The Outdoor Fever

Local Legends Marinades

2012-01-19T17:01:00.010-06:00

A while back I was asked to test out some marinades for a company called Local Legends. Local Legends have several different types of marinades specifically made for wild game, but but also have some that can be used on other farm raised meat as well. I was pretty excited to try these out. However, all of my closest friends and family can tell you that I am not exactly an expert chef, but I was willing to give it my best shot. The first marinade that we tried was their Nature Made marinade.

This marinade is made to go with farm raised animals such as beef, pork, chicken etc. At the time, I didn't have any deer meat left in the freezer, so we decided to try this out on some grass fed beef steaks. We put the steaks in a bowl with poured the marinade over them.

After letting the marinade soak in the fridge for a few hours, it was time to put them on the grill. Just from the smell alone, I could tell that they were going to taste great. While the steaks were cooking, we cut up some sweet potatoes to make sweet potato fries.

After a few minutes on the grill, the steaks were ready to come off and be served.

It made for a wonderful meal and the steak was excellent! It had a real good flavor without being overwhelming. That to me is very important, since I like to still be able to taste the natural meat a little bit. However, I'm sure the longer you let the meat soak in the marinade the stronger the flavor might be. One of the things that I noticed on the bottle was that a small portion of profits from the sales of their marinades goes to support conservation.

I thought this was really cool and was excited to see that Local Legends is doing their part when it comes to conservation. Overall, I thought the marinade was great. In fact, it was better than I was expecting. If you get a chance, I highly recommend trying them out. You won't regret it.

First Ducks of the Season

2011-12-17T17:37:00.007-06:00

My dad and I were lucky enough to go on our first duck hunt of the year. It was definitely a success. We were absolutely covered up with mallards and limited out in about an hour. We had a great time and can't wait to get back out there and do it again...

Success for Dad

2011-12-11T15:27:00.006-06:00

Our hunting season in Kansas has been tough, to say the least. Unusually warm weather mixed with a weak rut has made our encounters with mature bucks few and far between. However, there were a few bucks that we had our eyes on before the season started. None of which were big scoring deer, but were very mature bucks. One of the bucks disappeared shortly after shedding it's velvet. One of the other bucks is still around and we are still getting pictures of him, but he keeps giving me the slip. Another buck is one that I nicknamed "Tank" because of his enormous body size. He was a very old deer that was probably going down hill.

We all love to hunt and kill bucks with huge antlers but it can be just as trying and exciting to hunt an old, wise whitetail that has made it though his fair share of hunting seasons by outsmarting us humans. However, on December 2nd my dad got the best of Tank. It was one of the colder afternoons that we had had so far this season and Dad was in a stand that we new could produce a good buck if the weather was cold enough to get them on their feet early. We were getting a lot of pictures of Tank near this stand but all of them were at night. However, Dad thought he might get a shot at him b/c of weather. After getting in the stand, it didn't take long before he started seeing does. After 5 or 6 does passed by his stand, he noticed a big bodied deer coming up the trail. Immediately he grabbed his bow, hoping it was a big buck. The buck got closer and closer. Dad eventually realized that it was Tank and got ready to take a shot. The buck made his way to 15 yards, Dad drew his bow and sent an arrow flying. The buck went crashing through the trees and disappeared out of sight. Dad knew it was a good shot but decided to go back to the house so that we could recover him together. It was beginning to rain, so we went out quickly incase it would turn into a long tracking job. It wasn't. The buck made it barely 100 yards from the stand. We were both ecstatic to have taken such an old buck.

Gear List:

-Bowtech Destroyer

-Ramcat Broadheads

-Sitka Gear

-Ameristep Treestands

-Seemz Technology

-Mystery Ranch Packs

2011 Arkansas Black Bear Hunt Short Film

2011-10-10T09:12:00.003-05:00

We had an extremely exciting and short bear season in Arkansas. Sarah and I began baiting about ten days before the season opened and the bears were hitting the baits right off the bat. We knew it was probably going to be a good season but also knew that the acorns were close to falling. Leading up to opening day, we heard a lot of people say that the acorns dropped and the bears had stopped hitting their bait. For some reason, that was not the case at our bait sites. We were getting hit every day. Opening day couldn't come soon enough. We were praying that the acorns hadn't dropped. Here is a short film we made about our experience bear hunting this year. We named it "The Payoff" because it feels like the biggest reward when you kill an animal that you have worked so hard for. Even though the actual hunt didn't last all that long, there is a lot of work when it comes to bear hunting. From finding and getting to a remote location, to constantly running baits. Hope you enjoy it...

Gear List:

Ameristep Non-Typical Treestands
Seemz Technology
Bowtech Destroyer 340
Limbsaver accessories
Ramcat Broadheads
Sitka Gear
Mystery Ranch Packs - Dragonslayer

Season Opener

2011-09-23T13:45:00.012-05:00

The summer flew by pretty quick and the opening day in Kansas got here before we knew it. We were in the stand on Monday, which was opening day. Unfortunately, there were no bucks to be seen. Sarah and I hunted through wednesday. We took turns hunting and filming. We saw five bucks, none of which were older than 2 1/2. Although we didn't kill or even see a mature buck, it felt great to be in a treestand. Our attention will now be focused on bear baiting. The bear season opens up on October 1st in Arkansas and we hope to have a big black bear on the ground that first weekend. Here are some photos from our hunt this past week...

FLETCH

2011-07-23T20:57:00.008-05:00

Here is a short film that we made the other night about fletching some arrows. We wanted to test out our new lens and this is what we came up with. Hope you enjoy...

2011 Nebraska Turkey Hunt Video

2011-06-27T09:57:00.002-05:00

Here is the video from our turkey hunt in Nebraska, Hope you like it...

June Update

2011-06-26T12:46:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I last blogged, so I thought I would give a little update of some of the things that have been going on...

6-10: Wrecked while mountain biking, fractured my arm.

6-11: Left for week-long family vacation in Florida.

6-20: Finally got around to testing some marinades from "Local Legends."

6-26: Finished editing the video from our Nebraska Turkey hunt.

Memorial Day Mountain Biking at Syllamo

2011-05-31T10:10:00.008-05:00

First of all, I hope everyone had a fun and safe weekend. It was really nice to have an extra day to mess around. We decided that we wanted to go try a mountain bike trail that we just heard of, Syllamo Mountain Bike Trail. It actually a trail system that consists of 5 different trails. It was recently added as one of the 51 "epic" trails in North America by the International Mountain Bike Association. Located outside of Blanchard Springs, the trail is nestled amidst the Ozark National Forest next the the Buffalo River. The trail that we chose to try for our first time out there was the "Bad Branch" loop. It's a 12 mile trail and is rated for beginners. We quickly learned that we are beginners and not as good as we thought. It was a little tough but really fun, and we will be going back. Here are some photos from our trip...

Facebook Founder Kills to Eat!

2011-05-26T15:45:00.007-05:00

Here is an article that I found very interesting. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, has decided that he is going to kill everything that he eats. Being a hunter, I thought this was pretty cool. He says he is doing this to remind himself to be thankful for the food he eats. Most hunters can totally relate to this. Atleast for me, it's a different and almost spiritual experience cooking and eating meat that came from an animal I killed. Here is the article.

Arkansas Bear & Buck Journal Video

2011-05-19T09:35:00.013-05:00

Here is a video put together by my buddy Clay Newcomb. Clay is the founder of the Arkansas Black Bear Association and publisher/editor of the Arkansas Bear and Buck Journal. This video describes what the journal is about and talks about some of the articles that can be found in this year's spring issue. You can also get more info at the website ARBEAR.org.

Outdoorzy Hunting

2011-05-17T20:04:00.006-05:00

I was approached a couple of months ago, and asked if I would be interested in writing for a new website that was starting up. The new website is up and running and looks really good. It's called Outdoorzy Hunting, and will soon be full of really good articles and lots of activity. I wrote my first article on Whitetail Deer Supplements. You can check it out by clicking here at Outdoorzy Hunting. Feel free to comment on the site or back here on my blog. We would love to hear what you think of the new Outdoorzy website and my 1st article for them.

One Weekend in Nebraska

2011-04-22T09:55:00.027-05:00

DAY 1:

Last Friday Dad, Sarah and myself pulled out of the driveway at about 5 AM heading north. We were completely loaded down with hunting gear, video equipment and food for a few days. Arnold, Nebraska was our final destination and we were looking at a long drive ahead. The drive would take us approximately 10.5 hrs. As we approached Lincoln, NE, we were welcomed with temps in the low 30s and hard snow. The weather was supposed to get better through the weekend but I have to be honest, I was a little nervous. I began to wonder if the clothes that we packed were going to be warm enough. None the less, we were extremely excited about having the chance to each take our first Merriam. We arrived at the place we were staying at about

3:30 or 4 and waited for our guide to show up. He was coming in from Wyoming and was slowed down by closed roads due to the sudden snow fall. Our guide, Doug from Table Mountain Outfitters, arrived 1 1/2 hours later and we were off to check out the spots we would be hunting. This wouldn't be a typical guided hunt, as Doug would just show us the land we could hunt and let us go at it. As we were driving down the road, checking on the places we were going to hunt, we saw a bunch of about 30 turkeys maybe 10-15 of them were mature toms. This got us really excited and Doug said "ya, that's a good bunch, but the other day we counted 94 toms on this property." Of course I thought it sounded a little far fetched , but either way there was a nice bunch of toms heading right for the roosting trees. Needless to say, I knew where I was going in the morning.

Day 2:

Saturday morning came early with a wake up call at 4:30 but the excitement made it easy to get up and going. We drove out to our spot and started getting all of our gear together. The temps were in the mid 20s and we were crunching frost all the way in.

Since this was our first time hunting here, we really weren't sure where to set up. As we were getting closer to what we thought was the roost, we heard a soft YELP, YELP, YELP. We were close, so we set up the Avian X decoy and hunkered down next to a brush pile. As the sun started to creep up and it got a little lighter, the gobbles were going off like crazy. The noise was comparable to being stuck in the middle of a thunderstorm. It was constant yelping and

gobbling for at least 1/2 hour. It finally got light enough to be able to see the birds in the trees and there must have been at least 50 toms and who knows how many hens. Trust me, I would not believe it either if I hadn't have been there. There was a group of about 20 trees and they were absolutely full of turkeys. The fly down was really intense. We were about 150 yards from the actual roost but because there were so many flying down, it sounded like they were right on top of us. I called like crazy but it was pretty much useless as there were so many hens. It was the loudest turkey hunting morning that I've ever experienced. After about and hour the turkey started to make their way away from the roost and we decided to move a little bit and try to catch a tom without a hen.

We only made it about 50 yards when we saw a head poking over the hill. We dropped down, I set up the decoy and crawled to the nearest brush pile. Luckily they hadn't seen us, so I began calling. At this point, I was really trying to call to the hens and try to get them to bring a tom close enough for a shot. They were getting closer and after about 1/2 an hour of exchanging yelps with several hens, there was atleast 30 toms in full strut and at least 50 hens on the
hillside only about 80 yards away. It was taking them forever to make their way down the hill and I was wondering if we were ever going to get a shot. All of a sudden, I heard some drumming behind me and I knew he was REAL close. I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, it was a mature tom in full strut heading straight for the decoy. I tried to remain as still as possible as he passed withing 5 yards of us. I waited until he got a few yards within the decoy and with my heart pounding, I was able to muster up a few soft clucks. He raised his head and without hesitation I squeezed the trigger. I had killed my first Merriam turkey!

Day 3:

Dad did not have as good of luck as I did the first morning, so we decided to go back to the spot where I killed my bird. He would set up on one side of the roost with Sarah and I on the other. Since the birds went both ways after the fly down the day before, this seemed like a pretty good idea. We headed out and got to our spots just in time. The birds were gobbling just as we were getting set up. The temperatures had risen and the toms were really fired up on the roost. The birds began to fly down and we watched a lot of toms strutting around and breeding hens. After about an hour of this we heard BANG............BANG! Two gunshots. I leaned over to Sarah and said Dad missed. The shots pretty much scared everything off but we decided to sit and wait for a little bit because we assumed that he missed. 15 minutes later I hear a whistle. I knew it was Dad, so I got up to go talk to him and maybe come up with our next move. As I was walking toward him I said "did you miss?", he responded "I didn't miss". I thought to myself "What?" As I got closer I could see something laying on the ground. Not one bird but Two! He had a group of about 4 toms come in and shot one bird then shot another as it was running off. Not Bad. We located a few different toms and tried to put some stalks on them but nothing seemed to work out just right. So we headed back in for lunch and a quick nap. After getting rested up and our bellies full, we drove back out to the hunting grounds. This time it was just Sarah and I. Dad got another tag and went out with Doug for the afternoon. Well we ended up chasing a few gobblers for a couple hours, either got busted or couldn't pull them away from hens. As it got later, we knew that the birds would be making their way back to the roost. We decided we would try to cut them off about a 1/4 of a mile before they got there.

We set up near another brush pile and waited, but it wasn't too long before we heard a gobble. I did a little bit of calling but I knew that they were headed our way. It seemed like it was taking them forever and we were getting impatient, but the gobbles were getting closer and closer. Finally, I could see a fan start to pop over the hill, then another and another. There were a lot of toms in this group and I knew it was just a matter of time before they saw the decoy and
came into range. There were at least 5-6 toms that we could see about 100 yards away but they were taking forever and the camera light was getting low. I wondered if we were going to get a shot at one. Then out of no where, a nice tom started walking real fast right to the decoy from about 15 yards to my left. It took me by surprise a little bit. The bird started to loop around in front of us on it's way to the decoy. Before he could get there, I hit him with a couple clucks and that was the end of him.

This was absolutely the best turkey hunt that I've ever been on. I have never seen so many turkeys at one place in my life. If you get a chance to go hunt Nebraska for turkeys, I highly recommend it. If you decide you might want to, check out Table Mountain Outfitters because they sure can put you on the birds. There were 3 other hunters along with Dad and I, and we ended up killing 9 birds in two days. Oh yeah, Dad ended up shooting a really nice Merriam on that last afternoon as well. He killed 3 birds in one day, and I almost forgot to mention that it was birthday that day. Not bad birthday if you ask me. We had an unbelievable trip and got some awesome footage. We should have the video up on here shortly. Thanks for reading.

Watch Your Step!

2011-04-11T14:11:00.004-05:00

People all across the country are stepping over logs, crossing creeks, walking through tall grass, and sitting up next to trees, all in hopes of getting a shot at a big Tom turkey. After a long winter, most hunters can't wait for spring to arrive. The woods fill with the sounds of gobbling turkeys, but with spring also comes snakes. The temperatures are really starting to heat up and the snakes are out and moving around. Both of these photos were taken this weekend while turkey hunting. This snake was not poisonous, but seeing him made me pay more attention to where I was stepping. So remember, be careful out there. Watch where you're walking and always check before you set up and try to kill that Longbeard.

New Sitka Gear for 2011

2011-04-06T21:59:00.003-05:00

Sitka has put the lineup of their new products up on their website. I have to say, I'm pretty excited about the stuff they are putting out this year. From the new "Merino Base Layers" to the "Incinerator Muff", this new stuff is really raising the bar when it comes to hunting clothes. Sitka Gear makes excellent products but can be a little pricey. I'll be honest, there is some stuff that I can't afford, but the products that I can afford have proven to be the best I have ever worn. Like a lot of stuff, I guess you get what you pay for. Here is a link to the new products coming out this year from Sitka Gear.

Opening Weekend

2011-04-03T19:34:00.006-05:00

We made the drive up on Friday for the opening of archery season in Kansas. We were really excited and had high hopes because the weather was supposed to be perfect. Well the weather cooperated, but the birds didn't. We hunted hard Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and Sunday morning. We had a lot of close calls and there was one bird that I probably should've killed, but we just couldn't quite close the deal. It was a little frustrating but we had a lot of fun. It felt really good to actually get out and hunt. Plus, there's hardly anything cooler than hearing the woods wake up in the morning, especially when there's a fired up gobbler roosted nearby. It is still early and the Toms were definitely "henned up". One afternoon we witnessed a huge tom in full strut, and he had good reason to be strutting. He was surrounded by about 15 hens. A world champion caller might be able to pull him off of those hens, but not this guy. Nevertheless, it was a pretty cool thing watch. We always have a great time and will be going back this weekend, if not sooner.

Avian X Decoy

2011-03-30T13:08:00.005-05:00

This year we decided to splurge a little bit and invest in a couple of new decoys. The decoys that we bought are called the Avian X decoys and are made by Zink Calls. A couple of months ago was the first time that I had really heard of the Avian X decoys. I first noticed them in a magazine and right away they looked like the most life-like decoys that I had seen (besides a taxidermy mounted decoy). They call these decoys L.C.D., which stands for "Lifelike Collapsible Decoy". There is no doubt that they are lifelike. In order to get the decoy to a life-like state you first have to inflate it by mouth (which isn't as bad as it sounds, maybe ten deep breaths), then close the air valve and set the decoy in the shower under hot water for ten minutes. This process loosens up the exterior rubber shell. The material that these are made of remind of the old rubber balls used in gym class. You know, the heavier ones that you could always throw pretty hard. I really like this material, because being an "inflatable" decoy it is important to have a durable shell. You can deflate the decoy to carry in your turkey vest, but it also comes with a bag for carrying it if you don't want to deflate it. So far I have been pretty impressed by the decoys and plan on using them in the field this weekend. Hopefully with great success. Here is a little promo video of the decoys...

Wild Turkey Recipe

2011-03-22T08:59:00.007-05:00

Turkey season is right around the corner and you might be thinking of some ways to cook up your birds. Here is a recipe that we recently tried and it turned out to be excellent. In the past, I had really only ever fried wild turkey breasts and wanted to find a good recipe for grilling them (trying to watch my figure). I came accross this recipe on Field and Stream's website. It looked simple enough for us to handle and consisted of stuff that we either had at the house or could pick up at the local grocery store. We are pretty amateur when it comes to cooking, so we needed something easy and I like stuff that doesn't take too long. We are what I like to call "spontaneous cooks", not much on planning. We usually say "hmmm, that sounds good. I think we'll try to cook that today" and then were off to the store. That's what's good about this recipe, you don't have to plan way in advance. Here are the ingredients....

10-12 3-ounce Turkey Breast Steaks (we used one breast and cut them into about 9-10 equal sized pieces)

1 tbsp. Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

3 cloves of Garlic, crushed and peeled (Use only 2 cloves if you don't like strong garlic)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toss the turkey in a mixture of the Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Olive Oil. Cover and Chill for 1-2 hours (we only chilled it for 45 min-1 hour).

Pre-heat grill to Medium-High. Remove turkey from fridge and let marinate at room temperature for 20 min. Remove turkey from marinade and place on grill. Grill on each side for 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.

After grilling the turkey, we rolled some asparagus in the marinade and placed it on the grill for a couple of minutes. We also served it with some dinner rolls and an iceburg wedge with blue cheese dressing. Although, I haven't tried many different ways to eat wild turkey, this is definitely one of the best. Good Luck this turkey season!

It's Saturday, Take a Hike...

2011-03-19T17:01:00.018-05:00

With it becoming more spring-like outside, Sarah and I decided to put some household chores aside and go for a hike. We are lucky enough to live very close to Devil's Den State Park, which has some excellent hiking trails. Today we actually decided to do the "Devil's Den" trail.

The trail is marked in yellow...

This is a trail that both of us have done many times in the past but still enjoy. I can remember taking field trips to the park back when we were in school. It seems like almost every year we would take a science field trip to go hiking on the trails and check out the caves. Devil's Den has some awesome caves; however, they were closed to the public today. Not really sure why. Nevertheless, the hiking was awesome and it sure was nice to get out of the house and enjoy some beautiful weather. Here are some photos from our hike...

Here I am at the opening to one the the caves. There was a wire gate blocking the entrance about ten feet in...

Another Cave...

A Waterfall...

Seems like I'm always trying to catch something. This time it was a salamander. It got away...

Spring is Here...

And with Spring comes the Spring Breakers. The campsites were full. Here are some of the campers checking out the dam...

This concludes our Saturday at Devil's Den. Hope you enjoyed the photos. We sure enjoyed the hike and will surely be heading back out there soon.

White River Fiasco

2011-03-16T09:31:00.021-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, my dad and I made the 2 hr drive over to Cotter, AR to do some trout fishing on the White River. We arrived at about 8:00 am in hopes of catching lots of fish. However, our day would not turn out quite as planned. We launched our boat and began drifting down stream.

Within about 10 minutes, we realized that it was actually a lot colder than we expected it to be. This was not going to slow us down though. We started off with a few warm up casts just to get the feel back. Now I'll be the first to admit that I am not an expert fisherman by any means. Sometimes it feels like I spend more time being hung up or trying to fix bird nests in my lines than actually fishing. So naturally it takes me a little while to get warmed up. However, this is not something I share with my dad. After only about 5 minutes, I heard him say "Got One".

It was a nice little rainbow, nothing spectacular, but we knew right then that the fishing was going to be good. We continued to drift down the river, having to warm our hands in our pockets in between casts. A few minutes later, I see dad set the hook out of the corner of my eye. He caught another nice little rainbow. Like I said, It takes me a little while to get warmed up. I always say, "it's just nice being out there, it's not always about how many fish you catch". The scenery was beautiful with slightly overcast skys. The water was cold and crystal clear. It was at a really good level for fishing, not too high and not too low.

As we drifted down towards the better spots, dad had caught a couple and I hadn't gotten a bite. But that's ok, because we were making our ways to the "honey holes".

Before I knew it, I had a bite! I could tell right off the bat that it was a pretty good one. As it got closer, I could tell it was a brown trout. I have caught a few browns before, but nothing really all that big. We decided to use the net to get him in since we were fishing such a light test on our lines.

It was a beautiful fish with really nice coloring. To some people it might not seem like such a big fish, but it was the biggest brown trout that I have ever caught. It also felt good to finally get my name on the board.

I say "finally", but actually we had only been fishing for about 20 minutes. After taking a few pictures, I let the fish go and got ready to catch some more. We continued to drift down river from where we launched. I caught another smaller brown and a small rainbow. Dad caught a few more rainbows. I think we had caught 7 total at this point. Pretty good fishing for the first 45 minutes or so. We were coming up on a pretty good spot, so Dad wanted to start the motor and re-position the boat. He started the boat, we got in a good position and he turned the motor off. The next thing I heard was "KAPLUNK" then "OH NO!" Those are not the things you want to hear when you are out on boat about a mile down stream from where you launched. I turned around and said "What Was That?" The look on his face was of utter disbelief and disgust. Then he said "I just dropped the key in the water". He said "My hands were so cold, I guess I accidently pulled the key out". Don't ask me why the key wasn't attached by a string or even why it didn't have a little floatie hooked on it. I don't know why. I thought no big deal, we'll just get a tow from another boat. The only problem was, we were the only boat on the river that day. I take that back, we did see an older gentleman and his wife in a canoe, but its not like they could help any. We decided to drop the battery powered trolling motor in the water to see if it could take us back up stream. However, the current was just strong enough to keep us moving at a pace of about 1 MPD (Miles Per Day). We each grabbed a paddle and started digging in. A couple hours and four exhausted arms later, we finally made it to the ramp. It was one of those things that you just really never expect to happen, but it did. At least we caught some nice fish and it was kind of an adventure. Even though my shoulders were pretty sore the next day, we did have a lot of fun. I can't wait to go back but I will make sure that the key is tied to the boat this time.

2011 Colorado Vacation

2011-03-14T15:25:00.013-05:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to take a trip to Colorado Last week and do some skiing and snowboarding. We stayed at Breckenridge, where we hit the slopes for 3 days. One the 4th day, we made the short drive to Copper Mountain. This was both Sarah's and my first time at Copper. The snow was as good as I have ever seen it and the weather was awesome. Overall, we had a great vacation. Here are some photos from our trip...

Sarah and I on the mountain...

On the Lift...A little frost on the beard...

Some photos taken in the town of Frisco on the way to Copper...

Here are some random mountain scenery shots...

Scent Control

2011-03-01T18:02:00.010-06:00

We've all heard about the importance of scent free hunting. Some hunters go all out when it comes to hunting scent control and some think it's a waist of time. I am not one of those people. I truly believe that human scent can be controlled and needs to be controlled when hunting for big game. When it comes to scent elimination products, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I've tried them all because I haven't. However, I have tried A LOT of them and found some that work better than others. This past year I was able to use a scent elimination system that some of you might have heard of, Seemz Technology. When I first started using Seemz, I expected it to work about as well as some of the other products that I had used because I had not yet found a product that really stood out among it's competitors. Well, Seemz absolutely blew me away. After just a few days spent in the field, I knew just how good these scent elimination products worked. I am definitely a hunter who pays close attention to wind direction and I still think it is absolutely imperative that you try to only hunt the wind. But like most things, the wind is never certain and can change instantly. For some reason, this year it seemed like the wind was extra swirly. Almost every time I was out there, the wind shifted. I can't tell you how many times I leaned over to Sarah and said "we're about to get busted". Seemz proved me wrong again and again. My Dad and I were fortunate enough to take two great bucks in Kansas this year, both with the help of Seemz. The buck that I shot came in directly down wind and I can honestly say that I don't think I would have killed that deer without the help of Seemz scent eliminator products.

Seemz offers a variety of products, from hunting soap and shampoo to detergents and scent elimination spray. I use all of these products during my pre-hunt routine. The Seemz Technology website is pretty cool too and has some excellent information. They also like to give away free hunting gear on the website, so be sure to take a look. Seemz also offers a great field staff hunting program that allows hunters to get involved in the industry and become a part of the Seemz family. You might be one of those hunters who have had great success not using scent elimination products or maybe you haven't had success with other products. Whatever it is, I really think Seemz is worth a try. Because when you have do have a giant buck in front of you, why take the chance. Don't you want to be sure that you covered all of your bases. In my opinion, Seemz make the best scent elimination products in the business, and I won't go into the woods without it. If you are a serious hunter, I strongly recommend taking a look at their website and the products they have to offer. It really is great stuff.

Outdoor Weekend

2011-02-20T17:11:00.014-06:00

Mother Nature has spoiled us here in NW Arkansas the past few days. The weather has been less like February and more like April with temps in the mid 60s. After being snowed in for about two weeks prior to this, there was no way that we were going to stay inside this weekend. Friday afternoon Sarah and I went out to a couple of our spots and took down some stands. The task of taking down stands is not that fun, but someone has to do it.

Here are some other Photos that Sarah took while we were out...

We decided to go shed hunting on Saturday. Our hopes were high because we hadn't been in a couple of weeks. We left the house at about 6:45 and started hunting at around 9:00.

We walked for about 31/2 hours before we found our first shed. It wasn't a very big one but still a good find. When you start getting tired, finding a shed can really give you a boost of energy to keep going.

Here are some more photos from shed hunting in the morning...

When out shed hunting, these are the things that I like to see. Shed hunting also gives us a great chance to do some scouting for next year.

After a full day of searching, Sarah finally found our 2nd and final shed of the day.

It wasn't a very big one either but we still had a great time looking. I love being able to get outside, walk around and take in God's wonderful creations. There's really nothing better than getting out and enjoying nature. We had a great weekend and hopefully the weather will allow us to do this again soon.

Memories from 2010

2011-02-15T10:31:00.006-06:00

This is a collage containing some photos from 2010 that Sarah put together. I always like to look back at photos from the previous hunting seasons and reminisce a little bit. The photos represent some of the highlights of 2010. Ok, so I have to be honest there are a few photos from early 2011 that might have snuck in there, but we thought they were too cool to leave out.

My 2010 Kansas Buck Video

2011-02-13T19:30:00.002-06:00

Here is the video from my hunt in Kansas this past fall, Hope you like it...

Outdoor Fever 2010 Kansas Buck from Matt Elder on Vimeo.

Thanks to Seemz, BroadheadTalk.com, BroadheadShed.com, Ameristep & Limbsaver

And The Winner Is...

2011-02-05T12:49:00.004-06:00

Albert Quackenbush! Congrats to Albert, whose blog is

The SoCal Bowhunter.

Albert, email me with your shipping information at TheOutdoorFever@gmail.com. Hopefully this call will help you bring in some big struttin Toms this spring!

Thank You to everyone who entered and be sure to look for more giveaways to come!

Shed Hunting Tips

2011-02-02T18:49:00.006-06:00

Shed season is here and some people are finding sheds and some not so much. I am not claiming to be a expert shed hunter by any means, but I have been able to find a few in the past couple years. There are a lot of people out there who find WAY more sheds than I do. In fact I only really started shed hunting about three years ago. Over the past few years, there are some things I have learned that have helped me become a little more successful. Here is a list of some of my shed hunting tips...

1. Look in the places where bucks spend most of their time (bedding areas, food sources)

2. Check around every fence crossing. A lot of times a buck will jar his antlers loose when jumping over a fence.

3. When searching, focus on the 10-15 ft area around you. It is easy to start looking up and farther away, but most of the sheds you will find will be within this area.

4. Cover lots of ground.

5. When you find a shed, start looking around for the other side. Sometimes a buck will drop both antlers within just a few yards of each other.

6. Don't get discouraged! Sometimes you might not find any, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. Keep on trying!

7. Have fun! It's always a good day when you get a chance to be outdoors!

These are some of the things that have helped me out shed hunting. Please feel free to share some of your shed hunting secrets.

Turkey Call GIVEAWAY!

2011-02-01T16:09:00.009-06:00

Turkey season is right around the corner. So I thought, what's a good way try to get people pumped about turkey season? Give away a Turkey Call! We will be giving away a Brand New Ring Zone Friction Crystal Turkey Call by H.S. Strut!

"Unique outer ring and enlarged resonating surface more accurately mimics turkey calls than conventional pan calls. Resonating surface is 200% larger than conventional friction calls for a frequency range most audible to turkeys."

Here is how you enter to WIN:

1. There are four sub species of wild Turkey in the United States. Post a comment stating which subspecies of turkey you would like to hunt most. If you have hunted all of them, post which one you enjoyed hunting the most.

2. For a second chance to enter, Re-Post this giveaway on your Blog and leave a link to your post in the comment section.

3. For a third chance to enter, Leave a comment on any other Outdoor Fever blog posts this week.

Giveaway ends Friday February 4, 2011 at 9:00 PM CST. One winner will be chosen by random.org. Winner will be announced the next day. Only eligible in the U.S. and Canada

Good Luck!

First of 2011

2011-01-30T20:01:00.007-06:00

The weather has been so beautiful the past few days. Yesterday the temps were in the high 50s, the sun was out and there was nothing that was going to keep us inside. Being the end of January, we knew that it couldn't last long. So with lots of people talking about finding sheds, we decided we would go give it a shot (even though I thought it was a little early for our area). We got out at around 10:30 and began searching. I knew that not that many deer had dropped in our area, so our chances of finding a lot were slim. I thought to myself, if we could find one or two it would be a pretty good day. After a few hours of looking, I began to wonder if we were going to find any. One of the things that I knew needed to be done while I was out, was to put up the two Ameristep ground blinds that were still out from deer season. We made our way to where one of our blinds was supposed to be and there was nothing there but two chairs. I began to wonder and to be honest, I started to get a little mad. I wondered if someone had stolen our blind. I began to walk around the area and actually found the blind about 40 yards from where it was in the woods. The wind must have been blowing incredibly strong to pick up the blind and move it that far. As I walked up to the blind, I just knew that something was going to be ripped or even broken. However, I was amazed to find that nothing was wrong with it at all. We folded it up, layed it down by the chairs and made our way back to the house to get the Stealth. We began searching again as we headed back and Sarah yelled "Matt, I found one!" I started heading her way and asked "is it a good one?", "Ya, but it's attached to a skull." I thought, Oh great, a dead buck. I don't like finding dead deer when shed hunting. When I got up to it, I realized that this buck had to have been dead for at least a couple of years. Upon inspection, I realized that I had never seen this buck or gotten a picture of him. He was a decent 10 pt with exceptional mass. One side of the rack was chewed up pretty bad but the other side was pristine. After looking at the teeth and with the mass that this buck had, I assumed that he probably died of old age. It was a pretty cool find, but we still had not found one shed.

We got the stealth, loaded up both blinds, a few trail cams and headed over to another property. By this time, it was starting to get late and we knew that we didn't have much time to shed hunt on this farm. We decided that we should at least grab the cameras that were still out. We had been out walking for around about 4 hours and by now we were almost certain we weren't going to find a shed. We headed down the trail and there it was! The first shed of the year!

Even though it was not a huge one, it is always a good feeling to get that first one under your belt. It's kind of ironic that we searched almost all day and found nothing, we had nearly given up and there it was laying right on the trail. I was really pumped to find this shed and look forward to finding more.

Sheds with History

2011-01-27T22:02:00.006-06:00

Now that shed season is actually here and some people are already finding some, it got me thinking. I started going through all the sheds that I found last year in my head and wondering if I might find some this year from the same deer. There are a couple of bucks that I will be in the back of my mind for sure as I am out searching through the woods. One of which is the buck that I missed early in the season (hopefully he is still alive) and the other is a big 7 point that I have a lot of history with.

The first time I got a picture of this deer was in the summer of 2009. He was a big six with a body like a horse and I immediately became obsessed. I have always wanted to kill a huge 6 point and this guy definitely fit the bill. Well, I hunted that buck extremely hard and never saw him. As a matter of fact, I don't think I even got another picture of that buck all season. When it came time to start hunting sheds in 2010, I thought there was really no chance of finding his sheds since he had pretty much vanished. He proved me wrong and I stumbled upon one of his sheds! It was a really special find. It was almost like that buck knew that I was hunting him and came back to drop his shed and say "I'm still here and you're gonna have to do better than that next time!"

During the 2011 season, we had cameras out all on this property and I wasn't getting any pictures of this buck. As the season went, I always had him in the back of my mind. Until one night, he showed himself in front of one of the cameras. Except this year he was not a 6 point but a big 7. Still I never saw him while on the stand. I think he probably made it through the season and maybe once again, I will be lucky enough to come across one of his sheds.

Chasing Ghosts

2011-01-26T14:02:00.009-06:00

Deciding to only hunt one particular buck takes a lot of dedication and persistence. My friend, Greg Sims, is no stranger when it comes to hunting and killing big deer. He has taken many trophy class bucks all across the country and is currently one of the Buckmen for Buck Commander. Passing on younger bucks and only hunting the mature deer is one of the keys to killing a trophy animal. Hunting a certain buck can really test one’s patience, but Greg knows that by hunting hard and not giving up, the rewards can be immense.

“I first got a picture of this buck on Dec 15th 2010. I set up a north and a south wind stand and hunted him morning and afternoon for 8 straight days. I never saw him and never got another picture of him. I thought he might be dead. I put out 6 more cameras in the surrounding area and finally he showed up again. It had been 9 days since my last picture and this time he was in a different spot. Again, I hunted him REAL hard with no luck. He was like a ghost. (A good friend of mine was getting pictures of him nearly every night around midnight; on another property nearby....I did not know this until later.) After hunting him HARD the second time, I had almost given up. Once again, he was not showing up in front of any of my cameras."

“On Jan 20th, 2011, everything changed! I was running my cameras and getting all of my blinds set up for Jason Aldean to come hunting with me on the 22nd before his concert in Fayetteville. While checking the cameras, I found him! He had been in one of my spots until approximately 8 AM that morning. The wind was perfect for the spot but I had not even hung a stand here yet. I ran home, got my hunting clothes on, grabbed my bow, and headed back out to that spot. I climbed into a big brush pile that was about 30 yards south of the camera and immediately I started seeing deer. He was the 28th deer that came out. After about 5 minutes, he finally got to 35 yards. He turned broad side and I drilled him. He ran about 75 yards straight towards my truck and that was the end of a tough 6 week chase.”

Hunting a particular buck for a long period of time can prove to be a rollercoaster ride full of ups and downs. By staying focused and not giving up, Greg was able to cash in on this 178” late season giant. If you keep your goal in sight and by hunting hard and smart, you could end up with a buck of a lifetime.

Science of Nothing

2011-01-25T14:31:00.006-06:00

If you have not heard of the Optifade patterns by Gore, or even if you have, you should check out this video. Both the Open Country and Forest patterns that Gore has created are based completely on how a deer views the world. It's very interesting stuff. Check it out...

Fanatic

2011-01-24T21:55:00.003-06:00

I came across this video today. It talks about one of the new products from Sitka Gear coming out for 2011. I am a big fan of Sitka products. I feel that the quality of their products is hard to beat. This new jacket coming out is called The Fanatic and has some really cool features. This jacket is made for hardcore whitetail hunters. From the grunt tube and rangefinder holders to the primaloft insulation and built in hand muff, this jacket really is built for life in a tree stand.

SHOT Show - Fanatic from Sitka Gear on Vimeo.

No Luck

2011-01-21T10:56:00.004-06:00

Yesterday afternoon was one of the coldest afternoons that I have spent in a deer stand. The temperature in the truck read 20 degrees, which I can usually handle. However, the wind was howling and kept me chilled for the entire hunt. If I wasn't seeing any deer then I probably would have been miserable, but that wasn't the case. I got in the stand at about 2:00 and saw the first deer right around 2:30. I was seeing deer periodically throughout the entire hunt. The total number of deer = 11. The total number of bucks = 0. Well, that's probably not entirely true. There were a couple of button bucks but nothing with antlers. I was a little bummed, but that's hunting. I'll be heading out to the same spot this afternoon, hoping for some better luck.

Still Hanging in There

2011-01-19T21:44:00.008-06:00

It's getting towards the end of deer season here in Arkansas. Well kind of, the season doesn't actually end until later on in February. However, most of the bucks will really start shedding their antlers before then, if they haven't already. I've been getting a little stir crazy and decided that I would go put a camera out at this place not too far from where I live. This place has not ever been known to produce really big bucks, but there are always a few decent bucks. I've had the camera out for about 5 days now and got pictures of this buck two nights ago...

Now this buck might not look like much to some, but he might look like really nice to others. I guess it just depends on where you are hunting. Where I hunt in Arkansas, this is a shooter. So I decided to go put a stand up. I found a tree that I thought would be good and got to work...

I don't think I have met anyone that is as picky when it comes to trees for tree stands as myself, and I know it gets on my Dad's and Sarah's nerves A Lot. I don't know why I'm like this but for some reason if there is just one little thing wrong, it really bothers me. A few hard minutes of climbing and 5 rapid rails later, I got to the spot where I thought the stand should go.

However, there were two problems. One, There were two big limbs that were making it really tough to hang the stand and leave enough room for a hunter. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, just cut them off right? That brings me to the second problem. If I cut the limbs down, I felt like I would be way to exposed and probably get busted. So, being my usual picky self, I pulled all the rapid rails down and started looking for another tree. Finding the "perfect" tree is no easy task. I stood and looked around, analyzing each foot up each tree. Finally, I decided the only tree that would work was a big cedar tree. So I pulled out the saw and began trimming my way up. It ended up being a pretty good tree and I like cedars because the have lots of cover. The only downfall is, it takes A Lot of limb cutting to get up one. Needless to say, I was worn out and by this time Sarah was getting fed up with my quest for perfection. That is why there are no photos of they cedar tree. We are supposed to get snow all night and most of the day tomorrow. Even though we don't have a picture of this buck during daylight, I'm hoping the weather will bring him out early. After all, we are cutting it close to the end of the season.

Headin' Out West... Hopefully

2011-01-18T21:05:00.007-06:00

The past couple of years I have seriously been considering and somewhat trying to plan a western hunt. I believe that 2011 could be the year. I have never hunted out west but have always dreamed of it. At this point, I'm about 95% sure that I want it to be an archery hunt, the only problem is, I don't know what I want to hunt. From what I've read and heard, it is highly recommended to hunt with an outfitter for at least the first time out west. I have to say that I think it's a good idea to go with an outfitter for my first time, rather than diving in to a backcountry quest without really knowing what I am doing. No matter how much reading I do or how many videos I watch, it's always going to be a different story when you're actually out there. Now if I can only decide on what to hunt. I would love to hunt either Elk, Mule Deer or Pronghorn. According to a lot of people, an archery mule deer hunt is one of the hardest hunts there is. I would love the challenge and think it would be a great accomplishment to arrow a trophy mulie. At the same time, it would be awesome to have a giant bull elk bugling across the mountains as I am trying to sneak in close for a shot. On the other hand, antelope are some of the most beautiful trophies in North America. I also think that this would be a good introductory hunt both financially and just for getting a feel for western hunting. Any of these hunts would be both challenging and great fun. I am also not really sure which state I want to hunt in. I have looked into a few different ones and am pretty open minded about it. Anyways, I am posting this blog hoping to get some feedback, recommendations or info from some people who have hunted out west or have seriously looked in to it. Any advice that you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Trail Cam Bloopers

2011-01-17T22:23:00.004-06:00

Like most hunters, trail cams are one of the most important tools in my arsenal. They help take my scouting to the next level. I take my scouting very seriously and really try to study each picture to try to learn as much from it as I can. However, I have to admit, one of the most fun parts about looking through trail cam photos is stumbling across a photo like this...

This is a picture of my dad walking up on a camera to check it. He's trying so hard to see how many pictures are on it. It always makes me laugh when I'm looking through the pictures, hoping to see a big buck on the next pic and then suddenly I get a funny face. Here is another funny pic that one of my friends sent me back in 2009. I actually put this pic up on the blog a while ago, but was looking through pics and thought I would bust it out....

This is one of my good friends standing under a deer feeder and a yearling whitetail deer eating corn. I thought this was pretty funny because when he told the story, he said he was frozen for like 10-15 minutes. I'm sure it probably felt like 2 hours. It's pretty cool that the trail cam took a picture of it. I really look forward to checking cameras in hopes of seeing a giant whitetail but sometimes its just fun to see some things that you weren't expecting.

Out-Foxed

2011-01-15T12:09:00.004-06:00

Here is an article about a hunter who was shot by a fox. That's right, SHOT! This just goes to show that you never know what can happen and should always put safety first. Check it out HERE

The Wild Within

2011-01-13T19:19:00.004-06:00

This past week, a new show on the Travel Channel premiered called "The Wild Within". It is a different kind of hunting show. The host, Steven Rinella, is a man that prides himself on being able to provide for his family by hunting and fishing. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and jokes about probably being the only guy with a deep freeze in his closet. In the first episode Steven and his brother go up to their cabin in Alaska to hunt for blacktail deer. I don't want to give to much away but it was a pretty good episode. I was really intrigued when I found out that there was going to be a hunting show on the Travel Channel and was pleasantly surprised when I began watching it. You can really see the raw passion that the host has for hunting and providing for his family. There were some parts in the episode that I was really surprised they kept in show. They showed some things that happen in real life situations on real hunts that some programs on the mainstream hunting networks won't show because of criticism. Steven said one thing on the show that I really liked, basically he said " I'm sick of people always saying I harvested a deer. You killed the deer, so say you killed the deer." I don't really want to get into a debate about this subject because I know it has been argued probably way too much. I just appreciate the fact that he's not afraid to say what he feels. A lot of hunting shows are starting to get very repetitive and it is refreshing to see something different. I thought it was cool that it really focused on providing for the family and not letting anything going to waste. I really enjoyed it and have already set the DVR to record the series. It airs on Sundays at 9EST. Here is a small clip from the first episode that shows Steven going out to catch some shrimp when he first arrives in Alaska...

Arrow Building

2011-01-12T17:01:00.003-06:00

I decided that I wanted to try to start fletching my own arrows this year. So for Christmas, I asked for a lot of fletching necessities. One of the things that I got was an "Arizona E-Z Fletch". It is a tool that is used to hold the fletchings in place while they are being glued to the shaft of the arrow. One thing that really got me excited about this product was that it can fletch all three fletchings on one arrow at the same time. Another thing that I liked about the E-Z Fletch is that it is small and compact and can easily be taken with you on a trip. Lastly, and probably the most important reason why I wanted to try this product is because it seems very easy to use. Since I am very new to this, I didn't want something that was going to be really hard figure out.

I am currently working on getting a work bench set up in my garage where I can sit and work on my stuff. Although if it doesn't warm up soon, I might have to invest in a big space heater as well. It was a high of 20 today, and I don't think I would last very long sitting out inthe garage. As soon as it warms up and I get everything else set up, I will be able to start fletching. I am pretty excited about this and will be sure to post some pics when I start to build the first batch of arrows. Here is a video of the "Arizona E-Z Fletch" in action...

More Pics...

2011-01-10T23:39:00.007-06:00

Here are some more photos that my friend Chris took a couple of weeks ago. These were taken on one of our field hunts.

Green Heads and Good Times

2011-01-09T20:51:00.008-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we had the opportunity to do some duck hunting with some friends of ours in Kansas. We had been deer hunting so hard all season and it is always fun to switch over to a little duck hunting towards the end of the year. When our buddies Joe and Chris called us up and said they had thousands of ducks coming into one of their fields every night, it got our blood pumping. I couldn't wait to get up there and blast a few green heads.

We decided to bring the wives along and make it a family trip. Sarah had never experienced any kind of waterfowl hunting before and I knew she would love it. When we got there, they told us that they had some ponds that were absolutely full of ducks. The plan was to wait for them to leave the ponds to go feed and catch them coming back about an hour or so after daylight. We watched and filmed the ducks leaving the pond before we got in the blinds. It was an incredible sight, there were literally thousands of ducks coming off this one pond.

After the ducks had left, we climbed into our cedar blinds and waited for them to start coming back. It didn't take long before we had ducks circling. Before we knew it, we were firing off shots and watching ducks fall. There was hardly any time when there weren't ducks flying. By 10:00 AM, we had killed 39 ducks and 33 of them were mallards. It was without a doubt the best duck hunt I had ever been on, and I even killed my first pintail. The pintail will definitely be going on the wall. We had a blast and I can't wait to get back out there and do it again.

2011-01-01T14:00:00.008-06:00

2011-01-01T11:05:00.002-06:00

2011-01-01T10:35:00.005-06:00

My name is Matt Elder. I am 25 years old and live in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I am a graduate of the University of Arkansas so naturally I am a huge Razorback fan. My wife Sarah and I were married in May of 2008, and we don't have any kids yet but hopefully will someday. I grew up with a strong love for the outdoors with my dad taking me hunting every chance he could. Now it seems like all I can think about is getting back in the woods. Even though I enjoy hunting with all forms of weapons whether it is a rifle, muzzleloader, shotgun, or bow, I have found that I love the challenge of bow hunting. The Outdoor Fever is sponsored by Seemz Technology, BroadheadShed and BroadheadTalk, and I am currently a member of the Ameristep Pro-Staff and the Limbsaver Pro-Staff. The past few years I have really concentrated on bow hunting and filming my hunts. I really enjoy being able to share photos, videos, and experiences of my adventures with others. I hope that you enjoy this website and would love to hear any feedback that you might have.

You can contact me by email at TheOutdoorFever@gmail.com

2011-01-01T09:56:00.009-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T12:22:00.004-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Be safe in your travels and enjoy some turkey!

Canada

2010-11-23T19:13:00.005-06:00

We got back from Saskatchewan Canada last week where we had a great time whitetail hunting. We were hunting with Great Grey Outfitters. They are one of the most professional outfitters that I have ever had the opportunity to hunt with. From the food to the accommodations and the hunting, everything really was first class. We were hunting with rifles, which is not really my weapon of choice but can be a good change from bowhunting sometimes. It actually has been two years since I have even hunted with a rifle. We started hunting on Monday and the temperatures were unseasonably warm. The highs were in the mid 30s, which is pretty cold for us southerners. In Canada, you are required to wear all white or red on your upper body. We wore white and looked like a couple of giant marshmallows because of all the clothes we had on. The hunting was slow for the first few days but my Dad was able to take a nice buck on the 3rd day.

By the 5th day we had passed on plenty of 140-150 class bucks and were dying to see a 160+. Sitting in that blind all day in freezing temps can really take a toll on you. It was Thursday and they put us in a blind they call "The Penthouse". It was really nice and comfortable. Before we could hardly see outside of the blind there were already deer in front of us. It was too dark to see what they were but with all the activity and the freezing temps we knew it could be a good day. At about 8:30 we had a 140 class 8 point walk 40 yards from the blind. He had ice sickles hanging from his chin, it was really cool to see. An hour went by and I noticed a big bodied deer step out way down shooting lane at about 175 yards away. When I put the scope up on him I knew he was a shooter immediately. He was a 10 point that I guessed to be in the upper 160s and would definitely be the biggest deer I had ever shot. It didn't take long for him to turn broadside and when Sarah let me know she was on him with the camera, I squeezed off the shot. It felt like a good hit and he ran off like he was hit hard but I still wanted to take a look at the tape. After reviewing the footage, we realized that I had actually hit the deer low. I had a sickening feeling in my stomach, one that I'm sure most hunters have felt at some point in their hunting careers. Our guide actually heard the shot and came to check on us soon after. We knew it was not a very good hit but followed the blood trail for a while anyway. After looking for about 30 minutes we decided to give him some more time. We waited for a few hours and decided to head back out. We picked up the blood trail quickly and followed it in the snow for a long ways. After a while we knew that if we had any chance to find that buck it would have to be the next day. After a sleepless night, we went back out and tracked for about 4-5 hours. We never found the buck. It really does make me sick and I had a long ride home to beat myself up over it. I can't stand the thought wounding a deer, but it is reality and it does happen. Our guide went back out the day after we left to give it one more try but came back empty handed. At least I had a little bit of comfort knowing that we had done everything that we could to try and recover the animal. I had a great time on the hunt other than shooting and not finding my buck. Every time I head into the woods I try to learn something new and take something positive away from my hunts. Even though this hunt did not turn out the way that I had hoped it would, I did learn a lot and will try to take something positive from this unfortunate experience.

Season Update

2010-11-03T18:40:00.010-05:00

Ok, it's been a while since anything has been written on here, so I thought I would give an update of how our season has been going so far. The season started off with really high hopes of scoring on a monster whitetail and a trophy Arkansas black bear within the first couple of weeks. Well it didn't quite work out that way, which is usually the case when hunting. The first week and a half in Kansas started off incredible but then went south really quick. I was hunting the big deer from the previous post very hard and actually got him on video for about ten minutes. The only problem was that he was at 75 yards and walking away and even though I would have done just about anything to get a shot at that deer, 75 yards is a little out of my range. This encounter had me fired up so I was back up there two days later. A small cold front came through and had the bucks on their feet. It started out with a small spike in the field and before we knew it there were at least 10 different bucks in the food plot in front of us. However, none of them were "shooters." As the camera light started running out I looked to my right just in time to see an absolute monster jump out of the brush and into the field. He was a typical 12 pt that would have easily been in the 170"s. It was an amazing sight, he immediately began chasing the other bucks around. By now I'm starting to get a little nervous but Sarah had the camera rolling on him and told me that we still had good camera light if he would just come closer. Two of the smaller bucks to my left started sparring and that got his attention. He was walking from my right to left and was quickly coming into range. I pulled up my range finder and put it right on him, 55 yards and closing. He stopped for amoment and I drew back. He was now at about 45 yards and suddenly stopped. I knew it might be now or never. So I shot... and missed. It was one of those shots where you know you missed right when you let the arrow go. I just choked, no excuses. I was crushed, but he wasn't spooked off too bad so I knew there was still a chance of killing him some time in the future and I couldn't forget about the other big deer that I had filmed just two days earlier in the same spot.

By now it was time to start bear baiting. We began to bait just a week before the season starts even though you are allowed to bait a month before opening day. Right away the bears were hitting the baits and we got a few pictures of a pretty good bear on one of the baits.

The bait sites were hit every time that we checked them and I was getting pretty excited even though I still had that big buck on my mind. Opening day came and we headed to our spot for an afternoon hunt. When we got there it had not been touched. The bait was hit everyday leading up to this and all of a sudden... nothing. We hunted that afternoon and did not see anything. After that I decided to put my focus back on deer hunting.

For the next few weeks, I hunted that same over the same food plot whenever the wind was right. I never saw much more than a spike. One day my Dad says he wants to put a new stand up in this certain spot on the farm. He said that he had a good feeling about it even though we didn't have any trail cam pics of any big bucks over there. I helped him hang the stand and he was ready to hunt it, I was still hunting over the food plot where I had missed earlier in the year. The afternoon goes by and we don't see anything. As we are walking back to meet at where the Stealth is parked, the lights turn on and it starts driving towards us. It was a little weird knowing that he was out earlier than we were but I didn't really think anything of it.

When he gets up next to us his face was ghostly white and he says to me "I just shot the big one!" I said "Yeah Right," but from the look on his face it had to be true. Dad said after he shot the deer it walked off and he saw him lay down in some brush. He was a little unsure of the

shot, so we decided to let the deer lay over night. It turned out to be a good decision because the buck was laying right where he last saw him and he was a giant! It was the same deer that I had filmed earlier on but was too far to shoot. The deer gross scored a whopping 178".

Last week Sarah and I were up in Kansas and knew it was going to be a good week. The bucks were starting to cruise a little bit and on top of that, a cold front was moving in. We checked

the trail cams and had pics of some nice bucks on a scrape where we had a stand near by. The only problem was that there was only one stand there, not a camera stand. So during the middle of the day we went in and found another tree nearby to hang a couple stands in. We got our Ameristep stands hung and were ready to go. That first afternoon we saw a bunch of does and a mid 150''s class buck. Once again he hung up just out of range but it was very

exciting to see a big buck. It seemed like it had been forever since I had seen a shooter buck. We knew the next morning was going to be awesome and when we left the truck the temp said 29 degrees. Most people think that's pretty cold but I LOVE it, as do most hardcore hunters. We got set up in the tree while it was still dark. I heard something over my left should and looked to see what it was. It was a buck but I couldn't tell much more than that. He was grunting and chasing does all around our stand. As it got lighter, we could tell that he was a good buck but he was pretty busted up. He was a main frame 10 with a freshly broken main beam, G4 and eye guard, but this was a good sign. After this buck and the does left it was

beginning to quiet down. It had now been about 30-45 minutes without seeing anything and I was thinking, surely they aren't done moving, it's too cold and the rut is starting up. I decided to grunt and rattle a little bit. 3-4 minutes after rattling, I notice some movement to my left. It was a buck, a good buck. He was coming right to us. Sarah had the camera rolling and he came in to 30 yards. I drew back and settled my pin. The arrow hit its mark perfectly and as he was running off we heard him crash. We were so pumped! We decided to give him some time to make sure that he died because we did not want to push him if he wasn't dead. After waiting a little while, we went looking for him and found him about 75 yards from where I shot him. I was so excited, it's so hard to describe the feeling I had knowing that I had worked and hunted so hard for this buck. And the fact that we got awesome video footage of the hunt was

incredible. After shooting this buck I knew it looked familiar but wasn't sure until I recovered him. Sure enough, it was the second buck from the previous post. The buck scored 145" and I am extremely proud to have been able to put my tag on this buck.

It is kind of funny that I posted an entry with two pics of bucks before we had killed one and we end up taking both of those bucks. So far this season has been a rollercoaster for me and Sarah but that's what makes hunting so great. There is still a lot of hunting left to be done and Sarah still has a Kansas tag. Who knows, she might get one bigger than both mine and Dad's.

We head out Friday for Canada to hunt whitetails and maybe we will bag a couple of northern giants. Hopefully we will have internet up there and I can do some blogging while on the trip.

Opening Day 2010 in Kansas

2010-09-22T18:02:00.008-05:00

It seemed like opening day would never come. We have been so excited for deer season to start and it finally opened up Monday. Monday afternoon we hunted over a Whitetail Institute food plot in hopes that this guy would show up.

However, all we saw were these...

And some of these...

It was really hot so our hopes weren't real high. It was still a good hunt and felt really good to actually be hunting. Tuesday morning we hunted in the same stand where I shot my buck last year... (Kansas Ten Point). This stand was good to us all year last year and we actually have pictures of this guy right by it...

And sure enough... He didn't show up. In fact, nothing showed up. After the morning hunt, we picked our heads up and headed back to the food plot hoping that a nice buck would come in. Well we saw a buck alright. He would have ended up scoring about a whopping 35 inches. Even though we did not get a shot at a big buck, or even see one for that matter, we had a great time in the woods as we always do. We knew our chances were slim with the heat and a full moon that lit up everything like a giant lantern. I told myself "it can only get better from here, right?" We have a couple nice bucks that we really keying on and trying to hold out for, especially this early in the season. So we will be back up there Friday, and it's supposed to cool off!

Stealth 4x4

2010-09-07T16:14:00.019-05:00

As most of you know, there has been a recent explosion in the ATV/UTV industry and even more so in the electric hunting vehicle industry. It seems like you can't even watch The Outdoor Channel without seeing a commercial for silent hunting vehicles. In former posts, I have mentioned that I really like using an electric hunting vehicle. We all know how important it is to be able to slip into our hunting area with as little noise as possible and electric vehicles make this task much easier. I have been fortunate enough to have driven or ridden in a few different models of these silent hunting vehicles and currently own a Stealth. In my opinion and experience, Stealth makes the best all electric UTVs on the market today.

Stealth 4x4s are designed and built specifically for hunters and all outdoorsmen/women. They are designed to be 100% silent and have a range of 40 miles on one charge. These are one of the only vehicles that I have been around that can actually live up to their claimed battery life. Although I have not driven my Stealth 40 miles at one time, or probably even 30 miles for that matter, I have not even come close to running the battery all the way down. For an electric vehicle, these things can really go a long way without needing to be recharged. Another fact is that Stealth is the only company on the market to make a 64 volt electric vehicle. Here is some great information straight from the makers of Stealth Electric Vehicles.

Benefits of owning or using an electric vehicle:

• User experience, cost savings over the life time of the vehicle and economic and environmental factors are the top reasons for considering electric-powered alternatives to vehicles that run on conventional fuels such as gasoline, propane and diesel.

Lower Cost

• EVs generally cost less in total to own, operate and maintain than combustion-powered vehicles, even in cases where the initial purchase price is somewhat higher.

• Electric vehicles have little to no maintenance after the point of purchase. The only items that require maintenance are the drive shaft, front wheel bearings and the cost to charge the battery.

• The reason is that traditional gas vehicles require heavy maintenance on oil, air filters, spark plugs, valve adjustment,transmission, belt drives and the cost of gas.

More Reliability

• Electric motors have very few moving parts and don’t need fluids such as engine oil, anti-freeze or transmission fluid, so they require relatively little maintenance and are far less likely to leak. Excellent reliability means down time is less likely, too.

• Stealth components are engineered specifically for off-road use so they can endure a wide spectrum of environments and take the punishment driving off-road.

No pollutant Emissions

• EVs emit no pollutant from the tail pipe, so they’re cleaner for the environment and better for everyone’s respiratory health.

Quieter

• EVs also run far more quietly than their combustion-powered counterparts which enhances worker health and comfort – a smart move in an era of rising medical costs.

• It’s all in the construction – Stealth uses self locking fasteners and lubricate with heavy duty lucas oil during the assembly process to ensure that the unit remains solid and intact and that components do not come loose after enduring tough terrain off-road.

• Drive train is lubricated and adjusted so that no noise is created from notch components.

Lower Overall Emissions

• The overall emissions associated with using EVs are typically far less than the emissions from their combustion-powered counterparts.

Overnight Charging

• Stealth vehicles take 12-14 hours to completely recharge once the battery achieved 80% depletion. Charge time is variable based on the battery depletion levels. Superior Handling

• The stealth front suspension is designed by engineers for superior durability, ease of handling and return to center functionality. The maneuverability is better because of a higher turning radius and aquick response turning ratio.

Capabilities of a Stealth 4x4:

Electric motors are designed to put out max torque at the beginning of the RPM range, therefore an electric vehicle will always have more torque than a gas vehicle. As soon as you hit the accelerator you have immediate access to all the torque the engine can deliver. This is an advantage off-road in situations where you are crossing rough terrain, thick mud or over rocks and dead trees. Because a gas and diesel engine requires rotation (RPM) to develop torque and horse power, it will have to rev up which is very noisy and hard on the engine.

• A Stealth vehicle averages 120 lb/ft while the average gas UTV will average between 40-60 lb/ft. This is why the Stealth can quickly move over and through obstacles and maintain control. Because it never has to rev up RPMs to create momentum it’s a fluid climb over and through obstacles.

Other Stealth Facts:

Motor

• 64 volt DC induction air-cooled electric motor with variable frequency drive.

Acceleration

• 0 to 25 miles per hour in approx 10 seconds

Transaxle

• Direct drive motor input creates an efficiency level of 97%. Reverse drive uses reverse direction of motor.

Battery

• AGM absorbed glass mat - zero maintenance, zero corrosion, highest amp hour rating with the longest range and life expectancy of any lead acid battery available.

Stealth 4x4s are serious machines that can take you where you need to go and get you there as quietly as possible. If you are interested in the vehicles that stealth has to offer, check out there website http://www.stealth4x4.com/. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and the customer service is second to none. They can help you out on any questions that you might have.

Random Mount Photos

2010-09-03T10:21:00.005-05:00

I was going through an old memory card on my camera the other day and came accross some pictures of some mounts. Most of the photos were taken at the Dallas Safari Club convention.

This huge mount of Lions, zebras, Kudus and more is from the DSC and is what you would first see walking through the doors. Pretty Impressive.

Cape Buffalo is without a doubt top three on my "Dream Hunt" list.

Here is a picture of a Hippo skull. This skull was massive and check out the size of those teeth!

Some unbelievable Elk.

Giant New Zealand Red Stag.

A couple of Monster Whitetails!

This giant whitetail was at Big Cedar Lodge in Missouri. Not only does it sport an awesome rack, but I love the positioning of the body. It's really cool how they had him almost jumping through some trees. I love realistic full body mounts.

I love to look at mounts and appreciate great trophies just like any other hunter or outdoorsman/woman. Seeing mounts like these only keeps me dreaming until I can get back in the woods here in a few weeks.

Saturday at Devil's Den Park

2010-08-30T20:03:00.003-05:00

The weather was so awesome this weekend, so we decided to make the short drive over to Devil's Den state park to do a little hiking. We decided to hike a trail that we have never been on before. The trail that we chose is called "Yellow Rock". It's a very popular trail and is a fairly easy hike. The trail takes you along the side of a mountain and out to a big overlook with some magnificent views. We had a great time and it was really nice to be able to get out and do some hiking and enjoy the beautiful weather and great temperatures.

Arkansas Black Bear Association

2010-08-26T16:02:00.005-05:00

I haven't had the chance to blog in a while, we've been really busy with work, moving in a new house and getting ready for the upcoming hunting season. One of the things that I have gotten involved with lately is the Arkansas Black Bear Association. The ABBA is a newly formed organization geared towards the conservation of the black bear in Arkansas. They began accepting memberships towards the beginning of this month along with the launch of their magazine. Their magazine is called "The Arkansas Bear and Buck Journal". When the director of the organization, Clay Newcomb, asked me to write an article for the inaugural issue, I jumped at the chance. The magazine turned out really good and every one has been extremely pleased with it so far. The ABBA will publish two issues a year, 1 spring and 1 fall, for their members.

Not only did I have a great time writing the article but have really enjoyed going to some of the launch meetings here in Arkansas. I have learned so much just from the small amount of time being involved in the ABBA. I never knew that Arkansas was once known as "The Bear State", with having over 50,000 bears at one point. This comes out to around 1 bear every square mile. At one point the bears in Arkansas were nearly completely wiped out and had to be reintroduced from Canada and Minnesota. Now there are roughly 4,000 bears throughout the state. Here some pictures taken at one of the launch meetings.

The ABBA is a great organization that was really needed in this state. If you are interested in becoming a member or just want to learn some really cool stuff about the black bear, you can check out the website www.AR BEAR.org. Also, here is a link to their facebook page. If you would like a copy of the magazine, let me know and I will see what I can do about getting you a copy. I am really proud to be a member and encourage everyone to consider joining.

2010 Hit List

2010-07-20T22:05:00.004-05:00

Here are some trail cam pics that we got last week of some pretty good bucks. I like to get the cameras out early to start getting pics of potential shooters for the upcoming year. These pics were taken over a spot where we had put out some NOZE KANDY by SEEMZ Technology. The stuff really works, they found it fairly quickly and keep coming back. The antlers are still growing and I can't wait to see how they end up. Hopefully we can get a shot at one of these bucks.

Foodplot Progress

2010-07-18T19:17:00.007-05:00

We took a quick trip up to Kansas this morning to see how our food plots were coming along. First stop was the chufa we planted about a month ago. Its coming up slowly but surely, we were worried about it because the dirt was really wet and clumpy when we planted it. It might have to be replanted next year to thicken it up but hopefully it will continue to grow and maybe pull some turkeys in this spring .Next stop was the soy bean field. Here is a picture of the field a few weeks ago, freshly planted.And this is from today. Still a little thin, but lots of progress. Beans grow fast, and hopefully this will be a great early season whitetail spot.Then we headed to the "honeyhole"... This cornfield is growing fast! Its about 3 feet over our heads! We got out and took a look around and there was deer sign everywhere. The deer have already been eating some of the stalks and leaves around the edge of the field.
I can't wait for hunting season to start. These food plots are definitly going to help keep deer on our property, and some of them , like the soybeans, are providing nurishment to grow some impressive antlers... Make you sure you check back for the trailcam pictures we got ;)

Hunting DVDs

2010-07-13T10:51:00.007-05:00

This is about the time of year when I start going a little crazy. Hunting season is right around the corner but not near close enough. I haven't hunted in nearly two months and am chomping at the bit to be in a tree stand with my bow. I'm sure most of you know the feeling and are probably going through the same withdrawls. One way that many people learn to cope with this is by watching hunting dvds. However, it seems to make the urge to hunt even worse for me. When I watch a hunting dvd all I can think about is being in a stand myself seeing a giant buck walk by, but I still enjoy and love to watch them. Here are some dvds that I have watched recently and would highly recommend.

1. BUCK COMMANDER 3: The Bigs

This dvd is the 3rd installment of the popular Buck Commander series, and in my opinion the best yet. This is a highly entertaining, fast paced dvd that will keep you laughing as well as drooling over huge bucks.

2. MONSTER BUCKS XVIII: Volume 1

This is part 1 to the 18th installement of the Monster Bucks series from the guys at RealTree. This dvd is a compilation of different hunters either on the RealTree staff or sponsored by RealTree. It is a long dvd that is full of exciting hunts and really does have some Monster Bucks in it.

3. MONSTER BUCKS XVIII: Volume 2

This is the second dvd for Monster Bucks XVIII. I guess they had too many giant whitetail kills to fit it all on one dvd. This dvd is filled with huge whitetails and is also very entertaining.

If you are looking for something to feed you hunting hunger in the much too long offseason give these dvds a try. I enjoyed them very much and I don't think you will be disappointed. Be careful though, because if you are like me it could cause you to only dream about being out in the woods hunting even more.

New T3 by G5

2010-07-12T14:25:00.005-05:00

I'm sure most of you have already heard of or seen the new T3 mechanical broadhead from G5. I'm pretty sure that I'll have a few of these in my quiver this year. G5 makes a great broadhead and I think I'm going to like this new mechanical. Here is a short video from David Blanton's blog talking about the new T3.

If for some reason the video does not play, here is a link.

Click Here

Food Plot for Turkeys

2010-06-17T20:37:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we finally got our last plot of the spring/summer planted. It was about 1 1/2 acres that previously consisted of what we call switch grass. A few weeks ago we mowed the section that we wanted to plant and the week after we raked the grass off and sprayed it to kill the green grass.

When we started to disk up the plot, the dirt was really wet. More like mud actually. The wind was blowing and the sun was out a little, so that helped dry the dirt out a bit. We disked and dragged the plot over and over from 8 am until about 2. Finally the clumps were broken up enough and the dirt was dry enough to spread the seed.

We planted Chufa Gold by biologic in this plot which is a food plot specifically for turkeys. The grasses produce these tuber things underneath the ground that turkeys scratch up and eat.

A lot of people don't like chufa because they think that it is unfair or cheating because the turkeys like it so much, but we didn't plant it to hunt over it. The main reason we planted it is to help hold turkeys on our land. I don't see anything wrong with planting something that is good for wildlife and helps hold and attract more turkeys onto your property. So all the guys who say "I will hang up my turkey call and gun for good before I hunt over chufa" need to take a look at the bigger picture. They might be too good to hunt over or close to chufa but I guess they are also too good to plant something that is beneficial to the turkeys that are on and around your property. Chufa has been proven to provide turkeys with ample amounts of protein and nutrition. Ok, now that I have vented I'm stepping off my soap box, HaHa. I am very glad and excited that we got this plot planted and can't wait for it to start growing.

Last Rodeo

2010-06-15T19:15:00.009-05:00

Two weeks ago Matt and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary by making the trip over to Tulsa to see the Brooks & Dunn Last Rodeo concert. It was, without a doubt, the best concert I have ever seen! We had amazing seats, and I literally sang along to every single song! I took a lot of pictures so bear with me :)

This is a view of the stage before the concert started!

Jason Aldean was the opening act, and he did a great job! He is one of my favorite country singers, and I love him even more now! He was better live than on the radio!

Our seats were right near the end of the "runway" so I got some great shots! The woman sitting behind us was nice enough to take our picture during the break between Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn Then the show started! I loved the huge screen they had setup, and cute cowgirl pictures on the sides! They sounded great, and they played so many of my favorite songs! They were amazing, I L.O.V.E. all of their music and they definitely didn't disappoint Very pretty guitar, and I think his strap is so cool Singing my dad's favorite song..."You better kiss me, cuz you're gonna miss me WHEN I'M GONE" Love them :) They both have such great voices! Dunn's SWEET tattoo, took me forever to get a clear picture of it because he kept moving around! I love it!

During the song "Only in America" they long streamers over the crowd. It was so neat and unexpected, everyone in the crowd went crazy!

Towards the end of the show, Jason Aldean came back out and helped them sing "Tulsa Time." It was great, and of course Matt instantly recognized Jason's Buck Commander hat! :)

We really did have the time of our lives. It was such an amazing show, and a night that I will never forget. I am so sad that they are retiring, but am very thankful that we got the chance to see them!

Bear Rug

2010-06-13T21:37:00.004-05:00

This weekend I got a call from my taxidermist, Karen, telling me that my bear rug was ready to be picked up. I shot this chocolate color faze bear in Arkansas during archery season last year on opening day, October 1st. You can watch the video HERE. It took a long time to get the rug done, but bear rugs normally take longer than whitetails or any other kind of shoulder mount. I think it turned out really good and I am very pleased with it. Here are some pics.

Featured on Mike Hanback

2010-06-10T20:00:00.007-05:00

Hey everyone. Last week I sent in some pictures in response to Mike Hanback's blog about Big 6 point bucks. He featured them today on a follow-up blog. Check out the link here. He is the host of "The Buck Stops Here" tv show on versus and also has a great blog that I try to read as often as I can. If you haven't already read some of his blogs, give it a look. I really think you'll like it.

Mossy Oak's Oaks

2010-06-09T21:08:00.006-05:00

I have spent a lot of time recently trying to figure out ways to help improve our properties for holding whitetails. Even though we spend countless hours prepping and planting food plots, I really wondered if there was something else that could be done that was a little more permanent. My ultimate goal for our properties is to make them absolutely the best that they can possibly be for holding and hunting whitetails, so I thought what is a food source that deer love and doesn't have to be replanted each year.

ACORNS!

But for the most part, if you don't have that many oak trees on your property then your out of luck, right? Wrong, I came across this website www.nativnurseries.com , a nursery that sells starter trees specifically grown for wildlife. This is exactly what I was looking for. The young trees are actually extremely reasonably priced. They come to you 10+ inches tall. Which doesn't sound very big, but according to the website these trees were engineered to grow faster than most. They have the potential to be putting out acorns in as little at 4 years. Ok, 4 years sounds like a long time, but when you're talking about improving you hunting ground long term, it's not always about instant results. I can just see myself in 6 or 7 years saying "I wish I would've planted those oak trees." They also have a package specifically designed for whitetail deer. It consists of 6 different oak trees for a total of 24 trees. The trees in the "whitetail package" drop their acorns at different times during the hunting season so there is food on the ground throughout the whole season. It's like having a natural feeder that you never have to fill up. Adding oak trees to your property not only gives the deer food but also cover. Some of you may be thinking, how does a few trees here and there add cover? Trees make a deer feel secure and even though they may not be as good for hiding as a thicket, they do more than you would think. Where do the deer travel any time there is an old fence row that has grown into a tree row in the middle of a wide open field? Right next to the tree row because it gives them security. I think that planting some of these trees could be tremendously beneficial to the long term success of our hunting land. My only concerns would be making sure that trees that small would make it through their first couple of years. I'm not sure of what the success rate is of the young trees surviving or how much work is required to keep them alive. Do any of you have experience with trying to grow trees for wildlife? I'm anxious to hear what you all think about this subject.

Sarah's New Bowtech Soldier

2010-06-07T14:03:00.018-05:00

Hey everyone, this is Sarah, Matt's wife and #1 camera-woman. It is starting to get really hot here in Arkansas, and it is making me anxious for the cool fall weather and for hunting season. I just started hunting last year, and with Matt as my "guide" I was able to take my first deer. I was actually running the camera for Matt on this hunt. When this deer walked up, Matt said "give me the camera, you're shooting this deer." It was an unbelievable feeling harvesting my first deer in the pouring rain, and it was a moment that I will never forget. I was hooked.

I shot that deer with an old crossbow that Matt had used when he was younger. Since I enjoyed the experience, and have had fun tagging along with Matt over these last few years, I decided I needed a bow of my own. I went to the local sporting goods shop here in Fayetteville, and did my best to pull back a few that they had in stock. I settled on the Bowtech Soldier. Perfect for me because I'm short (really short) and the draw weight could be adjusted from 25 to 65 pounds! That was a couple months ago, and since then I have practiced shooting my new bow many times. I've learned many lessons, and only managed to lose 1 arrow ;) and I'm slowly but surely cranking up the weight on my bow.

Hopefully by the time hunting season rolls around, I'll be ready and confident enough to take one of these guys we've got on the trail cam.... if Matt doesn't get to him first!

Deer Season Preperation

2010-06-03T18:58:00.007-05:00

It's about time to start setting out cameras and taking inventory of next year's possible shooters. Bucks have been growing their antlers for at least a few weeks now, and I can't wait to start getting pictures of them. Seeing a buck in velvet this time of year really gets me excited because it feels like its been forever since they dropped their sheds.

This early in the growing season I really like to set cameras up on mineral sites. I try to concentrate on major trails or where two or more trails converge. A couple of other good places to set up sites are close to feeding or bedding areas. We are really excited to try "Noze Kandy", which is a product from one of our sponsors, Seemz Technology. "Noze Kandy" is not only a mineral but a deer attractant as well. I really like the fact that it has attractants in it, especially since it is hot and the deer aren't moving around as much this time of year. It's really easy to use, just check out this video.

Hopefully soon, I will have some pics to throw up on here and on "trail cam pic of the week" over at www.TheOutdoorFever.com. Do you start putting out trail cameras this early? If so, what are some of the best ways that you have found to get great pictures? If you have already been getting pics, please share. We would love to see them, email us at theoutdoorfever@gmail.com.

New Food Plot

2010-05-10T16:56:00.006-05:00

This past weekend we drove up to Kansas to put in a new food plot. At this particular spot we decided to plant Whitetail Institute's Imperial Power Plant. This should be a great food source throughout the summer antler growing period. Since it is an annual, it will last us until September or early October then we will disk it back up and plant it in Winter Greens (turnips). This is the first time that we have used Power Plant, but I've been using Whitetail Institute products for a few years now and am always pleased with the results. This particular product is a soybean blend specifically designed for whitetails and is loaded with protein. Last week we had the plot disked up and fertilized, so all we needed was some free time to get up and plant the seed. I'm very excited about the location of this food plot. It is located very close to cover and water, so the deer should feel very comfortable going in it to eat. And with Power Plant's potential to grow up to 6 ft. tall, a deer could live in the food plot and only have to come out to get water. We got the plot planted just in time. It actually started raining here and in Kansas last night, so the plot should take hold and start growing pretty quickly. I am excited to see how it does and hopefully can have some pictures soon of a lush green plot instead of just dirt.

Target Practice

2010-04-27T18:51:00.004-05:00

About a week ago we had some beautiful weather, so Sarah and I decided to go practice our shooting "skills." Sarah just recently got her first compound bow, so we try to get out and shoot whenever we can. I think it is extremely important to practice as often you can. It sure does make it a lot more fun now that Sarah has a bow. The competitions between us are fun now, but she is quickly getting better and better. I don't know how much fun it will be for me if she keeps hitting bullseyes like she did. I might have to go back to practicing by myself. All kidding aside, she is getting a lot better and we always have a good time.

Turkey Hunting: Opening weekend

2010-04-24T20:48:00.010-05:00

Here short story of how our turkey season got started. Opening weekend of the youth season in Kansas we were joined by a 13 yr old family friend Evan house and his dad Bob. The first morning started off pretty good, we had great weather and could hear numerous birds gobbling off the roost. Evan and I were set up in an Ameristep ground blind with both of our fathers in a separate blind some 10-15 yards away. The birds pitched down perfectly in the field that we were set up over looking. Three big toms were about 100 yards away strutting around and putting on a show. After a while the birds started making their way out of the field. I guess with them having all the hens they wanted, they just weren't that interested in our calling. We decided that the birds were probably going to come back in there that evening to roost, so we set up just the same way we did that morning. A few hours went buy and after some calling we heard a bird gobble, so we called some more. The gobbles kept getting louder and the bird was getting closer. All of a sudden I looked up and there he was about 300 yards across the field shining beautifully in the sunlight. With a little bit of calling he started coming our direction. He was taking his sweet time gobbling his head off about every ten steps. After what seemed like forever, he finally made it into range. Although Evan had hunted turkeys before and even killed a jake, this was his first shot at a big longbeard. Evan put the bead on him and squeezed the trigger. The big tom dropped like a rock. He handled himself very well and did not let the nerves get the best of him, but I think I can honestly say that I was probably shaking more than he was. The bird weighed 24 lbs with an 8 inch beard and 1 inch spurs. I can't even begin to explain how proud I was of him. We got great footage and it should make an awesome video. It was absolutely one of the most exciting hunts I have ever been on.

BoneCollector Blind

2010-03-30T17:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I received my new blind from Ameristep. I chose the bonecollector blind because it had all the features that I was wanting. It's so easy to set up, comes with shoot through mesh and a gun port hole so that you can keep the mesh closed and still hunt with a gun. This blind has Realtree AP HD camo which blends in great with any terrain. It also has Ameristep's NS3 technology which stands for No Scent, No Shine, No Sound. I was so excited that I had to take it out in the back yard and set it up. Ameristep makes great products that are extemely user friendly. The blind comes in a carrying bag that is equipped with heavy duty shoulder straps. These straps make it so easy to just throw the blind on your back and hike it in or out of the woods (or the back yard).Looks like someone's going to have to start working out.

You can literally set up and take the blind down in seconds.

When the blind is up, it is easy to see how well made they are. The way that they are built makes them very sturdy and durable.

I can't wait to get the blind out of the yard and into the field. Ameristep is a great company that offers top of the line product, I feel extremely blessed and proud to be a member of their pro staff. It's almost time to go out and lay the smack down on some Thunder Chickens.

Kansas Buck Mount

2010-03-28T13:11:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to pick up my buck that I shot last season in Kansas. I was so pumped, and Karen's Taxidermy here in Rogers, AR always does great work. I couldn't wait to see him. He turned out great, and he could barely fit in the back seat.

We got home and hung him up in my office. I had forgotten how huge his body was. I killed him early in the season before the rut so he still had all his fat on him.

Now I can't wait for next season to get here...

Snow, snow & more snow...

2010-03-21T17:16:00.003-05:00

The weather this weekend has been crazy. It went from sunny and high 60s on friday to 12 inches of snow today. Here are some pictures that we took at our house and around town.

These geese looked beautiful in the pond with the snow falling on them. Its amazing, they seemed not to be bothered by the snow at all.

Our dog Kota loves the snow!

All this snow reminded me of Colorado. We took this picture of a red fox outside our condo in Breckenridge a couple weeks ago.

Turkey season opens at the end of next week. Hopefully the weather gets better and warms up a bit, I don't want to be freezing my butt off in a blind.

Crappie Fishing

2010-03-20T14:41:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was beautiful in NW Arkansas, so we decided to go out to the lake and try our luck at crappie fishing. It was sunny, high 60s with a slight breeze. It is still a little early in the season for crappie fishing, most of the fish are still down deep but we thought we'd give it a try. We drove out to the marina and picked up some minnows. After we got to the dock, we began fishing but it took about half an hour to get our first bite. We fished for a couple of hours and caught 9 total. Most of them were not big enough to keep but we had fun anyways. It's always good to get outdoors and just have fun, even if you don't bring home a big batch of fish.

Sunday Shed Hunting

2010-03-01T21:58:00.002-06:00

Here's a short video we took of our shed hunting trip this weekend. Hope you enjoy it!

Spring Cleaning

2010-02-27T20:59:00.007-06:00

I finally did one of the things that I've been putting off for too long... Cleaned out my Hunting Closet! I had just been letting things pile up since the start of deer season, and let me tell you, it was a real mess.

I needed to get things together before turkey season and thought that I might as well do it today. I thought that I should probably try to pull everything out and get it organized before I tried to put it back in, good thing I had a helper.

Sarah helped a little too. It took me a while, but it was something that really needed to be done. Now I can actually see the floor, and it sure makes it easier when I go looking for something and know exactly where to find it.

New Toy

2010-02-24T18:27:00.004-06:00

Today we drove over to Oklahoma and picked up our new toy, a Stealth 4x4 electric vehicle. What a sweet machine. I've been fortunate enough to have ridden in a few different models of electric vehicles, and this one takes the cake. We're planning on taking it out this weekend to go shed hunting, can't wait to get it out and see what it can really do. I really can't wait to use it to help sneak up on a couple of wary toms this spring and hopefully a whitetail or two this fall.

Some Sheds and Stuff

2010-02-23T21:40:00.008-06:00

Here are a few pics from our last shed hunting trip which was a few weeks ago. Found a few sheds and saw a bunch of turkeys. We hope to go again this weekend if the weather will allow it. The first pic is me holding a pretty big 3 pt. shed.

The next photo is a picture of all of the sheds that were found

on that trip.

The next pic was taken a couple weeks later after all that snow that we got. This picture was taken in the yard. We literally pulled up to the house and got out of the car and were standing on turkey tracks. I can't wait to hear those big toms gobbling and see them

struttin' into a call.

Long Time No Blog

2010-02-17T16:40:00.002-06:00

It feels like it has been forever since I last blogged. I have been so busy lately that I haven't really even had to even think about it. About the shed trap test... due to weather and other circumstances I was not able to keep corn at the traps. So maybe next year. Anyways, one of my good friends has a website that is a free forum, www.broadheadtalk.com . It's a website where people can get on there and discuss different things about broadheads and archery. On this website they have test videos, some of which they conduct themselves and some are conducted by other people. Here is one of their most recent tests entitled "The Ragesicle!" Kinda catchy. I found this video to be both informative and entertaining. I enjoyed it and thought that they did a really good job. So take a look and let me know what you think or you can hop on over to broadheadtalk.com and post on there for free.

Research for Shed Trap testing

2010-01-20T20:08:00.005-06:00

Today I began researching for a video test that I will be conducting. It is going to be about shed traps/catchers. If you do not know what that is, no big deal... I didn't know what they were until only a few months ago. As soon as I saw one and read about people trying them out, I was instantly intrigued. Basically, a shed trap is a contraption that is designed to catch or collect deer antler sheds. There are many different designs out there and I will be testing out 3 or 4 different ones. The test will take place in Kansas where it is legal to "bait". Before any one attempts to create a shed trap, you must check with your local laws to make sure that it is legal to put out "bait". Also, the traps are designed so that they will absolutely cause no harm to the animals. The traps will never be hunted over and will only be built for one reason... to collect sheds. Look for the first video of the series this weekend. If you are obsessed with antlers, enjoy hunting or shed hunting even half as much as I do or if you are just interested in the way things are made or wildlife in general then I think you will find these videos very interesting.

Quick Overview of the Past Week

2010-01-18T14:06:00.012-06:00

The past week has been so exciting for me, I don't really know where to begin. I guess I'll start by saying that I was accepted by two different companies to represent them as a member of their 2010 Pro Staff. The first company to accept me as a member of their Pro Staff was Ameristep. I have been using Ameristep products for quite some time now and in my opinion they are the best in the business. I love their ground blinds as well as treestands. They are so simple to use and the safety of the treestands are unmatched. The second company to accept me as a member of their Pro Staff was LimbSaver. Limbsaver is an excellent company that makes great products and I am so excited to be a part of their team.

Later in the week I had the privilege to go to the ATA Show in Columbus, Ohio. This was such a great oppurtunity for me to be able to meet different people who are also in the hunting industry. I rode to Columbus with two friends who have a website called BroadheadTalk.com. If you get a chance to check it out, I definintely recommend that you do. The trip was extremely successful and we all had a great time despite the lack of sleep.

Sunday, my dad and I went up to our Kansas farm to check on a few things. We were driving around and stumbled upon the first shed of the year. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I love hunting sheds almost as much as the real thing. It turned out to be a pretty good shed too, 71". With an 18" spread that would put him right at 160". It was a deer that we have never seen before, not even one picture. Those of you who know me, know that I like to get as many trail cam photos as I can. I could not believe that this deer had slipped past me. I can only dream about how big he will be next year... 170", 180"!? Who knows? All I know is that I can't wait to start finding more sheds and begin to catalog the deer that we will be hopefully hunting next season. Overall, this has been a great week and I am so blessed to be able to have had these experiences.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-30T09:54:00.008-06:00

Saturday: Dad and I went out to this spot on the King's River that we have been hunting for a while now. He asked me to come film for him while he shot a doe. So we woke up early and we were in the stand at about 6:00 AM. At about 6:45 here comes a big fat doe walking down the old loggin road that we were overlooking. Dad waits until the doe is behind a tree and stands up to get ready for a shot. Meanwhile, I get the camera turned on and begin filming. It is just enough daylight to get a good picture on the camera. The doe makes her way to 10 yards, but she is walking towards us so there is no shot. All of a sudden she looks up and we get BUSTED! The doe takes off and we just looked at eachother and laughed. At 7:15 another doe starts coming down the road. This time Dad stays sitting in his stand in hopes to not get busted again. I get the camera started again and I hear something to my right. It was two spikes coming down the road from the opposite direction of the doe. I move the camera to them and begin filming them for a few seconds. Then I notice something about twenty yards infront of dad walking straight towards us through the thick part of the woods. When I turn my head all I see are horns. He was walking fast and was getting close so I knew I had to get the camera on him because it was going to happen quickly. I got the camera on him, Dad draws and makes a great shot and we hear him crash about a 75 yards away. Both of us were in disbelief, we were just going to try to kill a doe not expecting a nice buck to come by. The buck ended up scoring 132 1/2 which is a pretty good ten point in NW Arkansas. It's ironic that we went out there to kill a doe and got busted, and if we hadn't have gotten busted we would never have seen that buck. What a hunt.

Sunday: Sarah and I had been hunting this spot overlooking a field in which the deer had been using quite a bit. We set up the Ameristep ground blind last week hoping that the deer would get used to it by the weekend. We had pictures on the Moultrie trail cam of two good bucks in the area. One is a mid 130s ten point and the other is a low 120s 8 point. We had been hunting this spot every afternoon for four days straight and had not seen the big ten or the 8. So we went out Sunday afternoon thinking we had a good chance since a cold front was coming though. The plan was she was going to video me if the ten came in but she was going to bring her crossbow in case the 8 point showed up and I would take the camera. After being in the blind for about 1/2 an hour it began to rain. It sure is nice and cozy in a ground blind when it's cold and rainy out. At about 4:30 I spot a buck coming from our right. I noticed that it was a buck that we had not seen before and that it was an 8 point. I told sarah "give me the camera and get your bow." The buck came in and after what seemed like forever but was actually a couple minutes. She squeezed off the shot and smoked him. I was so excited that I could hardly keep the camera still. She had just shot her first buck ever! I think I was more nervous than she was. We gave it a while but I knew he was hit hard. She was using a Rage 2 blade broadhead so I knew that he could not have gone very far. Since it was raining, I didn't want to wait too long incase the blood trail got washed away. We walked down to where he exited the field and saw him laying about 40 yards away. We were both so excited that she had shot her first deer. I could not have been more proud. What a great weekend!

Low Battery

2009-11-19T09:26:00.004-06:00

Yesterday afternoon seemed promising as I was driving out to one of my hunting spots in Northwest Arkansas. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon and I had already seen 4 does standing in fields before I reached my destination. The temperature was hovering right around 40 degrees and with the sky being overcast, I was very optimistic about the upcoming hunt. I arrived, changed clothes, sprayed down with dead down wind and was off to my stand with my bow and video equipment in hand. As I was walking, I saw another doe. This gave me more excitement and also quickened the pace in my step. Before I got into the tree, I sprayed Acorn Rage Blast all around my stand. It is similar to the Acorn Rage product but in a liquid form. This would be the first time I used it and I thought might as well give it a try, it couldn't hurt right? Well I got into the stand and set up the camera then pulled my bow up. This was my first time attempting to film myself from a treestand. I had done so from a ground blind before, which is a challenge in itself, but I was looking forward to trying to do it off the ground. At about 3:00 I decided to do a little rattleing and grunting. No more than 2 minutes after, here comes a nice young buck walking down the trail. He was postured up with his ears pinned back looking for a fight. I thought to myself "Man, this is perfect. He's coming in on a string and all I have to do is get the camera ready and make the shot." Of course when bowhunting, it rarely goes perfectly to plan, especially if you are filming a bow hunt. So I go to turn the camera on and nothing. No sound, no lights, just nothing. I thought "you have got to be kidding me." Here I am, the first time filming myself and I rattle in a decent buck and the camera is out of battery. I let him pass on by and needless to say, I was pretty bummed out. Then I thought "he definetely wasn't the biggest buck in the woods, in fact, there's no way that I would've shot him if I didn't have a camera with me." So maybe it was a good thing and now that deer can grow another year. Now a lesson has been learned, and I will always check the battery and tapes before going into the woods. As for the rest of the hunt, I didn't see anything other than spikes and does but they did go nuts of the acorn rage blast. I will be using that product again in the future. Just remember to always double check everything and it really is better to be safe than sorry.

Videos

2009-11-17T15:03:00.003-06:00

Well it's official, the videos are up and running on my website. It has been a long time coming, from editing to actually getting them on the website. We are very excited and pleased with how they turned out. If you get a chance to check it out, please do so. The web address is www.theoutdoorfever.com or you can click on "my website" located on the right side of the page. I would love to hear what you guys think about them. It seems like so long ago since I blogged about the bear that I shot on video. Finally everyone else can see it now as well as the buck that was shot in Kansas. As for now, I am trying to find a place to kill a big buck fairly soon. I've been hunting around here a little bit in Arkansas, well actually I've been running the camera for my wife. It's been fun so far but we haven't had much luck. Hopefully with this cold weather moving in our luck will change.

Another Great Weekend in Kansas

2009-11-12T09:42:00.007-06:00

We had another successful weekend in Kansas with Dad taking a great buck Friday night. It was a pretty cool story, he was letting his bow down when the deer walked up and was able to pull his bow back up and make the shot at 15 yards without being detected. He shot it right before dark and decided to let it lay over night and try not to push it. Saturday he woke up and searched all day and could not find him. There was good blood for about 50 yards then he just stopped bleeding. I was unable to get up there until Saturday night so, Sunday morning we both woke up and went out and eventually found the deer after searching for 2 1/2 hours. What a relief, it gives you an uneasy feeling when you look that long and can't find a deer or any type of game for that matter. The deer had a forked G2 and a 3" kicker off the other G2. Great character on this buck. He ended up gross scoring 148". Needless to say he was very pleased and relieved when we found the deer. We had two friends hunting up there with us this weekend and even though they didn't get to bring one home, they had some great encounters and saw some really good bucks. We all had a great time and it was an awesome weekend to be hunting and spending time with friends.

Behind the Camera

2009-11-05T09:49:00.004-06:00

After tagging out on a great buck in Kansas last weekend, I will be running the video camera for my Dad this weekend. If it will cool off it should be a good hunt. From what I've seen and heard from other hunters the bucks should be chasing does like crazy, but you never know. They finally got a few dry days so that they could get some of the crops out. This will only help the hunting because the deer can no longer use the corn fields and milo fields for cover. Now they have to stick to the woods. When corn fields aren't cut a big deer could just live in there and have no reason to leave. So hopefully this will help. I'm excited about running the camera, I just like to be out in the woods hunting whether I get to shoot something or not. I will have my bow with me though in case I get a chance to take care of some doe management, which is always fun. Good Luck to everyone hunting this week, I think it should be a good one.

Kansas Ten Point

2009-11-02T12:40:00.005-06:00

Finally I got a chance to take a good buck in Kansas. We have been hunting very hard every chance we could. October 31st, Halloween, we hunted this spot which we had been seeing good bucks but not able to get one to come in close enough. We hunted that morning and passed on a young 130" buck. That afternoon we went back out and the whole way to the stand I was thinking its way to hot, we won't see much. It was in the low 60s and just seemed like the kind of day when bucks don't move. We were settled in the stand at about 3:30. An hour passed when we spotted a doe about a hundred yards in front of us coming our way. My wife, who was running the camera, said there was a buck following her across the creek. He made his way towards us and for about ten minutes I couldn't tell how big he was. Eventually he made his way out of the brush so I could get a look and immediately I knew he was a shooter. I could not believe that this mature buck was up and walking around this early on a day this hot. After what seemed like forever, the buck finally made his way across the creek to where the doe was standing. He stopped broadside at 30 yards away. I just kept telling myself to relax and make the shot. When he turned his head I drew back and made the shot. When I walked up on the deer I was speechless, he was bigger than I thought. There was absolutely no ground shrinkage on this buck. After a few seconds I realized that we had a couple of trail cam pics of this buck. My wife sarah got the whole thing on video and did a great job. The buck green scored right at 160" and I could not be happier. It feels great when you put in the work and get to see it pay off.

Hunting over bait

2009-10-27T09:40:00.004-05:00

Recently I read where someone had stated that people who hunt over food plots are being "spoon-fed" big deer because it is hunting over bait. This person pretty much stated that if you hunt over bait, you are not a real hunter. I fully understand that this is his opinion and he is completely entitled to it. However, I don't think that there is anything wrong with hunting over "bait." I consider bait to be anything that ATTRACTS a deer or whatever animal you are set out to harvest. This could be anything from food plots, corn feeders or even scents. Many people say they don't hunt over bait and never would but yet they are putting out estrous doe scents during the rut. Is this not the same thing? It attracts deer to your area. What does a corn feeder do? It attracts deer to your area. I would also consider hunting next to a tree that is producing a large number of acorns to qualify as hunting over bait. It is just a natural bait site that attracts the deer. I don't feel that there is anything wrong with any of these tactics. If they help you be successful in the field then why not use them. There are alot of hunters out there who like to think that they are better than others because they say they don't hunt over bait. Maybe some of them don't use any kind of baiting to lure in an animal, but most of them do. The problem is that most of these hunters only consider baiting to be a corn feeder or a strategically placed food plot. They do not realize that there are many different forms of baiting. Every one is entitled to their opinion and people can hunt however they like. Whether it be spot and stalk or hunting in a heated box blind overlooking a food plot with a corn feeder in the middle, people should hunt whatever way they like. Just because someone might rather hunt over a food plot, it doesn't make them any less of a hunter. This is just a subject that has been addressed before by others and it seems like eveyone's opinion is different. So that is all that this is, my opinion.

Hungry Deer

2009-10-23T10:14:00.005-05:00

This is a picture that one of my friends emailed to me this week. It was taken with a trail cam when he was leaving his stand. He was checking on the feeder when he saw this yearling start walking up and begin to eat the corn. He said he just froze and the deer walked within 3 ft. of him and was just crunching corn.It is a very interesting picture. In northwest Arkansas we haven't had the acorns that we usually have and these deer are just trying to get whatever food they can, even if it means eating right next to a hunter. Pretty Cool.

Patience is Key

2009-10-19T09:18:00.002-05:00

My wife and I hunted Sunday in Northwest Arkansas. It was pretty cold Sunday morning with temperatures in the low 30s. There were plenty of deer moving around, this was evident from the sounds of muzzleloaders sounding off what seemed like every 30 seconds. When you have hunted in Arkansas your whole life, you learn to get used to the sounds of other hunters all around you. We did enjoy the hunt with the entertainment of 6 different spikes and quite a few does. However, we did not see a legal buck to shoot. There was no need to get discouraged because any day hunting is a good day, and besides that is why they call it hunting not killing. Today is October the 19th and I have still yet to see a shooter buck on the stand, whether it be with a bow in my hand or a camera. It is very important to remember that persistance and patience is key when hunting trophy whitetails.

Plans for This weekend

2009-10-16T09:40:00.003-05:00

This afternoon I'm going to head back up to Kansas to move some cameras around and put some corn out. I am really trying hammer down the spots that are going to help me be most successfull when the rut hits. As for hunting, I am going to hang around here in Arkansas and film my wife hunting. It will be muzzleloader season and it will also be her first time hunting. She took all the classes and got her hunter's education card and is ready to knock down a big buck. Wish us Luck.

Back from Kansas

2009-10-13T09:48:00.004-05:00

Even though the weather was great and we saw lots of deer, it just didn't happen for us. There were plenty of bucks moving around but we couldn't get a shooter to come into range. The trip however, was not a total bust because we did get to take care of some doe management. It's always nice to be able to put some meat in the freezer. Not to mention, it is pretty fun too. I will be back up there in two weeks. Hopefully we can get a buck on the ground.

Weekend in Kansas

2009-10-08T14:02:00.003-05:00

I am heading up to Kansas this weekend to do some bow hunting. I have been watching the weather all week and it looks like it's going to be nearly perfect. It rained all day yesterday, raining all day today and calling for rain tomorrow morning. It is supposed to quit by mid day tomorrow. With a high of 52 and sunshine all weekend long, it seems to be promising. I love hunting during these types of conditions. Other than the rut, I feel like it is the best chance to see a big mature buck on his feet. After a couple days of hard rain, the deer will be out looking for food the first chance they get, and with a near 20 degree temperature drop it could be excellent. Last year I took a 130 class buck under similar circumstances. Some people might not agree but when a big cold front is moving through, I will be in the woods.

Tagged Out

2009-10-07T16:42:00.007-05:00

There was a change of plans yesterday and we did not get a chance to go after that big bear. Hopefully we will get a chance to go after him soon. Since I mentioned being tagged out for bear this season in Arkansas, I thought I would show you guys a picture. This bear was shot on Oct. 1st at 5:30 PM. The entire hunt was caught on video and it is in the process of being edited. He was 250+ lbs and a mature bear. We will have more pictures and videos on my website which is coming soon. If you have the chance to go bear hunting with a bow, I absolutely recommend it. What an adrenaline rush.

Bear Hunting

2009-10-06T12:48:00.005-05:00

It has been raining hard the past two days. It finally quit about half an hour ago. I've been baiting this site for bear for about 2 weeks now and we have pictures of this 500+ lb. bear hitting the bait. Since I am already tagged out for bear this season, I will be the one running the camera for my dad. Hopefully I will have pictures and a video to show from tonights hunt.

Introduction

2009-10-05T17:59:00.002-05:00

Hey, I'm Matt from Northwest Arkansas. I am starting this blog to document my love for hunting and all things outdoors. I have been addicted to hunting for as long as I can remember. Over the past few years, I have found a passion for bow hunting, and for filming my hunts. I love capturing the intense moments on film, and sharing them with others. This blog will follow all my hunts, and hopefully allow others to share in the experience.