Bowhunting Vacation - Day 1 (11/3/10)

Danny and I decided to take a few days during the rut for some hot bow-hunting action.  Danny was unable to get Wednesday off, so I flew solo for the first day.  I had to drop Lauren off at daycare at 6:30, so I didn't get into the stand until around 7:30.  I snuck quietly into the ladder stand in The Sand Box and planned to sit as long as possible.  Around 9:30, a small six point buck came in on the trail from the field road.  He strolled past the fire pit, down into the sand, and continue along side the pond.  While it was good to see a deer, shooting him never even crossed my mind.

Bowhunting - Saturday 10/30/10

Dates: Saturday 10/30/2010
Location:  The Land, ECO
Morning, afternoon, evening or all day: Morning

Time: 5:15 - 9:00

Wind:  Moderate from N/NE
Temp: 45-50 degrees
Weather: Pleasant, clear, breezy 
Who: ME

Game: Whitetail
Stand Location:  Ladder stand, Sand Box 
 
Sightings: One buck.  Unusual rack with a large growth between his front legs. 

Comments:
Since Halloween time historically kicks off "prime time" bow hunting, I thought it would be a good idea to get out for a few hours and see what the Sand Box had to offer.  This is one of my favorites stands at the Land.  It's comfortable and the deer have no idea you are there.  The one challenge is being ready because the deer are literally right on top of you.  The first hour was uneventful other than the flock of ducks splashing around in the pond.  Around 8:30, I caught movement through the brush and saw a deer making its way through the Sand Box.  I noticed a decent set of antlers which peaked my interest even more.  The deer moved quickly through the stand, up the embankment, and towards the fire pit that sits a mere 14 yards from my location.  I was able to get a pretty good look at him and noticed his left side antler was shorter and missing some tines.  I also noticed a pretty good sized growth between his front legs.  It was big enough that it "hung" down and swayed when he walked.  For a brief moment, he stopped by and smelled my doe scent on a small sampling near the fire pit.  He then turned to his left and walked straight towards me closing the distance between him and I to about 6 yards.  Eventually he realized he wasn't alone.  He turned around and scurried towards directly away from me, towards the field road.  Not only did I have a cool encounter with an unusual buck, I got a picture of him sneaking through the sand pit moments before I laid eyes on him.

Bowhunting Update - September/October 2010

I haven't been very diligent in my blogging this year.  Big Surprise!!  With the addition of our second child on September 7th, I guess I am lucky to spend a few hours in the woods each week.  Overall it has been a very eventful deer season.  I've seen more deer this year than ever and the weather has cooperated quite nicely.  All of my sits in the early part of the year were in the new ladder stand by the Wood Pile that James and Danny put up right before bow season opened.  After opening morning, I sat in that stand three other times (four times total) seeing deer each time.

Sit #1:  Detailed in a previous post.  My goal was to blog ALL of my sits this way, however it just didn't happen this year.  Below are brief descriptions of my additional sits in September and October.

Sit #2:  On this evening sit I saw a young buck with a tall 8 point rack appear in the oak grove over my left shoulder.  He worked his way towards me, slipped past Mike's old platform stand and off to the bean field.  It will be a nice deer in the next few years.

Sit #3:  (morning) A different small buck appeared in the oak grove over my left shoulder.  There was an obvious pattern forming!  The deer were just pounding the acorns in that spot.  Rather than moving towards the stand, the small buck worked it's way towards the north and disappeared down the ravine.

Sit #4:  This morning sit produced my closest encounter of the season (so far).  The action started early with a deer darting behind the stand just before shooting light.  I could see the outline of the body and the white tail, but that was it.  Of course, two bucks made an appearance in the majestic "oak grove" over my left shoulder about 7:45 am.  I watched them for ~10 minutes before the disappeared into the woods.  I decided to stand up and pay most attention to the "Oak Grove" considering all the deer I've seen out of that stand, came from that area.  After a few minutes passed, my "6th sense" kicked in and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye.  I slowly turned my head to my right and, to my amazement, I see three does making their way right to me!!  While grabbing my bow, I slowly turned my entire body to get prepared for a shot, however I could tell the Momma Doe could sense something wasn't right.  I froze as she looked up at me and bobbed her head up and down trying to figure out what was going on.  She then nervously turned towards the bean field to the north as her white tail alerted her offspring of potential danger.  I knew it was now or never.  As she turned, I quickly snapped my release on the d-loop and prepared to draw.  When she pass behind two small trees, I began pulling back only to be busted!!.  Her head snapped around the tree and our eyes were locked in a 20 yard staring match.  I knew I was "pegged".  With a snort wheeze and a 180 degree turn she was gone, taking her two companions with her.  It was great to have such a close encounter, however I was kicking myself for letting them sneak up on me like that.  In addition, this was a prime opportunity to shoot a doe to earn my buck tag for the year and I had just blown it!! 

Bowhunting - 2010 Opener

Dates: Saturday 9/18/10
Location:  The Land, ECO
Morning, afternoon, evening or all day: Morning

Time: 5:15 - 9:00

Wind:  Moderate from W/SW
Temp: 64-67 degrees
Weather: Scattered t-storms to the north. Experienced heavy rain which tapered off to drizzle by 6:30 am
Who: Danny and myself

Game: Whitetail, opening day of 2010 bow season
 
Sightings: Two smaller bucks on the way to our stands, got within 10 yards.  We spooked another deer out of the beans.  Danny had three deer in the "Sand Box" before shooting light, more than likely the two deer we saw on the way to our stands.

Comments:
While the weather wasn't ideal, there's something about Opening Morning that is special.  Danny and I met in the Quarry nice and early (4:45) accompanied by thunderstorms, a pretty steady rain and occasional lightning.  We decided to push forward for the first "sit" of the season.  We both had planned to sit on the north side of the property.  Danny in the "Sand Box" and me in a new ladder stand by the wood pile.  A few days earlier, Danny and James had set the stand as well as planted a small food plot around it.  I was pretty excited to try it out.  I was thinking that the deer were going to wait for the storm to pass and then start moving. However, when Danny and I saw two sets of eyes staring at us from just inside the wood line on our way to our stands it was evident the deer were on their feet.  We literally got within 10 yards of the deer, which was close enough to see they were two smaller bucks.  The nice thing is, we didn't completely spook them, however our presence was enough for them to turn and trot deeper into the woods.  Then a few moments later, as we rounded the second finger, we spooked a third deer out of the beans.  Danny and I went our separate ways as he followed the field road into the woods, towards the Sand Box, I stayed along the woods and made it to the Wood Pile stand.  As soon as we split, the skies opened up and we were greeted with a good old fashioned downpour.  Luckily for us, it only lasted a few minutes.  Danny had early action, as the deer that we had spooked earlier (we think) were hiding out in the sandy area in front of him.  A third deer joined and they kept Danny awake for the waning minutes of darkness.  Of course, they were gone by the time it was light enough to shoot.  I never saw another deer, however I did have a larger animal move behind me in the early morning darkness.  Since we were deer hunting, I'll say it was a deer ;)  The rain stopped, but the skies remained overcast for the rest of the morning.  

3D Shoot - Marshall Bluff

Today I was able to shoot the final 3D Shoot of the season at Marshall Bluff.  This was a one day shoot co-sponsored by Monticello FFA.  I ended up meeting Casey and Jacob Marty for the shoot.  I shot my highest score ever at Marshall (280), which included 6 bonus points for the novelty target at the end of the course.  They had "FFA" spelled out with playing cards about 20 yards away.  If you hit one of the playing cards, you received the value of the card in points.  Pretty good idea!  Overall I had a great time.  Jacob admittedly didn't shoot very well and once again, Casey came up short!!

Jason: 280 (253, 267)
Casey: 211 (197)
Jacob:  197?? (234)

Pre Season Prep

Danny and I had some time before Belinda Reuter's funeral, so we decided to head out to The Land to hang Danny's new stand in the pines overlooking the Sand Box.  The stand turned out really nice.  It's in an awesome location overlooking a couple well used trails and scrapes.  We also moved my camera from the First Finger to overlooking the Sand Box after noticing many fresh tracks through the wet sand.  Hopefully this spot will produce more pictures and a few dead deer this season!!

Trail Cam Pics

Needless to say I was a little disappointed in the amount of pictures that I got from the trail running through the first finger.  It appears to be a well used trail, however I only got a handful of pictures over three weeks.  There is a chance that I did not have the camera set up in a the best location or had it set up incorrectly, however I did get pictures at all times during the day and night.  Maybe this trail isn't used as much as I thought?  Maybe it's too early??  Only time will tell.

The only pictures from week #1.  More than likely the 8 pointer that I saw underneath Jame's ladder stand on the south side.  Looks like a nice buck.

 

Nice doe using the trail.....somewhat alert.

 

There are FOUR deer in this picture.  Two of them are obvious, however you can make out two white tails towards the top left of the picture.  

 

The 2nd picture of the sequence.  Notice the last two deer's tails in the upper left hand corner. 

 

 

Pre-Season Scouting

After shooting the 3D tournament at Marshall Bluff, I ran over to The Land to hang up my new trail camera.  I didn't have a lot of time, but I decided to take a quick drive around the field road to check things out.  I was lucky enough to spot a deer standing under Jame's ladder stand that sits above the rock.  I spotted its orange coat easily and quickly noticed his velvet antlers.  I was able to get the binoculars on him to see a nice, high 8 point rack before he turned and traveled back into the woods.  I decided to hang my camera in the first finger along a well traveled trail that's about 20 yards from Bill's wooden platform stand.   I found a perfect tree with a great view of most of the trail.

3D Shoot - Marshall Bluff

I invited Nate down to Marshall Bluff for their second 3D shoot of the summer.  We met Jacob Marty at the range around 8:30.  Nate forgot his hip quiver, but Paul R. allowed Nate to use his, and he even let Nate use his binoculars.  It was a very nice gesture.  The course was set up very nice and it was a beautiful morning.  All three of us shot pretty well but we all missed one target.  Nate missed the moving deer (twice actually).  I missed a pig and snapped my arrow on a tree behind it.  Then Jacob completely whiffed the last target, it wasn't even close.  The highlight of the shoot was the Iron Buck, which all three of us successfully completed.

Jason:  267 (253 last time)
Nate: 236
Jacob: 234

3D Shoot - Oregon Sportsman's Club

This morning I met Nate in Oregon for a 3D shoot at the Oregon Sportsman's Club.  Nate bought a brand new bow when he returned from his deployment in Iraq and has been anxious to get out and shoot it.  This was his first time shooting 3D archery and he did a great job.  I could tell he had shot a bow in a past, and he was very consistent for being "out of the game" for a few years.  It was a beautiful morning and the course was very challenging.  Many shots with obstructions and even a few that you had to bend or kneel down to get a shot at the target.  We had a great time and I am pretty sure that Nate enjoyed himself.

Nate: 203 (?)
Jason: 228 (218 last time)

3D Shoot - Marshall Bluff

Casey and I met at Marshall Bluff for their first shoot of the year.  It was a great shoot with many new target set ups and trails.  Paul Reider did a really great job changing things up.  Fortunately for me, I shot pretty well, but I can't say the same for Casey.

Jason:  253
Casey: 198

Fishing in Rhinelander

Dates: Monday 7/5/2010
Location:  Emma Lake, Rhinelander, WI
Morning, afternoon, evening or all day: Morning

Time: 7:00-10:00

Wind: Calm and variable
Temp: 69-73 degrees
Weather: Party cloudy and clearing from storms the day before
Who: Brett and Myself

Game: Fishing for large mouth bass
 
Sightings: Large doe feeding on the shoreline.  A bunch of bass and two northern.

Comments:
Brett and I wanted to squeeze in a couple more hours of fishing before I had to head back home.  After a washout on Sunday 7/4, the weather was suppose to clear up so we decided to head out in the morning.  It turned out to be a very nice warm morning and calm waters.  Perfect conditions for flipping frogs on the weed edges of Emma Lake.  Fishing Emma Lake is a tradition for Brett and I.  Brett fishes it quite a bit, but we've fished this lake for the past many years.  We really enjoy flipping frogs on the weed edges and lily pads.  The top water strikes and fish exploding on those rubber frogs is what summer fishing is all about.  Brett started the action by hooking into a medium sized northern and continued to catch a few large mouth as well.  Unfortunately for me,  I wasn't having the same luck.  For whatever reason, the fish seemed to prefer the style of frog he was using compared to mine.  I was using the "Scum Frog", which is usually very effective, however all of the fish were hammering Brett's green frog.  I finally switched to Brett's bait and immediately landed a medium sized northern of my own as Brett continued to pull in the large mouth.  He landed at least 7 large mouth and missed a good amount more.  I hooked into a very big large mouth, only to let it get deep into the lily pads and come off the lure.  All in all, it was a very productive and enjoyable three hours on the water. 

Fishing in Rhinlander

Dates: Saturday 7/3/2010
Location:  Wisconsin River, Rhinelander, WI
Morning, afternoon, evening or all day: Evening

Time: 6:30-9:00  

Wind: breezy, SW ~10 mph, calmed towards sundown
Temp: 83 degrees
Weather: Windy and warm most of the day.  Wind calmed in late afternoon/evening
Who: Brett and Myself

Game: Fishing for smallies or anything else that would bite
 
Sightings: No fish, just a Doe and her newborn fawn sipping water on the shoreline

Comments:
Brett and I decided to fit in some fishing over the holiday weekend.  It was sunny and warm all day, however the wind was very strong throughout the day.  We decided to give the river a try in the evening hoping to stay out of the strong winds.  To our surprise, the wind wasn't a factor once we got on the river.  Other than a few nibbles we never boated a fish.  Brett did catch a few snags on the bottom and even a large stick!! 

3D Shoot - Blawkhawk Bowhunters

Jacob Marty and I decided to head over to Verona and shoot the 3D tournament at Blackhawk Bowhunters.  Casey was suppose to go with us, but he bailed at the last minute.  His loss, not mine!!  The course was set up for the "Wisconsin Big III" tournament, so the layout was tough.  Lots of longer shots with interesting angles and obstacles.  It was a great challenge, but very fun overall.  This was also my first 3D shoot with my new bow and I felt pretty good with it.

Jason: 244  (263 last time)
Jacob:  228

New Bow!!

Over the past few weeks, I had an itch to get a new bow.  The bow I had was a great starter bow, however I wanted something newer and a little faster.  I found a great deal on a 2009 PSE Bow Madness and I had to have it.  The nice thing was, I sold my bow for $225 and I had $100 from our garage sale so I had the cost of my new bow covered.  So far I've gotten all the accessories on and have only shot it a few times.  I'm very satisfied with the purchase.  I just have to find time to shoot it!

Fishing in Ladysmith

This past weekend I headed up to Ladysmith to fish with Andy and Terry.  I met Andy at his house in Plover on Thursday evening and we rode together to his cabin.  His wife Steph was also up there and she served as our "camp cook" all weekend which was very nice.  Friday morning got off to a slow start due to the rain and a couple hung over fisherman.  We eventually made it on the water around 10:30.  The weather cleared up but the fishing was slow.  Andy had a few muskie strikes and "follows", but he never landed a fish.  One of the follows was a very large fish, that haunted Andy all weekend.  Overall, Andy managed to catch a small northern and a small mouth and I caught a small northern on the last cast of the night.  Steve Edwards, Kerl and Terry made their way up on Friday afternoon to join in the fun.  On Saturday we decided to head over and fish by Kerl's cabin.  Andy, Steve and I were in Andy's boat and concentrated on a small bay where we consistently caught northerns and smallies for 2 hours.  Nothing overly big, but enough to keep us entertained.   Did I also mention it was pouring out?  Ironically enough we catch the most fish in the worst weather of the weekend.  We all met up at Kerl's cabin to dry off and to have dinner.  After dinner, we caught a few more fish in the hot spot.  Across the river, Kerl pointed out a huge bald eagle nest.  The nest was enormous and had three bald eagles living it it.  They watched over us all day.  At one point, they were all perched together high up in a tree.  It was an awesome sight.  Overall it was a fun trip.  It was good to catch up with the guys.  I look forward to the next one. 

Spring Turkey Season

So far, Mike and James both have taken toms out at The Land, so I didn't really know what to expect for my season.  With the baseball season winding down and lots of things going on at home, it was hard for me to put in a lot of time in the field.  I was able to get out for a few hours after practice on Thursday afternoon.  I was in the blind by 5:30.  I decided to sit by the wood pile where I sealed the deal last year and where both birds were shot already this year.  Around 6:45, I spotted six turkeys about 100 yards to west.  Through the binoculars I counted three hens, 2 toms and a jake.  While the turkeys never made their way towards my location, I was confident that they roosted on the wood line.  The next morning (Friday), I decide to sit in the same location, hoping the turkeys were still in the area.  Sure enough, around 5:45 am the same birds appeared in the field and this time there were coming my way.  Unfortunately, they never made their way close enough and passed me at about 80 yards and made their way into the woods above the houses.  I decided to hurry to the north side of the property to potentially cut them off, however after sitting in the far north field for 2 hours I never saw a bird.  Feeling a little defeated, I made my way back to my original location to scout a spot for Saturday morning.  I decided to set up above the houses where the turkeys entered the woods earlier.  Hoping they would do the same thing on Saturday morning and walk right towards me.  I was in the blind well before sunlight hoping that my plan would pay off.  At one point, right after sunrise, I could hear 8 different toms gobbling on the roost.  I had two pretty close behind me and could hear three other toms gobbling from the usual roosting spot.  Unfortunately I never saw a bird.  The two toms behind me went to the north and I never saw a bird come from the "usual" spot.  That put an end to my spring turkey season.  Pretty good overall for the ECO boys with two toms taken at The Land. 

NFAA Leauge - Week 2

Shot my best round of league this week.  After a less than stellar start, I managed a 235 with 10 X's.  I actually had a single X on the last 7 targets.  I decided not to take any warm up shots this week so that I didn't get so worn out shooting the course.  That combined with a few sight adjustments and keeping a close eye on my form made for more consistent shots and a higher score.

Shotgun

I haven't had a chance to post about my shotgun saga.  Long story short, my expensive Winchester SX3 shotgun literally blew up in my hands on a pheasant hunting trip to North Dakota in October 2009.  When I returned from ND, I immediately sent my gun to Browning Arms.  A few weeks later, they sent me a letter stating that they would fix the gun for $400, which was a 40% discount.  Browning Arms told me that it was a "classic barrel obstruction" more than likely caused by faulty ammunition.  They recommended that I contact the ammunition company, to see what they could do for me.  After working with the ammunition company for months, they finally agreed to cover the cost of fixing my shotgun.  Obviously, I'm very pleased that the Olin Corp. is taking care of the customer.  It's great to finally get some "good news" for once.  In addition, yesterday I received a letter confirming they were fixing my gun AND they sent $40 worth of coupons good for Winchester products.

NFAA League - Marshall Bluff Bowhunters

Last week was the first week for this year's NFAA League at Marshall Bluff.  Instead of shooting at 3D foam animals at unknown distances, you shoot at black/white targets at known distances ranges from 15 feet all the way to 80 yards!!  Needless to say, it is quite a challenge!!  Last week was "Average" week and I scored a 199.  It's not a great score, but it is a starting point.  I had a cool encounter with an owl after shooting the third target.  While walking to the target to score my arrows, an owl (about the size of a football) was sitting on a log right next to the trail.  It scared the crap out of me.  I decided to go score my arrows and come back to take a closer look.  I was able to locate the owl in my binoculars from a farther distance.  He was an amazing site.  It was a great experience. 

This week was the first official week of the league.  I scored a 205.  My main goal is to just get better every week, so.....so far so good!!

3d Shoot - SCWA (Argyle, WI)

Casey and I went over to Argyle yesterday (Sunday 4/18) to shoot the 3D course at the Argyle Rod & Gun Club.  Beautiful weather and a challenging course made for a good time.  With the abundance of land at the Club, the course was nicely spread out and set up very nicely.  On the 9th target, we noticed a big, old skunk sleeping under a log just off of the trail. 


Jason:  265  (254 last year)
Casey:  212  (264 last year)

3D Shoot - Oregon Sportsman's Club

Yesterday, Bob and I went over to Oregon Sportsman's Club for a 3D shoot.  It was sunny, however very windy.  It was both Bob and my first trip to this club and we were both fairly impressed.  Large property, well maintained buildings and nice people.  It was Bob's first time shooting his bow since this past fall, so he was a little rusty.  He started with four arrows and finished with two!!  He lost one arrow and shattered another on a tree.  It was quite funny.  The highlight of the day was the very last target.  It was a caribou that was set at ~45 yards that you shot at from an elevated platform.  It was my best shot of the day as I scored a 10 (heart shot) on it.   


Bob: 143
Jason: 218

3D Shoot - Blawkhawk Bowhunters

This morning Casey  and I took a trip over to Verona to shoot a 3D tournament at Blackhawk Bowhunters.  This was the first shoot of the season for both Casey and I, so needless to say we were both pretty excited to shake off the rust and get back to shooting.  It was a cold and rainy morning and we weren't even sure if we were going to go, however we decided to suck it up and go for it.  In addition to being the first shoot of the season, it was the first time that Casey and I had ever been to Blackhawk Bowhunters club.  It's a nice property with a large club house, indoor and outdoor ranges, and ample land for 3D shoots and archery leagues.  I ended up shooting better than I expected, however Casey didn't shoot as well as he would have liked.  He's still getting used to his new bow he won at Marshall Bluff last summer, but I really don't' feel sorry for him.  Here's our scores:

Casey: 209
Jason:  263

Thanks for breakfast Casey!!

Ice Fishing in Rhinelander

This past weekend, we ventured up to Rhinelander to visit Brett and Danielle.  We left after work on Thursday and were able to hang out with D on Friday.  The weather was very nice.  Brisk, sunny and no wind.  On Saturday, Brett and I decided to go to Lake Hixon for some afternoon ice fishing trip.  We decided to bring Gus with us to get him some exercise.  With Brett's four wheeler, wearing Gus out was a cinch.  Gus topped out at 29 mph on the way to the far side of the lake.  There was another dog out there that Gus was able to play with as well.  About an hour into fishing, one of the rods slammed down quickly.  I was able to scramble over to it and brought up a small snake northern.  About 45 minutes later, another rod started to slowly tip towards the hole right when Brett was pouring himself a captain and coke.  His reaction made him fling Captain across the ice as I flung my half-full beer can on the ice on my way to set the hook.  I set the hook on a good fish and SNAP, the line broke.   Brett and I had a good laugh recalling us throwing our drinks all over the place trying to get to the line.  Needless to say, that was the extent of our action.  

Covance Ice Fishing Trip - Ladysmith, WI

This past weekend, I ventured north for my annual "Covance Ice Fishing Trip".  About six years ago, when I worked at Covance, a bunch of us started going ice fishing every January.  We've gone to different places, but we usually end up at someone's cabin in northern Wisconsin or the UP.  There could be an entire blog dedicated to my experiences on these trips!  Even after most of us left Covance, we've still managed to keep up with our annual get together.  This year Kerl (Richard is his first name) invited Andy, Terry and I up to his cabin outside of Ladysmith.  Kerl and I left Madison on Friday afternoon and made it to his cabin about 4 hours later.  Kerl had been up there the weekend before when the temperature was a balmy 40 degrees.  He was actually worried that we wouldn't make it up the driveway because of the damage that he made the weekend before.  On our second attempt , Kerl "baja'd" the Toyota through the frozen ruts and up to his cabin.  The short trip up the driveway, may have been the most fun I've had in a long time.  The icing on the cake was Kerl screaming "TOYOTA!!!" the entire time.  We knew it was going to be a cold weekend, however the -5 degree temperature inside the cabin was a little ridiculous.  It was actually warmer outside of the cabin as opposed to inside.  Kerl and I worked quickly to get things taken care of before the sun went down (not to mention, to stay warm!).  While he started the fire, I began clearing the snow away from the entrances and bringing our gear inside.  It wasn't too long before Andy and Terry came rumbling up the driveway.  The beer and liquor started to flow as everyone worked to put their stuff away.   We ended up staying up until 4:00 am having our fun.   The next morning we were all a little "slow" and it was cold!!  Andy thought it would be a great idea to sleep on the floor with only a quilt.  Needless to say he was frozen in the morning.  The funniest thing was that Kerl had an electric blanket and an extra sleeping bag that Andy could have used.  Very amusing to say the least.  While it was cold, 12 degress, it was sunny and there was no wind.  It was a  beautiful day.  We finally made it on the ice by 9:30 and starting setting up tip ups.   We got our first flag within minutes of setting up our tip ups when I was able to ice a 24" northern.  It was my first fish caught on a tip up.   We thought that the early flag was a good sign.  While the tip ups were set, Terry and I decided to try jigging for pan fish.  We were able to get into some crappies using Terry's flasher.  The bite was very light, but the crappies were nice size.  Kerl even got into a few catching three crappie in about twenty minutes.  At around 4:30, Andy was able to pull a 34" muskie through the ice.  That was the end of our action for the day and we packed up and went back to the cabin.  We were all pretty worn out from the night before and a full day of fishing so it was a quick dinner and we were all in bed by 9:30.  The next morning we all go up early to pack up our stuff and clean up the cabin.  We decided to head over to the Dairyland Flowage closer to Ladysmith to set some tip ups for walleye.  The skies were still clear/sunny, but the wind had picked up which made it almost unbearably cold.  We only lasted for two hours and never had a flag.  Kerl and I packed up quickly, hit Subway for lunch and were on our way home.  Overall it was a fun weekend.  We caught enough fish to keep us entertained and had fun hanging out in the cabin.  Can't wait until next year.

 

Nature Walk

This past Saturday I decided to take Gus out for a little nature walk to get him some exercise.  It was foggy, breezy, drizzly, and quite warm for the end of January.  The forecast called for rain around lunch time so Gus and I headed out around 7:45.  We hopped in the Pilot and headed over to the public hunting grounds just off of Tin Can Road.   During pheasant season, this area is one of our favorite locations, but we've never ventured past the open fields.   I parked just off the road and Gus rushed out of the Pilot as soon as I opened the rear door.  I had a "large loop" planned out in my head that would bring us right back to our parking spot.  I'm always amazed how different the woods look in the dead of winter.  All the trees are barren and the snow allows you to see deeper into the forest than usual.  Gus zigzagged back and forth through the woods as I followed a nice deer trail to the top of the ridge.   Gus and I worked our way across to the open field and back into the woods.

Gus and I finally made it to the edge of the woods and ventured into one of our usual pheasant hunting spots.  I was quite surprised that we made it through the entire field without kicking up any birds.

Gus was just getting warmed up, so we crossed Tin Can Road and entered the large CRP field, another good pheasant spot.  We walked along the fence line and made our way towards the bike trail and the "back field".  The snow was quite deep, so it was slow going for me however Gus didn't have a problem!  We finally crossed the bike trail and entered the "back field".  I had high hopes of Gus running into a pheasant or two in the standing corn rows, however we never flushed a bird.

As the corn ended towards the back of the field, we did come across numerous turkey tracks in the snow.  It was obvious the turkeys were taking advantage of the standing corn as a mid-winter meal.  I even noticed a nice deer rub as we made our way back towards the Pilot.  

Ed The Archer

Now that hunting season is officially over, there is some down time until the baseball season starts as well as field archery and 3D tournaments.  The "down time" can be dangerous for me (and my pocket book) because it's when I start tinkering with my equipment and buying accessories that I may not necessarily need!  One thing I do need, however, is a new set of strings for my bow.  I bought my bow (2008 Martin Bengal) off of Archery Talk, which is a website that is dedicated to archery.  While the website has many good articles, tips, and videos, the online forum and classifieds sections are by far the most popular.  Many people sell hardly used, sometimes new archery items for really good prices.  My entire set up was purchased from AT!!  I bought the Bengal in the summer of 2008 and it was hardly used.  The original owner had it for a few months and decided to get something different.  I really wanted to get new strings after the hunting season so I started researching string manufacturers and getting price quotes from bow shops for installation etc.  Boy was I surprised when the average cost turned out to be between $120-150!  I figured I’d just have to bite the bullet and spend the money until I stumbled across this unassuming little add on Craigslist:

“They say I make one of the finest bow strings in the madison area, you be the gudge. my strings are made from BCY 452X. many colors to choice from. you bring me your bow it takes about 3 days, as my strings are all pre stretched. choice your colors, I will time your cams, set your tiller, greese your cam bearings if needed, install a D loop, nocking point, and shoot your bow to settle in the string and peep sight. all this for only $60.00 give me a call lets talk Ed. (XXX)XXX-XXXX”

I was very skeptical.  I wasn’t even going to call because I thought it was too good to be true, but finally I said ‘the heck with it’ and made the call.  I was surprised to hear a pleasant, older gentleman answer the phone.  He was glad that I called and we ended up having a fairly lengthy conversation about his services and archery.  Needless to say, I found a “diamond in the rough”.  Ed has been involved in archery for almost 60 years, mostly on the competitive side.  He makes strings and works on archery equipment as a hobby and doesn’t make a profit for his services, hence the very reasonable price.  Needless to say, I left work early yesterday to take my bow over to his house.  He seems to be a simple man that loves archery (as well as trap/skeet shooting) and good conversation.  I spent an enjoyable 20 minutes in his basement picking out my string colors and asking him questions.  I can’t wait to get my bow back next week to see his craftsmanship.  

Wing Mark

This past Sunday (1/3/10), I was able to get out for one last deer hunt.  While it was bitterly cold (7 degrees), it was also very beautiful with all of the snow and bright sun.  Besides a quick "flash" of a doe in the woods, the deer hunting was uneventful, however I did manage to chase a flock of turkeys around for a few hours.  I kept bumping into them while I "poked" around The Land.  One of the coolest things I've seen in a long time is this wing mark left in the snow.

I snapped a picture of it with my cell phone.  I'm not sure if this mark was made on the landing or the take off.  Pretty neat either way.   I like it so much I've put it as this Outdoor Journal's mascot/picture. 

ECO Blog

In addition to this personal outdoor journal, I also contribute to a blog for the hunt club that I am a part of.  We call ourselves Exeter Crossing Outfitters.  Most of my 2009 outdoor/hunting experiences are included in my posts on the ECO blog at http://exetercrossingoutfitters.blogspot.com/

Moving forward, I will be using this Outdoor Journal for all of my personal outdoor experiences and the ECO blog for only "ECO specific" posts.  More than likely, however, there will be some overlap on the two blogs.

First Post

My intention for this blog is to record and document my outdoor activities. I am hoping to update this blog religiously for each of my outdoor experiences to accurately capture information that may be helpful on future expeditions and to serve as an overall memoir of my outdoor adventures.