Late Season Success

Rut has come and gone, and you still have a buck tag burning a hole in your pocket.  The best chance a hunter had to tag a big buck ended with the rut.  For the hunter that is willing to fight the snow and bitter cold temperatures, opportunities still exist for a successful hunt.

Chasing does can put a strain on a big buck.  By now he has lost up to 30-percent or more of his body weight.  With bucks heading into late winter, their way of thinking changes from breeding does to survival.  Deer need to find food in order to gain weight, and raise their energy levels before the cold strikes and it is too late.

As hunting season draws near an end and you still have not killed a buck, the advantage is now in the buck’s favor.  Bucks have been pressured all season long by both gun and bow hunters.  All of this pressure has only educated the deer to hunters and their techniques.

Concentrate on hunting available food.  If you can find high-calorie foods such as acorns, beechnuts, standing crops or grains left in the fields after harvesting is done, you have probably found the main source of food for the deer.  Instead of walking trails and eating as they walk, deer will concentrate on any food that is easily available to them.  Bucks will not be found wandering around aimlessly through the woods, but will instead take a straight path from bedding areas to feeding areas, and back to their bedding areas again.

This is the time of the year when deer will eat foods that they normally would have passed on earlier in the season.  Keep in mind that movement patterns could change from year to year depending on the food that is available.

Hopefully you are fortunate enough to have a late-winter food plot available to hunt.  Many wildlife seed companies offer special blends for late winter food plots.  Winter wheat, rye and brassica are good choices of food that deer love.  After the first frost, the starches in these plants turn to sugar that deer cannot seem to resist.

Even though you have found food, deer still require water.  Rely on the scouting you did in the preseason to locate water.  When the weather turns cold, ponds and lakes will freeze over.  The best option is to find water that is moving fast enough to prevent freezing.

I prefer to hunt from the ground when pursuing whitetails late in the season.  Hunting from the ground allows me to easily switch hunting locations when the wind turns around and starts to blow from the “wrong” direction.  It is also good to be versatile when the whitetails have switched from one source of food to another.  With time running out to kill a deer, hunting from the ground is much quicker and easier than moving to a new stand.

As the weather turns colder, deer begin to travel in larger groups.  This means that instead of having two eyes and one nose to bust you, there could easily be ten times that amount ready to pick you off.  Of course, this is a problem for any hunter, but it is especially a problem when eye level with the deer.

Hunters need to set up off from the whitetails preferred trails.  Setting up too close to a deer trail is a sure-fire bet that you would be detected.  Do not hunt the same stands that you hunted at the beginning of the season.  Those stands were fine when only one, maybe two deer, were traveling together through the area.

When the season first opened there was more vegetation and leaves to conceal the hunter.  By now, all of the leaves that you were hiding behind in October are on the ground.  If the deer see you before you see them you will never get the chance to fill your tag. Leave the early season stands for what they are; early season stands.

Bowhunters need to remember that late winter deer hunts will likely require longer shots to be taken.  Practice and become proficient with the third and fourth pins on your sight.  There will not be much use for the top pin like there was 2 months ago.  I like to set up 15 to 20 yards further off the trails than I normally would a couple of months earlier.  If a hunter is too close to a deer trail, the now educated deer are sure to bust him, and put and early end to his hunt.

There are many good portable blinds on the market today.  Choose a blind that is capable of being tied down.  A blind that is flapping in the wind will send a deer on its way without ever offering a shot.  Also, choose a blind with a black lining on the interior of the blind.  A camo mesh window that can be shot through will help hide any movement on the inside.  Blinds come in a variety of camouflage patterns that can be matched to the terrain that you are hunting.

The problems that some hunter’s encounter when hunting from a blind is that they begin to get comfortable and feel that they are invisible when they are not.  Even well camouflaged hunters inside a blind with a black lining and camouflaged mesh windows needs to be careful with their movements.  Sure, you are inside a “tent”, but deer can still spot movement through the windows.

Scent control is still an issue when hunting from a ground blind.  Always spray yourself and your equipment with scent eliminating spray.  Do not forget to spray down the blind before climbing in.  It should go without saying that the blind needs to be placed downwind of where you expect the deer to be.

Put the blind up several days before you hunt out of it.  It will take that long for deer to get used to it.  Placing branches in front of the blind will help break up the outline of the blind.  Do not forget to place branches on the bottom of the blind.  If the bottom is not broken up it will be noticeable and spook deer.

Bowhunters should practice shooting your bow from inside the blind, in both a sitting and kneeling position.  Make sure you have plenty of room inside the blind, and that your bow does not brush against the blind.  This could cause noise that could possible scare deer away.  Keep in mind where your arrow is aimed in relation to the wall of the blind.  When aiming at your target, even though your sight pin is on the buck’s vitals, it is possible that your arrow will not clear the wall of the blind.  Do not forget to throw on your hunting garb during one of your practice sessions.  It might be a little hot in August, but this will keep you from being surprised in December.

It is possible to successfully hunt deer from the ground without the use of a portable blind, but it will be considerably tougher.  If you decide to go this route, never shoot at a deer when it is looking at you (this should apply to all hunters in all situations).  Always wait until the deer is looking away or its head is behind an obstruction to block its view.  Also, keep your shooting lanes natural and trimming to a bare minimum.Now, there is a not so conventional tactic that hunters can pull out of their bag of tricks.  It is not used every day, but when used properly and at the right time, you might just be able to shoot a deer you otherwise would not shoot.  I’m talking about a deer drive.  Yes, deer drives can be successfully executed with archery gear too.

In order to execute a successful drive, use the wind to push deer to their escape route and waiting hunters.  Hunters that are doing the walking should slowly move through the woods in a zigzag pattern for best results.  Once a deer gets the whiff of a human that is approaching, the deer will slowly move ahead of the hunter towards what the deer thinks will be safety.  In a perfect world, the deer will slowly move ahead of the walker towards safety.  In a not so perfect world, the deer will be running.  The good news is that it is not likely for the deer to be running if the hunter that is walking uses his odor, instead of noise and sight to cause a deer to move away from advancing danger.

The toughest thing about hunting later in the season is keeping your body warm so you can focus at the task at hand which is hunting for deer.  Once your body gets cold, you stop focusing on hunting and more on staying warm.  There is nothing worse than that feeling of figuring out how to warm up.  Because of the synthetic inner and outer gear available for hunters it is now easier for hunters to stay warm than it has been in the past.

The arms, hands, neck and face are the toughest for me to keep warm.  I have to wear less clothing on these areas of my body to be able to shoot well.

Late in the season I almost always wear bibs over my pants.  Bibs enables me to keep my body warm and able to wear a lighter weight jacket that keeps my arms smaller.  This makes it easier to draw my bow and reduces the chances of the bow string slapping against my arm.  High quality long underwear with a windproof outer garment is often enough to keep warm.

During the summer, I am able to shoot as well as Robin Hood while wearing my t-shirt, but that all changes when I get on stand and have my hunting garb on.  That is why I stress the importance in practicing in real life hunting situations.  You make look a little silly to your neighbors shooting your bow in August wearing a facemask and gloves but it is vital to good shooting.

I cannot shoot a bow with heavy gloves on therefore I wear lightweight gloves from the beginning of the season to the end.  To combat the cold weather, I use a hand muff stuffed with hand warmers and my hands stay comfortable.

The neck and face is a challenge for me to keep warm.  A consistent shooting form is important and I must be able to feel the string against my cheek.  I wear a facemask that is very good at keeping me face and neck warm.  I have got in the habit of when I spot a deer I want to shoot approaching my position I simply pull down my mask and expose my face that is covered with camouflage makeup.  This allows me to stay concealed and be able to feel the sting.  With a deer approaching I never notice the cold on my face.

Hopefully by now you have a good idea the best ways to stay warm that will keep you hunting long enough to kill a deer.

Late season hunts can be tough.  The weather is colder, deer have been pressured during the excitement of gun season, and time is quickly running out.  Concentrate on what the deer are eating, and you should have a better than average chance on wrapping your tag around a deer’s leg.

When The National Concealed Carry Reciprocity (NCCR) bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives the anti-gunner’s propaganda machine went into high gear.  According to the ant-gunners, if NCCR passes the U.S. Senate, every conceivable calamity known to man will sweep across the county.  I expect a plague of intergalactic locusts will invade the earth and eat every morsel of vegetation.

They are using the same untrue charges (none of which ever happened) against concealed carry they have used in every state since Florida passed a modern concealed carry law back in the 1980s.  There are about 16.5 million concealed carry permit holders in the United States, not counting the states that allow open carry and permit-less concealed carry (that would include several million more people).  The lies are: women will be less safe, domestic abusers will be getting guns, criminals will be able to get guns, crime rates will go up, stalkers will be able to carry guns and, of course, “this is a gift to firearm manufacturers from the NRA.”  The fact is that concealed carry drives crime rates down.  If National Reciprocity passes the Senate, crime will go down even further.  That is what the anti-gunners are really afraid of.

December 7, 2017 was the 76th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the beginning of the U.S. involvement in WWII.  I say formal because we had been helping supply Britain with material and ships through the Lend-Lease program.

President Roosevelt had been preparing for war even though most Americans were against the U.S. entering WWII.  Much of the United States was isolationist, but technology combined with international events was about to change all of that.

I spent much of my youth in the Chatsworth American Legion Hall with my dad and his buddies who were veterans of WWII, but there were some WWI veterans there also.  Whether they were in the Pacific Theater or European Theater, it didn’t seem to matter.  They all understood one another and, in many ways, were closer to their fellow veterans than their own families.  In those days we didn’t know what PTSD was, but they all had some form of it and dealt with it; most came out alright, largely because of the Legion Hall and the support of each other.  I am sure the same thing happened in American Legion Posts and VFWs all across the United States.  Take a minute or two and think about the 16,000,000 Americans who served in WWII, all they gave and all they built when those who made it got back.

When Donald Trump decided to drain the swamp in Washington D.C., I don’t think he, or any of us, had any idea of how deep and foul the swamp was going to be.  One of our most trusted institutions, the FBI, turns out to be more like the KGB.  It is more than sad and disappointing; it is a danger to us all. Terrible.

If there was ever a trial where justice was locked out of the Court Room, the Kate Steinle murder trial was it.  This trial was held in a sanctuary city, in a sanctuary county, in what will soon be a sanctuary state.  The Judge, the District Attorney, and the Public Defender all work for the very entities that wanted to let the alleged perpetrator go.  Was the prosecution as vociferous as it should have been?  Were all the facts brought out that could have been?  The jury could only decide on the evidence presented.  The Public Defender thanked the prosecution.

What about Kate Steinle, her family, and the other families that have suffered deaths of their loved ones at the hands if illegals?  There is no justice for them, nor will there be, unless we rise up and put a stop to this nonsense.

The end of November wrapped up the Fall Glock League.  It was a crispy 19 degrees when we were setting up the league match.  I know some of you reading this are thinking, why would anyone want to shoot a match when it’s that cold?   I have to admit that I had the same thought when the alarm went off at 5am.  Most of us prefer to go to the range when it’s a balmy 70 degrees.  Anyone who is interested in self-defense should realize that bad things don’t just happen on nice days.  In fact, it is more likely that they don’t.

It is also important to find out how your equipment will operate in cold weather.  Too much oil can really change how your gun operates; in fact, it may not operate at all.  It is also important to find out how you are going to operate in cold weather.  Cold hands, cold feet, and watery eyes have to be dealt with, like it or not.  There is no other way I know of but to learn to deal with those conditions and to practice in them.   These things are not something you can sit in your recliner in front of a warm fire and visualize.

The feeling of shooting under pressure is something that competition provides.  Combine the pressure, along with the noise of competition, and you get stress.  Our bodies and minds naturally want to avoid stress.  We cannot visualize stress either.  We learn to deal with the stress we initially feel when we compete.  Is the stress of competition the same as in a self-defense situation?  The answer is no, but it will certainly help prepare you if you are unfortunate enough to find yourself in one of those situations.

When I am on the range one of my jobs is to watch shooters.  I often see shooters who, while handling their firearm safety, are obviously not as familiar with their gun as they should be.  Shooting in a league will also help shooters learn to handle their firearms with dexterity, which is also something you need to do in a self-defense situation.  As I tell my students, a self-defense situation is no time for on-the-job training!  Repetition is the key.  Participating in a league will help you to learn to handle your pistol on a regular basis.

There are many indoor ranges that have winter leagues.  If you live close to one, you should join.  Of course, next year, I would like you to join one of the ISRA’s summer leagues.  The first Summer Glock League Match will be held on Sunday, June 24th, 2018.

The FBI reports that in the 24 hour period that covers Black Friday, the number of firearm background checks requested was 203,086 (setting a new one-day record).  That is 18,000 more than the previous record set in 2016.  In 20 states, those with concealed carry permits do not have to go through a background check to purchase a firearm.  Therefore, the number of firearms purchased is actually much higher than the NICS system report of 203,086.

As gun owners, we are always told by the anti-gunners that “if you just give us this restriction or that ban we will leave you alone.”  I have never believed them and neither have most of you.  The latest propaganda piece put out by Gabby Giffords and her space cadet husband, Mark Kelly, lists things they want to ban.  One of those is the dreaded muzzle loading rifle because some of them can shoot a .50 caliber ball.  This is just an example of how far they really want to go, which is to ban everything.

Most of the time, I discuss what is happening in the State of Illinois but that doesn’t mean we should forget what is going on in Washington D.C.  October was a busy month for the anti-gun crowd in Congress.  Representative Bonnie Coleman (D-NJ) introduced H.R. 3962 to stop online sales of ammunition.  Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) introduced H.R. 4025 which would require reporting of any two firearms purchased in a five day period.

Representative Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) introduced H.R. 4052, which is a magazine ban.  Many of the bills in Congress will have a state version introduced at some time in the future.

We all received an early Thanksgiving blessing at 8:13 pm on Sunday night when Charles Manson finally died.  Manson spent 45 years in prison living off the tax payers.  Why some people want to keep mutts like Manson alive, I will never understand.  Manson and his followers killed many more people than they were charged with and convicted of.  I am often asked if I oppose the electric chair.  The answer is no; I prefer the electric couch, however.

Last week, I mentioned classes that included both partner classes, for those who you live or work with, and active shooter classes, for those who could be a target (such as churches, businesses and other organizations).  This week, I spoke to a fellow instructor who just held a concealed carry class for a church group; they decided it is best to begin training for their own self-defense.  With those things in mind, I am working on two such classes to be held at the ISRA Range.  I hope to have them scheduled before the end of the year, and I expect the classes to take place in late spring or early summer.  In the meantime, anyone who is interested these types of classes, should get their concealed carry class out of the way and take a handgun skills class.

I have been receiving phone calls about the U.S. Government Surplus 1911s being released for public sale.  Please refer to the CMP informational article published on our website regarding this matter.

Correction: The 2018 Winter Wars XVI date is Saturday, January 13th, (not the 9th, as stated in the Illinois Shooter).  Please check our website for the match flyer and addendum.

On behalf of the ISRA staff, the Board of Directors and myself, I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year and prosperous 2018.  I am thankful for all of you great ISRA members. You are the best.

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Chatsworth Illinois 60921

As I sit here pondering about the last month all I can do is smile. November is such a beautiful month. The leaves are changing and falling. Duck season is in full swing and if you are a deer hunter these are the days you wait for year after year.

I never really understood the power of the rut. See, I have never been a bow hunter and with my past career it just didn’t allow me the time to dedicate to the sport. Plus, it didn’t help that since about the age of 14 the only thing I think about when fall comes is duck hunting. That has always been my passion and I am sure it will remain.

However, after setting up trail cameras for an entire year and trying to understand the deer movement on the property we hunt, it really started to change my view. Watching deer lose their antlers then watch them grow throughout the year just has a way of becoming an obsession. This is a whole new world for me, a new obsession. I must become efficient with a bow. Understand your distances better and most of all scent control.

As a shotgun hunter for years I have never worried about scent and in all honesty, I don’t recall a time it cost me a deer. As a matter of fact, when I was in my early 20’s I was invited to a property near London Mills, IL and as I sat there in the tree stand smoking a cigarette I noticed a nice eight point buck walking a thickets a few hundred yards away and it was heading away from me so I didn’t put out the cigarette.  As I follow the smoke I can see about where he was going to cross the smoke and I was curious to his reaction. Well as he hit the area of my smoke he put his nose straight in the air and started to walk straight towards me. In my mind I am asking “what the heck is this buck doing?” surely, he won’t make it all the way to me. Well I was wrong. That buck followed that scent right to my stand. When he was about 15 yards away I pulled the trigger. I am sure there is many that will say “no way” and if I didn’t live it, I am not sure I would believe it either, but the fact is it happened.

Now, I know with a bow the chances of this happening are slim to none. So I prepared myself to bow hunt for a few weeks in early November when we get a little slow on the duck hunting. On my very first bow hunt I decided to hunt a new stand and see what the activity was. The wind was right; it was a great stand placement and had plenty of deer on the camera.

As I sat there enjoying the sunrise the deer activity started immediately. For the next few hours I would watch deer walk right under my stand but I already had told myself that I was going to wait for a mature deer before releasing an arrow. I was very excited to see 8 deer that morning and as the days progressed I saw the same deer day after day usually around the same time.

I was just waiting for the early rut to begin to experience what everyone has always talked about. Then came November 7th. I have heard many deer hunters talk about two certain dates, November 7th and November 11th. I was bound and determined to be out there on those days. I can say the seventh did not disappoint. I have never witnessed deer fight, scrape, grunt and make rubs before. I was able to watch several bucks do these exact things. You talk about getting your blood pumping. At the end of the day I saw thirteen deer and eleven of those were bucks and of course two of them made my heart beat a little faster.

Unfortunately, nothing ever came into range but that didn’t make the hunt anymore less successful. Each day I was in the stand I learned something new and I knew this year was going to be a learning experience. Then came November 11th. A Saturday when all of my friends would be deer hunting too. It seemed a little odd we were always going duck hunting together now we are all trying to bow hunt for the first time.

As the day progressed, I was seeing deer just not any mature deer. At about 8:30 or so I heard a shot from bow a few hundred yards away. I was excited thinking Tim had taken down a deer and he did. A beautiful 10 point for his first bow kill. I was super excited and wanted to get out the stand right then and there but it was early and I said just wait another hour and see what happens.

About 15 minutes later I am watching this grassy area and I can see a nice buck stand up and shake off. After standing there for a few minutes he starts making his way east and I was straight south of his location. I tried grunting a couple of time and he would listen then move on. So I tried a doe blead and the second time I did that here he came. He stops at a scrape at 50 yards and starts putting on a show. After messing with that scrape he walked another 20 yards and started messing with another scrape. Of course I am telling myself to breathe, take your time, don’t blow it.

After hitting the last scrape he is walking right to me and I really wasn’t covered well in that direction at all. I let him get to about 15 yards and he jumps about ten feet and is just staring at me. I drew the bow back and placed the site right where it needed to be and let the arrow fly. At the time all I remember is this huge thud and off he went with my arrow in him. I was so excited and sure I harvested this deer I didn’t give it any more thought. I let him sit for a half an hour or so and asked my friend Tim to come help with the tracking.

When we started to track we just were not finding a lot of blood but I knew where he went so we would just follow the blood until we find him. After tracking him a 100 yards or more he  decided to cross a creek. There was no way to stop me from trying to find this deer. After an hour or so looking across the creek I found where he entered and was bleeding a little more. As I followed the trail it came to a train track crossing and of course it started to rain. It took me over an hour to find where the buck entered after crossing the tracks but I found it. I then tracked this deer another couple hundred yards until it come to a hard road and the end of our property.

I didn’t want to give up… I was sick to my stomach that I had injured a deer and not retrieved it. After getting permission from the other land owner and getting some reinforcements to help track we started on the other side of the road. We found good blood going up the hill and at the top, there lays my arrow. No deer just the arrow. We then tracked the deer to an open field and found a small bit a blood where he laid down. We heard a ton of racket over the hill, so I went to investigate. As I crested the hill in the deep valley, up he pops running down the hill and up the other side. Not able to use his left front leg but not mortally wounded.

After that, spot we were never able to find any more trace of blood, so I am fairly confident it still lives to this day. I know these things happen, but it sure makes you feel bad when you don’t make a clean harvest. I also know that every animal I do harvest I have remorse for and that is because I respect every creature on this earth and a give thanks to what they have provided me and my family.

As far as the duck hunting goes, it was been a little better than the last few. Opening day we had a good shoot of wood ducks and a few bonus duck mixed in. During opening weekend I received a call from Mike O’Bryan asking if I would like to go hunt with him during the following week. I was excited for this opportunity. I have never really hunted many different areas in Illinois. When I was young I had a small farm pond in Canton and field hunted around Double T for many years before the state purchased the land. Those were the good ol’ days as the state purchased the land in come all of the money as well. Places I had hunted for several years were now being offered $5,000 for a pit and I just didn’t have the money to keep up. Luckily one my dad’s friends at Caterpillar invited us to hunt with him at a small club outside of Spring Bay so that is where I turned. I have never had the opportunity to hunt a club the river or many of the state places but I was about to knock one of those off the list.

After meeting up for breakfast with Mike we headed to the club. As we drove down the lane I could hear the mallards quacking and saw birds all over the sky. We loaded the boat and headed to the blind. We were the only ones there that day so we had a pick of what blind to go to. We were not set up very long before the first birds worked to the decoys. A couple of shots later we had our first mallard. The day went on, every 15 minutes or so we would have a group work into us and we would pick out a mallard and add him to our lanyard. After only a couple of hours and only taking nice close shots, we had our limit and the day was complete. I had a lot of fun with Mike. He is a great guy to hunt with and I appreciate the opportunity he provided me.

The last thing that made the month of November even more perfect was the fact that Ella was going to take the hunters safety test. Since Illinois made crossbows legal for everyone I see this as a great opportunity to get our kids deer hunting and teaching them safety at a younger age. Ella has been hunting with me for the last three years now and I know she really enjoys spending time with me, but I could tell that she was getting anxious to apply everything she has learned to an actual hunt.

As soon as I received the press release that it was official I found a hunter’s safety course in Pekin and she was beyond excited. I have been to a few of the hunter’s safety courses over the years but this was the best. The gentlemen who took the time out of his week to teach these kids went above and beyond his duties.

After the first day of the class, Ella was starting to get nervous. Unfortunately, she is just like me and when tests come around the anxiety goes through the roof. We studied and studied, and I knew that she was not going to have any problem with the test, but I wanted to make sure that this information was engraved in her head. We have all hunted with people that after the hunt you say to yourself I will never hunt with that person again. Some people just aren’t safe with firearms.

Test time arrived, and I could see the look on her face and I just explained to her she has done everything she needed to do to pass this test. I am not saying that dad wasn’t a little worked up himself because I was. All I want is for her to be able to hunt with me and provide for our family. There is no doubt that Ella will be the glue that keeps her brother and sister from drifting apart. She is so family oriented and all she wants to do is help out in any way she can. As I sat there trying to look over her shoulder I knew this was going to be a breeze. I shouldn’t admit this but when I took the test about 6 years ago with my step son I actually missed one. The scores were tallied, and Miss Ella didn’t even miss one. To say I am a proud daddy would be an understatement.

Now it is time to get her ready to hunt and then comes a surprise. Ella was spending some time with friends and somehow broke her foot. We have been delayed in getting out hunting because of her boot but shotgun season is this weekend and it’s time to give it a shot.

May your sunrises and sunsets be magical!

Hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving; it is my favorite Holiday by the way. Nothing like roasted turkey and my favorite scalloped oysters cooked in butter and cream. For those of you who love oysters here’s a quick recipe. Get 2 pints of Chesapeake Bay oysters with juice, they are the very best but Pacific oysters will work.  Two sleeves of saltine crackers crumbled, two sticks of butter salt, pepper all layered in a glass baking dish and a pint of half and half cream.

Grease dish with butter on bottom and all sides. You’re going to make three layers. First crumbled crackers, then 1/3 of oysters cut in quarters, then butter pats across oysters salt/pepper as you go. Use pepper generously and salt mildly. Build three layers till almost done then add oyster juice from the containers and crème over top of dish. You don’t want it runny but very moist.

Pre heat oven to 375 bake for 35 min or until dish is bubbling and a little brown on the sides. This is for oyster lovers but the average pallet will love it. Let cool a little but serve hot. I only have this twice a year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is unbelievable I just love it and I think you will too. One thing is you don’t want to deviate from the recipe.

I have been hunting a few ducks this season and must say it is a lot better than the last few years. ASO’s new owner Andy Bugos took me to his club north of Peoria on opening day and we had a great shoot with mostly woodies and teal. I also went with Al Johnson and his two sons Tyson and Trent at the Spring Lake walk in where I shot my first mallard of the year. If you get a chance to draw a position there it’s worth the effort. Nice blinds and you will see plenty of ducks.

I hunted with Dave Conway near Bath Illinois and shot a few also. I did get to spend some time with Dave’s uncle George Conway a World War 2 veteran. George was with the third Army in France when he was captured by the Germans. He spent the next 9 months in prison. He said the Germans didn’t harm them but was fed potato soup with little potato and turnip soup with little or no turnips. George said he lost 70 pounds in prison when released by the Russians, he was 20 years old.  It was a great day spending time with George and it makes you proud to be in the presence of a one of the guys from the greatest generation.

It was funny when loading up in the boat I said to the guys its hell getting old. Then I looked at George who was moving around in the boat like a young man I immediately said disregard those comments.  For 93 he is still a hell of a man.

Now another Red Nose Memory a long time ago but not forgotten. One thing I learned from the old guys at the club that eating was a big deal if not a staple of the clubs activities. Of course shooting ducks was our first but having some good food was number two.

I have told you about Paul the old German from WW1 he was a great cook and made sure we all ate well. Paul who went through the war and knew what it was like not to have enough to eat. He ate rats and cats for Christmas dinner in 1917 and knew how to get along with little choices during the war. He told me they would club rats in the trenches and said they were pretty good. I asked him what do they taste like and he said almost like a squirrel.

He said in the beginning of the war they had American canned hams till America declared war. I watch those survivor shows where they try to make it on what they find. But the real survivors are those who actually had to make it on next to nothing or they would die. It was a typical duck hunting day but as young guys go we wanted to shoot ducks not pack a lunch. Three of us had a great shoot and headed to the cabin to see what Paul had made up for us to eat. When we got in there was a big pot simmering away and for a hungry 23 year old, I was starved.

As we set down to devour the stew Paul said this dinner cost 15 cents. Bill Peak said how did you do that? Paul said he bought beef neck bones, a big package from the Jewel store in Springfield for 15 cents. He had a big garden out in front of the cabin and did for years with leaks, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes onions, carrots and everything else. Paul put whatever in the stew and to this day I remember it as one of the best stews I ever ate in my life. Of course I was starved but that shows you that if you know what hard times are you can make it pretty well with a little creativity. I wonder if any of those who complain they don’t have enough to eat ever grew a garden or stooped low enough to buy neck bones. Probably not.

This is the last ASO issue for 2017 and it has been an interesting year. Andy Bugos who took the reins last October 2016 is doing a great job. He has changed a few things like posting the hunting and fishing season dates on the cover which is nice for those wanting quick information.  Added new stories plus his own Chronicles but has kept the all the writers who have made ASO the number one magazine in the state for over 20 years. Not only fantastic writers it has given our sponsors a place to promote their unique products and services where they target their customers the outdoorsman. There are a lot of places to advertise but to get to those who would more than likely purchase a gun, book a fishing trip or buy a new boat ASO has been a great value and venue. I am very proud of Andy’s efforts and could not have found a guy who took to this like a fish to water. He is the perfect match for ASO and I couldn’t be prouder of him. All who I talk to agree and say Harry ASO is in good hands. If you meet him you all will agree.

It’s been six months since Teddy Bear’s surgery to remove that tumor. So far he’s doing very well. We are going down to see Dr. Dan at the Cass Vet Center in Virginia for a checkup on Teddy before we leave for Florida.  Cathy and I plan to do a lot of winter fishing in the waters near Port Charlotte.  Last year was a work year and all we did was paint, put a new roof on, tile and carpet our place but now that’s done we should be on the Myakka River and on the Gulf bay fishing as often as we can. Hope you all have a great winter and it doesn’t get too cold. All though I heard it won’t be as nice as last winter I hope they are wrong.

Remember you only get out of life what you put in it. And what goes around comes around. Be safe out there this hunting season.

Keep your Powder dry and your Worm Wet!   Harry

Be A One-Man Wildlife Army

There is a vast, stunning, towering, soul cleansing forest in the swamplands of southern Michigan that an uppity guitar player planted by hand. With many indigenous coniferous and deciduous species of trees, some now more than 45 years old, this mystical woodland paradise is living proof that real honest to God sweat equity prioritized stewardship can and will make a difference for thriving wildlife and healthy wildground, not to mention a sense of gratifying fulfillment and soul cleansing spiritual fortification that makes a man feel all warm and good inside.

Everybody knows that nature heals, even just as a spectator. But when you actually plunge your fists into good old dirty terra firma as a hands-on participant, the healing goes much deeper, I assure you.

I am convinced that planting trees every spring makes for a better, more soulful and extremely happy guitar player!

I began digging, sticking and heeling in 1000s and 1000s of various seedlings into our little Michigan family farm way back around 1970, and along with my tribe have continued to do so every year since to create and grow our beloved Nugent Woods.

The coniferous cathedral provides critical thermal cover for all the critters to survive the severe Midwest winters. The reliable mast from the various hardwoods provide life giving protein and nourishment throughout their lives.

The puckerbrush hellhole tangles of 1000s and 1000s of autumn and Russian olive bushes, multi-flora rose and wild grapevines create sanctuary from sharp-stick wielding rock-n-roll predators and assorted killers of the wild.

Add to this the annual foodplots and various agriculture we plant and cultivate each year and what we have here my Spirit BloodBrothers is a glorious man-made wildlife heaven, bought, paid for, created and nurtured by a family of dedicated hands-on conservationists, the likes of which is repeated millions of times each year by many millions of hunting families and hardworking landowners across America.

I thank and salute you all and am honored to call you Spirit BloodBrothers! Rejoice like you mean it for we are the ultimate conservationist environmentalists and damn proud of it!

A powerful and pivotal force by we the people in the asset column of nature, it is this serious investment of hard work and dedication that is the nucleus of these glorious good old days of deerhunting in North America.

I personally have never met a landowner who doesn’t cherish the wildlife supporting acre or acres we have worked so hard to own. Land unto itself means nothing without the knowledge and understanding that we share it with the precious wildlife that we so love.

From this sacred ground comes not just life itself, but many of us believe to be the ultimate quality of life in the form of cleansed air, soil, water, fuel, protein, clothing, tools, weapons, medicine, shelter and immeasurable spiritual fortification knowing certainly that we are utilizing our gift of life to the fullest by putting more back into nature than we consume.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if such important lessons of life were actually taught in our so called American education system. Fat chance.

In the absence of such critical quality of life lessons in individual earthly conservation responsibilities in schools, as usual it will be up to we the people of the natural world to teach the young.

As we gearup for the greatest hunting season of our lives, now is the time for us to ponder how we will spend our deercamp time with family and friends. Life has a way of overpowering our lives, thoughts and instincts, but there is no better environment or time than around the hunting season campfire, buckpole or dinnertable to keep the conversation alive about nature and our duties to her than when the pure seasonal Spirit of the Wild is such a wonderful and inescapable force all around us.

Emphasizing the renewability of our hunting lifestyle at this time of year, particularly with Thanksgiving on the horizon, imprints strongly on all who hear it.

In a world gone mad with the dangerous lie of political correctness and the shameful denial it creates, those of us still grounded on nature’s reality must constantly push forward on these important points.

With various hunting seasons kicking off any day now and the mythical month of October only a few days away, getting into our reasoning predator mindset is Job One for all of us right now.

Never forget that Job 1A is spreading the good word, educating everyone we can and celebrating this last pure tooth, fang and claw hands-on conservation lifestyle like we mean it in thought, word, action and deed.

It may be the natural season of harvest, but fall is also a great time to plant trees! Make it an annual family party!

Aim small, miss small, but think BIG and plant a tree! The Great Spirit calls our name!

A Duck Day to Remember!

The nose of the boat nosed through the pitch black darkness with the wind howling and specks of snow pelting your face.  The sound of mallards feeding could be heard over the very quiet outboard propelling the boat loaded with hunters toward their blind location.  As the handheld light was initiated to confirm our way, ducks could be seen and heard by the hundreds lifting from the flooded millet as we progressed.  The anticipation of opening morning is always exciting, but this morning contained all of the factors for the potential to be the perfect hunt one can only dream about!

Once our gear was loaded into the blind and guns made ready, the short wait for legal shooting time could hardly be maintained.  Our foursome contained only seasoned experienced hunters, but none possessed the keen eyesight of their younger days.  A mallard flew over the blind from front to back as if unaware of the danger and with the proper swing through on the shot; the first bird of the day was down!  Each of our group including Kenny Allen, Gene Schurtz, Gary Doyle and myself internally realized this was to be an exceptional day and the need to be patient and pick high percentage shots was done without any need for discussion.

The working ducks quickly ascertained the proper distance to maintain for their safe keeping although the blind was well concealed and camouflaged with natural brush from this area.  Some consternation over the size of the hole and decoy placement with this heavy wind began to surface.  After all, Duck Hunters are by nature constantly seeking perfection!  This group understands the characteristics of each species of duck, from the single flyover of the Wood Duck to the constant swinging of a group of Teal to the agonizing tease provided by the “skirt the decoys” variety!    Each hunter made individual great shots as we climbed toward our limit for the day.

The windy overcast day with moisture in the air was the essence of duck hunting but with a temperature just low enough to remind us to stay protected.  Slowly our bag began to rise as Wood Ducks, Teal, Gadwall and Mallards were added to the species mix.  Although birds were in flight constantly keeping us entertained with the constant movement in and around the flooded millet, this was still no easy picking!

Working the mallards was paramount and although their numbers were limited as compared to the Teal and Pintails in action, a concerted effort was made to lure them into gun range!  But as always they were elusive by nature.  The beauty of this hunt over and above the remarkable number of waterfowl present was the appreciation from this group over the quality of your shot selections and the pure amazing wonder of waterfowl hunting.  The many blind sits will little or no action were forgotten on a day such as this!

One of the groups’ members, Jeff (JJ) Sykes, gave up his spot on opening day so I could experience the thrill of this opening day hunt.  This sacrifice alone will give you the level of quality these members possess!  Although this day was prime for “platooning” hunters this was not contemplated.  Good natured ribbing throughout the morning kept the atmosphere entertaining and as indicated, the level of duck action never subsided.  The limit was had, blind vacated and the birds cleaned and stored before noon!

The Sanganois facility is a true gem for waterfowl hunters.  This year with the lack of flooding provided the opportunity to plant millet for the duck population and the results speak for themselves with the levels of Ducks on hand for the opener.  Thanks to Doug Jallas, Site Supervisor, and his staff for the preparation for the opener at the facility.

Although now a deer hunter if in title only, waterfowl hunting is still the king of sports and a favorite of mine and the opportunity to partake of the sport in the company of the “Decatur Boys” is always welcomed.  Let’s hope the birds continue to migrate and hold over at the facility to provide excellent duck hunting throughout the season.

Case Knives: An American Tradition

Few American knife makers can match the rich history of Case. The company traces its roots back to before the turn of the 20th century, when the Case Brothers made knives they sold along a wagon trail in upstate New York.

Job Case, the patriarch of the Case family, never made a knife. Yet his face appeared on much of the packaging and advertising in the early days. Even back then knife companies were looking to get an “edge” on their competitors, and Case believed that if they showed the mature face of Job, their company would appear older and more established than it actually was.

The current company, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, was named after William Russel Case and was founded by his son, John Russell Case, who worked for his uncles selling Case Brothers Co. knives, and early incarnation founded in 1900 and operated out of his grandfather Job’s home.

Russ was a natural salesman, and when the uncles realized he was making more money selling the knives than they were building them, the older gentleman issued an ultimatum: Russ must take a pay cut or leave the company.

So, Russ left, and eventually was joined with his brother-n-law Harvey Platts to form what became W.R Case & Sons. Harvey had been with C. Platts and Sons, a cutlery company that was failing. Harvey picked up his equipment and joined Case. With Russ’s salesmanship and Harvey’s knife-manufacturing skills, Case became a household name.

Case makes a knife for the job, whether it be skinning a muskrat in a Michigan marsh, an elk in Wyoming, or chopping onions in the kitchen. Case knives withstand the abuse that trappers, hunters, and campers dish out every day.

What makes Case knives better? While other manufacturers may only temper a blade once, Case tempers theirs twice. This is what the xx stamped on the blades signifies. Each knife is hand-assembled, so no two look or feel exactly the same. Older Case pocketknives are known as much for collector value as rugged dependability, mainly because of the vast array of designs, patterns and handle materials used over the last 128 years.

All Case knives have a stamp on the blade that holds important information about the knife, especially for collectors. Over the years the stamp, or “tang stamp” as Case calls it, has changed several times. You can go to the Case website, click on the Case College section, then Tang Stamps, and find the time period in which your Case was made. The section also has good information about knife patterns, blade steel, handle materials and proper care.

Case knives are warranted to be free of defects in material and workmanship for the life of the owner. If a favorite knife is damaged because of misuse, Case may be able to repair it for a reasonable fee.

I keep a Case Trapper pocketknife in my skinning shed. The two-blade knife is remarkably lightweight, holds an edge and also sharpens easily. It feels comfortable in my hand and does a good job skinning critters like muskrat, coon and fox. For coyote or something bigger, I may opt for the Case Twin Finn, a two-knife set. The larger fixed-blade sheath knifes are also fine for field-dressing deer and bigger game.

In addition to the iconic Trapper for trappers, Case makes the Slimline Trapper, Trapperlock, and Mini Trapper. The Folding Hunter is equally well-known.

Case has played a role in U.S. military operations at least since World War 1 when the Navy bought 81,000 knives for 39 cents each. During WW II, Russ Case supported the war effort and even provided transportation to get his employees back and forth to work in the “Case Car,” saving gasoline, oil and rubber in a time of rationing. This company tradition continued through 1976.

Case even worked with NASA to provide a knife for manned Apollo and Gemini space flights. The company can literally claim their knives have been to the moon and back.

An M-1 Survival knife and scabbard, aka the astronaut knife, was installed on the door of the space capsule. Fred Feightner, communications manager for Case, told me the knife was placed there so the astronauts could grab it quickly should something go wrong during splashdown in the ocean. Back in an era before GPS and satellite navigation, they might need a big, sturdy survival knife if they weren’t rescued quickly.

After my father passed, I was sorting through his things, keeping the family heirlooms, and donating what others could use. In a dresser drawer I found several Case knives, still in the unopened boxes, perhaps Holiday and birthday gifts he had received over the years. I never knew he had these knives, still have no idea why he didn’t use them. But they remain in the dresser today, untouched.

Looking back all these years later, I realize that as was often the case, Dad might have known something I didn’t. A couple of the knives are true collector items, and they all came to mean a little more to me as I researched this story. As I was talking to the folks at the company, it hit home that this is much more than a knife maker. Case truly is part of the American outdoor tradition.