It's Turkey Time!!

Several years ago my dad was trying to talk me into going to Nebraska to visit family we don't see near enough and to do some Turkey hunting. I'm not sure why but he had to talk me into it. I had never once gone Turkey hunting and had NO CLUE what I was doing. But as luck would have it, we all tagged out and had a great time doing it. Fast forward many years and now I can't wait to pack up my Matthews and head West to Northern Nebraska. 

Last year the hunting was a little slow, but I was able to shoot the coyote that blew my last chance at a nice tom :) 

This year, I'm looking forward to trying out new decoys, (Avian-X, so realistic looking I'm afraid my Dad might shoot them) new broad heads (autolock, brand new, met the owners in New Hampshire 2 weeks ago) and if I need to break out my Remington, a new Turkey load, (Federal premium Mag-Shok Heavyweights) so if nothing else, I will be breaking in some new accessories!

I'd love to hear from you! What decoys do you use and why? What Turkey loads? Blinds? Broad-heads? Feel free to leave a comment or email me at markdavis@outdoorsmanswap.com, I'd love to hear from you! If you convince me to switch I will send you one of our new outdoorsmanswap t-shirts!

Here's your encouragement for the day from God's Word. I was recently out speaking at a banquet and was able to share about the hope of heaven from John 14. The reason we can look forward to spending an eternity in heaven is because of the cross and what Christ did for us. In John 14:6 Jesus says that "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me." The Mark Davis paraphrase: "Jesus is the only provision given by God that makes it possible for anyone to ever get to heaven." If we are willing to admit we are sinners, and in Faith turn from those sins and put our trust in what Christ has done for us for the forgiveness of our sins, we can be saved. What an awesome thought! 

Until next time, GET OUT THERE! And don't forget to let me know how your Turkey season goes. 

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

No time like the present

I know that for many hunters the current days can be fairly blah. If you are not an ice-fisherman, and don't have access to good yote' hunting property, and have no time to look for sheds, what are you supposed to do? I'd like to offer up a few suggestions in today's post.

1) Learn from this past year's mistakes. So you didn't fill all your tags, why not? Hopefully you are in the habit of taking notes on every day you spend in the stand as it relates to deer movement and weather. Look back over those notes, then get on Google maps and take a look at your hunting property again. Do you need to move stand locations? Do you need to put in/move food plot locations? Do you need to hunt more during the week to avoid your neighbors? What are your trail cam pictures telling you? It might also be time to take a drive after looking at some properties on line to see if you can get permission to hunt on some additional ground. The worst they can say is no, and they might know of someone in the area who would be open to having you hunt on their property.


2) Never stop learnin' yurself more nalledge. Today's high here in south central Iowa is -9....I doubt I will be walking around the property much looking for sheds this evening. Instead, I plan on doing some extra reading. I enjoy Bill Winke's books on hunting strategies and deer behavior. You can check out his books here: http://www.midwestwhitetail.com/catalog/2/books.html. There are several other magazines, blogs, and resources available. One thing I am always looking for are better ways to control my scent. While I will be doing a complete product review here in the near future, let me let one cat out of the bag now. http://conquestscents.com/shop/evercalm/ever-calm-deer-herd-scent-stick-2-5-oz-2/ Ever-calm is the BY FAR the most reliable, effective deer scent I have ever used. It's not necessarily designed to mask your scent, as much as duplicate the calming scent of a deer heard. It's available in Elk scent as well. Do yourself a favor and buy this early, as in NOW, because you will not be able to find it once October hits. More on this later.


3) Include your family in your "off-season" preparations.  As you can see, I really don't think there is an off-season, we are now all preparing to make next year's deer, elk, and turkey hunt more successful. While today I'm concentrating on whitetail hunting, the same types of principles apply to all our our outdoor pursuits. Just don't forget that being a husband/wife/mom/dad is your first priority, period. Don't make the mistake of putting your hobbies above your duties. Instead, use it as a bonding time. Take them out to look for sheds, watch videos with them, read/share old hunting stories with them. Teach them gun safety in the basement now so they are ready to go in the spring. And don't forget to keep these "lessons" short, too the point, and fun. They just aren't as passionate about it yet as you are! But God-willing, if you do it right, in 20 years they will be calling you to hunt with them and their kids for years to come!

I want to conclude with a new section that will be in every post moving forward. This is today's "Strength for the moment" and it comes from my Bible time in Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" Friend, I'm not sure what your going through today, but taste (experience) God's goodness though the free gift of eternal life that He offers only through His Son Jesus. And then when those difficult times come, (and they will) take refuge in Him!

Back in the Saddle

A look back:

This fall's hunting season was well, underwhelming. I was thankful to put some meat in the freezer when harvesting a doe during Iowa's early muzzy season. My archery season did not go nearly as well, even though I saw way more deer than the last several years combined. "Mr. Right" just didn't come my way after passing on a nice mature 8 pointer on November 7, I never drew my bow back the rest of the year. I had a couple decent bucks on the camera, but that is a lot different than having them in the back of my truck! 

A look ahead:

Finally! After 2 years of planning and surveying our on-line classifieds site for outdoorsmen is almost done! Starting March 15, we will be "opening up the floodgates" and inviting men/women/children (who are over 18) to take it for a test drive. It is free to use, easy to use, and we are hoping that in the near future it will be your "go-to" site for listing and finding outdoor gear. 

A look waaaay ahead:

In the coming days I will hit the woods for some shed hunting and I will be sharing with you some tips and hopefully some pictures of successful "hunts." I'm also looking forward to putting in a small food plot with my dad and finishing up & enclosing a nice elevated blind. I can't wait!

That's all for now, it's good to be back and I hope your deer season was much more successful than

 mine! Until next time, JUST GET OUT THERE! 

Finally!!

Hunting seasons are also often like a box of chocolates, you just never know quite what you are going to get! After missing a really nice mature Iowa whitetail on November 11th my desire to get up at 4AM and head to the woods soared to new lows, but by the end of the week, I was ready to hit the woods again.

I headed to Southern Iowa on the 14th in time to sit that evening. It was a beautiful night as the winds died down towards the evening and I was able to watch a couple 2 1/2 year old's chase does, listen to some turkeys, and enjoy the sunset. I was only able to hunt the morning of the 15th so I was feeling a little of the "pressure" that comes from knowing the rut is winding down, I'd spent a lot of time in the woods, and I had nothing to show for it. 

The morning of the 15th I actually arrived to my stand a little later than usual, but even so, it did not take long for the deer to start moving. I was facing northeast and the deer soon started to pile out of the next field over and trickle down in front of me. After watching several deer (spikes and does) walk in front of me on a trail about twenty yards out a buck walking a trail that would end up being about 40 yards out caught my eye. I didn't have a ton of time to think about it, so I pulled up my bow, pulled back, looked the site, and let er' fly. Just under 40 yards away a less than perfect shot found it's mark and I couldn't be happier!

One of the many reasons I love bow hunting is because of the quiet after the storm. There were several deer in the area that had no idea about what had just happened. Deer kept streaming by the fence line this buck had piled up in. OF COURSE, as you would expect....I saw two really nice bucks during this deer parade, (one being a world class 10-12 point typical that came well within shooting range :) Never the less, I am so thankful for the opportunity to have harvested this deer, and for the friend who made it possible!

As you can see, this isn't a "world class" trophy buck. But it's about the experience. (and I would argue any buck taken with a bow is a trophy :) Don't get caught up this fall with having to hang a 180" deer on your wall. It's about the preparation, being able to spend extra time in God's creation, the sites and sounds that you only see during the rut. Not to mention sharing your moment and story with friends and family, that's what makes hunting so great and worth passing on to the next generation. 

Don't forget to include your family as much as you can! My kids were so excited to see me pull in and hear how it all happened. (Of course my wife was REALLY excited because that meant my tag was filled) Take them out with you! Have them "help" you put out your cameras, look at maps, set your stands, clear your food plots, pick out gear, and then of course be in the woods with you as soon as possible! Good luck to the many of you who are still out in the woods on a regular basis, until next time, JUST GET OUT THERE!

Bonus: Don't forget that each and every breath is a gift from God! James tells us that "life is a vapor," AKA it goes quick! So take advantage and be thankful for all the opportunities God has and will give you to spend time with your family, friends, and oh yeah...in the woods!

Great Expectations

This past week I headed to Southern Iowa with my dad in search of what every white tail hunter dreams of; a Pope & Young Southern Iowa Whitetail buck.

We set out from the Des Moines area just after lunch last Monday, November 4th, and by 4:00PM we were at our spot watching does feeding in a picked corn field. I was able to spot & stalk a doe down to what I thought was 40 yards....it ended up being 50 and I shot just under her.

Tuesday called for rain starting mid-morning so we were disappointed at the lack of movement right up until the rains started at around 10AM. It rained hard the rest of the day so we decided to drive around and do some glassing to see what was moving...there just was not much happening.

Wednesday morning came and as we arrived at our spot we could here the sound of deer on the move. While we were disappointed to have bumped so many deer, we were hopeful that this movement would continue on to shooting light.

As we settled in for the days hunt and the skies just started to lighten up, I noticed out of the corner of my eye movement along the edge of the field. Maybe 15 yards to my West a large bodied buck had gone right to the Tink's 69 Estrus I had hung out, my heart started to race. But it wasn't until he stepped out from my lure to put his nose on the ground to follow the trail I had laid in the field in front of me that I was able to see just what type of buck I was looking at. It was by far the biggest deer I had ever seen in the woods. I estimated in at 180", while another hunter who had seen it put it in the 170's. Either way, he was walking right in front of me just as legal shooting light was approaching. But while it was legal shooting light, it was still too dark for me to pick him out in my sight and had to watch with a heavy heart as went back into the woods. Another 140" deer came out from the same spot but didn't provide a shot. And that would be the last deer we would see all morning.

We decided to sit in a different spot that night and I'm so glad we did. We had deer moving within 5 yards of us (if you have never hunted on the ground (with the wind in your advantage of course, I HIGHLY recommend it!) as we were buried in some cedar trees in a fence line. I was watching two does coming m any way when I caught out of the corner of my eye a decent sized 8 pointer that had been staring at me from less than 10 yards away trying to figure out what I was. He took 3-4 steps closer to me and I couldn't believe I was this close to a mature deer on the ground. He looked the other way so I quickly pulled back my bow and went to pull up he saw me (he would have needed to be blind not to) and bounded off. That would be the last deer I would see on our trip.

HOWEVER, while this was happening, my 67 year old dad was in the middle of harvesting his first deer with a bow from 10 yards away on the ground and couldn't have been more excited. Certainly a trophy for him.
All in all it was a great trip even though I didn't harvest that 200" deer we all dream about this time of year, I was able to spend some extra time with my dad, see a lot of deer, and be there as my dad harvested his first archery buck.

I will posting on a regular basis again (with pictures) starting this week. Thanks for tuning in. I have 2-3 more days I can spend in the woods this week and the temperatures are going to be dropping big time! Until then, just get out there!