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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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!
