Oravetz Hunting

North Dakota 2009

2009-09-22T08:47:00.001-07:00

The beginning of sept. found me along with 4 other guys from Wisconsin on a trip to the badlands of North Dakota in search of Mule deer and maybe a whitetail or two. The trip went great except when we ran into a hatch of some type of bug that literally made it dangerous to drive in for lack of vision. We hit our destination around 230 am Mountain time. We never did go to bed that night we got our stuff ready and were out glassing by a little after sun up. We seen some deer that morning and actually were able to glass a real good Mulie on what we are positive was private land. After heading back for a quick nap and lunch we all headed out in some different areas, Jerod and I bivy hunted an area he had found the year before. I put the stalk on a bedded buck but couldn't get any closer than 100 yards to him before he busted. We hunted hard in some tough weather conditions extreme heat and one nasty rain storm made for some tough maneuvering. In the end we went 3 for 5 which is pretty decent with archery equip. I had my chances but I just couldn't seal the deal. I learned a ton on that hunt and can't wait to get back next fall.

Now it's time to hunt midwest whitetails, I have been out a few times already and have my sights on a buck I call swamp thing, his core area is in a funnel with two swamps and my food plot, it is going to take patience but I am confident he will mess up a little closer to the rut. Until then I am just going to hunt nice and easy and let him make the next move, there is a lot of season left and I am going to enjoy every minute I can.

More pictures

2009-08-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I did mange to get a quick picture of a good eleven point buck and a real nice 135 inch 8 point, I have been watching these two guys on a somewhat of a regular basis. Sept. 19 th can't get here fast enough.

D Day 2009

2009-08-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's unbelievable that I will be kicking off the 2009 hunting season in less than 20 days now. I am very excited to be heading to the Badlands of North Dakota for my very first time. This will be a Bivy style hunt which will have us carrying everything on our backs for the majority of the 7 day hunt. To get ready I have been shooting my bow at some pretty long ranges and most recently I have began the task of what to bring and what not to bring. Light is good when you are in the backcountry. And counting ounces is the name of the game. Hopefully it isn't 100 degrees everyday we are out there but I am expecting some very hot conditions. Wish all of us at Back 40 Outdoors luck.

Back 40 Outdoors

2009-07-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't already know I am involved with a website called www.backfortyoutdoors.com/blog we have recently changed the website around and are currently adding content as we speak. I encourage all of you to visit the site and let us know what you think. We also are sponsoring the DIY forum at http://www.sagecreekoutfitters.com/ we are going to have a ton of videos some of them are hunts we have filmed but more importantly a lot of tips and techniques that we all like to use. Come and check us out. The picture I added doesn't have anything to do with my post but it is a picture from an area in Wis. that I hunt and beings that the hunting season is oh so close I felt it appropriate to share.

Finally !!!

2009-07-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well it finally happened, I have had my cameras out for almost two months and I had yet to get a decent buck on film. Well I checked one of my cameras last Friday night and I got a good one. He is a solid bodied buck with a nice spread to boot. I need him to put some inches on his tines and when he does he will be a shooter for sure. Every day we get closer to the archery season, I don't think I have ever been as ready as I am this year hopefully all the hard work will pay off.

On a side note I had a comment on my last post that asked if we ate those ugly looking Gar up here. The answer to that is yes we do. You would all be surprised on how they taste, it is a tougher meat but not any tougher than shrimp or lobster, the wife loved it and she is a very picky eater. So if you ever get the chance to try some gar give it a shot. As for the carp no those we use for fertilizer it's to bad we can't find a better use for them because we have plenty.

Food Plot Updates

2009-07-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

It is going in to the Fourth of July weekend boy that's hard to believe, where did the time go? My favorite two food plots have been in the ground now for 5-6 weeks and another was planted one week ago ( Brassicas) every thing is looking good and seeing the pics from my CuddeBacks it doesn't look like we have any shortage of Does and fawns and the occasional young buck. Another month or so and we should start getting some pics of good bucks. Stay tuned to see how it all turns out later this summer.

GAR!!!!

2009-06-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

Long Nose gar? if you would have asked me about them last year I wouldn't have had much to say, ask me what I think now and I have lots to say. After spending a day on the lake with good friend Forrest Robeck and Team Full Barrel Bowfishing Team (Keith and Tyler) I can definitely say that gar are one of my favorite fish. Just the look alone is awesome, now mix in there speed, stealth, and great camouflage they are the ultimate predator in the lakes they inhabit. As you all know I love to shoot carp with a bow but when the offer came up to go on a gar hunt I have to say I was a little worried. I knew I could hit carp but gar? These little critters are a fourth of the size of a carp. But after 15 minutes being on the lake I had my first one in the boat. Forrest struck first when we trolled up to a spawning group, there were fish everywhere and Forrest capitalized on a nice 4-5 pound fish. Seeing all the tails coming out of the water when they are spawning is a really cool sight. In the end we had a total of 16 gar. It was steady enough shooting to keep you busy. But that was only part 1 of a two part hunt, after shooting all day we left the lake and headed for a different honey hole to shoot carp and buffalo at night. We got on the lake around 10:00 and we were in for the long haul. We loaded the boat on the trailer around 5:30am and headed back east. We ended up with 96 fish total for the day/night. I figured we were on the boat roughly 17 1/2 hours, that is a good shift of shooting fish. Once again I have thank Keith Imholt and Tyler for letting us tag along. These boys have it going on when it comes to putting fish in the boat, Keith has a great set up and loves seeing other people get the shooting in. Thanks once again.

2009-06-22T13:44:00.000-07:00

2009-06-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

More fish

2009-06-16T19:47:00.001-07:00

We have been hitting it hard for the last week or so, the spawn is on and that is when you have to be out there. It makes for some tired days but it is well worth it. We have been getting some decent footage so once it is all over we can throw a video together for the website. I am up to around over 250 fish between me and whoever I am with. We had a very good night on Sunday into Monday shooting close to a hundred fish.

Night Bowfishing

2009-06-09T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well we are into our second week of night bowfishing here in MN. The weather has not been steady at all and every time the fish start to get "spawny" the weather shuts them right down. Don't get me wrong we have filled a few barrels of fish and have had a blast doing it but we are still waiting for that crazy time of year when you can't reel your line in fast enough. Keep checking in as I will be uploading more photos as we get them.

Turkey Recap 2009

2009-05-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well I would love to be able to say that I called in a nice big Tom and put a well placed arrow in him but that is not the case. I can't say that I didn't try my hardest though, I am convinced that turkey hunting is one of the tougher hunts you can do, up at 3 am and in MN you can hunt till sunset so that puts you right around 830 pm this time of year. It isn't the physical part of it just the lack of sleep, after seven days of it you can't wait for the season to end and the weather where do I begin? I love this state but honestly the weather can change on a dime on Saturday morning I had 3 layers of Under Armour on with temps in the mid 30's and winds in the upper 20's it wasn't warm but I knew it wouldn't last, by Wednesday I woke up to 72 degrees and winds that blew a steady 45-53 MPH all day long and by noon the temps were in the mid 90's you have to love it. I definitely had my opportunities but just couldn't seal the deal but I had a blast trying. The only picture I really have is of the load you have to carry around when trying to hunt these buggers with a bow plus camera equipment it makes a guy wonder how much work a turkey is worth? The other picture is from a recent carp shoot only a week and a half till we can shoot at night can't wait.

Food Plots 09 part1

2009-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Well I have been busy putting in my food plots for the spring, Turkey hunting starts tommorrow for me, hopefully I can get an arrow in one. I will keep you posted, sorry about the length of the video on the food plots I had a lot to say.

Badlands Packs

2009-05-08T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have been using Badlands Packs now for 6 years. Over these six years I have found that they are one of the toughest packs on the market. Not only do they fit like a pack should by putting the weight of your load on your hips not your back these things are nearly indestructible. And if you do succeed in destroying one you will very happy with Badlands unconditional warranty. I have been asked to pass on this video for everyone to see how much weight you can actually put in your badlands! Check out the video on the side bar of my page under badlands 2200.

Deadly Combination

2009-05-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

Well turkey season is getting closer and I felt the push to get everything in order. Most importantly making sure my equipment is dead on. We all hear it all the time you owe it to the animal this is very true but you also owe it to yourself, no one goes hunting and expects to miss, we have all done it but that doesn't mean we like it. I just received my 2009 Quest HPS( high performance solocam) man this bow is going to be a killer. I had them paint it all black for one reason because it looks cool, I have killed tons of animals with a camo bow now I am going to try it with a black one. I have nicknamed my bow Black Death. I am also shooting the new Duravane Fusions these little buggers are flying awesome. I am getting solid groups as far as I can shoot with field tips and broadheads. Put some Montec cs on the ends of my arrows and I have a feeling I am going to be deep frying some turkey before I know it.

Dads turkey hunting season

2009-05-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hunting turkeys is somewhat of a new thing for our family, we have been able to hunt them for the past 8 years in our area so in the spectrum of things I would not consider us to be experts by any means. My Dad ( Kurt) has had really good luck racking up 6 birds in Seven years of hunting them. Those are great odds considering the first few years we had a very small population of turkeys. Dad has opted to use a muzzle loading shotgun the last 6 years and I don't believe he will ever go back to a modern shotgun. This season dad and my grandpa (Andy) hunted hard but when the weather doesn't cooperate usually the turkeys don't either. They did manage to call a few birds up but they just wouldn't come out of the brush which happens a lot when you are hunting turkeys in the woods instead of on field edges. My one day off for the week happened to be during dads season so we made an attempt to fill that tag, I called two beautiful toms in but again they just wouldn't come out of the brush Dad did take a shot but I think that a sapling took most of the Beebe's and not the turkey. I would have most definitely also taken the shot. Even though dad didn't get one, there is something about hunting turkeys that drives me crazy, and being able to share it with family makes it even better.

Side note: Dad was able to capitalize on a coyote that thought he was going to have an easy meal of our Montana Decoys.

Work Work Work

2009-04-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Man its been hectic around the Oravetz household, I am currently working a Refuel Outage at the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant which keeps me more than busy. Ashley definitely doesn't have any spare time either working a full time job and taking care of Miley, who just celebrated her 1st birthday on sunday is by far not a relaxing duty. With all of that going on I haven't had much time to get in the woods, we have been getting hit with snow and cold for the last 5 months but I think we are finally going to start warming up a bit. I have seen a few birds strutting so that gets me all giddy inside, I have a while yet before my season but it will be here before I know it. Good luck to everyone chasing the thunder chicken this spring.

What's Your Goal

2009-02-23T17:09:00.000-08:00

I hate this time of year, we are still a long ways from deer season and I personally have a good 2 1/2 months until turkey season. Sure we go out and look for sheds but we just got another 4 inches of snow on Saturday and we have a chance for a good amount on Thursday so it will be a while until I really hit the trails. This is the time of the year we should all be sitting down and writing out our goals for the next season. Being involved with sports most of my youth I was taught to always have a goal for the season, this follows so true with hunting. Now when setting your goals we have to be realistic, not that there is anything wrong with dreaming, life wouldn't be near as fun if we all couldn't dream a little. But setting obtainable goals is very important because we don't want to set ourselves up for failure. If you have never harvested a deer with a bow obviously you wouldn't set your goal at shooting a 150 inch animal. I think you get the picture. I myself will be heading to the Badlands the first week of September chasing Mulies and Whitetails, my goal right now is to get into better shape and shoot everyday. The shooting is no problem I already shoot at least 15-20 arrows a night in the basement and once it gets nice out I will really do some yard work. The working out part is the tough one working long hours and having a little one running around it can be tough, but it has to be done. I was able to talk with Cameron Hanes a little at the ATA this past winter and this man is hardcore. He is a very intense individual and takes everything to the extreme, he is a great guy to talk to. He wrote a book called The Back Country Bowhunter it is a must read for anyone who wants to take hunting to the next level.

Scouting 09

2009-02-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

Well the weather finally broke for us here in the Midwest, it has been a balmy mid 20's to lower 30's for the better part of the week which feels great after being bombarded by sub zero weather for what seems like forever. Eric and I were itching to get out and look for some antlers and check to see where the deer have been hiding. I was actually pretty surprised I thought that we were going to find a "yarded up" area where all the deer had been hanging out because of the large amount of snow and cold weather but it seems that the deer did just fine. I t was definitely still hard getting around if you got off the trails. I think we are going to resume searching after we get a good thaw and lose the majority of the snow. I was able to find the remains of a 3.5 year old, man i would have liked to see what this guy could have turned into. This is just part of being a wild animal. I don't think people understand how hard these bucks run themselves down during the rut, it takes a lot to get back in condition for a long winter and unfortunately this one didn't make it. I am thankful though that I was able to find him, I haven't seen this deer before but I heard about a nice 10 point living in the area where I found him it most definitely could be him.

Ice Fishing

2009-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

Well there isn't a whole lot to do in central MN in the depths of winter except to go find some frozen water and drop a line or two. I haven't been fishing near as much as usual this winter probably due to the fact that it has been extremely cold. In sub zero temps the fish don't even like to bite to much. The times I have been out we catch some fish but nothing super. It still doesn't matter though it is just fun getting on the lake and enjoying company with your friends. I enjoy talking about the past hunting seasons and what went right and what went wrong. Trying to figure out where we should put in food plots in the spring and all of that good stuff. Hopefully we get some type of warm up and it cranks the fish up a bit. I will keep trying till the ice go's out.

ATA 09

2009-01-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

Man where does the time go? I swear that I was just writing my very first post on blogger called ATA 08. Well lets just say things are looking good in the archery world. Working the G5 and Quest booth doesn't give a guy much time to walk around, which is a good thing or I have a feeling my wallet would be even thinner than it is. I shot a few new bows on the market and depending on what your looking for I do believe there is something for everybody. I met a ton of cool new people and caught up with a few guys and gals I don't get a chance to talk to on a regular basis. G5's booth was rockin all week long right along with the quest booth. I have to say that quests new bow line says bow hunter all over it. Even the Bone Collectors themselves swung by the booth a few times and brought along a buddy by the name of Blake Shelton. I have to say that Blake is about as down to earth as they come and has no problem talking hunting. If you have not seen the new Bone Collectors TV show you better get on the bus because it is what hunting is all about. You can check the times on http://www.michaelwaddell.com/ . Be sure to check out all the new G5 products at your local archery shop also. I love the ATA but hate it at the same time, every year afterwards I just get jacked right back up for the hunting season when I know I have a few months before old tom turkey will start gobbling again. I have a feeling that I am going to be making a trip south after some long beards one of these years.

Food Plots

2008-12-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

It's never a bad time to be thinking about what you are going to do to increase your odds of seeing deer for next year. I started a food plot one year ago and I was able to get half of what I wanted done this year prior to the season starting. This fall Eric and I cleared out the second half. When I say clearing out I don't mean cutting down good healthy trees. We look for naturally open areas in the woods and take out any dead stuff and all of the under brush. To locate these areas you have to do it when everything is in full vegetation because once the leaves die it is hard to tell what will get sunlight and what won't. To get rid of unwanted brush piles we wait till you get a good snow and burn them. We use all of the bigger stuff for firewood. Now come spring all I have to do is come in and till it up and put some lime in the ground and plant it. I am still debating what I am going to plant in this kill plot but I know for sure it will be one of Antler Kings fine products.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and hopefully we will all have a good New Year. I must have been a good boy this year because I got spoiled with all sorts of new hunting gear and some gift cards that will be put to some good use. I love the holidays spending time with all the families but I can only be inside for so long before I start going a little stir crazy, this year I planned ahead a little and brought my video equip. and also my snow shoes so the day after Christmas Ashley and I made use of some beautiful powdery snow and went on a little hike. I was also able to film a little clip for the BackFortyOutdoors website.

I was also able to set up my new Quest bow. I am so impressed with this bow I can't say enough good things about it. I also made a drastic change in my release I went from a tru ball short and sweet to a stan sx2 thumb release. I was noticing some early signs of target panic coming on so I needed to change things up. I will still keep my trusty tru ball in my bag though for backup. Once again I hope all of you have a great holiday season.

Late Season Hunt

2008-12-16T08:14:00.000-08:00

Well I can't believe I am writing these words but our whitetail hunting is coming to a close once again. I was able to get out one last time this past weekend with the "Smoke Pole", I even convinced Mr. Lucky himself to come and run the camera for me. Eric and I set up the double bull out on the edge of a chopped corn field where the deer were coming to feed. I had been watching the weather and we had a big system coming threw the next day. I had a feeling we might catch a few deer coming to feed before things got nasty. Well I have to say I was pretty disappointed about 15 min of good camera light left and we still hadn't seen hide or hair of a deer. I actually started to pack things up and low and behold a little doe came out to feed, I let Eric get the camera rolling and thought I had my gun where I needed to be. I shot and the deer bucked up and took off running hard not an encouraging thing to see. We had blood but it was the spotty type that is just a drip here and drip there. We gave her several hours and then got back on the trail. She had never laid down once, we heard her running a few times a head of us so I backed out once again. I returned the next morning and looked for another few hours to make sure she wasn't down. I am confident I hit her low in the leg and am pretty sure that she will make it. I know that this is not a story most people like to read about but this is hunting and things like this can happen. Most of do whatever we can to make sure we are capable of making a good clean hit but once and a while stupid things happen. I feel we looked as hard as we could for this deer and just hope the best for her. This is not how I wanted my MN season to end but I am very fortunate to have taken 4 beautiful does this season.
Next up I have some coyote calling and ice fishing to take care of and also another hog hunt in Feb. Anyone that is bored of the same old websites make sure to check out www.backfortyoutdoors.com

The Rewards of Sucess

2008-12-10T17:47:00.000-08:00

The deer hunting has been pretty slow since the last of the gun hunters tromped threw the woods. I have managed to get out bow hunting a few times before the muzzleloading season began but all my sits were very unproductive, not a surprise. My dad,uncle and I were lucky enough to draw a very good muzzleloader tag in Maria State Park outside of Monticello, MN. The park has never been hunted and we were stoked about getting the opportunity to hunt some prime real estate. We were able to scout the weekend of thanksgiving and we all had some locations picked out that we liked. Saturday morning rolled around and we were greeted with 13 degrees and 20 mph winds. Brrrrrrr My uncle AL was the first to strike with a young doe around 8:00, I forgot to mention that this was an earn a buck hunt so we all wanted to get a doe quickly. Al had a big buck stop broadside at 50 yards prior to him filling his doe tag, that takes some will power to let those walk on by. Around 10:00 we all met up and had a quick cup of coffee and got back to hunting and Al struck again with a nice big doe ( there is a lengthy story that go's with this deer but I do not have the time to write it all down for you. Just ask Al about it next time you see him Ha ha ) I have to admit I was starting to get a little down on myself, this is the first time in seven years I am hunting deer with a gun and I haven't even had a chance at a deer, not to mention I am hunting some awesome deer grounds. I went to my secondary spot and got set up on the ground old school style, find a good tree and kick all the leaves out of the way and sit down. I had a great vantage point in a tight funnel in between two CRP chunks. I wasn't there for a half an hour when 12 big does got right in my face literally 30 yards or closer I looked real hard for some antler but couldn't find any so I picked out my doe and stopped her in a clearing and put the TC Omega to work!! I have to say, I will always be an Arrow Slinger at heart but this muzzleloading is pretty damn cool. I have to thank my Dad for getting me interested in it. But I really have to thank Ashley for buying the gun for me last year on our anniversary I am a pretty lucky guy. I know Dad and Al had a good time so that is all you can ask for some meat in the freezer and good time with family. I am going to give her hard the rest of the season with the bow it will be miserable but I still have that buck tag.

Deer Camp 08

2008-11-22T04:10:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I am a nut when it comes to bow hunting, but my passion for hunting started long ago during the Minnesota firearms season. Since I was about 4 years old me and Dad have made the trek to Deerwood MN to partake in the opening weekend hunt. We are lucky that my grandparents have a good chunck of land that we can hunt. I personally haven't carried a gun into the woods for 7 years now but I still go up north and hang out with the family and listen to the same hunting stories I have been hearing since I was a little kid. Also don't forget about grandmas cooking I look forward to that meal all year long. I rate it higher on the scale than thanksgiving or any Christmas meal.

We have had some banner seasons on the Sharp Ranch, We have put more than one deer head on the wall from the back 40. This year however was a little different. With only 2 people having Doe tags and a cold Northwest wind that ripped right threw you the hunting was about as slow as I have ever seen. We all seen does but it seemed the ones with the doe tags could never get into range with one. I had one literally 5 yards from me on the opening night sitting in my food plot. Out of the 5 of us hunting only the great white hunter himself shot the only buck.(my uncle Al, no really he is very white Ha Ha) Even though the hunting was slow it was still fun, I had the chance to share the stand with my cousin Monica the opening morning and I gave her a lesson on how to rattle and grunt a buck in, but the bucks didn't quite cooperate.

This was somewhere like my 20th year of Deer Camp up north and I am looking forward to passing the tradition on to my kids some day.

What have I done

2008-11-12T17:46:00.000-08:00

My long time hunting buddy and best friend going on a good 18 years is on a roll and I don't mean just a good streak it is quite honestly something that doesn't happen much here in central Minnesota. Lets go way back to the first years of Eric and I hunting. We all have good seasons and bad seasons well I would sum Erics career thus this far as good, or maybe that's awesome. Erics first years of hunting were all with the shotgun and he put some real nice deer down his first 2 were 115 - 120 inch 8 points not bad for a little squirt that had a hard time lugging his 870 around in the woods. Know this Eric is very picky with his deer, he has watched many bucks walk by his stand to let grow another year and I have to give him credit for that is not an easy thing to do as a young kid. Fast forward a few years of eating tag sandwiches and it brings us to his first wall hanger a beautiful 10 point tight racked whitetail at the time none of us thought he was wrong in mounting that buck but boy what we didn't know. About the time Eric got that deer back from the shop he had another on the ground that well whats a nice way to put it, dwarfed his 10 pointer. I don't know if I have ever seen a 8 point that big I believe he scored in the high 140's or even 150. That gets to be pretty expensive shooting big deer back to back just ask Eric I don't really have much experience in that department. One more good buck with the shotgun and that is the end of Erics gun hunting career. I thought it would be cool to share the bowhunting woods with Eric, longer seasons and much more challenging got Eric hooked right off the bat. Erics first deer with a bow was a great eating doe. The second, Third and fourth have all been bucks and not one will score under 135 and this brute pictured will go around 150-155. I had this buck on film a year and a half ago in full velvet and he is everything I thought he was. Congrats Eric I am happy one of us three can put the big ones in the freezer.

I don't know if I mentioned this but everyone of theses bucks have been shot within 100 yards of Erics house. When you have a good spot you have a good spot.

Not so sweet november, for some of us.

2008-11-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

Well after all the scouting and practicing and time spent tuning your bow the season really comes down to one or two weeks. These two weeks are usually called the rut. The rut? I am starting to wonder what happened to the rut, don't get me wrong I see signs of it the rubs the scrapes and every once and a while a small young and dumb buck will come to the horns. Honestly for the last 3 years I haven't seen much of a intense rut type of activity. This fall was suppose to be different, the end of October was awesome, good pre rut activity and temps in the 30's and low 40's it all seemed it was coming together beautifully. I headed to Peppin county Wisconsin on the 2nd of November and my timing was horrible the next 3 days the temps were in the 70's not the best for deer to be moving in, heck I didn't feel like walking up and down those hills. My last night I finally heard some grunts and seen a few deer. Unfortunately my short time in Wisconsin didn't produce a deer but I did learn some of the terrain and found some awesome areas to mark in the GPS.

I rolled into the central part of MN about 1:00 on Wed. the 5th and headed right to the woods to set it up for a hunt the next day. I found a tree I used to hunt way back in the day and it looked hot. The following morning I only got about 2 hours of hunting in before the skies opened up on me. After a good breakfast and about 4 hours of hunting DVD's the rain finally let up so Forrest and I headed to the woods. I was only hunting for a short time before I had a nice doe come in. I only thought about shooting her for maybe a second and decided the best thing to do was let the Montec loose! it did its job and the rest is history. As I write this I am proud to say that my dad put the smack down on a beautiful 8 point tonight with the old smoke pole. Congrats Dad

Sweet November !

2008-10-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Now is the time all deer hunters look forward to all year long. We've all been in the woods a good month and a half now and most have probably put some meat in the freezer. Hopefully we have all gotten dialed in here for the next three weeks of hunting for it is the time that at any point the bucks can start running the does hard. I have had some good time in the saddle already this season 2 does and some chances at others. But now is the time to really try to sit longer and be patient. I will have 3 days next weekend at home then it is off to wis. to try filling my buck tag, then back home for a few days before heading up north for the gun opener which I will only be using my bow once again. The season is getting primed this year with some actually cool temps and good moon times falling the first week of November. I just get jacked up thinking about big mature whitetails cruising midday threw the timber on the field edges checking for does. So good luck to all of you this primetime of the season. The picture I added here is of my hunting buddy Eric Williamson and his 06 buck a prime example of what putting time in on stand can get you.

08 MN DOE

2008-10-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

One week ago exactly I harvested my first out of state deer and tonight I am pleased to say I put a nice home grown central Mn doe on the ground. I hurried from work at 2:00 and headed home to grab my check and get it to the bank on time and then busted tail to the woods. I had a strait east wind which ruined my original plan to hunt behind the farm. I went to my little honey hole that works well with a east wind and scurried up the tree with my saddle, I can't say enough good things about the saddle; quiet, versatile, and most of all comfy. I was hanging out for about 1 1/2 hours when out came my doe all by herself, she bee lined basically right for my tree as if she was on a string. She turned broadside at 22 yards and I grunted to stop her and let the ole Montec get in her and eat! No tracking necessary. That was my 3rd hunt in a row that either I or someone else harvested a deer not a bad streak to have going. Beautiful weather and just a great night to be in the woods.

Wisconsin Part 1

2008-10-05T13:27:00.001-07:00

I can finally say I hunted the great state of Wisconsin! What a great hunt, it all started a year ago when I met Jerod Fink of Baldwin WI. Jerod was my pro staff director at Wilderness Athlete and it didn't take long to figure out we had much in common. We were able to hang out at the ATA show and stayed in contact via phone and different bow hunting forums. We came to the conclusion that we better get together and chase some whitetails. That brings us to Oct. 3rd-Oct.5th 2008. Friday night we met up in Hudson and drove to some of Jerod's property. Not knowing exactly where we were going to set up we found a sweet travel corridor that the deer and turkeys were using on a regular basis. We found a tree that we both headed up in our tree saddles and started to get situated. To somebody just walking by this would have looked pretty funny two full grown men both hanging 20 feet up a tree with 2 bows and a badlands 2200 oh yeah and don't forget the camera and camera arm. Well we were enjoying the evening and watching some of the biggest squirrels this MN kid has ever seen when sure enough 2 does come down the trail behind us. It all happened real fast and the camera guy gave me the go ahead so I settled my pin on the vitals at 35 yards. I let loose and she only went about 30 yards. How do you top that? Same day set up and a fresh back straps. Don't forget that doe gives me rights to a buck later in the season in all EAB areas.

Saturday morning after taking care of the doe from the night before Jerod and I had to do a short stint at a sportsmens warehouse in coon rapids MN for wilderness athlete. Not a whole lot of people out and about due to the waterfowl opener in MN, but we still chewed the fat with a few folks and spread the word of wilderness athlete. 2:00 came around and it was back to the woods we go, tonight was Jerod's turn and I was was running camera once again we headed to the woods with a area in mind but nothing pre set, we were struggling to find any trees big enough or not covered in brush but we found the spot! sometimes the ole gut just knows a good location and it never hurts when you find a lone apple tree in the middle of a transition area. Using the wind in our favor we had to go old school and made a temporary ground blind out of grass and choke cherry bushes. If we pull this off we are two lucky guys I mumbled under my breath at one point but by 6:00 we were out of the woods with another beautiful doe. Two nights two deer and a great time hanging out with friends. Thanks to Jerod for all his help and to his wife Keri and son Ty who I have a feeling might just be a killer when he gets a little older. We captured all of Jerods hunt on film and I will definetly be adding it to the collection, my hunt however was not caught on film due to an over excited camera man who was unfamiliar with the camera. LOL Don't worry Jerod you will be able to redeem yourself I am sure.

Sept. 20th- 21st

2008-09-23T12:05:00.001-07:00

Well after being on the road all week working all I wanted to do was see the family and get to the woods. All week the temps were maybe in the low 70's with morning temps hovering around 55. Of course by sat afternoon they were well into the upper 70's and sun was even in the low 80's. Not very enticing to go into the woods but being the die hard I am I spent a few hours in the morning and night hanging in the tree. Sunday night I even talked dad into coming into the woods with me. Boy was he regretting it. Thanks dad! We never did see a deer this weekend but did hone in a little on where they might be hanging out. The woods is still full of vegetation and lots of corn standing. The next few weeks should start picking up. I have a hunt planned on Oct.4th-5th for Wisconsin and am looking forward to filling my EAB (earn a buck) tag. I have to give my wife a lot of credit she puts up with lots of lonely nights being married to a construction worker that loves to hunt. Thanks, Ash I love you and Miles a ton.

opening weekend

2008-09-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

Well opening weekend came and went just As fast as usual. Unfortunately we had steady rain pretty much all weekend long. I did manage to be in the woods for about 6-7 hours on sat. I sat on my favorite food plot and never did see a deer. It is very early and very green in the woods so I am going to change my tactics for the next hunt. I am going into an open area with one fence line that buts up to river bottom and corn. If I had to bet on a good location for an early season doe this is it. I have a goal this year and it is to video all my hunts at least little tidbits so i can edit it all together at the end of the year. Hopefully I can video a few kills on film too. See ya in the woods.

Happy Labor Day

2008-09-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor day to all. I love Labor day, not only because we all have the day off to thank all of those hard working men and women who keep this great country running, but because it brings us into the best month all, September I can't say enough great things about September but the best being hunting season. Bow opener is so close I can taste it. I was in the woods for about 3 hours on Monday hanging stands and clearing a very small amount of brush. I know some of you are wondering why I wait so long to hang my stands, I have a few reasons but number 1 I can pick the oak tree with the most acorns. I found two trees that are producing a good mast of acorns. I also played around in my tree saddle some more and actually shot out of it. I was very surprised that it is not much different than standing in your stand. I shot pretty good considering the wind blowing me around in the tree like a rag doll. I don't mind shooting when it is windy it is good to know what to expect from your equipment. Two weeks to go and it will be here way quicker than you think so if you have been procrastinating anything you better get it done now. I also picked up all of my tags for Minnesota on Monday so I am legal for another year. Good luck to all these first few days of the season and shoot strait.

Hog Hunt 08

2008-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

It's finally here, hunting season 08. I started it off a tad bit early this year by booking a Russian Boar hunt in Brainerd, Mn. I did not know what to think for I had never hunted in a high fenced area before. I have to say that it was not even close to an easy hunt. I had in mind that we would do a little stalking and eventually find our hogs and pick the one we wanted, WRONG. We were on hour 5 when we came to the conclusion that there was entirely to much vegetation and area to be able to cover effectively. We had to go to plan B, what is plan B you ask well I like to call plan B the redneck way, hounds. I didn't want to do it but we needed to get a piggy on the ground like pronto, this was only a one day hunt and we were already into afternoon. Long story short we finally located two pigs and thats when the fun began. Kirk Henchen from Princeton, MN was along for the ride and we shared film duties for the day. Kurty as I like to call him won the rights to first hog with a mean game of rock, paper, scissors. Kurty's hog was thinking about putting a charge on the camera guy but an Easton Axis tipped with a G5 Striker made him change his mind. One hog down one to go. When I first located my pig she was laying under some brush well out of sight. After a grueling 30 min. of cat and mouse through quite possibly some of the thickest vegetation in central mn. I was able to make a nice clean kill at about 10yrds. This was the first hunt I was using G5's new tekkan 1.5 inch cut and man you have to see what these things can do holy cow. All in all it was a great hunt, if you would like information on Northstar ranch get a hold of me via email. Less than a month till archery opener in Mn. I can not wait. Stay tuned for video

Food Plots

2008-08-03T11:54:00.000-07:00

Well I have been in the woods quite a bit the last few days basically I have made some quick trips in to check and mow a few food plots. My plots look real good we had good rain early on and it seems that the ground has held good moisture for all my grasses and clovers thus far. There is plenty of browse for the deer in the woods so I don't expect for my "secret Spots" to get real hot till the end of Sept. or mid Oct. I drove around last night and glassed a bunch of fields, I did see a few does and fawns but no Freak Nasty's. I can definetly till it is countdown time to opener because it is the only thing that I can think about. 2 weeks till my hog hunt I had to make some changes to my archery equip. this week but I am back to shooting Dead Nuts at 50 + yrds with my g5 broadheads. I have been using my rinehart 18-1 target that is guarenteed for a year and I am bound and determined to give it my best to wear it out. Shoot strait and I will talk at you soon.

The Lull

2008-07-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well that time of the year is among us once again. That time I am talking about is the time between spring hunts and fall hunts here in the Midwest. I try not to dwell on it because I know opening morning will be here all to soon and I am sure I won't be 100% ready. I have been shooting on a regular basis and when I say shooting I don't mean just standing in the back yard I mean practicing angles that you will see in the woods shooting from your knees and practicing from the tree saddle. I love my tree saddle this thing is going to help me kill some deer this year guaranteed. Well hopefully everyone else is getting ready also there is nothing worse than going in the woods unprepared. I will stay in touch I have a Russian boar hunt coming up in Aug so hopefully I can put up some pics.

Busy

2008-06-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry once again I have been extremely busy and haven't had any time to get on the computer. Well Ashley and I are proud parents of a beautiful little girl named Miley Maria she is definitely a princess, but I have a good feeling I will be able to get her out in the woods with her dad in the fall. She is for the most part a very good kid she definitely has her moments but don't they all. Work is extremely busy now that we have almost all of the segments poured they want the rest of them done overnight it seems. Working over 60 hours a week and trying to spend as much time with the family and also taking care of the things around the house I was surprised I even made it into the woods turkey hunting this spring. I basically had 2 days to try filling my tag. Day 1 had some gobbling early 3-5 toms I am figuring and also the hens were extremely vocal which as you all know is not a good thing. I never did call any of them off those hens that morning. Day 2 same as the first morning lots of gobbling hens making as much noise as they could so I figured I was just going to out call the hens. I would cut every hen off anytime she tried cutting I would cut louder and harder, eventually they kind of quited down and so did I. A half hour went by and I no birds had shown up and I was starting to get that bad feeling when you think you may have done to much calling but low and behold 5 birds popped out of the woods and started strutting right where I was sitting the day before. I had one young tom start filtering my direction and he got to about 30 yards and was coming in good so I was going to wait for the close shot, this is where it gets crazy! all of a sudden something cracked a branch behind me in the woods and I wasn't the only one who herd it so all the birds start heading back into the brush my bird had stopped broadside so I ranged him quickly at 34 yards drew back settled on his wing butt and pulled the trigger. My arrow flew beautifully hit right where I was aiming the bird tea kettled over got up tried to fly but he couldn't and he just ran to the edge of the brush behind me I just sat there and then I heard his wings beating on the ground. I took my time packing up and figured he would be laying right where I had seen him last. Once I got there all that was there was blood and a bunch of feathers. I have only been this disappointed once before in my hunting career. I looked for 2 hours for that bird under every piece of brush and clumps of grass. I have know idea what happened to him. We do have a lot of coyotes in that piece of woods and with all the calling going on I don't know if there is a chance that a yote got to my birds before me? very unlikely but I really have know idea where he went. I hate losing animals it leaves a very sick feeling in your gut for a long time. That was my bird hunting for 08 hopefully next year I can make it over to Nebraska and Wisconsin to chase some birds.

It's been a while

2008-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a while since I've updated my blog. I do have a pretty good excuse though. I have been working again so I haven't had anytime to update let alone even visit any web sites. Also my wife Ashley and I have been getting ready for a new addition to our home. Ashley was due last friday so she is very ready to be a mom. I am stoked to be able to have a little hunting partner in a couple years.
As for work I have been working on the new 35W bridge in Minneapolis Mn. If your not familiar the bridge collapsed unexpectedly last Aug. and has a finish date of Dec.24th. There is a lot of hard work and long hours so hopefully we can get it done safely and in a timely manner.
I am also getting ready for turkey hunting, I have a pretty good area and have been shooting when I can, also I have been practicing my calling as much as Ashley loves it. Catch up with you all soon.

Hitting The Trails Again!

2008-02-04T07:25:00.001-08:00

Well after not really finding any antlers last weekend and sitting threw -40 below windchills all week I figured it was time to hit the trails again. Saturday afternoon I called my hunting buddy and friend of 17 years Eric Williamson (A.K.A I'm one lucky bastard who kills a lot of Big Deer) and told him we should check out a particular piece of land. I feel when shed hunting you have to plan the work and then work the plan. If you just start following every trail you end up walking big circles and all of a sudden you are right back where you started. I like to think of it as combing an area, work in a strait line stop every so often and check all the side trails then go back and pick the trail up where you left off. Having two or more people is key, it is very tough in big wooded areas for one guy to effectively find sheds. Also don't be afraid to stop and look behind you, once and a while the antler might be hidden in some brush or grass.This weekend all 4 of the antlers we found were within 40 yrds. of some type of swamp or water hole. I have no idea if there is any type of correlation here or just dumb luck but i'll take it. This was by far our best one day shed hunting trip we not only found some decent sheds but also a killer rub ( picture at top of page).

Shed Hunting or should I say Scouting!

2008-01-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

Well after several days of extreme cold outside, I finally couldn't take it anymore. I had to get outside and do something, anything. I decided I was going to go take a quick walk around the old whitetail woods in some of my favorite hunting areas. Well my "quick" walked turned into a couple mile hike back in the woods. I had one goal and that was to find some bone "a.k.a deer antler." I know it seems early to be looking for sheds, but I had talked to several individuals in the area who had been finding a shed here and there. My hopes were high as I chugged threw the shin deep snow. Right away I found some really good trails. The farther I walked I kept thinking about the big bucks I got on film early last summer. I hadn't heard of anyone shooting any of them and hopefully, they made it through the toughest part of the winter. But like many of my shed hunting trips, it soon turned into a scouting mission for next year. This time of the year is one of the best times to locate those "magic" areas. I.E Bedding areas, rub lines, and staging areas. What I like about scouting right after the season is that even if you do bump a big buck usually it is enough time for him to settle down and return to that area. I never did find a shed that day but there will be many more chances to get out and stretch the legs. I look at shed hunting as three fold.

1. Looking for sheds

2. Scouting for next year

3. Getting in shape for turkey season

I recommend the following gear to have along:

For more than 6-8 inches of snow - a good pair of snow shoes. (Tubbs are very durable and light)
A good back pack for carrying some Wilderness Athlete products, and any antlers you will find. (I have had very good luck with my Badlands Monster Fanny.)

If you plan on bringing your binos, which you should, you will need some type of containment strap. I wouldn't recommend anything other than a Del Norte Outdoors Optic Belt. It takes all the strain off your neck while holding your binos as tight as you want. No more swaying side to side as you walk threw the woods. Also they are great hunting with as you can adjust how high or low on your body you want them, so they will never be in your way when you shoot. Check out my photo section for pictures of the Optic Belt and check out there website. http://www.delnorteoutdoors.com/

ATA

2008-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

ATA
I had the opportunity to attend the 2008 ATA show (Archery Trade Association) in Indianapolis, Indiana. What a show! It not only had everything there that a archer could imagine, but I met more people then I ever thought was possible. First off, if you haven’t ever heard of Wilderness Athlete, just wait because it isn’t going to be long and you will. We were the entire "buzz" at the show. It was backed up by some of the biggest names in the industry. IE: Cameron Hanes, Bill Winke, Guy Eastman, Fred Eichler, and Randy Ulmer, and not to mention some of the best pro staffers in the industry. They're such a great tasting and healthy choice of supplement and snack. Also, I was finally able to meet everyone at G5 Broad heads. I've been on their pro staff for a few years now, but I never had the chance to actually meet them face to face. They’re such an awesome group of people, and not to mention they have unbelievable products. Some of the products I had seen were, for one, Roscobie riser cam. This is a stabilizer that also has a lipstick camera in it. I was very hesitant because no one has ever been able to make this actually work, but I think they did it from what I can see. The film is actually good and the recovery time from the shot is very fast. All your footage goes right to a SD card and it runs up to 7 hours of film time on 2 AA lithium batteries.The other products that caught my eye were the new Full Metal Jacket shafts from Easton. A definite advantage is a little more kinetic energy.

07 Season Recap

2008-01-21T08:29:00.000-08:00

07 Season Recap
Well the hunting season is long gone, and as I look at the thermometer it reads -6. From the sounds of the wind outside, I am sure the wind-chill factor exceeds -15. Now all I can do is start preparing for next year, although, the next season is going to be a lot different than this year I will guarantee. You see, this year I took a layoff starting the last week of October so that I could spend as much time in the woods for the next 2 months. In MN the rut usually kicks into high gear by the first week of November, not so this year. I hunted from Halloween day until the end of the season, and seen minimal signs of a rut. I saw deer, don't get me wrong. I was even lucky enough to tag two does for the freezer, but big buck activity was non existent. I rattled in several one and a half year old deer and passed up a nice one sided 8 pointer, but the deer we obsess over all year were no where to be found. And I'm sure you’re thinking, “Well maybe you don't have any big ones around.” This would be an obvious answer. I might have given that a thought if I hadn't got four popers all on camera a month before the season opened. I haven’t ever seen one of these deer while in a stand. All in all the season was fun. I spent dang near everyday in the woods for 2 months. I learned a lot in that time. I was also able to put some new equipment to the test and give Wilderness Athlete products a try. What a great product! When I was sitting all day during the rut, cold, and windy conditions I would eat 2 bars and have one drink in the morning. Then, at about noon I would have another. I would be satisfied all day long. I can’t wait to try it out in the back country!