A new start

This summer me and a buddy set down and talked about what we wanted to do with a small food plot we had been planting the last few years. In seasons past we would be sitting on the edge of this plot watching deer move through the timber on all sides of us but never where we could shoot. This timber hasn't been trimmed in years so you can only imagine what it looks like. There's cedars everywhere, torn bushes everywhere, even trees growing sideways because there's no room to grow up. I'm sure you get the point it's thick and you can't see through it. It's a safe haven for deer though that's why we like this spot so much. We decided why not clear out a few trees, most of the cedars, and all the under brush in a small patch. We started out just going crazy cutting everything in sight leaving the bigger trees to provide that timber feeling still. After what seemed like almost 30 trees cut and piled, 100 thorn picks in our hands (should have been wearing gloves) and countless hours working in 90+ degree heat, we finally was somewhat happy with what we had achieved.(definitely more work to be done after season, when it's cool) Below is a picture of before and after. Top picture is last year bottom picture is from yesterday. 

As you can see it opened up a lot of space right on the edge of the timber line. After getting everything ready to plant we decided to try a new seed company this year. We went with two different blends from Frigid Forage. We planted the "Big-N-Beasty" mix in the open area of the plot that gets the most sunlight and the "Wild Game Buffet" mix in the timber and around the edges. We also fertilized with a high nitrogen based fertilizer at 75 lbs to the acre. In the weeks to come I will update you on how well this plot is growing and will also share some photos of bucks that are hopefully still in the area. 

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read, let me know if you have had any luck with Frigid Forage in the past or if you have any other questions or suggestions. 

Thanks,

Stephen

Hunting Year Around

Today I noticed that someone had posted on Facebook that they wished hunting season was year around. I clicked on there post after noticing that there were over fifty comments to read through them hoping maybe someone had the same view as me. After reading through them most of them said, Amen or I wish and also yeah but then there wouldn't be enough animals. Well here is my opinion about the whole post. Hunting season is year around for me. Lets start in January, here in Missouri you can bow hunt till the 15th so that takes half the month, starting on the 16th I jump into predator hunting full swing and have until the 31st to kill Bobcats and the whole month of February and March to kill Coyotes. Starting the first of April spring Turkey season kicks in and runs for 3 weeks. After that I have a bit of a break from killing animals but that doesn't mean the hunting stops. I start hunting for places to hang new tree stands and where new food plots might do well, as well as putting out mineral sites and scouting. I get trail cameras in place, fields burned, trees trimmed, trails made, food plots planted and anything else I can do to make the environment I hunt in better. Some I guess will say, well that's not really hunting, but to me it is. Everything you do, from the preparation, to sitting in that stand you hung waiting for whatever your hunting to walk by is the process of hunting. So lets get back into the calendar the last week of April after Turkey season is over is when I start this whole process, and don't stop until the first day of bow season on September 15th. Although not every day is the work side of hunting, there's squirrel hunting starting May 25th through the end of the year, frog gigging starting June 30th and running through October, as well as Dove hunting starting September 1st running through the first part of November, and don't forget about bowfishing that runs year around. For me once Deer season starts on September 15th that all I think about till it ends in January, which starts my year over with the same schedule. So for me hunting season is year around whether its sitting in a stand or preparing the land, its all a part of hunting. Check out my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hitmenoutdoortalk to leave me comments and tell me your opinions. Thanks for reading and good luck throughout the year HUNTING.

Plots Growing!

Went out last night to check how the newly planted food plot from Invite Foodplots was doing. To my surprise it had already grew about three inches and was looking great. After checking the plot me and my fiance checked all the trail cameras to find some really decent deer had moved in and were looking good. After downloading all the pictures to the computer, we set up in the corner of the field to watch and film some deer and hopefully some velvet bucks. Although only one small buck came out we watched several does and even had one come within about fifteen yards from us without a care in the world. All in all we had a fun time together checking cameras and watching deer. Its something special to be able to sit out there and share the outdoors with and loved ones.

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Here are some photos from last night.

 HighRise

 9Wide

OneSide

 Invite Foodplots

New Toys

Yesterday I splurged a bit and bought me a new Canon 60D DSLR. In today's world DSLR's are changing the way hunting shows are made. Your options are endless with these cameras and the quality of video you get is phenomenal. These cameras are great for catching water drops splashing from your boots when you walk through water, or a leave fall from the tree next to you. Being able to rack focus and blur out your surroundings makes things more interesting and let's people's eye focus on what you want them to focus on.  You can also create awesome looking timelapse that are great filler or B-roll footage. DSLR's are allowing hunters to tell a story with there camera and not just show you the kill. They make you feel the entire experience from sunrise to sunset. On top of being able to film with them they take unbelievable pictures (which is what there made to do lol) you can share with everyone for years to come. Next time you watch a hunting show watch the detail they have before and after the kill, it was probably filmed with a DSLR.

Check out my other post and be sure to follow me for updates on new post.

Product Review: HHA Sights

Product Review: HHA Sights

I recently got my hands on a HHA Sight from a local bow shop. The owner of the shop told me they were the best around. Im going to be honest tho, I was a little bit skeptical about trying it out, because it only has one pin. I had never shot with a single pin before and didn't quite know what to expect. HHA sights are a single pin sight with a reel on the side that you spin to the yardage your shooting. After you get the sight installed on your bow you start out shooting at 20 yards getting your left and right aligned. After that, start dialing in the sight to 20 yards by spinning the dial till your dead on at 20. Once your dead on there is a set screw on the side of the dial, loosen it and spin the dial till you reach the 20 yard mark on the set-up strip. Tighten the set screw back down and back up to 40 or preferably 60 yards to finish sighting in your sight. At 40 yards if your shooting a pretty fast bow you will only have to turn the dial about 10 notches if your at 60 you will turn it about 30 notches. Once you are dead on at either 40 or 60 yards you will read the instructions included with the sight to install your final yardage strip that will give you a range to shoot dead on between 20 and 80 yards. After I got everything sighted in I tested out all the yardage markers to really test if they were dead on, and to my surprise even the 80 yard mark was accurate. I have been using this sight now for a couple months and definitely love it, its by far the best sight on the market. Go visit there website at http://www.hhasports.com/ or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/HHASports
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Let The Growing Begin

Two weeks ago I decided it was about time to start getting the food plot ready for this upcoming season. Now on our farm we don't really need to plant food plots, because of our forty acre alfalfa field. I like to offer the deer a variety tho and its a good spot to sit for close range shots when bow hunting. I started out mowing the old plot down with the mower and then spraying to kill all the grass that had come through this spring and summer. After about ten days I went back in with the tractor and disc and disced the plot, and working the soil to loosen it up a bit. I waited a couple of days and disced the plot again just to turn over the rest of the dead grass and loosen the dirt a bit more. After getting the vertical cedar rubbing post I talked about in my last post built, I spread Invites food plot woodland blend seed evenly across the plot. After spreading the seed I went back and spread fertilizer evenly at about two hundred pounds to the acre. Next I dragged the plot with a make shift drag made out of a cattle panel with a tire on top of it for weight. I lucked out the next couple of days with  steady rain, and after only 4 days passing the plot as already sprouted and is begging to grow. What are some things you have tried in the past to get a successful food plot?

Horizontal Cedar Rubbing Post

So I was reading a post the other day about people putting up hoizontal cedar post for deer to rub there antlers on, and figured I would give a try as well. If this works, it will be a great place to get quality photos of the deer using the post. I started out cutting down three medium sized cedar trees about six inches in diameter. I then trimmed all the limbs off the trees and cut the post between six and seven feet tall. Next I dug two holes about twelve inches deep (which is not easy by hand in Missouri). I placed one pole in each of the holes packing the dirt around them tightly. I then screwed the other pole horizontally between the other two poles, cutting off the ends of the pole to be flush. I went ahead and tied the poles together with fencing wire to better secure the horizontal pole. Next I drove steal post on the back side of the cedar post angling them into the vertical post to keep the deer from pushing the posts over. Finally I placed a trail camera facing the rubbing pole to capture any action that might occur. Over the next few months I will be observing and figuring out any adjustments that need to be made or if this will even work. Here is a picture of what it looks like so far.