The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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First light has always been my favorite time of day. It’s at that time my expectation is at its highest. Whether I’m fishing, hunting or just out, I love the possibilities and excitement the breaking day brings. It seems all game is more active during this period. Every cast is made with great expectations. Every corner of the woods is looked at with great expectations. The skies are filled with great expectations. It’s a feeling only you and I know. I wonder sometimes if that’s not what dr...
We had this six-pointer on camera several times. However, he was not just any six. The sheds from last year measured 135 inches. My first evening I chose the wrong stand. He showed up at a different one. For the next few days, I hunted where he was last seen, every morning and evening. He still lives. And I really wanted him. Oh, sure I would have been happy to put an arrow through some other giant. But this guy was different. This guy had a different story. This guy made the most out of the...
One of the benefits of hunting is getting to see so many different animals and other things that one just doesn’t get to see otherwise. I have renamed one of my trail cameras, the zoo camera, because it always has pictures of so many different kinds of animals. On that one camera, within the last two months, I have pictures of deer, coyotes, bobcats, turkeys, raccoons, squirrels, and a bear. Not to mention the various birds. And not only do you get to see various creatures, but sometimes i...
One of my least favorite things to see when bow hunting is a bunch of doe that comes in within fifty yards of my stand. I know that eventually I’m going to get busted. If I’m looking to take a doe, I might get a shot off. But no matter what, if they stay there long enough, I’m going to be discovered. It doesn’t matter if I’m wearing a deer hide underneath the best camo, while elevated thirty feet in the air, that one lone momma deer is going to sniff me out and let every other deer in three cou...
Coyotes are not a friend of any farmer, rancher, or hunter. They are equal opportunity predators. They will pursue your cat or your cattle. They are satisfied with fish or fowl. And they love a young tasty fawn. Needless to say, every opportunity to get rid of one should be taken. The rest of creation will thank you. There are however some places that make it a sport to hunt these scavengers. Texas is one. I have had a few opportunities to go with those who know how to call in these critters to...
My ground blind leaks. Yours does too. Yeah, I know you have the top-of-the-line, largest, most cushy, made-of-the-best-waterproof-material-blind money can buy. I’m sure it’s nice. But it leaks. It may not leak as much as mine. It may not leak in the same places as mine. But it leaks. Those leaks may not show up until the hardest rain, but, you know, it leaks. I’m sorry. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You can still claim superiority in ground blind wars. But it leaks. And sometimes those l...
I don’t how many times I have crossed a ridge thinking I was some place that I wasn’t. I don’t how many times I have crested a hill thinking I’ll be able to see something I didn’t. I don’t know how many times I have rounded a bend to discover an additional path to the place I was going. I recognize this truth weekly. One of my hobbies is cycling. I’ve been riding for several years, and sometimes the places I ride are difficult. As a result, I’m always looking around the corner thinking I have...
The rain in our area has been relentless. This coming week will be the first week in several where there is hardly any rain predicted. Everyone here is praying for the possibility of sunny days with temperatures to be in the 90’s. Yes, you read that right. We are praying for sunny days and sweltering humidity with highs in the mid 90’s. It’s funny how that works. Just a few weeks ago, I saw a sign on a church marquee that implored us to pray for rain. Now, if I were to go back by that churc...
My first visit to the Davis Ranch in the Dallas Texas area was in 2013. There I met several men including John Davis, the owner. We hit it off almost immediately. It was not too long after that, I began flying there a couple times a year to do hunting and speaking events with a small group of men. That place holds a lot of great memories. It was there I took my first Rio turkey. It was there I harvested several pigs. And it was there where I met the most amazing men, many who have become lifelon...
I was pressing to get on these two gobblers. I knew since it was the middle of the season and the first thing in the morning, that after they flew off the roost the gobbling would end. So I chose to gamble a little and get in their bedroom. Since it was already breaking day, I knew I had the chance of being seen. I was right. But fortunately I was only seen by two hens that were roosted just above my set-up. They shortly flew away from me and more importantly, away from the two gobblers who were...
Unlike some other types of hunting, pursuing the turkey is very enjoyable doing it with a partner; especially if one is doing the calling and the other is doing the shooting. Most people who have hunted turkey for any period of time will tell you they enjoy calling in a bird as much as shooting one. Not only do you get to share in a successful shot, but the caller gets a sense of pride in knowing if it weren’t for his calling the shot would’ve never been made. Most of the time, shooting a turkey...
I’ve always heard that writing is more about perspiration than inspiration. It’s true. Even though it is very fulfilling to write about the outdoors, it is also difficult at times to continue to find worthy subjects and stories. Sometimes my mind soars with information faster than my fingers can type. Other times those same fingers seem like they’re waiting impatiently for the next command. During the times of inspiration I can’t wait to get to the computer. During other times I dread its cal...
One of my comedy excuses I’m known for when I come up empty-handed from a hunting or a fishing trip, is that my friend, partner, guide, etc. “dry-ridged” me. I forgot where I first heard that term, but I use it quite often to blame other people for my lack of success. It refers to the belief that they purposefully placed me in a location where they knew no game would be. I mean after all, who wants to put me on their favorite spot or let me know where their honey-hole is? Hunters aren’t nearly...
Fishing is a great sport that millions of men and women participate in each year. Most of the country boasts of its places to fish and each area has its specialty. For instance, my area is known for its lakes. Other areas are known for their rivers or streams, and some for their access to the ocean. There really is something for everyone. What I forget many times about fishing is how my success today is based on what has happened yesterday or even the past several days. It may be beautiful and...
The turkeys are gobbling the woods down. Their call is one of the most recognizable in all of nature. Whether one is a turkey hunter or not, everyone knows this familiar sound. And even though a tom turkey will gobble the entire year, he is especially vocal during the spring mating season. The turkey is an amazing bird. Just a few years ago there were so few, most hunters turned into fishermen during the spring. Now, the turkey is in every state except Alaska. And not only are they surviving,...
My mind goes to so many outdoor activities this time of year. It's the middle of February so mostly I'm planning for the next couple of months. Not only will turkey season be upon us soon, but some of the best pan fishing is knocking at the door. The walleye run will put fishermen elbow to elbow in the river and the crappie will have boats side by side at the lake. These two fish are my all-time favorite varieties to eat. And the bonus points my wife gives me when I bring them home are enough...
Winter undoubtedly thwarts many outdoor plans in most parts of the country. If you don’t believe me, just wait until the first warm weekend in February. There will be more lawnmowers heard than any other time of the year. It’s not that they want to mow their lawn, but it’s just that they have cabin fever. Another problem with the winter is the amount of light in each day. There have been several times when one could hunt all day and stay out less than twelve hours. That means twelve hours in th...
Ever since last summer, I have been watching one particular buck. He’s not a giant but he has a short third beam that protrudes straight out from the bottom of his main beam. It’s only about 5 inches long but has another point growing from that. The deer is a mainframe 8 but this anomaly has always made the rack intriguing to me. And I decided early on, if I had the chance to harvest this one, I would. It would be my first non-typical. During hunting season, it has shown up on my trail camera ma...
This time of year, orange fills the woods. It confirms gun season has come. I’ve sat in many places, thinking I was the only one around, only to scan the horizon with my binoculars to discover an orange vest in a tree closer than I wanted. I can remember one time while hunting in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, staying in a hotel, and nearly every single occupant either leaving early that morning or coming in late that evening, with an orange hat and vest on. It was a hotel from heaven. Years ago, fish a...
I’ve been waiting for this week for some time. I’ve only hunted 2 times because I wanted to save all my energy and all my wifey-points for these next 2 months. I plan on spending several hours each week looking for the biggest bucks my area offers. Plus, I’ve got a couple of away trips planned as well. There’s no doubt this is the best time of year to see the biggest bucks. But while I have not been hunting, I have been making all the preparations for the hunt. My heart has been in the tree st...
One of the difficulties in hunting mountainous areas is that we not only have to set our stands up according to the wind directions but also according to what are called thermals. Thermals are normal wind currents that change as air cools down or heats up. In the evening the cool air falls and when the temperatures heat up in the morning, the warmer air rises. This means if you are hunting from a tree stand on the top of a ridge in the evening, your scent is most likely going to be carried into...
One of the aspects I dislike about hunting and fishing is getting ready for the first day. Whether it’s the first turkey hunt of the year or the first deer hunt, there’s always the need to make sure nothing is forgotten on that opening day. One of my on-going paranoias is to be in a tree stand when a deer walks by and realize I have forgotten my trigger release. I’ve actually dreamed several times about such an episode. The first day of fishing is the same way. Gathering up rods and reels and m...
first decade, my knee put me on the shelf. During that time, I learned to enjoy road biking. And I still do. But my love has always been to run. There are a lot of reasons, but the number one reason will probably sound odd to you. I have actually never felt closer to God than when I run. Many of you tell me that same thing about your time on the water or in the woods. I get it, but my experience comes from running. I’ve never been much of a crier, but I’ve never cried more than when I run. I k...
Let’s talk about doubt. We all have it. We all use it. Even in the most certain areas, doubt is always present. I can have a trail cam picture of a certain buck that shows up at a certain time of the day, and set up there on the following day, and still have doubt the buck will show up. I can catch fish for five straight days off one point, and can show up the next day, and doubt will still rear its head to play with my head about the possibility of a sixth straight day. Pure doubt itself is a...
There’s one thing about hunting. One will have to get used to walking in the dark. I have noticed lately how each morning, I begin my turkey hunt, walking through woods and across a field in the dark. This year the lightening bugs have put on a daily pyrotechnical display. I tried to film it one morning, but there was not enough surrounding light to show its real beauty. And sometimes the sky is so clear, it’s almost that one can’t see a spot without a star. And then there are the times when...
