I have been working to assist my partner, Art Wedge in getting content up on our new hunting website. This is the website that will host information and content from our upcoming television show, Full Force Outdoors. Stop in and check it out.
www.fullforceoutdoors.com

Question of the Week

Anyone have any comments on the presidency situation? Send me your comments and I will post them all provided they are in good taste. State your opinion, just be classy about it. I am a little undecided on allot of issues. I am pretty sure the President won't read my blog. However, if he did, what would you say to him? Remember this is the safe room and also is MY BLOG so we don't have to worry about being politically correct. He wants to cater to the middle working class, so what are some of your concerns?

Duck Hunting Anyone?

This is the post I have been waiting to write since I left on Thursday. The way this was supposed to go was me telling you about gaggles of ducks and limits of snows. I had planned the perfect picture of limits of ducks and geese stretched across the tailgate with a group of radical duck hunters.

I have always loved duck hunting in foul weather. The colder the better! I have a new perspective now. We arrived in MO to the coldest air of the year. I can tell you first hand what happens when it turns off in the single digits on flooded rice and corn....it FREEZES! I never paid any attention to the weather. I was sure that there was not going to be any ice that our 4 wheeler wouldn't break through. The picture is of 4 hours worth of busting ice. I have a new perspective on that too. You could have played the finals of the NHL on this field.

Thats hunting. We had a great time even though I never loaded my gun. There was not a duck left in all of Kinnette, Missouri. We never even saw any local birds outside of the ones that live on the conservation project and that was limited too. The ducks just decided on Thursday to fly away. If you are deciding to go duck hunting, go to MO. Now that we are home, there should be record numbers show back up on the thawed rice and corn.

MO Duck Hunt

I sit in front of my computer wondering where my brother is. We were supposed to leave an hour ago. Any of you had that problem. You get all excited and the driver is late! Not good for my compulsive nature. I am ready to rock and get there to feel the balmy 4 degree weather. We backed into a duck hunt with one of his friends. I say his friends because I haven't see him shoot. If he turns out to be Elmer Fudd, he is our friend. If he turns out to be a crackshot, he may have to stay Zack's friend. I'm kidding. I know him. Great guy. To be honest, I am not expecting him to be a crackshot. I just hope he can stay upright in the water. There is only one thing worse than getting cold when duck huting, and that's getting wet and cold. Scroll back through the blog and you can read a funny story about that. It is too painful to recall a second time. He is finally here. Gotta go!

As most of you know, I am an avid outdoorsman, but also an avid father and follower of middle school and recreation athletics. We loose a little time in the field due to sports and school events, but there not yet giving scholarships to deer hunters so we do what we have to. There are allot of sports bashers out there that believe in crushing a kids dreams of going to college on scholarship in athletics. The odds are slim I know, but as long as there is a team to don the field, there is a shot at it with hard work and good grades. I get this one allot. "The only reason they go to school is to play ball. Most of them can't even write their name." I have been engaged in a few conversations this week about the future of our kids, and I must say, I feel pretty passionate about it. There are allot of haters out there that don't really understand what is expected of an athlete in college. I was wowed by an interview before the Alabama/Utah game. Alabama has a center that has not one, but two degrees. How does this relate to a Georgia Hunting Blog entry you ask? Well, nothing more than I am the author of the blog and this is what I woke up with on my mind. Pretty sad I know, but it is what it is I guess.

My younger son is in 5th grade and hasn't started getting letter grades yet. He is in the Gateway program. He also plays football, basketball, and baseball. My older son is in 7th grade this year. He plays football, baseball, and wrestling with a 96.75 average. I say that to say this. We lost 12 wrestlers this season due to grades. As parents we have to start getting involved in our children's acedemic lives. We have to stop expecting that they will have responsibility every second. Fact is, kids will slip up if you let them. Stay on top of it. I'm not saying to not teach responsibility, because I certainly believe in that. BUT THEY ARE STILL KIDS! Know what is going on with them. Take the time to check on their schoolwork with their teachers. This is the technology age. Every teacher is accessible through email through the school. Find out how your kids are doing.

Sure, I love going to the firing range and teaching my kids to handle a rifle or taking them to the field and teaching them how to read a rub line. However, I also love sitting in the Beta Club meetings. Funny thing, my son came home from his Beta Club induction and said, "Well dad, it's official. I am now a geek." I just laughed. I said, "Son, people call kids that work hard at school geeks. Do you know what they call them when they get out of school?" He sat with the typical teenage dumbfounded look. "Boss" I said!

One Season Out, Another One on the Way

Deer season has come and gone yet again. This year was a tough year where I hunt. The weather didn't seem to cooporate like I had hoped. With late season football and wrestling kicking off, time was not on my side either. I am sure I am just preaching to the choir here. If you have pleanty enough time to hunt, I figure you are either loaded with money or got laid off. Thankfully, I haven't been laid off. I know allot of people who have. Tough year to say the least. We did manage to take a few deer this fall. We didn't get settled in on a nice buck, but my 13 year old took a couple of does during muzzleloader season. It's always fun to see a kid take a few. I am interested to see what you alol have taken this past season. Send me in some pictures and I will get them posted. Give me the "what for" and the "what happened was" to go with it.

2009 is looking better already. I have a duck hunt planned in MO this weekend. I hope to have those envious pictures up on my blog next week. It is supposed to be a nice toasty 11 degrees the first morning. Art and myself are planning a spring turkey hunt in Wisconsin. It is always nice to get up and hunt with a good friend and partner. We are looking to avenge the Necedah hunt we had back in the fall of 2008. Mother Nature reached down and spanked us directly on the behind that week. As Pedro said, "I got sick". I didn't shave my head though. I managed.

As I said, 2009 is looking good.Art and myself are really going to give our outdoor show a run. Full Force Outdoors should be up and running after this year.The Sportsman Channel has agreed to run our show when it is ready for release. The beauty of that is the Sportsman Channel signed with Direct TV for 2009 so hopefully we can get our show ready in time to catch the last 2 quarters. If you want to sponsor an outdoor show, hit us up. We don't discriminate! We are an equal opportunity company. You would be amazed at the amount of money it takes to do an outdoor show. It all looks so easy on television. I have a newfound respect for those guys now that have been on air for so long.

I want to see those pictures from this past season. Send them to me and tell me the story. Who knows, if it is good enough and the pictures are good enough, I may try and submit your story into a magazine that I writee for. As Rodney Carrington says, "Show Them to Me". I am looking for the biggest rack. Get your mind right man, I'm talking about the deer! lol

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to take a minute to express my sincere appreciation for the people in my life that have been so influential, whether it be on the effect they have had to me, or simply really good friends. I have been blessed this year. We all have. Art, Brad, Daniel, Ken, Tom, Jake, Greg, Linda, I appreciate you, as well as, your efforts and support. You know who you are so last names aren't important. It has been a fun ride this year with many more to come. All of you have enabled my dreams of becoming a writer and you will never fully know how much it has meant to me.

This year my father is still with us with his battle with cancer. His diagnosis has remained unchanged for the most part. My sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy this month. My brothers are doing well.

As for my immediate family, honey you're still my rock. Your simple smile makes it all worth it. You are God sent and I appreciate all your hard work for our family. I am sure sometimes it seems you are taken for granted living in a house with 3 guys. As for my kids, you breath a new fresh life into me every day and I thank God for you with every thought. You three are my best friends and I love you more than words can say.

This isn't like my normal posts I'm sure, but this isn't a normal day. I feel incredibly blessed today. Overwhelming almost it seems. Love is a beautiful thing. Hug your wife and kids and extra time today. They are worth it.

Thank you for everyone of you who are reading this post. It means a lot to me for people to come in to my blog and read my ramblings and stories. I hope you enjoy your stay.

Thanks again,
Braden Arp

Pay the $50, and Pick up the Garbage!

Okay. I'm finally home from an evening of mano y mano intensity smackdowns! I see I have had a few more visitors just waiting in the balances to find out just what happened at probate court today. As I have already stated.....I'm INNOCENT!

Let me give you a little background. I hunt on a 2300 acre lease in which I paid $755 to do so back in the spring. As with all leases, there is always a little drama. Earlier this year, we had several hundred acres select cut directly behind where I have been hunting. As you guessed, I was flooded with avid patrons searching for that next "best" spot. If you are on a club, you know all about the endless "best" spots people have. This is my second year in, so I didn't rock the boat too bad. So, that's the scenario I have here.

On opening weekend, my father, youngest son, and I went to my uncle's land in south Georgia for the weekend. We had a good weekend. My son had a chance at a really nice eight pointer that gave us the slip. I hunt for chances, not kills. I am satisfied to have a chance at such a majestic animal. You win some, you lose some.

When we all returned, I got word that the DNR had came to our club and wrote 2 tickets. One for hunting over bait, and the other for hunting without an orange vest, which is a whole other story in itself. Call it what it is, I say. Some folks got caught and some folks were genuinely sorry. A few days passed, and I received another phone call that said the tally was up to 9 tickets being wrote. The following day, the tally stood at 19. The day after, we got a phone call from a fellow hunter about thirty miles away that, "he heard" (and I love that one...."Well, I heard...") that the total was up to 29.

In the midst of it all, I learned that the game warden had entered our club by way of around the gates and had all four of his four wheeler tires slashed by an obstruction in the ditch. Keep that obstruction fresh in your mind. It will come up again.

I received an official phone call that instructed me that my presence, along with all other of the twenty three members, was requested to show up for probate court. Now, take into consideration, that not only was this a big hassle, but very costly. Now isn't the time to be missing work for foolishness. A day's pay is still big at my house.

We showed up today at 11:00 AM just as instructed, only to find, that a mere 13 members showed. No one said anything about contempt, so I found out just exactly how important this meeting was after all. QUESTION...Have you ever heard the song Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie with three part harmony? This day was having a strange resemblance.

We walked in, sat down. The judge walked in, sat down. Officer Obie walked in, sat down. That was the arresting officer. I know he was just doing his job, but I was struggling to find my place in the matter. The judge stood up, and Officer Oppie stood up. Reaching down to his desk, the judge picked up a twelve inch strip of steel with six, 3" spikes welded on it.

"Your hunting club is going to pay for those tires, and better yet, I find it hard to believe that anyone would do such a thing," the judge said. "I want to know who is responsible for this." I know where the spikes came from and I suppose that will come up when someone asks me to help pay for the tires. That will be my next blog entry. Needless to say, I am not paying for any tires!

Officer Obie took the floor again and said that he had found ten stands with corn on the ground, with one of the areas being where I hunt. Now I admit, I have a 55 gallon drum feeder close to one of my stands. The dog I have in that hunt is the fact that I haven't filled it since August of 2007. It must have been running in quarter second burts. Fact is, there was no corn. Officer Obie saw a feeder which is perfectly legal. Again, he was just doing his job and he told me to just make sure I didn't fill it during season. As Arlo said, quote...."He slapped us on the wrist, made us pay the $50, and pick up the garbage"....end quote.

I was satisfied, the judge was satisfied, and Officer Obie was satisfied. The problem was, some of the fellow comrades were not. We heard excuses and diversions that went anywhere from "I broke the law, but the police was out to get me", to the judge was in cahoots with the local football coach that got fired this season and he had a personal vendetta against the community. Do you recall the movie about Wyatt Earp when Curly Bill said, "$50 won't pay for half the contempt I have for this court?" We were headed in that direction.

Me and my hunting buddy sat in disbelief. I am still in awe at people's general lack of respect for authority and self pride that keeps them in that mode. You know the old saying? "If it quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck....then it's a flippin duck!" I added the "flippin" part. Some people got caught. A total of five tickets were wrote for hunters sitting in wood box blinds, two of which to hunters that had spent the night in their box blind (again, another story), and one ticket written for bait. The accusations were not that severe. Just pay the $50 and pick up the garbage! Right?

I found out right quick a few years ago when contesting a speeding ticket. "If you show up to court, then the judge will drop it," they told me. Have you ever heard that one before? Well, it isn't true! It just gives you a nice little counter on which to write the check!

So you may find yourself in a similar situation with the judge, and Officer Obie. My advice to you is when your caught, your caught! Pay the $50 and pick up the garbage and be done with it!

As Arlo pinned,

You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant

I have been running and gunning with early baseball practice, football playoffs, and now into wrestling full bore. I do, however have one for you. I am on the go again to another wrestling meet. When I get back tonight, I have to tell about this one. It is just too good to pass on. This is about the ordeal I got into when the probate court wanted to have a meeting with our entire hunting club over issues of corn, orange vests, and four flat tires. No, no, I am not guilty of any of this. I was in South Georgia when this all went down, but today, it played out quite comical with everyone covering tracks and backing up. Check back in tonight or tomorrow.

Braden

“With a Little Help from Our Friends”

By: Braden Arp

“What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ear, and I’ll sing you a song. I will try not to sing out of key.” No matter what genre you prefer, those lyrics are relevant to most everyone at one point or another. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where we just need a little help, and what better place to find that help than from a friend?

Opening day of turkey season is a coveted tradition for some and the end of weeks of compulsion and anxiety for others. Be it what it may, it was here and there was no denying that.

Let me take a minute and give a bit of background information of our club president, Mark. Three years ago, Mark was involved in an ATV accident that left him banged up and out of commission for some time. As it was, the wounds healed and he was back in the game on our 2300 acre lease.

A year passed and things were back to normal, as normal gets for an avid outdoorsman I suppose. I can still remember someone standing to the surrounding crowd at an early season Friday night football game, which is about as close as it gets to an opening day. “Mark has been in another accident. He was hit head on by a car load of teenagers.” Assuming the worst we waited for more news. Later that evening, the word came that Mark and all the teens had made it through the accident but had left Mark with two broken legs. One of the teens was left in intensive care where she later pulled through. I assure you, and so will Mark, that there are far worse things that could have happened that night than two broken legs.

Mark was out of commission yet again, but this time, with a long and painful road to recovery. Several months passed and another doctor visit produced more news that lengthened his stay away from the field. “I have to have another surgery in February. The doctors said the pins in my legs were coming loose and have to be repaired,” he told me.

So with Mark in recovery, turkey season came just as it does with the changing of the seasons in the Deep South. On the other side of the spectrum, sits his good friend Jeff, who is from Ohio and has never turkey hunted before. With Mark being an experienced turkey hunter, and Jeff willing to learn, they made quite a pair. Mark could barely manage an upright position for a minute or so, let alone walk through the woods. The two found a ground blind that sits on the edge of a green food plot that they could drive up to. Jeff helped Mark into the blind, went and parked the truck out of sight, and came back and settled in to the blind. It wasn’t pretty, but they were hunting!

Daylight came and immediately the action picked up. Eight hens flew down in the food plot and thirteen jakes proceeded to accompany them. Jakes were yelping and jakes were attempting to gobble, and Mark and Jeff had decided that a jake would be suitable for the situation. Jeff fired first, and then Mark. Jeff had taken his first turkey and Mark had announced to all in hearing distance of his Remington shotgun that he was indeed back in the game. Elated to say the least, Jeff went and collected the two birds and hauled them back to the truck.

As he was making his way back to the truck to load the birds, another tom sounded off in the distance. Without hesitation, Jeff hurried back to the blind where he found Mark engaged in an in depth conversation with the gobbler. A few minutes passed, and the tom showed himself on top of the hill out in the clearing of the power lines. “The bird done it all,” Mark later said. “He strutted and gobbled, and when he made it to the food plot, he drummed his way into range.” Jeff fired a second round and downed a nice mature ten inch plus gobbler.

Success is easy to define for some, and harder for others I suppose. For some, it’s been a long time coming and hard road to get there, one that would have been impossible to travel without a little help from a friend.

GOD HELP US!

ELECTION DAY 2008

Buckmasters Unveils Takin' Heroes Huntin' Program


-- U.S. Armed Forces veterans will be honored with hunting trips, adaptive equipment and hunting gear.

Buckmasters and its Buckmasters American Deer Foundation (BADF) kicked off Takin' Heroes Huntin' during the annual Buckmasters Life Hunt held January 2008 at Sedgefield Plantation in Alabama.

U.S. Army Sgt. FC Michael Snisky and U.S. Army SPC Alan Grenier were the first soldiers to participate in the program.

Now, with the help of Buckmasters sponsors Yamaha, Federal Ammunition and NAPA as well as the generosity of outfitters and donations by individuals Takin' Heroes Huntin' will honor many more soldiers this deer season.

"One of the main goals we accomplish at Buckmasters is to involve more people in deer hunting and this special program is doing just that," said Jackie Bushman, Buckmasters founder and CEO.

"If it wasn't for the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to military service we could not enjoy the freedoms we have today. This program is our way to recognize and honor those who have served our country."

Registration for the program is open to Buckmasters members, and their dependents, who have been honorably discharged or retired from active duty from any branch of the military within the last five years.

Among the items that will be awarded in a random drawing to be held Dec. 1, 2008, from all eligible entries include all-expenses-paid hunting trips, adaptive hunting equipment and hunting gear.

Submission of DD Form 214, Report of Separation, is required for those who are drawn before the items will be awarded.

To register, for more information or to submit a donation to Takin' Heroes Huntin' contact Daniel Dye, Buckmasters online editor, at ddye@buckmasters.com, 334-387-2627 or 1-800-240-3337.

(Caption)
U.S. Army Sgt. FC Michael Snisky, left, took his first buck during the 2008 Buckmasters Classic Life Hunt at Sedgefield Plantation in Dallas County, Ala., as Jackie Bushman, Buckmasters founder and CEO, looks on.

###

Daniel Dye, Buckmasters online editor
10350 Highway 80 East
Montgomery, AL 36117

334-387-2627
334-215-3535 (fax)
www.buckmasters.com

“Help, My Food Plot Died”

By: Braden Arp


There are very few frustrations in the outdoor world more disappointing than spending countless hours and dollars on your self-made “honey hole” only to have it look in six weeks the way it did when it was plowed. This year has been the worst year that I can ever recall for a drought. I have seen dry spells and went through the dog days in the Deep South, but never witnessed a place so dry that an eight foot cutover looked like a Christmas tree farm after two months. The briars didn’t even survive this year’s drought. For all you avid small game beaglers like us, you are fully aware of the condition. The rabbits even packed up and left. I mean it is dry!

I wasn’t as pessimistic over the situation back in the spring. I watched as comrades planted their spring plots and I answered their questions of why I hadn’t prepared mine.

“I think I will wait it out,” I told them, hoping that the torrential rains would come. I went by the theory of what goes up must come down so if I wait it out and hold off, the rain would surely come. It would have to. I had a plan, or at least I thought I did.

It was nothing but sad talking and slow walking over acres of burnt orange during the spring months. The first reports came of a front moving in and I made haste to get my food plot ready. I had plowed it early and had been liming the ground to prepare for what was surely going to be the new cover photo plot on the new Pennington brochures. I had spent hours upon hours with my boys cutting brush and piling limbs. Planting day came and we were ready.

“When we come back, boys, we should be able to turn goats loose in here. It will look like a pasture.”

OK so we have an odd way of explaining things, but nevertheless, we were ready for the rain.

By mid afternoon the clouds rolled in and we sat out on the porch waiting and watching for the rains to arrive. It thundered for three days. NO, I don’t think you got that. Three days, and all it did was thunder without a drop, not the first drop. Three weeks passed and I knew I had to do something quick. I went out and bought a feeder head and mounted it onto a fifty five gallon barrel. As you can see, I as well have trouble with the idea of paying one hundred seventy five dollars for a feeder. My blue barrel worked just fine.

I devised a plan to be able to empty fifty gallons of feed in at one time so that I wouldn’t have to refill it. I have to give you this tidbit because it worked. I drilled two holes in the top of the barrel and inserted and piece of inch and a half galvanized pipe through the barrel. I then ran a chain through the pipe and hung my feeder between two eyebolts between two trees. What this did was allow me to fill the barrel to the top without the barrel losing its shape so that the lid would go back on with the locking ring closure.

I had left two young oaks in the middle of my plot so I put the feeder in the center of the plot. When it was all said and done, it looked like I had planned it that way all along. The Saturday afternoon four wheeler patrol came by as we were finishing up.

“I wish I would have done what you did. You cleaned the ground so that the deer could easily find the food as it spreads from the feeder.”

I never told them any different. I didn’t let on that I had spent over three hundred dollars on this site to be a lush green food plot. It was just too painful to even recall.

The feed ran out and deer season came and we christened the “Food Court” stand on opening morning. You have to give your stands snazzy names so that if you kill the state record you can include it in the story. On opening morning the deer filtered in first, followed by a drove of turkeys, two raccoons, and a hog. I realized immediately that a lush food plot wasn’t the only means by which to sustain the herd. Out of thirty eight club food plots, the Food Court was the only one with food in it and that was because I put it there.

I had spent allot of time trying to determine a planting day as it coincided with the rain. It just didn’t work out. I couldn’t predict the rain and couldn’t stop the drought, but I could tell you exactly the precise time that supplemental food would land on the ground at the Food Court. There was no guesswork to it. Next year I will attempt another food plot I’m sure, but I will put allot more emphasis on supplemental feeding. It is guaranteed nutrition. You also have the choice to fill your feeder with your choice of food, be it corn, pellets, or soybeans. Those odds are hard to beat under any circumstances.

Great Opportunity for a Disabled Youth Hunter


I am sending out this request because we still have 3 openings for our Arkansas Youth Whitetail Hunt on November 1 & 2, 2008. Hunters need to between ages of 8 to 15 for this event. I know I already sent this to you guys, but still need some hunters. If yal know of anywhere that I can post this on other websites that would help too.

I t doesn't matter what type of disability that they may be challenged with, we will do our level best to help them overcome and try to get that Trophy Arkansas Buck for their wall! If you know someone that would like to go on this awesome hunt, Please give us a call at 501-278-4856 or 501-593-2257. As always, there is not a charge or any fees for the participants. We at HOPE Outdoors try to get as many donations as we are able to help the hunters and their families while on their adventure. We also do our very best to have medical staff at the event in case of an emergency. Nurses, EMT's, or physcians are ALWAYS welcome to be a HOPE Outdoors Volunteer! It will be one of the most memorable moments you can have. Thanks for your prayers and support over the last 2 great years! Let us know if any of you can help us out with this special request!!! Also please check out our website at www.hopeoutdoors.com

This was the body of an email I received. It is legitimate and a great hunt! If you know someone, give them a call. Space is limited so hurry!

Bow Season Kicks Off in the South

Bow season got underway this past weekend in some of the deep south states. The stories , or lies....however you choose to call it, have already began to circulate. Just today I was told of a giant nine pointer that was missed on a Kentucky hunt. Some of us just can't wait until the following weekend and choose to take the drive a few hours north and hunt the cut CRP of Kentucky. I can't say that I blame anyone for that at all. Fact is, if I had a wrap on a good hunting spot in Kentucky, I would be there too!

My bow season kicks off next weekend in Georgia. I won't be in Georgia, however, I decided to make the trip a little farther north. I am flying up to hunt the wildlife refuge in Necedah, Wisconsin with your website host, Art. I hope to be able to post a few segments from that hunt, as well as, write a few articles on the hunt. If I can be lucky enough, even though I don't believe in luck, to take a nice deer, maybe you will see "Bucks in the Blueberries" next season in Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine if any of you follow my work. It has a ring to it, but will be a lot more catchy with a picture of a nice downed buck.

I am sure that most of you are making the last minute preparations for bow season, or getting a good head start on preparing for gun season. Some of you only have a week or so of gun season so archery looks really good this time of year. At any rate, pick your poison and get in the field. Deer season is here! I just want to take a minute and say good luck to the faithful readers. Send me some pictures and let me know how it went. Just remember....The technical data of the hunt falls victim to forgotten memory, but the story lasts forever!

Good Luck,
Braden

Trapped? In August?


When I think of fishing a Rattle Trap, I think of springtime mornings over the top of budding grass beds. I never really think of fishing a trap in the middle of the dog days of summer. Go with what works, I say, and don't be afraid to take a chance on a new possibility.


We unloaded the boat at Carters Lake and launched well before daylight and made our way to the first shoal marked with numerous bouey markers. We threw some various cranbaits off the edges of the shoals of rock with no luck. Fish were blowing up all around us on the shoals, but never really got on them too good. Actually, we didn't get on them at all.


Daylight came and we motored to the next hump of bouey markers and shoals of rock. This time we decided to try another trick that worked back in May. I tied on a trap and Zack, which is pictured with my fish, tied on a worm. I made a few casts and hooked up on a nice three pound spot. Two casts later, another spot. This time, it was a four pound spot. We fished it out with no more bites, but what a nice start to on good sack of fish. We fished on and caught another good spot on a Deep Little N and Zack added a three pound chunk of his own on a trick worm.


We ended the day with seven keepers caught in depths from 3-25 feet deep. Be as versitile as you can in August. It may just work out that the last three months of patterns comes back into play.

Wicked Baits

Get ready! Crankbaits are turning WICKED!

Avid bass fishermen alike are always looking for that next new innovation to replace the tired crankbaits that they have been throwing. Most fishermen have an arsenal of baits that, for the most part, cover a vast array of depths and wobble. As I have seen, you can only make a crankbait do so much. The problem I have is everyone on the lake seems to be throwing the same tired crankbait that I have tied on. The issue with the new crankbaits is that it has turned to color. I propose a new color, a Wicked color......or better yet, a Wicked coloring system.

Wicked baits is shaped allot like the same crankbaits you have been throwing. The difference is that Wicked baits are custom painted with a color scheme that is crisp, sharp, and realistic. Now don't take me wrong. This isn't an infomercial. OK, so I like the guy and believe he has a product that is going to turn the tournament industry upside down, as well as the every day nine to fiver that is tired of being skunked during an afternoon of fishing.

You won't find these baits in stores yet. Since they are custom painted, each one is taylor made to what you want. There is a color scheme to match any condition, but you have to order them. It is worth the wait. These baits come in divers from 2-18 feet. Check them out at www.wickedbaits.com. They are truely a wicked looking crankbait.

"Finding the Neddle in the Haystack"
By: Braden Arp

Youth Article (Young Bucks Outdoors)
Pictured is Brock Arp (12 years old) with a nice shed.


“Sit right here until I come back for you. Whatever you do, don’t get up. I will be on down in the woods a bit. If you need anything, key me up on the radio. It will be daylight soon. Make a good shot. Good luck.”
I can still remember those words ringing in my ears some twenty two years later after being wedged in a deer stand with a 16 gauge shotgun held firmly in the clutches of my white knuckled hands. I added the part about the radio. We used the scream and yell method. To this day, I can remember not knowing which way to expect the game, not knowing which way my father would be arriving to pick me up from, or heck, I didn’t even know the general direction of the truck. I was lost before I even had the chance to get lost.
A couple of years later I realized what lost really meant when we stumbled up on a house after a seven hour walk through the woods while coon hunting. The ol’ man walked out on the porch after hearing the frantic knock on the door. He sat down in his rocker, offered us all a glass of sweet tea, and began to tell us where we were, and we were still lost! I learned a valuable lesson that night that has stuck with me ever since and that is to, if nothing else, pay attention. I guess sometimes learning the hard way has a way of making lessons learned “stick” in your head a little better, and boy did we learn one!
People say to learn from your mistakes, which is just what I did. We had the yearly scouting trip coming up, as I’m sure many of you have been on as well, to the big timbered hardwood track that has been the host to several “wall hanger” class bucks. This particular year I decided to take a different approach than the two seasons before. Rather than be just the wood carrier, tool belt holder, and all around “go for”, I decided that this year I was going to try and figure this thing out. Granted you’re not going to figure it all out in one scouting trip, I would try and figure out a few of the basics.
The very first and foremost thing on my mind was where I was. I paid close attention to where the truck was and which way we walked in and out. I noticed my father didn’t just wonder around through the woods. He had a specific trail he walked and that’s the way he did it. Before you blunder out in to the great unknown, know where the truck is. Set some landmarks to go by, such as old blown down trees or a fire break, and don’t forget the “old faithful” orange ribbon.
After getting my bearings, I would venture out a little and maybe cross over a hill or two exploring new terrain and try to figure out why my stand was in the location that it was in. The South Georgia hardwoods were loaded with deer sign which made it fairly easy to find rubs and scrapes and all indications that deer was in the area. I began to pay attention to trails and where they would lead to and where they would come from. I found that allot of them led back in to something thick and nasty, which was always close by one of our stands, which got me thinking to the previous season and where the deer usually came from. Two and two started to come together. They still added up to ten, but I was getting closer to this riddle of “deer hunting”.
Later in the afternoon of our scouting trip, I found a shed just inside the thicket to one of the ladder stands that dad had hung for me to hunt. Now don’t get me wrong. To this day, I like finding rubbed trees shredded from top to bottom, but I really get excited to find a shed antler from a nice eight point buck that lives in the area I hunt. Still I find sheds in areas like this one on the edges of the thickets. When the buck’s antlers get ready to drop, a lot of times they will get caught on the scrubby undergrowth of the thickets and go ahead and fall just waiting for you or me to come by and find it. Another trick I learned was for those of you who use “trough” feeders, run a small rope about six inches above the top of the trough all the way around. This will sometimes be just enough resistance to cause a buck’s antlers to shed and fall.
There are endless videos and articles on how to harvest that buck of a lifetime. They are informative for sure, but don’t forget about the “jump in and get your feet wet method”. This is where the rubber is going to meet the road in learning to find and pattern deer. This is how the guys in the videos learned. I had a friend of mine tell me about an area up north that has thousands of square miles of big dense timber that no one has ever hunted.
“That will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack”, I told him.
“Well, it’s in there. We just have to find it!”

Finding Acorn Trees Now

You know the drill. We set up in early bow season on trees we have always hunted in the past, but the acorns just don't seem to be dropping. Been there, done that. I have found that the large mature acorn trees will not produce every year , regardless of the rain that they have received. I love hunting the large gigantic acorn trees in bow season, but I have found that the mid size trees produce more frequently, and for the most part, are easier to find in clusters along the hardwood ridges.

There is a tactic that you can use to get a leg up on the acorn crop for your area. Its really simple. Take a pair of good clear binoculars and glass the trees in your area and find out which trees are loaded with acorns. That can be done now. Granted you may look like an idiot in your scouting party for "stargazing", but I guarantee you will find the best acorn trees to set up on. You may find a tree loaded with acorns and just a few unused trails leading into it from previous years. There will also be trails that are wore down to the dirt on the trees that produced last year. Don't pay as much attention to the trails that are hammered out now if there are no acorns on the trees that the deer are traveling by. The deer will pick right back up on the unused trails from a few years back once the acorns start falling.

Another trick I like to use is to find the first feed trees out of the bedding are where the deer are coming from. Allot of times, the deer will come out of there bed and feed on the first acorn trees from the bedding area. It may even be still a little thick, but get in there with them and hunt the feed trees in the thickets if you have too. It is a great buck tactic if there is a little pressure on the deer you are hunting such as leases and hunting clubs. Also, those bucks will respond a little better to calls since the area is thicker and holds the security a big buck desires.

Find the trees loaded with acorns now, and then pick out the trees closest to the bedding area. It just may be the tactic that leads to you harvesting a trophy buck that has been eluding you.

Fort Walton Peer

There is one thing that I have always wanted to do , but haven't, until this year. In previous years, the kids and I have walked past the peer and thought, "That looks like fun", but we didn't have the right equipment to go out and fish on it. After all, ocean fish don't bite a finesse worm from an All Star Rod and Pinnacle Reel. This year, I was talking to a guy after a walk out to the peer and he told me that they have all you need in the peer "clubhouse" to fish. After checking it out, we rented 3 fishing rods, bought some bait, a couple of Gatorades, and a Got-cha plug. I had $46 in the entire trip. Sounds easy enough, huh?

Now we didn't have very high expectations of the trip, just some well deserved "hang out" time. I baited my oldest son's rod and he dropped it in the water. Bam, a fish was on its way up to the hands of my 12 year old. I baited my 10 year old's rod, and after sliding in to his brother's spot while he wasn't looking, another fish was on its way up the long crank from the water to the peer. Two fish in two minutes.....not too bad. The kids proceeded to absoplutely rip fish from the water and drag them over the rail and down onto the peer deck.

Fort Walton PeerA little later, I decided to tie on the Got-cha plug and see if I could hook up with something on artificial bait. Ater a lesson from a local in liters, I re-rigged the plug with a #30 flouracarbon liter and sailed the plug out into the deep. Immediately, I got a strike and hauled in about a 16" Bluefish. The next 9 casts produced fish. I was amazed to say the least. We ended up catching about 40 fish in a couple of hours.

The cool thing about the rod rental is that the rental is good from midnight until midnight . We turned our rods in at around 3:30PM and went back after dinner at 8:00PM and picked them back up to fish until midnight at no additional charge. I love to take charter boats in Destin, but I tell you, I had more fun on the peer and for a heck of a lot less money. Also, its a great place for kids. You don't have to worry about them falling in or getting sea sick. Its worth the small amount of money and is a great gettaway from a fun filled day of shopping!

Welcome to My World!

Vacation 2008......Fort Walton Beach, Florida

If any of you have, and I'm sure you have, vacated with a 10 and 12 year old, then you know of the frustrations of attempting to capture the perfect beach family photo of the wife and kids. I would like to be able to say that this trip was an exception, but as it goes, it wasn't. Now everyone wants the family to all have a fun trip and have as great of time as can be had, but there are some exceptions to these times. Picture time is the dreaded time that we all just bare and get through. With a 12 year old, it makes it a little more difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and we had a blast, but my kids thought that picture time was a moment to gather all the crazy antics on camera. As you can see from the picture, this shot was almost perfect.....until my oldest decided that a beach picture needed a little sand in it. Are we the only ones, or have any of you had similar experiences with picture time?

NOAA SETS ASSESSMENT ON 909 RED SNAPPER CASE

Need I say more?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States Department of Commerce, General Council for Enforcement and Litigation, Southeast Region, handed down a Notice of Violation Assessment (NOVA) on a red snapper case made on April 28, 2008.
The NOVA stemmed from the case made on the vessel Captain Charlie which was captained by David T. Harrelson, 52, of Lockport, Louisiana. The boat was chartered by one Florida and 17 Georgia fishermen.
The vessel Captain Charlie was found to have a total of 909 red snapper which were taken during closed season on board the vessel when boarded by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Agents working under a Joint Enforcement Agreement between NOAA and the State of Louisiana. The recreational red snapper season was not set to open until June 1, 2008, and the recreational limit during open season is two red snapper per person per day. In addition, 287 of the red snapper were under the minimum 16 inch size limit. None of the 18 non-resident fishermen possessed a Louisiana basic or saltwater license.
The NOVA issued was in the amount of $80,000, and a 210-day Notice of Permit Sanction (NOPS) for the violation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act regulations was issued to the owner and operator David T. Harrelson of Rebel Charter Services, LLC.
Also, a joint and several NOVAs in the amount of $45,450 was given to all of the fishermen aboard the vessel Captain Charlie. In addition, the owner, operator and all fishermen were issued a Notice of Proposed Forfeiture for the red snapper.


“We would like to commend our agents for doing an outstanding job in protecting our state and federal fisheries resources,” said Colonel Winton Vidrine, Chief Law Enforcement Office for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
A response from the respondents is anticipated within the next 30 to 40 days.

Buckmasters News Release:

New Seasons of "The Jackie Bushman Show," "Buckmasters" Hit Air Waves Next Week Put down the bass rod, stop the lawn mower and tune in to the 2008 season of "The Jackie Bushman Show" and "Buckmasters." "We are certainly excited about this year's shows," said Jackie Bushman, Buckmasters founder and CEO. "Look for a lot of great hunts, humorous footage and top guests that will make for pure entertainment. Plus, we're back at it again with the 2008 Big Bucks Sweepstakes and our hunting trip giveaways. Viewers can get all of the details when they tune into our shows." All show times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST). This season of "The Jackie Bushman Show" begins Monday, June 30, at 2:30 a.m. Additional air times are Thursdays at midnight and Sundays at 10 p.m. Join Jackie as he takes you on exciting hunts across North America and hosts studio interviews with outdoor personalities like Bill and Tyler Jordan, the Buckmasters camera crew, Lee and Tiffany Lakosky, Michael Waddell, David and Harman Blanton, radio talk show personalities Rick and Bubba and more special guests. "Viewers of 'The Jackie Bushman Show' will get to see some of the country's top names in the outdoor world share their exclusive hunting footage with us," Bushman said. "Plus, our audience will see huge bucks in the 'Rack Magazine Big Buck of the Week' segment. These giants will make us all wish it is deer season right now. Then we switch gears and I head to Tennessee to go catfish grabbling. The fun ends up being a battle of the guys against girls called the 'Golden Catfish World Championship.'" "Buckmasters" kicks off Wednesday, July 2 at 1 p.m. with the Buckmasters annual Life Hunt for seriously ill and disabled hunters at Sedgefield Plantation in Alabama. Just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, you can catch the action again on Saturday at 9 a.m. or at 12:30 p.m., while you're celebrating the long weekend with a hot grill and all your family and friends. Airing exclusively on Outdoor Channel, both programs are sure to get your heart pumping just a bit faster knowing that deer season is just around the corner. With a variety of dates and times there are no excuses to not put down that rod, turn off that mower or close the lid on the grill this summer.

July 2008 "The Jackie Bushman Show"
Schedule:
Monday, June 30, 2:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 3, midnight
Sunday, July 6, 10 p.m.
Monday, July 7, 2:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 10, midnight
Sunday, July 13, 10 p.m.
Monday, July 14, 2:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 17, midnight
Sunday, July 20, 10 p.m.
Monday, July 21, 2:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 24, midnight
Sunday, July 27, 10 p.m.
Monday, July 28, 2:30 a.m.
Thursday, July 31, midnight

July 2008 "Buckmasters"
Schedule:
Wednesday, July 2, 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 5, 9 a.m.
Saturday, July 5, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 9, 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 12, 9 a.m.
Saturday, July 12, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 16, 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 19, 9 a.m.
Saturday, July 19, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 23, 1 p.m.
Saturday, July 26, 9 a.m.
Saturday, July 26, 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 30, 1 p.m.

All show times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Let the Games Begin

The Georgia 10 year old All Star tournament kicks off today. We have been really busy with that over the past three weeks. For the most part, we practiced five days a week. For those of you with young kids, you understand where I'm coming from when I say that time hasn't been on my side. My blog will pick back up next week when we finish all these extra carriculars. For those of you who come in looking for more of my work, keep checking in. I have allot of new material that will be posted over the next few months. I appreciate the faithfuls and you know who you are, especially if you are reading this post. Any comments? Shoot me an email or just post a comment on the blog.

Summer Spots

It is hard anticipating where the fish will be for the early morning topwater bite, and if thats not enough, try and locate where they go from top water down to 20 feet of water. It's no easy task. We fished this morning and didn't get a bite until 9:30. Now take into account that the high today in north Georgia was 97. After 9:30, the blistering sun on the lake is the last place I care to be. However, I do like to catch fish and also have a hard time leaving the fish when they start to bite. We didn't have a fish early and then landed 6 keepers in 45 minutes on the same rock wall. We finally figured out why.

These fish were on top early and it takes until about 10 AM before they move back down deep which is suitable for a finesse worm. When the sun gets up and heats the surface temperature up enough, the fish will go back deep on the bottom. We noticed on the graph that the fish were consistantly showing up deeper and deeper until finally they were holding to the bottom. People throw crank baits at these fish all morning long, and we did also, but with no consistancy. It's random at best. We fish allot of rock so it works really well for the worm bite.

Here is a trick I learned for fishing rock with a Texas Rig worm. Take a toothpick and slide it inside your bullet weight to make it tight on your line. This will help with hang ups. It won't allow your weight to fall into the crevices of the rock as you jig the worm along the bottom. Also, use trick worms or floating worms on the Texas Rig. This is the first year we have done this and what it does is cause the worm to float up with the bullet weight on the bottom. It makes the worm stand up so to speak. It works well when fish are finicky in the summertime. I know several fishermen that avoid the big chunk rock and slag rock due to getting hung up so much. If you fish rock walls, give this method a try. It works.

Horses, Money, and Mystery

For those of us who enjoys a good horse race, this day was for us....or was it? Big Brown, the strapping chistled speciman was set to carve and cut his way into history, ran 3 furlongs and called it a day. Was it the heat? Maybe. The sweltering humidity? Maybe. Was it the fact that he missed 3 days of practice? Probably not. OR, was it the fact that he missed his mid May steroid shot that all the field of horses received as a booster to the race just like they always do? I think so. Now I'm all for the steroid ban with athletes on a professional level. This, however, was a mound of muscle that had a diet perfected to his size and a training regimen taylor made to fit his abilities. I hardly see the inhumanity in that.

This would have not even crossed my mind until the announcers gave it mention that Big Brown's trainers said, "He don't need his steroid shot to win this race." There was a steroid ban coming after the race for the future horses, but it was set for AFTER the race. Zito was clearly bringing the only challenger to the race in Da' Tara, who led from start to finish. The bizarre part of this was that he was the one who brought the horse that knocked Smarty Jones out of the Triple Crown. Coincidence? Maybe. I really hope so. With 5.2 million being placed in the hands of the bookeys on race day, its hard to tell. Who wouldn't throw $100 down on Da' Tara? It's worth a gamble right? I believe so and I also believe that I wasn't the only one who would think such an unthinkable thought in the midst of the media sharks looking for the next press puppy to get their hands on and set the odds for the fate of a horse and the sport as a whole in the public eye.

A story that was supposed to be about sentement and comeback left us with the feeling of being robbed. Was the jockey riding for his son? Probably. Was he riding to shock the world with a harnessed lightning bolt under his hips? Absolutely. It was just another chapter of the book of horses, money, and mystery. I suppose we will soon read this chapter again, just as we have in the past.

Braden,

Quick question, how long is still worth my while to track and call turkeys? I've been out a few times now calling and tracking and learning the lay of the land. I've had numerous responses and have called in a tom and a jake since my first hunt. I took my kids out the other weekend and got a gobbler to respond and later found a pile of tail feathers of two birds who apparently had a fight about my calling!

Sheffield and Paulding WMA are in my backyard and I'm planning this summer to camp and backpack the land to get a good feel of the land before the seasons begin to start up. I'm just wondering about how much longer calling would be worth my while or if I just need to practice my basic woodsmanship.

Thanks for your advice and feedback.

Loving Life!

Ken L. Hagler, Assoc. PastorDue West UMC




Ken,

Woodsmanship is the name of the game for any animal you hunt. There are some great turkey callers who are horrible turkey hunters. Hiking and camping are a great way to get your feet wet. Take it in stride. There is allot to learn. You won't learn it all in one season. However, you don't have to be an expert at it all to be successful. If so, I wouldn't be able to have a career in writing about it. I have spent 22 years in the woods and still make rookie mistakes and bad judgements. Fact is, every animal is different. What works today may not work tomorrow.

If your able to spend some time in the woods, learn the area you are hunting. Start learning where the birds are and WHY they are there. Is it food? Is it a roosting place? Is it a strut zone? Go ahead and find the deep woods food plots that the WMA plants. Also, look for the long ridges that lead up to a roosting area that will be a good place for birds to strut in mid morning.

Now, to calling. This is what I do. When I get a new call that has a new sound, I will take it in the woods and set up a hand held recorder about 20 yards away and go through a sequence of calls and then play them back. Watch some videos and compare. Remember, you sound better in the open woods than you will in the car. With that being said, practice practice, practice! As far as going in the woods and calling turkeys, they need to be left alone I suppose in the areas you are hunting. It is a good time to get out and find a food plot where the birds frequent and sit and just listen. Learn the sounds they make and pay close attention to the cadence and learn to mimick those cadences. Its not necessarily "what" you say, but "how" you say it.

Hope this helps. Let me know how it is going for you. Look up Yellow Yelper and purchase one of their 3 Reed Double Diamonds. Good call to learn on and it doesn't take a mouth full of air to play it. Learn to use a diaphram. The advantages are endless.

Full Force Outdoors
Braden Arp

The weekend is coming, and again, have no clue as to which way to go. I think I shall fish this weekend. It has slowed a good bit where we are due to the weather. It has already broke into the 90's in the south and only will get worse. I know up north the bite is now picking up, but here it is slowing down........but baseball is in full force.

With all star baseball getting started, my time has been limited. I have coached baseball for several years, and this year is no different I suppose. The travel ball scene is really picking up, but I must say, I have to pass on putting a 10 year old through a 65 game summer schedule. It just doesn't make any sense why people would burn their kids out before their bodies even develope enough to really begin to develope the mechanics for the game. My opinion I guess. I am of the theory that if a kid has the talent and the desire, he or she will do what it takes to compete in high school and then if there is enough talent,emphasis on talent. they will get a chance to go to college. I tell you what you end up with. I see it every day. Moms and dads will send their child all across the country playing ball and what they are doing is causing their child to peak before they make it into college which, in turn, means that they send their child to college that has no ability to get any better. That is one of the reasons you see high school phenoms and never hear from them again when they get to college.

Just my opinion! There are so many more options now than there used to be. Baseball was seasonal when I played. Now kids are playing year round. Is year round baseball good for our kids? It's a crap shoot really. Its a big gamble on their bodies. You never know until after the fact I guess. Can you learn to be a competitor, or are they simply born that way. Who knows what the best way is? Baseball is a great game, but take it in stride. Never have I heard the game summed up as it was in Bull Durham, and I borrow the line...... "Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But sometimes......it rains!

KEEP SENDING YOUR TROPHY PHOTOS

Viewer Photo


Ashley Parker

Catfish
4 lbs.

Oostanala River

Caught on cut bait.