out of Arianna’s position. She still got to see and hear a show though. One jake launched from the tree, hung a sharp right and appeared as if he was going to sail into the blind. I know that Don, Arianna, and myself all ducked. Others barely cleared the top of the blind as they sailed to the horse paddock. It was obvious at that point that we had placed the blind to close to where they were roosted.

During this time Don took off one of his jackets to give to Arianna. He said that he wasn’t cold, but I’ve heard those controlled deep breaths before when you are cold and trying not to shiver. “Thanks Don, you’re a heck of a guy!”

As the morning grew longer we started to notice some turkeys to the back of the blind. At one point there were 4 gobblers in full strut about 70 yards from the back of the blind. One either started chasing a hen, or his stomach was controlling his behavior. Then I watched as two joined forces and headed towards a lone gobbler, I see a fight about to happen. The 3 of them went round and round for a few minutes and gave us quite a show. We tried a fighting purr to peak their interest. They looked up, but continued to fight amongst themselves. We kept trying, in fact I had to sand two strikers during that time I was burnishing them that quickly. It was an incredible morning to say the least, but the turkeys were mostly focusing on doing their own thing and filling their crops in the horse paddock.

Before we left for the day we decided to move the blinds to a new location. Here are some things we needed to consider. There were a lot of hens with the gobblers. We were not going to call the gobblers away from the hens. The turkeys were aware of the blinds and seemed to be skirting away. The turkeys were seeking food, and there seemed to be only one main food source that they were focusing on. Lastly, they may not have been as dumb as we had been hearing.

Next we had an appointment at the Crazy Horse Museum. I’ll be honest with you when I tell you that I knew little about the Crazy Horse Monument. I read a short article about it in a magazine once. I can’t remember if the article was subversive condemning a man for carving a mountain, or creating a monument of an Indian. It may have been a supportive article written shortly after Korczak’s death, or maybe the 50th anniversary of the monument. It might have been an article of hunting turkey in the land of Crazy Horse. I don’t remember, but it is all I ever knew of the monument up to this point. After we entered the museum we met Anne. We spoke for a short period of time and then went into the theatre to watch the film of the Crazy Horse Monument. It was during the film that I had my epiphany. “Anne is Korczak’s daughter!” The film was interesting and moving to say the least. The museum itself was truly a work of art. The museum, like the monument is a constant work in progress and will continue to grow as long as the people running it have the passion, and the people visiting it desire the passion. While there we also met Ruth, or Mrs. Z. Ruth is Korczak’s wife, she is the one maintaining the passion. After touring the museum and meeting Ruth and Anne we were taken to the top of the monument. It was a cold, blustery day to say the least, but we were honored to be taken where very few ever get to venture. While there, one of the sculptor’s came out of the work shed and handed Arianna a hard hat that had been signed by all the workers who diligently work on Crazy Horse daily. Again, “What an honor!!” We truly have been blessed by everyone at this monument. A short while later, Monique came out of the shed and greeted us. Though I never saw Korczak’s eyes in person, I could see them through Monique. She stared right into the depths of my soul as she shook my hand and said how honored she was to meet us. We were the one’s that were honored! I told her that we were touched by how kind and sincere everyone was. She told us that Mom and Dad had been good teachers. I can see that they were.

Can you imagine working on something your entire life, and never really seeing much progress? Can you imagine being the wife of a man who did this, and never really see much progress? Lastly can you imagine being the children of a man who asked you to carry on what he could not complete in his lifetime? Probably many of those who are presently working on the monument will be asking their children to continue their legacy. “Moving, truly moving, to meet people with that much caring and passion.”

After visiting the Crazy Horse Monument we had just enough day to check out Custer State Park. I know that most of the family got a tour yesterday, but Arianna and I hadn’t had the pleasure yet. We got to see some bighorn ewes first, some whitetail deer, and a few Merriam’s turkeys. When we moved into the prairie section of the park we were able to get some close-ups of some pronghorn antelope bucks and does. Antelope lose their horns every year, so the horns on the bucks weren’t fully grown but were still very respectable. Sometimes we got a little to close for comfort to the buffalo, or bison. The bulls and cows were separate at this time of the year since the cows would be dropping their calves. The calves are adorable, but I wouldn’t get to close. A cow buffalo can weigh 800 to 900 lbs. and is probably one of the most formidable creatures that you may find in nature, especially if you are between her and her calf. A bison bull is no slouch either. They can grow to 2000 lbs. and always seem irritable. “When the head goes down and the tail goes up, get out of there quick!!” Arianna thought one bull was going to try to join her in the same seat of Frank’s truck. We also saw over 100 elk in the park. Some of the young bulls still had their antlers, and we did see one bull with a new set of 6 point antlers. We also got to see some mule deer and some prairie dog towns.

While we were seeing the sights Jason got his turkey today. They had to work hard to get it and I wish I could have been along, but my life would have been so much less for missing what I had seen today. After all, this is why Arianna wanted to come to the Black Hills; to see the prairies, to see the Black Hills, to see the Badlands, to see the Merriam’s turkeys, and to see all the new wildlife. Maybe Jason and I will get to hunt again. This will just be another reason to revisit the Black Hills. Still I wish I had been along when Jason got his first turkey.

When Arianna was asked where she wanted to do her Hunt of a Lifetime she could have went anywhere, she could have hunted anything, and she could have hunted with anybody. Ted Nugent was high on her list at one time. I’m certain that I had influenced her in the past with my talk of the Black Hills and of Merriam’s turkey. I’d never seen the Black Hills and never really read of the Black Hills, but Arianna and I always talked of how we wanted to hunt Merriam’s turkey in the Black Hills when we watched them on the Outdoor Channel. The original dream was to hunt with Tom Neumann from Penn’s Woods just like we saw on their TV show. Arianna had never really met Tom, but he did give her a squirrel call at the Allegheny Valley Sports and Travel Show. Months later while we were watching Hunting with Penn’s Woods, Arianna looked over at me and said “There’s Tom.” How she remembered after a brief meeting and a long lapse of time is beyond me. The following year Arianna was racing through the Sport’s Show like she owned the place and there was Tom. They chatted for a while, and Tom showed her how to work their new Waterproof Wizard. Of course once they were done he had made it hers. “Thanks Tom!” Another year of watching Hunting with Penn’s Woods and dreaming of hunting Merriam’s turkey. Another trip to the Sports Show. This time, same scenario except he showed her a Twistin’ Hen. The most amazing thing is that they only saw each other once a year, yet they were old pals once again. When I asked Tom if he would be willing to go with Arianna on a Hunt of a Lifetime he said “Sure, just let me know where and when!” We exchanged email addresses and phone numbers, and we weren’t home for more than a week when Tom wrote me and said “Hey we don’t have to wait for Hunt of a Lifetime, why don’t you just bring Arianna and Tanner down and hunt with me here?” So it was done, weeks later we were hunting in the land Penn’s Woods. We never had a turkey within 75 yards, but we all agreed that we had the best hunt of our lives.

The following year, same Sports and Travel Show, and the showing of Arianna’s hunt was to be on that Sunday. We decided to watch the show, before heading to Monroeville. About the time we got to Harmarville, Tom had called us to let us know that we better be prepared for when we got there. A star had been born. People were pointing and staring, and many flocked around us completely walking past people like Chuck Adams, to get to Arianna. They all wanted to shake her hand, some wanted an autograph, and others simply said “Hang in there, a big one will come your way.” I think mostly people are encouraged by two things; One that she wants and enjoys hunting, no matter how hard it is for her; two that we make every effort that we can to get her into the outdoors even though it requires so much time and work. Much like the You tube Video, Tom’s story of Arianna brings a tear to the eye of the most hardened man. If you get to see the show, you don’t have to look very hard to see that Tom is getting choked up while telling the story. I never asked him how many times he had to retape that section, but I’m certain that it was more than once. I still get a little misty eyed when I watch the show.

I couldn’t sleep at all Tuesday night in anticipation of what Wednesday had to offer. I awoke at 1:30 and lay in bed waiting for morning to arrive. Laura woke at 3:30 and started to get Arianna ready. Jason arrived at 4:30. Everybody had high expectations for the day. It was after 5:00 that we finally got tucked into the blind. It was going to be a foggy morning as the snow was beginning to melt. We could hear the turkeys casting from the trees, but often could not see where they landed. It wasn’t long until we had 2 hens scratching and pecking for food directly in front of the blind. Hens and Jakes would appear and disappear in the fog while Arianna and I were checking to see if anything would interfere with the movement of the gun. I promised Arianna that we would use the crossbow first, but today I told her that we were going to use the shotgun. I would discover later that I probably made a big mistake.

I suppose now would be a good time to explain how we get Arianna to actually shoot. When Arianna uses her crossbow we simply have her hold it against her shoulder, just like you or I would, and then I help her move the bow up, down, and left or right. In the stock of the bow is a round hole that I slip my thumb through and keep pressure against her shoulder with my fingers gripping the back of her shoulder. The bow has a red-dot sight that allows her to line up the target, and with Arianna’s help I stabilize and move the front of the bow which ever direction we need to line up the shot. When we shoot the shotgun though the story is different, we have had Arianna hold the gun against her shoulder with light loads, but a turkey load is a different story. Besides a 50 pound little girl can get recoil sensitive pretty quickly. Lastly, since Arianna has been receiving dialysis she has 2 catheters in her shoulder where the butt would rest. As far as Arianna holding the gun against her shoulder, it is now simply out of the question. How does she shoot a gun then? Well the butt goes against my left shoulder, her right arm goes under the stock to grasp the grip and pull the trigger. The rest is similar to what we need to do with the crossbow. We’ve practiced this for a while, but have not been successful at taking anything with this style. We will though!!

Let’s get back to the hunt. As hens and jakes would appear and then disappear into the fog a long beard showed up directly in front of the blind. The bird had about a 9” skinny beard and was 18 steps away. I got the end of the barrel out of the blind and positioned against my shoulder. I told Arianna to lean over and line up the sights because we had a longbeard within range. Arianna told me that she was feeling sick. We’ve all been there before, having that big buck or longbeard in front of you for the first time. We all had an upset stomach the first time. I reassured her that it was ok. I had been through it; Don who was sitting next to us reassured her that he had been through it. I told her that even Andy, Uncle Gary, and Tom went through it. It was ok, it is a natural thing. “Let’s line up the shot, take a deep breath, squeeze the trigger and it will all be over.” Arianna again said that she was sick. “It’s ok, let’s line up the shot and it will soon be over!” I did the best coaxing and reassuring that I could for over 15 minutes. It didn’t seem to be helping. I even tried to grab her left hand to help me hold up the gun. She jerked her hand away from me. I was in shock; Arianna has never reacted that way towards me. I switched tactics and went to a more directive approach. I’m certain that I went from the Worlds Greatest Dad to the Worlds Biggest $@^&% in a matter of minutes. It didn’t seem to matter. Tears were in Arianna’s eyes, she said that she was sick, and she was not going to pull the trigger. At that point I could have easily shot the bird, even left handed. Would that have been the right thing to do? I don’t know. Would it have been any different if we had the crossbow? Again, I don’t know? We have practiced with both. She can be successful with both. I don’t think that she was camera shy, since this was Arianna’s 7th filmed hunt. To say that there was a lot of pressure though, would be an understatement. Why she wouldn’t shoot is still a big question.

Last year when hunting with Tom Neumann we had 2 really nice jakes with 6” beards come in to the decoys. Arianna wouldn’t shoot. She said that they weren’t big enough. I thought at the time maybe it is because they didn’t go into strut. That could have been her idea of a big turkey. Who knows? The next day we had an 8” bearded hen come in. Arianna still would not shoot. This time she claims it was because it was a hen. Maybe that was the reason; personally I think it was something deeper. The last day of the season, Andy and I took Arianna out. We had two different jakes within range. With me holding the gun against my shoulder, I finally convinced Arianna to shoot. Before she shot, she said that she couldn’t because her heart was beating too hard. It probably was, the two jakes gobbled about 100 times before coming into view. My heart was beating hard and Andy’s too!! We cleanly missed over the jake’s back, when Arianna jerked the trigger, but at least we shot.

In South Dakota the gobbler finally left, and I opened the blind to step out. I needed to move away for a while. Jason, Gabe, and Don each took turns comforting and talking to Arianna. They reassured her that I wasn’t mad, but to be honest, I was. I was disappointed that we had put so much time and effort into getting to that moment only to not try. Was I being irrational, or impractical? Probably, I don’t know! I do know this… Arianna was sick! She was starting to show a fever.

Later that day we were going on a tour of Bear Country U.S.A. before taking Arianna to dialysis in Rapid City. Frank had made arrangements for us to have the opportunity to get to feed a baby bear cub. Arianna loved it, but as the tour continued, you could notice the energy level decreasing in Arianna. When I held her, I could feel her temperature increasing.

Arianna had dialysis in Rapid City at 3:00. When we got there they took her temp. Her temperature was 1020, I guess she really was sick. Next stop, the Emergency Room. Frank and Jan, their daughter Sara, and Gabe watched the kids as Laura and I stayed with Arianna. The doctor thought it was just some kind of infection and that she would probably come around soon. He prescribed an antibiotic, some rest, and more turkey blind time. He was a member of S.C. I. and was really impressed with Arianna and the fact that we had her out hunting.

We got Arianna back to the hotel at 10:30. I was beat, if you remember I was up at 1:30 that morning. What you don’t know is that Laura had booked us at another motel, so between hunting and Bear Country, we packed everything and moved to another motel.

My intention was to take Tanner out on Thursday and let Arianna rest. When the alarm went off at 3:30 my feet touched the floor, but the rest of my body did not follow. I struggled until 5:00 and finally conceded, I think I might have needed some rest. When I finally rolled out of bed at 6:00 we had a little breakfast, tried out the motel hot tub, and then had an appointment with 4 dead Presidents.

First stop was part of the Needles Highway and viewing some of the spires and granite rock formations. Though we didn’t travel the entire distance of 14 miles, we had seen enough to be impressed. We also stopped to check out Sylvan Lake. If you had ever seen National Treasure II, Sylvan Lake is where they found the gold. When we were there, we didn’t find any gold, but we saw the rainbows. As we were looking at the lake a South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks truck pulled up with 1200 trout. Tom Johnson, a Conservation Technician showed us some of the trout and let the kids and I help in stocking the lake. Some of these trout were 5 to 7 lbs., and they were some of the most beautiful fish I had ever seen. They didn’t have pink stripes, their stripes were more of a fuchsia or purple and they had dark green backs. I wish I had a couple more days to rent a canoe and try a fly. I guess that’s another reason to head back to the Black Hills. “Thank you Tom!”, the Presidents are calling.

Just the drive up to Mt. Rushmore is awesome. “Hey what’s that?” I think, the van was stopped before I jumped out with the camera. Laura had just spotted a Mountain Goat down over the bank. I had hoped to see one on this trip, but up ‘til now it hadn’t happened. “Good eyes, Dear!” He patiently ate as I snapped pictures, but I wouldn’t have wanted to get to close. He was a wild animal and deserved that respect. We finally made it to Mt. Rushmore, the park is impressive and the monument is awesome. Definitely worth traveling 1000+ miles to see along with everything else. Arianna’s spirit perked up when Frank ran while pushing her through the Avenue of Flags, racing to find the different flags. The story of Mt. Rushmore is also a story worth hearing. After all Mt. Rushmore led to the inspiration for Crazy Horse. Korczak Ziolkowski had worked with Gutzon Borghum, the sculptor of Mt. Rushmore and had learned many lessons, both practical and philosophical. Another bonus was that we saw 2 more Mountain Goats.

Arianna was feeling better and our next appointment was with some Merriam’s turkey. On the way back to the motel Arianna sang All Summer Long by Kid Rock as Gabe carefully recorded the entire sequence. God help us all, if that doesn’t hit the editing room floor.

Tanner, Frank, Gabe, and I headed to Crazy Horse. I can’t remember if Don had got his turkey yet or not, but it had to be somewhere around this time. Again I wish I could have been there with them, but I wouldn’t have missed the other for the world.

After we got set up in the blinds we had a hen walk within feet of the blind. “This could be a good sign!” A while later 2 longbeards appeared over by the hen. They had no plans to come see the hen in the strange things at the edge of the pasture. After an hour or so, I decided to move out of the blind and maybe they would skirt me and head over to the blinds. I couldn’t call the gobblers any closer, but I needed to watch my back as a small flock had me pinned down from on top of the hill. Two gobblers were puffed out and drumming from less than 30 yards behind me. I froze with my neck turned watching them. I think my neck has finally straightened nearly 3 weeks later. As the turkeys put some rocks between me and them, I crept up against a rock. I could hear turkeys around me, but couldn’t spot any. I could still see the hen and 2 longbeards below me in the horse paddock. As I sat there a hen appeared less than 15 yards to my left as I was calling with a glass. As I slowly put down the call, another hen, then a gobbler, another gobbler, 2 more hens and I reach to bring my gun up. Another gobbler, a hen, another gobbler, 2 more hens, 1 last hen and she busts me. The gobblers all had short beards, but appeared way to big to be jakes. I honestly was straining to check their spurs as the hen was putting in my ear at less than 5 yards away. They all walked away as I had my double barrel beads lined up on each one.

It began snowing later, as I saw Paul sneak over to the blind. I think he was going to try a tricky maneuver with Frank and Tanner. As I watched them the snow began accumulating on my blue jean clad legs. After all I was planning on staying in the blind. One inch later, turkeys began to fly up into the trees above my head. When I thought the last one settled into the trees I stood up to knock 2” of snow off my body. With light fading fast we moved one of the blinds over to the corner of the pasture. Frank said “I don’t know who it will be, but somebody will shoot a turkey from that blind in the morning.”

At this point I thought we would be heading back to say “Bye!” to Jason and Don. Little did I know they were scheming a plan. Somebody was going to watch Lia and Parker. It might have been Don, or it might have been Frank. Luckily, Laura had a friend that she had met during Hurricane Katrina come to Custer to meet the rest of the family for the first time. Sue volunteered to watch Lia and Parker. “Thanks Sue!” This allowed Frank to take Laura out for her first turkey hunt, Don would take Tanner, Gabe would sit in the blind at the far end of the pasture, and Jason, Arianna, and I would use the blind that we had just moved. Little did we know that Frank was a prophet? We asked Arianna if she was going along in the morning. She said “Yes!” and snuggled back into Jason. He looked me in the eye and said that she was still hot. I knew she was, but I wasn’t about to tell her she couldn’t go tomorrow.

During the middle of the night the fever broke!

We all got up and got dressed. Frank met us outside, and Don, Jason, and Gabe were ready to go. “Hmmm, more snow!” “It was going to be a good day!!” When we got to the blinds it was a little late, but I think the new snow was keeping them in the trees and quiet for a little while longer. I think it was pretty close to 6:00 before we heard our first yelp. They seemed to yelp and gobble for a long time before any started to cast from the trees. The first to cast from a tree landed in the tree beside the blind. Jason said, “One just hit the ground.” I told him “No.” as I pointed up into the tree beside the blind. You could see the sun glistening off the snow as it filtered down through the limbs. Each time the turkey would move, more snow would fall. We couldn’t tell if it was a gobbler or a hen, it was just exciting to know that it was there. Others started to fly over the blind to the horse paddock. We saw others sneak behind the blind. They may have actually come from the hillside that Frank and Laura had set up on, we weren’t sure. We listened to the morning serenade for close to an hour as I was trying to psyche Arianna up for what was about to happen. Arianna was very cold; she already had 2 of her own coats, 2 of mine, and 1 from Jason. It was at this point that Arianna said “You shoot Daddy!” I tried to get her prepared to shoot, but she was just too cold.

It wasn’t long until I spied a hen walking down towards the blind. She fed and watched in front of us for about 10 minutes, when I spied movement back in the trees and rocks. “More turkey!” It appeared as if they were going to take the same route as the hen, or they may actually move to where we had the blind set up yesterday. I’m certain that Don and Tanner could see the turkeys too, and they may actually be the ones to shoot. Laura and Frank were also seeing turkeys stroll by them at about this time. Laura asked Frank if she shot, would that disturb any chance for Arianna. Frank said “Probably.”, so Laura chose not to shoot. The turkeys that were back in the trees were starting to make their way towards us. When the gobbler stepped into the pasture he fanned out and went into strut. Jason and I could both see that he had a long beard. Don was telling Tanner at this time that someone was about to shoot a longbeard. They got to watch the entire thing from their vantage point.

There was at least one other gobbler within the group of 3 or 4, but we were only focused on the lead strutter. They were probably about 50 yards away when they started to make their through the pasture towards the blind. They stopped under some tall Ponderosa pines to look around before committing to come any closer. We were trying to get Arianna ready, but because of the cold she again said “You shoot Daddy.” Jason and I had been talking about where we would shoot, but the battery was dying quickly. As the turkeys were making their way past the blind I raised the gun to my shoulder, waited ‘til he entered the site picture, and followed him as he continued walking. Jason was telling me to shoot quickly as the battery was dying fast. When all was right, I squeezed the trigger which brought a roar through the valley. The silence had ended and turkeys were running and flying in all directions. I ran to him, but he wasn’t moving. As I stood over him everyone started to make their way over to us from all different directions. Laura and Frank had tried to put a bead on a running gobbler after I shot, but it never presented a shot. When I got back to the blind I told Arianna that we got her a beautiful gobbler. She asked “Is it a big one?” I told her that it was bigger than Jason’s and Don’s and she seemed happy with that.

After many pictures and video takes, numerous hugs and handshakes, the weight on all of our shoulders seemed to be finally lifted off. I’m glad that Jason, Gabe, and Don stayed to the end. This was probably one of my most incredible hunts, and you guys know that I’ve had some awesome ones. I can only hope for more hunts, with more friends. I’m glad that we got to share this hunt and our experiences with so many people.

After Saturday’s breakfast with Frank and Jan we picked up Arianna’s turkey and headed home. We took one last trip through Custer State Park. We were able to see 2 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep rams with their ewes. Before we left I wanted to see a Rocky Mountain Bighorn ram, I guess I got my wish. We also saw more deer, elk, turkey, antelope, burros, and bison. Before we reached Rapid City there was a lone coyote standing at the peak of a hill. Maybe he was watching us leave.

We also decided to take a tour of the Badlands on the way home. The Badlands were beautiful and ominous at the same time. After all they didn’t get the name Badlands for nothing. We did get to see more antelope, lots more prairie dogs, a pair of burrowing owls, and one large gobbler and his hen. I told Laura that I wanted to see one last gobbler fanned out and gobbling. She gave her best yelp out the window and he gobbled in return. The tour put us way behind schedule, but I wouldn’t have traded any of it for the world. In fact next time I’m scheduling more time for the Badlands tour, and more money for the museum.

When we were crossing Iowa we began to see the Dogwoods and Redbuds in bloom. If that isn’t a sign of gobbler season, I don’t know what is. We also saw some gobblers fanned out and in full strut on our trip home. “Oh, life is good!”

We will be back! We will check in with the Ziolkowski family to see the progress of Crazy Horse. We will spend more time in Custer State Park and The Badlands National Park. We are all going to get a Merriam’s turkey eventually. I also want to hunt the prairies for ringneck pheasant, and Frank really wants us to come back to hunt pronghorn antelope and mule deer. We really made some good friends while we were in South Dakota, and really want to maintain those friendships. I think I would like to try a fly in some of those mountain streams and ponds.

Thank you to everyone that allowed us to share this time with Arianna in some of the most breath taking land in the country! There have been a lot of people who have helped us get to this point, “Thanks for being part of our journey.”

Probably the biggest thank you needs to go out to Tina Pattison and everybody from Hunt of a Lifetime. “Thank You!” I guess our next step is to help the next child achieve their Hunt of a Lifetime.

The Fish Grip by Northern Brass Rattler

2009-06-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

By Mike Bell, Sportsmen Portal Field Staff

Cost
$12.99

Product features

Unique Jaw design – Holds lip of the fish

Durable Materials – Plastic and stainless steel

High viz colors – Easy to see day or night

Weight scale slot – Attach to scale, deduct 5 oz
Wrist lanyard – In case it slips

Available in 4 bright colors – Orange, Glow in the dark, Green, and Blue

It Floats

Personal Assessment of product
I enjoy fishing for toothy critters (walleye, pike), and have been witness to several accidents which have occurred by not having control over the fish while landing. I don’t know if there is such thing as control over a 10-20 pound pike after landing him (especially in a boat), but The Fish Grip has come in handy when safety is my primary concern. The Fish Grip is designed to grab the lower jaw of the fish, and locks providing a safe handle away from teeth and hooks. They are extremely effective when handling these creatures, and have not let me down. Another concern, when handling any fish at the boat is the hooks involved. I have been victim to wayward hooks which have somehow found their way into my skin past the barb. The hooks often hurt going in, but are much more painful coming out. The Fish Grip greatly reduces the opportunity to find a stray hook by controlling the fish, without having to reach in the fish’s mouth to land it.

Recommendation
I enjoy reviewing products such as the fish grip, which are inexpensive yet perform their intended task extremely well. I have been using this product for years and as said earlier, they have never let me down. They do not harm the fish you are handling, and help to keep the angler safe from stray hooks and teeth. They are well constructed, inexpensive, and are a great product to have in your tackle box or on your boat.

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