The Hunting Files

PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Thanks for Bud Fields for the following article:

        We have ALL heard it stated that "PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" and in order to achieve perfection, we are required to be dedicated and have our mental thoughts set for improving. I can recall one of my junior high basketball coaches instructing me on free throw shooting that IF I wanted to get better, I needed to remember that PRACTICE DOES NOT MAKE PERFECT but... ONLY PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.

        What my coach will teaching me was IF I was practicing but NOT practicing correctly, I was NOT going to reap the benefits of improving my shooting percentage. In other words, if I was practicing shooting with less than perfect form or perfect fundamentals, I was practicing TOTALLY WRONG. He watched my shot execution and literally "picked me apart" but once I started doing things properly, my free throw shooting percentage increased considerably.

        Now, over fifty years later, I still hear the coach's words as I practice for my fishing tournaments or practice shooting my bow or practice shooting my firearms, when I practice, I will only exercise PERFECT PRACTICE situations because I am still striving for perfection.

        I try to "break down" all facets of my shooting form insuring proper stance, proper control of my breathing, proper aiming and shot execution. I am a FIRM believer that IF I practice "half-heartedly," my accuracy will suffer. If the shot does NOT "feel right," I will NOT attempt it.

        I know it might sound like perfect practicing is NOT as much fun as just practicing but I guess that depends on what YOU expect to accomplish. Me, I expect 110% perfection EVERY TIME I execute the shot. I DO NOT want to risk a bad shot resulting in a wounded or crippled animal. I DEMAND my shot be lethal and the animal to expire QUICKLY and HUMANELY.

        I have been with countless archers that were preparing for deer season and their equipment was NO WAYS near "ready for hunting" but they talked about how they were anticipating opening day. I sure hope they spend more time in front of their targets preparing BUT.. if they are going to be practicing using "bad habits," they might as well start throwing rocks at the deer.

        I had one individual that was so "over-bowed," he could barely get the bowstring drawn back. Within three targets, he was "snap-shooting" from being fatigued. He really needed to get a lighter poundage bow. The sad thing here was he wanted to continue shooting but he was developing bad shooting fundamentals and his accuracy was suffering. He thought because one of his friends shot a heavy weighted bow, he also needed to do the same.

        Another young man could hardly hit the target due to erratic arrow flight. I mentioned to him he needed to check his "nocking point" on the string because I believed it had possibly slipped causing his arrows to flop up and down in flight. I saw him again a week later and the arrows were STILL flip-flopping. Again, another classic case of IMPROPER PRACTICE. It would only take a few seconds to attach a bow square to his string and check the nock point setting.

        Some of my "practice buddies" and I often like to have friendly practice competitions. This is merely to add a slight amount of "pressure" to make us shoot better or we might have to "buy the cokes" for the other shooters. We NEVER shoot for money. We even result to "shirt tail cutting" at times just to make it more fun. We will NOT harass the shooter during the shot execution.

        If I am practicing and I feel the slightest amount of fatigue, I stop IMMEDIATELY. I DO NOT want to start "rushing my shots" or making bad judgment decisions. I also try to make each shot the "money-shot" because most often, you do not get a couple practice shots before the deer arrives so your FIRST SHOT needs to be your BEST SHOT!! The ONLY way to insure your chances of PERFECTION is to remember what my coach ALWAYS told me..."PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT.." DON'T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING ELSE....

 

Bud Fields

 

www.CamouflageNation.com

www.GutPileStyle.com

 

Bacon Explosion On Nitro !!!

By Big58cal  www.GutPileStyle.com  &   www.TheCamoNation.com

I decided to make my own version of the Bacon Explosion.  In making it though, I found out some very important tips for anyone else who decides to make such a monster of their own.


We start with the bacon mat weave.  For this, I had bought 4 lbs of thick cut bacon (two 2 lb packages).  This becomes important later.




After the bacon weave, the italian sausage came into play.  Two 1 lb packages of Old Folks Italian Sausage pretty much did the trick.




Now with the addition of a few slices of Provolone cheese, it's starting to look like something I could eat.




After being down in the garden and pulling some weeds earlier, I happened to think how good some fresh jalapenos would be in the creation.






Something of this magnitude just isn't complete without some onions.




Since we be po' and can't afford such things as prosciutto ham, thin sliced country ham with all of the fat removed is the next best thing.  I also had a couple extra pieces of bacon left over from the first package so I nuked them and crumbled them up on top.




Ahhhh, and now for the hot banana pepper slices.  I had wanted to add more pepperoni, but apparently we didn't have as much as I thought we had, so I only had enough for 1 row through it.  It still added some flavor though.




And now, here's the finished beast!




Remember those 2 packages of bacon??  Well is seemed that with as much stuff as I had in the creation, the one bacon mat just wasn't enough to cover everything and roll it up.  Enter the second 2 lb package of bacon.  I had to create another mat and toss it on top of the beast to hold it all together.

Rolling it up in the wax paper that I had it on and adding some plastic wrap to kind of compress everything and hold it together, it was ready for the fridge to chill a little bit until today.




Got the smoker going around 11:30 this morning, unwrapping the beast and putting it on the bottom rack, right above the water pan to keep it good and moist.  After about 7 - 7 1/2 hours I figured it was done.




After letting it cool a little, I cut into it to see what the damage was.






I cut off a slice and tried it...................  OMG!!!!  It will make your tongue slap your brains loose!

Since I figured that it would be a waste of all that good charcoal and wood just to smoke the fattie, figured I might as well throw a slab of ribs on there.




After eating half of the the slab of ribs, I didn't have much room left for the fattie, but it was still good.  I've got some biscuits in the freezer that are just begging to have some of that pork deliciousness slid in the middle of them.  Think I'll try that in the morning.

Big58cal  www.GutPileStyle.com & www.TheCamoNation.com

Real Girls Wear Pigtails!!

My name is Jerry Brandon(a.k.a. Mr. T).  My daughters names are  Candice (9) and Kassidi(6).  In late December, my wife Sheila (a.k.a. Lady_taxidermist) and I decided we would book a ram hunt for us and our daughters.  When we told the girls the news they we excited.  They both have shot a .22 before but now we knew they needed to hone their skills.

We started out practicing, grouping and shooting, through a scope.  Once they had gotten good at that we stepped them up to a big gun.  I knew my youngest (Kassidi) would need me to hold the gun for her so I was looking for a gun that my oldest (Candice) could handle.  I took my .223 in and traded it in on a .243 youth ultralite H&R because of the shorter pull length and a box of 100 gr. shells.  I got home and talked to the wife and let her shot it.  She said it needed a limbsaver on it.  I shouldered it and didn’t think it was too bad.  When the oldest got home she was all exited and wanted to shoot it.  Against my wife’s better judgment, I let her shoot it.  She shouldered it and pulled the trigger…….  As tears welled up in her eyes I knew I should have listened to my wife.  She had it tight to her but it still hurt her pretty bad.  After the fact, I realized that it probably did pack quite a punch, as the rifle weight was only about 4lbs and had a 20” barrel.

The next day I traded it for a regular H&R .243, a box of 75 gr. shells, and a limbsaver recoil pad.  Candice  got home from school and we went to the range.  She slowly pulled the gun to her shoulder and looked through the scope.  After several minutes of trying to convince her that it wouldn’t hurt she still could not pull the trigger.  My heart sank.  I had made my daughter gun shy.

Meanwhile, I had a friend that I had traded a .25-06 out of for the wife.  Candice had got back to shooting the .22 and asked why she couldn’t use it for the ram.  I told her she needed to shoot at least a .243 or bigger gun and that I would hold the gun for her if she needed me to.  She looked me square in the eye and said I’ll do it by myself thank you.  With that, I told her she would have to shoot the gun I bought for her.  Sheila said that I should let her shoot her .25-06, so back out to the range we went.  Candice and I made a deal, if she would shoot the gun once and didn’t like it we would go on a fishing trip instead. 

She prepared herself and shouldered the gun.  After a few minutes and several tears from both of us she pulled the trigger.  She looked at me through the tears with a big ole smile and said, “Daddy that didn’t hurt a bit!  Give me another bullet”!  After several times of me asking her was she sure, I gave her a few more shells to shoot and all was great.

To further prepare them, I made a poster board cutout of a ram and drew a dot on it were the kill shot would be and let them study it for a few days.  After getting more .25-06 shells, we went to the range and I set up the cutout.  The first thing Candice asked me was were was the dot.  I flipped the  ram around were the dot was on the backside and told her the rams we would be hunting wouldn’t have dots on them and that she would just have to remember where to shoot it.  “OK” she said and put the gun to her shoulder.  She took aim at 50 yards and the gun went off.  As we walked up to the target Candice asks, “ Did I hit it daddy?”  “Sure enough…..right in the ole pump station” I said.

So we were ready.  Sheila and Candice would take their trophies with the .25-06 and Kassidi and I would take ours with the .243.  Sheila had a little surprise up her sleeve as she had seen how Candice had taken such a like’n to her gun.  She bought me and Candice a T/C pro hunter chambered in .25-06.

I said all that to lead you to the point of the hunt.  We woke up at 5:30am Friday, March 20, 2009 to pack up and meet our buddy who is a camera man and head out to J.W. Hunting Preserve in Henrietta, OK.  The girls were super exited, as well as was dad.  We arrived at camp and met the owner, John.  He is a super nice guy that made us feel right at home the whole trip.

First up to bat was Candice.  She decided she wanted to do a spot and stalk on a painted desert ram.  John drove us out to the rifle range to check our guns.  Candice fired a shot and said game on, and out through the field we went.  We found the rams and set up for the shot.  We were in a draw and they were coming around the corner.  Just as they were clearing some trees to get a good shot, they turned and headed away from us.  We grabbed the homemade bois’d arc shooting sticks and proceeded to stalk some more.  We found a good place to set up and held tight.  The ram came in and out of  some brush and frustrated Candice.  We never practiced anything other than a broad side shot so she waited patiently.  While waiting for the ram to present her a shot, she began shaking.  She said “Daddy I don’t know why I’m shaking.  I’m not scared of the gun no more.”  I told her, “That’s OK, it’s called buck fever.”  After a few more intense moments the goat turned broadside and I pulled the hammer back on the ole T/C.  She asked the cameraman if he was on it.  When he said, “Yea, shoot it" she squeezed the trigger.  The ram dropped right where it was.  I turned to my daughter and gave her a big hi-five!  As we were walking up to her trophy she asked me why I was shaking so bad to which I replied, “Buck fever baby, buck fever!"  I was so proud of my daughter taking her very first animal.  As we reached the ram and looked back at where we had been set up I realized she had made that shot from about 90 yards.

Next up was Kassidi.  Not to be outdone by her sister, she decided to stalk hers too.  After about a 150 yard stalk we set up.  The ram presented himself with a perfect broadside shot, but the camera man could not see him because of brush.  After a grueling 4-5 minutes, he finally stepped out and presented a clear shot for both her and the camera man.  I shouldered the T/C and she squeezed the trigger at about 65-70 yards.  The ram took a few steps and down he went down!  The big smile on her face said it all, and I was shaking again!  When we got back to camp, Mr. John caped their trophies and Sheila helped them get the skulls out.

The next day Sheila and I took our trophies (Catalina goats) and the camera man also took a painted desert that day.  The girls wet a pole at the big pond in camp and caught several perch and crappie.  As it got dark, we lit the camp fire using hickory and grilled some beef steaks.   The day ended with a late night, swapping fish tales and ‘the buck’s that got away’ stories around the campfire while listening to the coyotes yelping in the canyon.

Another hunter in camp took a small hog that day.  Candice seemed interested in the pig, which the camera-man took notice of, so he asked us if we thought she would like to shoot one.  Of course we thought she would, so he mentioned for us to stop by his house on the way home (he is a seasoned hog hunter that runs dogs).

So, Sunday morning we paid up and thanked Mr. John for a wonderful experience and headed off to Rock Bottom Ranch in Boswell, OK for a day of hog hunting.  As we were on the way to the ranch, he called his hands and had the hunt set up.  They had put a wild hog in the creek bottom, bayed it up with some dogs, and headed back to the lodge.  Candice had no idea.  When we pulled up, the ranch hands where out front roping and acting as if nothing was going on.  We got out of the truck and went to meet the hands.  After a few minutes, they asked her if she was ready to go on a hunt.  Out came the trusty T/C and into the Kubota buggy we went to ‘search’ for a hog.  The hands loaded up their truck with dogs and went out to “locate” one while we were loading up.

After ½ mile or so, we stopped the buggy to listen for the dogs.  We couldn’t hear them, so we started it up and drove for another ½ mile or so.  We stopped again to listen, and sure enough Candice heard the dogs hollering up a storm.  We followed the sound of the dogs and found the ranch truck.  They were pointing over the edge of a cliff into the creek bottom shouting “there it is…..are ya ready?”

Candice looked down into the cliff with wide eyes.  You see, she had never even seen a hog in the wild much less seen all the excitement that was going on in that creek bottom.  She pulled her gun up, but could never get a clear shot because of the dogs.  So after chasing the hog down the creek half a mile, and several attempts of trying to get a clear shot, the hog finally backed into a hole in the embankment.  The dogs kept it bayed into the hole, while Candice shouldered the gun again (after crossing the creek and running through a briar thicket) and everybody was hollering SHOOT IT!  She couldn’t get a clear shot because of all the brush over the hog.  She took aim, and squeezed the trigger.  All went quiet.  Then all of a sudden…out came the hog!  She missed it slicker than owl poop.

As the hog exited the embankment, one crazy ranch hand plowed on top of, and tackled the mighty beast.  To make things a little easier for her, he grabbed a rope and tied the rear leg of the pig to a tree and cleared out all of the dogs.  The hog backed to the end of the rope and presented a clear broadside shot.  BOOM!  The hog went down upon impact.  The boar weighed in at 168 lbs.

After an exhausting and exciting weekend of hunting, we arrived home only to let Candice in on a little secret…..the work was just beginning.  After being instructed on proper skinning methods, she grabbed a pair of gloves and a knife and got after it.  She had wanted a full body hog mount, until we explained to her how many months of allowance it would take her to buy the form…..so she settled on a ½ lifesize.  But she was disappointed that she would not have the pig’s tail (her second favorite part of the pig…beside the nose of course).  So her and daddy came up with a plan…. Tan the tail and sew it to the back of her hunting hat, so she could wear it as a trophy.  She was excited about the plan, and giggled as little girls do when daddy told her she could wear it around and tell people…..

REAL GIRLS WEAR PIGTAILS!!!

Candice & her Painted Desert Ram

 

Candice & Kassidi with Candice's wild boar

 

Kassidi with her Painted Desert Ram

Both Candice & Kassidi learning when the "real" work starts

Isn't It Time For National Pride?

Here's your chance to show some NATIONAL PRIDE..... pass it on!

A Face Only A Mother Could Love

A Face only a Mother could Love

November 26th, 2008

I was running late, my plan was to be climbing into my Sportsman's Condo about 45 minutes earlier. I wanted to hunt the "magic time", the last 10 minutes of daylight. Because of a family commitment, I was now behind schedule, as deer were already in the south end of the picked soybeans.  My only option was to crawl into a small island of trees in located on the north end of the field and hope something came out.

With the wind in my face, and sitting with my back against a chest sized oak tree, it wasn't long before I spotted movement to my right. Three does and four fawns appeared. They bounded out of the woods and started to feed on the soybeans in front of me.

Slowly they worked their way to within 11 paces of where I was sitting. Having disabled their first line of defense (the nose) they grazed undisturbed.  Hoping a buck would soon join them, I fully expected at least one of those 14 eyeballs to "pick me off", but it never happened.  Yes, I was in full camouflage, Yes, I had the wind in my favor, but I believe what saved me from being "sniped" was my facemask.

Over the years I have been "spotted" by deer while in a tree stand dozens of times, even in full camo.  The lightbulb came on one day while hunting a wild rice marsh in Wisconsin. I noticed how the ducks kept flaring. I could not figure out why until I saw my brother, his face stood out like a Republican at an Obama rally. I made a mental note of it and decided to conduct an experiment.

I had a friend sit in a ladder stand dressed in camouflage with no facemask. His face was highly visible from a 180-degrees and hundreds of yards away.  Next I had him put on a facemask and I retraced my steps. The difference was amazing! He seemed to blend into the surroundings.  Deer can recognize a human face and relate it to danger.

Since that discovery, I always wear a facemask or cover up with camo paint. I even wear one while in my Sportsman"s Condo. The times I have been "busted" have decreased tenfold. And for those of us (like me) that are follicly challenged, it is even more important to cover up!

To increase your success, use the wind to your advantage and cover that face only a Mother could love.

-Good Hunting-

Mark
www.sportsmanscondo.com

Fall....Nature's Viagra

               Rustling of leaves and falling acorns

              Velvet covered antlers turning to horns

              Whitetails changing color, from summer reds to winter grays

              With cooler nights and shortening days

              Autumn colors glowing in the sun

              The smell and look of a new shotgun

              Travel corridors, fresh rubs, and new scrapes

              Hot does, deep grunts, and peak rut dates

 

              “V’s” in the sky with snow geese calling

               Bright colored leaves slowly falling

               Birds gathering to head south

               Squirrels running with acorn in mouth

               Bow, quivers, and carbon arrows

               Overhead flocks of red wing sparrows

               Stand and blinds on trees and ground

               New hunting acres and companions found.

               Ahhh, Fall…..Nature’s Viagra

                www.sportsmanscondo.com

Peta's Body Bag Stunt With Dog Fancy

Peta may see some backlash after the stunt they have pulled with an ad in Dog Fancy.  CNN ran a story this morning about a lady seeing an ad for a "Free Gift Bag" for new puppy owners from "ABC Puppy Products".  When she called the number, the recording initially identified itself as a line for free advice on puppies, then immediately started to spew Peta's new propaganda line regarding purebred puppies : "Buy One / Get One Killed Free".   The recording ends by saying "To receive your free body bag representing the dog that was killed in an animal shelter when you bought your puppy, leave your address after the tone". 

Dog Fancy has said that they don't support the views of Peta and won't knowingly accept advertising from them.  But....the ad is out there.

I wonder if anyone will call the line to force them to send out ALL of the "body bags" they promised?      1-866-834-6061. 

Given enough time, these nut cases will expose their true colors to the public. 

Hunting Addiction

If you're like me, you're ready for something different than the same ol' plain jane type hunting shirts.  I think we've found the answer.  The latest release from Gut Pile Style definitely ain't Wally World kinda stuff    ; )

www.myaddictiongear.com

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