Like to Hunt - Like to Fish - Like to Draw
Greenwing Teal
Wrapped up the duck season in North MO (north zone) this morning with my twin cousins Bryan & Ryan. We made our last stand today on a farm pond that has been the resting place for a few ducks and some geese. The action came early and fast this morning and I do mean fast. I don’t know if you’ve ever shot teal before, but they are little speed demons! We didn’t shoot great, but I’ve seen much worse.
On to chasing geese over the next few days – I’ll keep you posted!
Jessie
Fetchin Up
Successful Greenhead Retrieve 
I grew up with laborador retrievers, so when we got a place with a big back yard my first thought was to get a lab. The only problem with that is that we also had two very small children. If you know anything about labs, they aren’t the most calm dogs in the world, especially as pups. We opted for a schnauzer which has turned out to be a great choice, but not much help in the duck blind.
Our kids have since gotten bigger as has my desire to have a real huntin dog. Retrieving ducks and geese out of water with a fishing pole and treble hook works, but not nearly as effectively or as natural as a dog doing what it’s bred to do. Working with my dogs in the past had really made up for half of my enjoyment of waterfowling. I loved watching those dogs jump in the icy water time and again without a moments hesitation. It does something special to the bond between a man and his dog to see them work so hard for you (even though they would rather be doing that than anything else!)
So when I saw an ad online for half lab/half golden retriever pups, I was very excited. I love training dogs and to be doing it again after a several year drought is a lot of fun! I’m no training master, but I’m not half bad. It’s very rewarding to see your dog do the things you’ve worked hours to ingrain in them. I’m hoping that by next year she’ll be ready to work – doing what we both love to do. Now if I can just have someone board her for the 1st couple of months as she tries to chew on everything in sight and howls/cries when she’s left alone, I’d really have it made!
That's How It Felt
If you had asked me this past weekend if I would like to take an early morning swim complete with rubber boots, wool pants, multiple layers of coats/sweatshirts, all in 29 degree weather, I probably would have told to call me on Monday to set up an appointment for a psych eval. Then ask me to do all this with my 4yr old and I would’ve really thought you were nuts! Well I’m sure you’ve guessed this by now, but that’s exactly what we did this Monday.
We were just finishing up a less than stellar hunt with Chris, a good friend of mine. I had just trolled around in my canoe picking up the decoys and went back to the little island to pick up my boy and Chris. My boy came in first and sat between my legs and we waited as Chris loaded up the canoe with the rest of our stuff. I’m still not sure what happened next, but the next thing I remember is that Chris was getting into the canoe and all of a sudden the canoe is upside down. The water was deep and I wasn’t able to touch so I went in up to my neck while holding my boy up as high as possible. Chris was quick to right the canoe and I was able to get my son back into the canoe even though it was half full of water.
Talk about exhilarating!! I was trying to say something to Chris but I just couldn’t quite catch my breath! I don’t think I’ve ever felt such shocking cold in my life! We rushed to the Jeep and started the thawing process. Fortunately we all survived and though we were very cold it is something we are laughing about now. It did open my eyes to the danger that cold water and boating/canoeing presents, especially loaded down with winter clothing.
Thought I’d share the experience with you all – good luck out there and above all, be safe!!
Mixed Bag
Ducks & Geese on the Blind
Getting your limit of geese is a great day as is getting your limit of greenheads. Put the two limits together and you’ve just had an amazing day, especially when you’re completely done by 9:30 in the morning! It’s hard to beat the sight of big ol honkers and fat greenheads locked up sailing into your decoys! We were blessed this morning!
Coyote in the Dirt
The following video pretty much tells the story. After sitting in a bow stand for a couple months, it’s nice to pull the trigger on the ol’ rifle!
Successful Hunt
Happy Thanksgiving!! I have so many things to be thankful for in my life. I’m thankful for God’s provision in my life and for His continual grace and mercy that is renewed every morning! I am also very thankful for the family He has blessed me wih and the health that we enjoy and many times, take for granted. I believe I have the best hunter’s wife a hunter could ever ask for – thanks for your support and understanding honey – I love you!!
You can tell by the pic above that I had yet another reason to be thankful this morning. I was able to enjoy the great outdoors with my little man, and with cousins. You all know my heart is with bowhunting big bucks, but I was honored to lay my bow down this morning and pick up the shotgun and spend some quality time hunting down some big honkers! As you can tell, we had an awesome morning. All of us finished with our limits which is more than any hunter can ask for.
I had a great time this morning and I’m hoping to have some more quality time tomorrow. Whether it’s chasing ducks, geese or big deer you can be sure that I’ll keep you posted! In the spirit of Thanksgiving – thanks for reading!
Trespasser
Trespassers
Imagine for a moment that hunting is what you love to do, its actually one of your favorite ways to spend time with your family. Therefore when you get the chance you spend a great deal of money to purchase some land to do just that. You’re not rich by any means so you work hard to make ends meet and with Gods blessing you’re making it happen.
Not only are you spending your retirement money on land, you’re also spending agreat deal of work to make your property the best it can be. You have young grandkids coming up who love to go experience the hunt with their dad or papa.
Now imagine the images above of bright orange as they blatantly disrespect your wishes, cross the fence onto your property and steal the saftey you’ve did your best to insure for your family. I’m right at 50% this year regarding the percentage of hunts that have been interupted/effected by someone with no respect for property lines.
Some have happened in north MO and others have happened down in south MO. I along with my family are peace-loving, laid back and we generally get along with everyone we meet just as most landowners/farmers that I know. Yet the time has come for owners to begin to prosecute the blatant offenses as many times this is all that people understand. We had been asked by the 1st trespasser up north multiple times if he could hunt and he was always told “no” politely.
I see this as a respect issue, a moral issue, and maybe most of all a safety issue for all involved. When hunting with family we always know where each other are at all times. We don’t shoot at movement, but there is always the possibility of not seeing someone, especially if they’re not supposed to be there. In my case the trespasser walked about 120yrds from me and didn’t even see me.
Here are a few helpful tips. Keep a video camera with you if at all possible. I have great footage of most all of the trespassers. You can prosecute from the video footage if the suspect is recognizable. Trail cameras (especially infrared) are also great to catch someone slipping around.
While the suspect has to be caught in the act for a conservation agent to prosecute, this is not the case for the landowner. You can still prosecute – it’s hard to argue with photos or video. If they are on your land, call conservation agent immediately. If the agent does catch them in the act, this will make your job easier.
Hopefully this helps, it is sure making me feel better It has been a frustrating year in this regard, but I’m not losing sleep over it. This is the reality that we live in.
All we can do is work hard to keep our ground as safe as possible and most of all, get outside and enjoy the great outdoors with the ones that we love!
Bobcat Down
1st Bobcat for Travis - Congrats!
Ryan scored another cat this year when this cat slipped in on him while deer hunting. Ryan put this cat down with his .270.
Even though you might think that Travis strangled his cat with his necktie that is now missing from his button up the front shirt, this is not the case. Travis put this cat down with a nice shot from a .30-.30.
If you’re not seeing/shooting big bucks, I guess you might as well be taking out a few predators. Congrats guys, nice shooting. I think I just heard our turkey population exhale a collective sigh of relief!
Monster Buck
Wow is about all you can say about this deer. This deer was killed up in north MO here in the last couple of days. This deer has it all – the drop tines are like icing on the cake.
Funny side note to this story is that my brother-in-law saw this deer very early that morning on the way to work while it was still dark. He said that the deer stood not 20yrds off the side of the road while he stopped his car and sat there admiring him.
Didn’t personally know the hunter that shot this deer as I believe that he comes in from the city to hunt. Sounds like he had been hunting him hard after catching some pics on a trail cam. So a congrats to the hunter that shot this deer and lets all hope that this buck has been doing some heavy breeding over the past few years!!
Beautiful Buck
A cousin of mine just sent me this pic of the deer he shot this morning up in north MO. What a beautiful deer. It’s not too often that you get to see a deer with this many typical points much less harvest one. The great news for him is that believe it or not, this is not the big one!!
I’ve shown the trail cam pics of a deer that looks very similar to this one and you immediately think that this is a one of a kind deer. After caping this deer out, it was obvious that this buck was not the one that was shot last year with the muzzleloader, although without doubt a close relative!! These are some great genetics and are an example of what deer are capable of given good soil and by using quality deer management techniques.
Congrats Hugh, thanks again for sharing!!