March Madness

When you see the title, "March Madness" you probably immediately pictured basketball games, brackets, and fans on the edge of their seats all across the country. But the month of March can drive hunters mad for another reason....we are between seasons. Sure, you can bag a coyote or do some trapping, but the next "official" hunting season is still a few weeks off. While you can see Turkeys out in the field on almost any given drive home in the evening, you won't be trying to call one in for a while. That's why March is a great month to not only continue preparing for the upcoming Turkey season, but to also really crank up next year's deer hunting preparation. Here's why March is a good month:

Reason #1: Signs of the season are still fresh.
It's still fairly easy to pick out rubs that you may have missed from last year. There is a chance you missed a line of rubs that will help you with your set up for next year. Tracks, sheds, beds and the rest might be just the edge you need to help you bag that elusive buck next fall.

Reason #2: You aren't going to ruin anything
So you bumped a deer on the way out to the woods today? Big deal, it's March. Leaving some scent out 6 months ahead of opener isn't going to ruin your fall.

Reason #3: The weather
No bugs. Mild temps. No overgrown vegetation. Grab your chainsaw, move a deer stand, cut a shooting lane, clear out a spot for a new food plot, clear a safer path to your stand.....when it's 55 out. Why battle six foot tall horse weeds and a legion of mosquitoes in June? Sure, you may have to do a bit of tweaking later in the summer, but get the bulk of your heavy lifting done now.

As always, don't forget to include your kids if you can. If nothing else, it will help them to have a better idea of the "lay of the land," and of course they will be spending time with you!

In closing, here is your thought of the day, and it comes from Psalm 115:3, "Our God is in the heavens, and He does WHATEVER HE PLEASES." I know sometimes life can seem a little hectic, and we have all asked ourselves the question, "Is God REALLY in control?" Yes, He is! And nothing happens without His permission. So even though not every event in life is comfortable, He is in control. Trust in the one who knows the beginning from the end.

Why use outdoorsmanswap.com?

A few years ago some friends and I got together after sharing some common frustrations; there was no place to list/buy outdoors gear on a site created by outdoorsmen for outdoorsmen. Ebay has obviously been around for a long time, but they charge you for every transaction. In addition to that, rest assured the execs there don't exactly share your appreciation for spending time in creation. Craigslist certainly has some items, but it's not designed for outdoorsmen. There is only one generic sporting goods category and it remains to be hit and miss. So, a few years back we started to brainstorm in my basement through the different possibilities.

Our goal from day one was to have it always be free. The idea of charging people for every transaction just never appealed to us. Secondly, it had to be easy to use. Not everyone of us is wired to build a computer from scratch (myself included!). And last, it needed to have a clean, professional look.

Fast forward 3 years and here we are! We really believe we have achieved those goals. While it's not perfect, it does provide a new place for outdoorsmen to post items in a safe, friendly, and supportive environment. I've always felt like it's easier to use a product when you are on the same page as the owners, and we are on your page when it comes to appreciating creation, the USA, the 2nd amendment, and traditional family values. If that is something you can support, we would love to have you switch from using Ebay and Craigslist and start using/recommending outdoorsmanswap.com.  We are 95% done, please feel free to start "pre-listing" items and encouraging your friends to do the same! We will not officially launch for a few weeks, but we would like to have as many things listed as possible before this thing is a go!

Thanks for considering our site! If you have any questions, please email me anytime for now at davism@faith.edu. Very shortly it will be mark@outdoorsmanswap.com. I would love to hear your feedback after you have gone through the process of registering and listing an item.

Until next time, just get out there! And get on outdoorsmanswap.com!

Your bald friend,
Mark