Old Hunting Photos

These black and white hunting photos are B.C. (Before Cabelas) !!! ;)

On A Climb

At first glance in the paper yesterday, I thought someone was climbing a mountainous terrain until I read that it was only four children racing up a hill at the construction site behind the Cedar Hill Cemetery. The picture was taken by Katie Carter of The Vicksburg Post. She said that the city is expanding the cemetery at the north end of Mission 66 roadway by 10 percent, adding space for thousands of graves that city officials say should be enough for 25 to 30 years.

Impressive Pictures

Beauty captured in a split second!

Azaleas Blooming

Our azaleas are blooming now but not in full bloom. I'm surprised that they look this good after some hard rain and winds for three straight days. Still a lot of buds on the brush and should be in full bloom by the end of the week. Charming, Just Charming!

Hunting Tip of the Week

When looking for a Buck's bedding area, there's a difference between finding rubs and scrapes of their territory, and finding rubs and scrapes of their bedding area.

As we all know, Bucks like to deposit their scent in their area. To do that, they lick the overhanging limbs where they rub. They will also rub the limbs with their forehead to deposit a secretion from their glands.

To further distribute their scent, bucks will paw the ground and make an opening of about 3 to 4 feet. Then, they will urinate in the scrape.

To find out the difference between rubs and scrapes of their territory vs. their bedding, look here: (P. K. Jacobson's Deer Hunting Secrets)

Vicksburg On The Hunt

Vicksburg resident Matthew Bingham, left, bagged two turkeys while hunting with his friend Daniel Flowers, right, on Sunday. Bingham's first bird was a three-bearded gobbler with 1-inch long spurs. It weighed 21-1/2 pounds and the three beards measured a total of 22-1/2 inches. His second turkey was a 19-pounder with an 8-1/4inch beard and 7/8-inch long spurs.

Torey Daniels, 11, killed this turkey while hunting with her father in southern Warren County on March 15. She killed the bird with a 20-gauge shotgun. My congrats to Matthew and Torey on their fine harvest in our great outdoors! Charming, Just Charming!

Got Game?

Elliot proudly lines up 18 ducks after a day of hunting in Arkansas.

I received an email back in January from Jordan Brown of CA, who is a reporter for the Palo Alto High School Voice online publication. Their sports magazine recently published a feature article about PAHS students who hunt. He thought the story might be interesting to me or something I would like to post on my site. Today, I would like to do just that....

Palo Alto High School sophomores Elliot Beckstrom, Cory Valenti and Alex Zarem are not your typical athletes. They are not exempt from P.E. for their sport and they do not have coaches. They do not belong to a team; their only uniform is their camouflage and they do not have an opponent. They are hunters.

Beckstrom, Valenti and Zarem discovered the Southern-dominated sport through friends and family. They hunt as often as they can, including occasional after-school trips to nearby hunting areas. Traveling as far as Canada and Georgia to hunt better game, they are like any other Paly athletes; they are incredibly committed to their sport.

For Beckstrom, Valenti and Zarem hunting is more than a sport, it is a tradition. Originally a means of survival, hunting has evolved into a sport and a passion passed down from generation to generation. The appeal of the outdoors reels young people to the sport.

For Zarem and Valenti, their families originally introduced them to the sport. Zarem's father hunts and took him to get his hunting license when he was eight years old. Valenti first started hunting at age 12 and grew up in a family where the sport has always been prevalent.

"The tradition of hunting is something that is passed down," Valenti said. "People in America have always hunted the same animals that we hunt now. It's cool to know that it's been passed down through the centuries. Also, almost my whole family has done it and so it is a good opportunity to have something in common with my family and extended family."

One of the most common ways to get involved in the sport is through family tradition. Valenti's family is originally from the South, where hunting is much more common. Because of this family history, Valenti grew up with constant exposure to hunting. However, without the introduction to hunting through family, the sport is often seen as a more non-mainstream activity, and young people are often never exposed to it.

Around Palo Alto, there are very few public lands in the area where hunting is legal. The restricted hunting options make it even more difficult for young people to get involved in the sport.

Although less common, there are ways to get involved with hunting in California without a hunting family. Beckstrom is the only one in his family that hunts. Jordan Middle School industrial technology teacher, Hal Roach first introduced Beckstrom to the sport when he was 13 years old after recognizing potential for interest in the sport.

"Elliot was into paint balling and I was talking to him one day about how much he enjoyed shooting and things just moved from there," Roach said. "I think he was interested, as he was an avid fisherman before taking a hunter safety class."

Beckstrom's love for the sport grew despite the lack of family ties.

"Hunting is one of the oldest activities humans have exercised," Beckstrom said. "It is usually passed from father to his children and it's a family oriented activity. In most cases the whole family hunts, there are very few cases, like me, where I am the only hunter in my entire family."
According to Beckstom, Valenti and Zarem, the best part of hunting is being outside and close to nature. Although there is no winner or loser and no score is kept, hunting is just as much a sport as anything else.

"It's a very different sport," Beckstrom said. "It's less competition and more physical contact. It's about being outside and keeping the tradition of hunting."

Hunting is a painstaking sport, with a long process of preparation for all types of game.....

Read more about these young hunters who are making a difference in our great wild outdoors!

Elliot wields his gun and a recently hunted bird while out hunting in the Baylands near Palo Alto.

Some Cool Trees!

How in the world do they grow these?

Sheds for Shead

I came across this article a few days ago on Joe Shead displaying a group of deer antlers he had found on a Duluth hillside. He found his first shed antler eight years ago. Shead has written a book and produced a DVD about the practice of finding antlers shed by whitetailed deer. (Hansmeyer/ahansmeyer@duluthnews.com)

Shead, who lives in Superior, is looking for antlers. Like a growing number of Northland residents, he’s a “shed” antler hunter. He’s a collector of antlers that whitetail bucks shed naturally this time of year.

“After you find that first one, you’re hooked,” Shead said. “It’s kind of like an addiction. I’ll find one, and it’s a huge rush for a minute. Then it wears off, and you want another one.”
Shead — yes, it’s pronounced “shed” — has come to the aid of other shed-hunting addicts. He’s written a book on the subject called “Shed Hunting: A Guide to Finding White-Tailed Deer Antlers,” and he’s produced a DVD titled “Go Shed Hunting with Joe Shead.” He also has a website and a blog about sheds.

On this March afternoon, Shead scans a hillside well-traveled by deer within Duluth’s city limits.

“I can come here some days and see two dozen deer,” Shead says.

Hoof-pocked trails intertwine in the snow. They’re punctuated by deer droppings and the occasional melted oval of snow where a deer has bedded. Several times in the two-hour walk, Shead spies deer moving through the woods in the distance.

He said this is prime shed-hunting territory: A south-facing slope where deer love to be in the spring. Shead moves slowly, looking, looking.

Because this is public land, Shead knows other shed hunters work this area, too. “I come to this area probably three to four times a week because there are a lot of people in this area,” he says.

He comes to know some of the bucks that live here. He has nicknames for them based on the way their antlers grow.

In northern Minnesota, most deer breeding takes place in November, and whitetail bucks begin shedding their antlers in January and February.

“I got my first shed of the year under that little jack pine there,” Shead says. He points at the lone pine among the scrubby deciduous trees. Shead looks under all lone evergreen trees like the jack pine. He knows bucks like to rest under those isolated conifers, and there’s always a chance one might leave an antler behind.

So far, Shead has found eight antlers this spring. He estimates he has “a few hundred” antlers after finding his first one eight years ago. Although some shed hunters sell their antlers, Shead keeps all of his. He finds about 25 a year. He keeps the current season’s antlers and a few favorites on display.

“It’s very dangerous to walk across my living room floor,” he says.

Click here to watch his video-Go Shed Hunting 2!

Albino Moose!

I received these pictures today and wanted to share them with you because you will probably never have a chance to see this rare sight again. This is a really a special treat, so enjoy the shots of a lifetime because the odds of seeing an albino moose are astronomical!

Not one, but two ! Truly amazing ! These animals were photographed just north of the Wisconsin border on a highway near Marenisco, MI. Once in awhile there is an opportunity to take in a piece of nature that you may never see. In these days of unrest and turmoil it is great to see that Mother Nature can still produce some wondrous beauty.

To see two of them together is nearly impossible!

New Site - Extreme Outdoors

I came across a new blog site yesterday by way of Long Ridge Deer Camp and it's called, Extreme Outdoors. Paul, a student in college from a small town in central Iowa, recently started his blog on the sport of hunting. In 2010 he will graduate with an English Major and Secondary Education Minor and said his posting may be limited at times. He plans to be posting about reviews on products, fly fishing, (which is his passion), deer hunting and turkey hunting which is right around the corner. He will be reminiscing about the good ol' days and giving us some delicious recipes for that deer we bring home. He just came off of Spring break and had a great time with a friend fly fishing in northeast Iowa and posted some pictures. We're hoping that he will join the Outdoor Bloggers Summit at some point and wish him well with his studies. Go over and welcome Paul and his new blog of Extreme Outdoors!

Who's Kicking Who?

Again, Dave, who lives in Indiana, has some really cool deer cam pictures for us to enjoy. He said, "The deer in my hunting woods look just great...I don't know if we are having a little kicking match here or quite what is going on...??? I need one or more to turn around so I can see if their udders are starting to fill out...In about three to four weeks it will be easy to pick out the pregnant ones though..." Thanks Dave for sharing your 'kicking' deer in our great wild outdoors!

Charming, Just Charming!

Tip of the Week

If You Have To Ask, The Answer is "NO!"

Every Saturday, I will be giving you some helpful tips while hunting in our great outdoors from Buckmasters.

We've all heard horror stories of wounded deer, and bow hunters in particular are prone to be the subject of these sad tales. The real statistics show that wounded deer are far less common than stories indicate, but a common theme of many of these stories is that the shooter took an "iffy" shot -- maybe the distance was a little too far or maybe the shooting window wasn't clear.

It doesn't matter. There's one simple way to know if you should hold that shot and let the deer walk: If there is ANY doubt in your mind whatsoever, don't shoot. It's that simple. We all can get caught up in the excitement, so listen to yourself and watch for these key thoughts: "I wonder if it's too far?"; "I think I can get a shot through there"; "If I don't shoot now I won't get another chance"; etc. Unless you're thinking, "This deer is mine," let him walk. If you haven't spooked him, he'll be back and you'll have a chance on another day.

Milking Time

Steve sent me this (political cartoon) for CONSERVATIVES....

T-Mobile Commercial

At the train station in Liverpool, T-Mobile did this commercial unbeknownst to the daily commuters. They practiced for 8 weeks, late at night in the station.

On January 15th, 2009, with hidden cameras and 400 dancers at 11:00 a.m. their plan was put into action. Enjoy!

Bret's First Turkey!

I have written about Bret before and at 12 years old he is quite the hunter. His grandmother, Theresa, "T", is a good friend on mine on MySpace and lives in north Mississippi. She was telling me that he and his Dad (Franz) got up early on St. Patrick's Day and went to a good hunting spot in the woods where we had heard a few gobblers. They set up and Bret watched as his Dad called for the turkey and finally in the distance they heard one call back. It took some time but Franz got the Jake to come in closer where Bret was. Franz said, "there he is Bret take your shot." What seemed to be a hour Bret still eyeing the turkey, hand on trigger and he just kept waiting and waiting. Franz said he thought he was never going to shoot. Finally he shot! Franz said Bret turned and looked at him and said, "Dad I had it under control, you see me roll that sucker"! Bret was so excited that he called everyone to tell them that he finally killed his first Jake. Then off he went to sporting goods place to buy some turkey calls. T said that she is very proud of her grandson and he his harvested many a deer, but ducks is his passion (see below), and now turkey. He is going again Friday, Saturday and Sunday. T wishes everyone Happy Hunting during turkey season. My congrats to Bret on his first turkey in the great wild outdoors!

Bret with his ducks in December 08'.

Bret looking ahead for some ducks!