Tough Times in Maine

I have been bow hunting Maine for almost two weeks now. Let me tell you how tough hunting is up here. I had a few encounters with some does but that is it! The woods are incredibly thick in Maine. Even when most of the leaves are down it is still thick where I am hunting. I have self filmed a few of my hunts and it's fun. It takes a lot more work, but it will be worth the extra effort once I harvest a deer filming myself.

My plan is to now head to my home state of Massachusetts for Monday's opening day. I have not given up on Maine. I will head back up north after my trip to Pennsylvania. I have a few spots up here that I think will only get better as the time passes. All I can do now is scout Mass and make sure      my shot is still true. My ultimate goal is to capture deer on film. Harvesting a deer would be nice, but being outdoors is the reason why I am up here. I am sticking to my personal expectations and I am enjoying the moment. That's all for now and stay tuned for more to come. Good luck for everyone who is hunting this fall and stay safe!

The Season is Upon Us

Hey all,

I have neglected my blog for way too long now. My dad and I recently made the journey from Oklahoma to Maine. That was a long drive! The trip was approximately 1,800 miles and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous. We arrived here in Maine and there was a lot of work that needed to be done. We have scouted our hunting area and it looks promising. The tree stands are set and the blinds are in place. Now all I have to do is wait for Saturday to roll around.

I will be self filming all of my hunts and I will keep you guys updated on here or YouTube. The quality may not be great at first, so please be patient with me. If any of you have watched a hunting show then you will appreciate the patience and hard work that goes into every show. Now imagine doing it all by yourself.

The Massachusetts opener is on October 15th. That will present another challenge and more excitement too. Bow hunting the northeast is much different than bow hunting in Oklahoma. The woods of the northeast are much thicker than any woodlots in Oklahoma. There will be limited shot opportunities so I will have to make the best of them. Harvesting a good buck in either state is a goal of mine. I do have doe permits in both states which will also present more opportunities for me. My dad and I are also going to make a trip to northeast Pennsylvania on November 5th. That should be an action packed trip and there will be more details to follow.

I hope everyone has a nice fall and happy hunting!

Future Endeavors

Summer is here, and I have plenty to look forward to in the upcoming months. I am separating from the Air Force in August with an honorable discharge. I will be a full time student this spring, and that's going to be a major change for me. The transition to the civilian life will be different, but I am really looking forward to it.

 I am visiting Massachusetts and Maine in mid September until the end of November. Fall is around the corner! To me that means apple picking, the leaves changing, and bow hunting whitetails. I have several hunts planned in Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and I will finish my season in Oklahoma. The opening day of Maine bow season will be the start of me filming my own hunts. There will be growing pains, but I want to share my experiences with all of you.

Most importantly, I am recently engaged, and we are planning on getting married this winter. Life is good right now, and I feel extremely fortunate to be in the situation I am in. Last but not least, I will be able to sport my beard again. I hope everyone enjoys his or her 4th of July and be safe.

GoPro HD Hero2 Review...

I recently purchased the GoPro HD Hero2 Outdoor Edition camera. There has been a lot of hype about this product so, I tried it out myself. It arrived a few days later, and the set up was easy and very user friendly. I was able to set it up within minutes and shoot video instantly. It comes with a lot of accessories and a bunch more available on GoPro's website.

 I tested the product for the intention of using it while hunting. I purchased the handlebar seatpost mount separately and mounted it on my Mathews Z7 with no problem at all. It doesn't add too much weight to my bow, and it's something I will get used to quickly. My other option is mounting the GoPro to the tree. The camera takes great video, and it seems to be one of the most versatile "point and shoot" cameras on the market today. This is going to be a great secondary camera to my Canon Vixia HF G10. I am extremely excited to try it out this fall while deer hunting.

I made a short video with just the GoPro HD Hero2. Check it out, and I want you guys to give me some feedback on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaLe5dEadR4&feature=youtu.be

The Waiting Game...

It's that time of year again. It's the unofficial start of summer and the lull before deer season. I was never a fan of this time of year, and previously, I didn't make the best use of my time before opening day of bow season. As I grew older, I found new activities to help prepare for bow season, and occupy my time during the lull of summer months. Scouting and setting up tree stands is critical during this time of year. It's very important to have those stands in place well before bow season opens. Placing tree stands in your hunting area now doesn't have as much of an impact on deer sanctuaries than it would a week or so before the season. Clearing shooting lanes early on will help minimize scent dispersion, and the deer will become accustomed to minor changes in their habitat well before opening day.

Finally, setting up and checking trail cameras in your hunting area is a tactic hunters need to take advantage of more. I set mine up where I know the deer are transitioning to and from feeding and bedding areas. Knowing the quality and quantity of deer in your hunting grounds is beneficial for preparation going into a new hunting season. By viewing the deer on a trail camera first hand, it gives me reasonable expectations of what caliber of deer I can hope to hunt. Going into bow season, I select a few bucks that I am willing to harvest. I wouldn't have this valuable information unless I had trail cameras out and running during the summer months. Plus, it's fun to see the growth period of a buck's antlers. So, if you are counting down the days to the opening day of bow season (3 months 30 days to Maine bow season) then use your time wisely and have fun with it.

Why Do I Hunt?

I have been posed with this question at least a hundred times over the course of my life. For me, there isn't a single reason why I hunt. There are many reasons why non-hunters do not understand why I hunt, but for the sake of this argument, I will share the most important reasons for me. The number one reason why I started hunting was to be closer with my father after the death of my older brother. We have become really close, and I can truly say hunting has brought us together in the hardest moment of our lives. We haven't been able to hunt together as of late due to my service in the Air Force, but we plan on hunting in Maine and are planning a week long trip to Pennsylvania this coming fall.

Another important reason why I hunt is the distance I can put myself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It's an amazing stress reliever for me. The challenge of bow hunting and perfecting my shot is another great reason why I hunt. To make a lethal shot with a bow at a deer is a test of patience, dedication, accuracy, and many more qualities an archer must possess. Any deer I shoot with my bow is a trophy in my eyes. Game management is another reason why hunting is important to me.  It serves as a great tool for conservation. Keeping the population in check helps to make sure various species stay balanced. The last reason I hunt is because the venison is absolutely delicious! If you have never tried venison, then you are truly missing out. If prepared correctly, it will match any cut of beef out there.

This isn't a post to convert non-hunters to hunters. I firmly believe hunting isn't for everybody. Trust me, I have seen people in the woods who do not belong there, but that is an argument for another day. My objective here is to educate non-hunters of the benefits the hunting community can offer. I hope this has helped.

First Buck...

Today I am reflecting on my first harvest of a whitetail buck. It was October 2, 2009, and it was my first hunt in the state of Oklahoma. I was hunting with a good friend of mine in south central Oklahoma, and the anticipation was high. I missed the previous hunting season because I was in basic military training. We arrived to the location in the afternoon, and we put on all of our gear. We walked to our respective stands, and I quietly made my way through the woods. I settled into my ladder stand, and a few minutes later I heard a noise behind me. I was on high alert and was anticipating a deer coming my way. The noise ended up being an armadillo. That was cool for me because I had never seen one before, being from the northeast. The armadillo slowly made his way past me, and my heart rate went down. Not even five minutes later I caught a glimpse of three deer to my right. It was a group of two bucks and a doe heading in my direction. The doe was in the front, the smaller buck in the middle, and the bigger buck in the back. I used my rangefinder to get a range of the distance, and they were going to be walking at 23 yards. I drew my bow and settled my pin on the bigger buck. When he was broadside, I pressed the trigger of my release. The arrow hit a few inches back of the shoulder, and he ran off. I was extremely excited to say the least. I thought it was a great hit, and I waited 30 minutes to track him. When I arrived to my arrow, there was a good amount of blood. I was tracking his trail, and to my surprise he was standing 40 yards in front of me. I backed out and night fall was upon us. My friend and I decided to let him be and come back in the morning. That night was restless, and worst case scenarios were running through my mind. My biggest fears were that I would not find him and that coyotes would find him before me. We went back in the morning and found to the location where I last saw him. The blood was minimal, and it was a tough tracking job. We lost the blood trail, so we decided to get some more help and expand our search. Luck was on my side that day, and we happened to stumble on him while we were going back to the truck. The buck basically made a big circle and couldn't have been more than 100 yards from where I shot him. Upon inspection of him, I shot him a little far back. I ended up hitting his liver. It is a fatal shot, but it takes longer for the deer to expire in comparison to a lung shot (which is preferred). I was thankful for the recovery and reflected on the deer. He wasn't a big deer, but he was a trophy to me.

Turkey Troubles...

This last weekend I was fired up to go turkey hunting. My girlfriend and I scouted Friday night and located where the gobblers were. I knew where I was going to set up the following morning, and I was very confident about the set up. Everything seemed to fall into place that morning. I arrived early, located the spot where I was going to sit, and placed a hen and a tom decoy 15 yards in front of me with the Tom decoy facing me. There was some brush to my right that helped conceal me from the advancing gobblers. It was truly the perfect set up. The toms were already gobbling from their roost, and it did not take much of my calling to get them fired up. Once daylight arrived one gobbler flew down from the tree and was heading my way! I was very still, and it wasn't necessary for me to call much. He began strutting and showed off his impressive fan. At that moment I realized that this gobbler was going to come close, and I was going to get my chance. He came into range of my Benelli Nova, and I had him in my sights. I took the safety off and slowly pulled the trigger and nothing happened. The gun did not fire, and I became irritated. My first thought was, "Is it on the safety?" I adjusted the safety and tried shooting again and again nothing happened. The second thought that rushed into my head was, "The shell must be bad." I ejected the first shell and fed a new one into the chamber, made sure the safety was off, and pulled the trigger. The gun did not fire, again. To say the least, I was demoralized. The gobbler stayed around my general area for about 45 minutes, and I couldn't do a thing but watch him. It was nice to see him in his element, but I couldn't explain how much that frustrated me. I waited until he left then went off to the truck knowing my day was over as he was gobbling in the distance. I drove back to my girlfriend's parents’ house and immediately inspected my gun. I took it apart and saw nothing out of the ordinary. My next step was to fire it. With my luck, it fired. To this day I cannot explain to you why it did not go off that morning. Since then, I have shut the gun several times, and it fired every single time. I did not take my first turkey that morning, but it will be an experience I will never forget. Until then, I will keep chasing the illusive turkey, and next time it might be with my bow. That turkey got a pass last weekend, but he may not be so lucky next time.  I am going to video my next few hunts so stay tuned and turkey might be on the menu. 

Illuminated Arrow Nocks

How many bow hunters out there are skeptical of using illuminated arrow nocks? I was one of those hunters until last night when I shot them for the first time. I decided to give them a try after debating over them for a long time. I thought to myself, "are they really worth the trouble?" The answer is yes! They are reliable, they involve very little maintenance, and they require no tuning at all. They fly exactly like my other nocks. There are two types that I am aware of. The first kind illuminates upon impact, and the second kind is activated and deactivated by magnets. I chose the nocks that are activated and deactivated by magnets because to me, they seemed easier to use. The nocks I chose are made by Easton, and they are called Tracer Arrow Knocks. The only advice I will give is to make sure the nocks you are purchasing match with the nocks you shoot with. Most nocks are differentiated by a letter, and most nocks display that letter somewhere. For example, I shoot X nocks so I made sure I purchased the exact same kind. The point is, the illuminated nocks are versatile so don't be afraid to pick up a pair. Have fun with them whether you are hunting or shooting at the range. I am anxious to see them in action during spring turkey season and deer season in the fall.

Turkey Hunting

Spring turkey season is upon us. I scouted the area, did my research, and thought I was prepared for any situation that a gobbler could throw at me. Well, I was dead wrong. I am certainly not an experienced turkey hunter by any means, but today was a great learning experience. I arrived at the hunting site at 6:30 am and the gobbler was off the roost already. My set up was not ideal, and if I arrived earlier, I could have cut my distance in half. I was at the edge of a hay field, 150 yards away from the gobbler. My back was against a tree, and I had a hen decoy 25 yards north of me. I called to the gobbler several times, but he never responded once. My frustration was building, and I decided to stop calling. The gobbler was holding his ground and was waiting for "the hen" to meet him. After two hours of watching him strut, the Tom finally went on his way. I advanced up the field to get a better look of the terrain and I realized that the Tom was not able to see the decoy. The field had a rise and from the gobbler's location, he did not have an opportunity to see the decoy. I learned three things from this hunt. First, arrive a lot earlier so I am able to pin point the turkey's exact location. Two, set up in a location where he is most likely to fly down from his roost. That will make it more likely for him to see the decoy and he will not have to travel as far. Finally, incorporating a Jake or Tom decoy in my set up will be very beneficial. The Jake or Tom decoy will make it more likely for the gobbler to come in and "fight for his lady." I am sure I will make many more mistakes while turkey hunting, but I will grow as a hunter. This is the only way to get better and learn. So have fun with it and happy hunting everyone.

Scouting trip

I woke up early yesterday morning to go scouting for a mature gobbler. That  was my main goal for yesterday, but on the way over there others came to mind. The two other goals for the day were to find potential deer stand locations for next fall and to look for deer antler sheds. When I arrived to the property, I tried calling a few times so to locate a gobbler but had no such luck. I moved to another location and eventually got a response from a gobbler that was 200 yards away. I was excited and backed out of the area so I wouldn't pressure him. Then I was off to look for deer sign and antler sheds. After walking a little ways, I ended up hearing a few coyotes howl. I did not think much of it and kept walking in the same direction. A few minutes later, I ended up face to face with a coyote. He was twelve yards away, and I think we surprised each other equally. After my mini heart attack, I continued my quest to find antler sheds but had no luck on this day. I looked everywhere I could think a deer would drop his antlers. I looked on fence lines, creek bottoms, bedding areas, deer trails, and the thickest cover I could find. The reality of the situation is the deer could have dropped their antlers in neighboring properties or the underbrush could have grown to cover them. I could have just missed them yesterday. Even though I didn't find any antler sheds, I had a blast. I ended up seeing nine deer, I found some new potential deer stand locations for next fall, and I had a lot of good deer pictures on my trail camera as seen below. For me spending a day in the outdoors is a great stress reliever. I feel good and refreshed, and I recommend that everyone should take the oppurtunity to walk outside and enjoy the great outdoors.

Range Time/Archery Form Issues

Tonight was the first time I have been able to shoot my compound bow in two months. I had a two month hiatus due to an injury to my right shoulder. I am slowly getting better and back into my groove. I immediately found out that I have lost the accuracy that I once took for granted. The more I shot, the more I was frustrated with my shooting. I stopped and sat down for a while. I thought through every aspect of the shot. If you never shot a bow before then you do not realize what goes into every shot. Every step is critical and keeping your form consistent is imperative on every single shot. Tonight I tweaked the location of my release hand and how it anchors the shot. The new placement messed up everything for me. So essentially, I started my form from scratch. I stepped up to line to take a 20 yard shot. My feet were shorter than shoulder width apart and I had a slight bend at the knees. I became aware of how I pulled my bow back, pulling the bow with my back muscles instead of having all the pressure on my release hand. Then I became conscious of how I held the bow with my bow hand. I didn't grip it tight but sort of relaxed so I wouldn't torque my shots left or right. Next, I kept my bow arm at a slight bend, keeping my chest open, anchoring my release hand, and not punching the trigger when I lined up the shot.  Finally, following through with your shot is extremely important. The goal is to see the arrow travel from the bow sight to the target. Now imagine, trying to think about all of this when a big buck is 15 yards away from you. Not easy my friends. So I went through the routine and made myself aware of everything I had to do, and I hit slightly high. I took another shot and boom, I hit right on the X. After that, I slowly regained my confidence and stayed consistent with my form. That resulted in being consistent with my shot placement. It always amazes me that I learn something about myself every time I go to the range to shoot my bow. There is always something you can do to make yourself a better or worse archer. So, always strive to be consistent with your form, do not rush your shot, and have fun with it!

The Beginning

This is my first post and I am excited to find a venue to share my stories and expertise. I do not have all the answers but I am willing to learn and put the work into something I do not fully understand. That being said, being consistent and learning from your mistakes will make you a better overall hunter. I have made many mistakes so far in my bowhunting/hunting career but I am glad I had for the learning experiences. I started this blog for many reasons. I will reveal the reasons and my future ambitions as time goes on. My main obsession is bow hunting whitetails. This is a common theme in the world of hunting but I simply can not help it. It is in my blood and I will continue to pursue whitetails as long as I am able. I do enjoy using a rifle and muzzleloader but it does not give me the same feeling that hunting with a bow does. That's all for today and stay tuned for my next post. Oklahoma Spring turkey season is around the corner and I am going to continue my pursuit of finding antler sheds.