The Hunting Files

From The Mouth Of Babes

Sometimes it takes the words of a child to help us see the truth........

This is one you've got to see!  ; )         Pass it on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLFTs_eQPo0

Man's Greatest Invention

As some of you may know, I make my living as a Professional Pilot, which helps support my deer hunting addiction. While flying across country the other day, my partner on the flight deck and I were playing the “trying to stay awake game”(if the public ever knew what really happened on  flight decks, they would all drive to their destinations,  I do !).

The question was asked what man’s greatest invention is. Jake, my flying partner (and hunting buddy) voted for the computer chip.  A good answer and certainly marvelous things have come from it in the last 30 years.  Lap tops, robotics, iPods (my kids favorite), cell phones, space travel, advancements in medicine, etc. There is no question the computer chip certainly has made our lives easier.

My answer you ask? Fire. Now before anyone says “Man didn’t invent Fire” maybe “harness” is a better term. But just imagine how those first Brontosaurus Ribs tasted (can you say BBQ!), or how it warmed up a dark, damp cave, or teepee on the Dakota Prairie.  Envision the Romans forging a metal sword, or the local blacksmith re-shoeing your horse.  Pioneers drying wet clothing from a Missouri river crossing while trekking west. Heck, even Jack Daniels needs charcoaled barrels to make his fine adult beverage.

Remember roasting marshmallows when you were a kid? Or a warm fire back at camp after chasing Elk on a snowy mountain top?  How about fighting for a spot next to the fireplace at Cracker Barrel before ordering Uncle Hershel’s Breakfast, or the sound of wood crackling under a heavy iron skillet filled with fresh Walleye at a classic Canadian Shore lunch?

As I write this, it is 61 degrees here in Mississippi on March 1st.  I am sitting in front of my fire pit in the back yard, mesmerized by the sound of the crackling flames and its warm glow.  Yup, my vote is for man’s greatest invention….. fire.  I just want to know when Michael Dell can come up with a longer lasting battery for my laptop!

Mark Bernegger
www.sportsmanscondo.com

It's A Spring Thing!

Ahh Spring, Budding Trees, Fishing, Turkey Season, and the annual cleaning of the Man Cave (the Garage).  Nature jumping back to life from the grip of Old Man Winter.

Spring is also a great time to get ready for next Deer Season. It won’t be long and those bucks that gave you the slip you last season will start growing their antlers back. This is my seasonal reminder to freshen up my mineral licks and search for potential locations to start another. The next 4-6 months is when your whitetail population will utilize and get the most benefit from these licks. 

Every spring before “green up” I pack a lunch, take my aerial map, and pick a section of my hunting property I normally don’t spend much time on. With map in hand, I get “intimate” with it by walking every inch.  While “exploring”, I mark unique features such as game trails, potential treestand locations, water crossings, and certain types of trees, such as white oak or persimmon.  It is amazing how pieces of the “puzzle” come together using this method of scouting. Combine this technique with shed hunting and it makes a fun filled day in the woods. Throw in a morning turkey hunt and it’s the Super Bowl of a spring day.

Another great spring scouting tool is to fly over your property in a small plane. If you know someone with a pilots license great! If not, just visit your local airport or look in the Yellow Pages under Air Services or Aircraft Charter.  Tell them you want to fly over your hunting property.  A four seat Cessna will cost approximately $125 an hour to rent with pilot. Take two of your hunting buddies and divide the cost by three.  If you have never done this before trust me, it will be the best “scouting” money ever spend. You will be amazed at what can be seen from low level flight.  Of course best time to do this is before the trees get their leaves. Be sure to take your aerial map with you so discoveries and unique features can be marked down while airborne.

Now clean up that Man Cave and get scouting….there are only 185 days until season kicks off, time is short !!

Mark Bernegger

www.sportsmanscondo.com