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My Current Top 10 Hunting Blogs To Follow
30 Jul2010
Being a blogger and a hunter, it probably won’t surprise you that I like to read of lot of other hunting blogs on the internet too! These days you can find everything from deer hunting stories, to recipes to videos of past hunts. Anything you can find in a magazine, book or tv you can now find on the internet. So although I certainly appreciate you reading Wired To Hunt, I thought I would also offer you a few more suggested reads. Below I have listed, in no particular order, the top 10 blogs that I am currently following. They range from blogs ran by big corporations to websites created in the basement without a dime, but they all share one thing in common. They are ran by dedicated and passionate hunters and I think that you’ll all find a site or two in this list that you’ll want to follow in the future!
- Bowhunting.com: Bowhunting.com features blog posts from a number of authors, including Todd Graff, Justin Zarr and many more. Posts are centered around bowhunting, but most are related to whitetail hunting and the preparation that goes along with it. I also really enjoy the videos and reviews that Bowhunting.com produces, really great stuff.
- Whitetail 365: Field & Stream’s 365 days a year whitetail blog is one of the best on the internet. Scott Bestul is the man behind the scenes and along with being a great outdoor writer, he was also one of the first people in the industry to offer me a helping hand as I began my blogging journey. Whitetail 365 is one of the most consistently updated hunting blogs and the quality of content is great too. Look for great news, stories and tips from one of the best whitetail hunters and writers in the industry.
- QDM Works: QDM Works is the online home for the works of Lindsay Thomas Jr, editor for Quality Whitetails magazine of the QDMA. This blog is relatively new, but super high on the quality spectrum. Lindsay has been posting some great articles and tips for anyone interested in how to practice quality deer management the right way.
- HB inMotion: This is the Heartland Bowhunter blog and on par with everything else they put out, it’s top notch. HB inMotion includes plenty of updates from the HB team throughout the year with tons of great photos, videos and stories. Whether or not you’re a Heartland Bowhunter fan, this is a great blog for any whitetail hunter to check out. PS check out a recent photo of a buck that Skyler is chasing called “Dozer”, he is an absolute beast.
- Big Buck Zone: This is Outdoor Life’s primary deer hunting blog and it’s another consistently updated blog (which is sometimes a rarity with a lot of hunting blogs). Look for lots of great big buck stories and other news in the whitetail hunting world.
- Live Hunt: Live Hunt is another great blog and it’s ran by Mark Seacat, an awesome hunter and another great guy. Live Hunt follows Mark as he goes across the country hunting almost every type of big game imaginable. Last year he was chasing elk, sheep and antelope. This year he has added whitetails to the hit list! Definitely worth checking out during the season for updates on his journey.
- Dream Dirt: Dream Dirt is the journal of two land auctioneers for Whitetail Properties. Jason and Chad share with you their lives on a hunting farm, as they manage and hunt their properties. Lots of great information about land management, whitetail hunting and gorgeous photos to boot!
- Record Quest: This is a brand new blog from Outdoor Life that follows Andrew Mckean as he chases world record whitetails across the country. There isn’t much on the blog yet, but it looks to be an exciting one to follow once the season kicks off.
- Passion or Obsession: Here is an up and coming blog that I’ve been enjoying, as one of the Midwest Whitetail teams documents their work and preparation before and during the hunting season. Look for a new web design thats on its way shortly.
- Midwest Bowhunter: Another blog from a Midwest Whitetail team, check out the updates from Scott and Bo as they chase the monster bucks of Kansas and Missouri.
Any others you guys would add to the list? We’d love to hear you’re suggestions in the comments!
Big Time Harvest Photo Contest!
29 Jul2010
As we’re edging ever close to hunting season, I’ve been dealing with my cravings by watching a lot of hunting tv and DVDs. One of my favorite shows, albeit one of the most unorthodox, is Jimmy Big Time. I’ve mentioned Jimmy several times on W2H, but for those not familiar, Jimmy Big Time is a “mockumentary”, similar to The Office, which follows Jimmy Big Time around as he films a hunting show. It’s damn funny and I love seeing such a ridiculous character in the hunting world. That being said, Jimmy’s team has been kind enough to send a few Jimmy Big Time Season 1 DVDs for the Wired To Hunt Nation to enjoy! But nothings easy in this day and age, so we’re going to make you compete for the chance to get Jimmy in your own home!
To win one of three copies of Jimmy Season 1, you’ll need to enter into the Big Time Harvest Photo Contest, which is luckily very easy. All you need to do is post your best harvest photo of you and your deer on the Wired To Hunt facebook page today or tomorrow. Then over the course of the next two days, the Wired To Hunt Nation will vote for their favorite harvest photos. The three photos with the most “like’s” wins a DVD! Super easy and pretty damn awesome, given the fact that this DVD is good for a lot of laughs and who doesn’t like to show off their deer.
So follow these steps to enter the contest:
1. Click here to go to the Wired To Hunt Facebook page
2. Post your best harvest photo with both you and your deer (hopefully yours will be a little more legit than the above photo of Jimmy lol)
3. Vote for your picture by clicking “Like” and tell your friends to do the same!
4. That’s it. Sit back, admire your trophy and wait for the Jimmy Big Time DVD to arrive at your doorstep.
Voting ends Friday night at midnight EST. For more info about Jimmy Big Time check out his facebook page or check out the trailer below.
So go t
Illinois Trailcam Studs
28 Jul2010
Once again, Oak Tree Outfitters has come to the rescue. My last month or so of luck with my own trailcams has been diasppointing to say the least, but fortunately Josh at Oak Tree is getting big bucks on camera in droves! I didn’t think I could be any more excited to head down to Illinois this November, but every time I see new pics, my anticipation gets ratched up to a whole new level. Here are a couple more of the studs that I’ll be chasing this fall. Click here for more info about Oak Tree Outfitters.
Sitka Gear for Whitetails and Wired To Hunt!
27 Jul2010
Wired To Hunt is all about the next generation of hunting and I’m excited to share with you the fact that I’ll be testing some of the most revolutionary new hunting gear this fall and sharing my experiences with the Wired To Hunt Nation. This hunting season I’ll be wearing Sitka Gear, testing it in every extreme that whitetail hunting has to offer and then sharing my thoughts and experiences with you all. Sitka has realized that the Wired To Hunt Nation includes some of tomorrows best and brightest hunters and have been gracious enough to fully outfit me in their gear so that I can share with you all if this gear is really fit for the next generation of hunters. From everything I’ve seen and read in the past, this is the creme de la creme of hunting clothing, but I’m not taking anyone’s word for it. I’ll be stalking through swamps, sitting through blizzards and hiking ridge after ridge to truly test this gear and report back to you.
For those of you not familiar with Sitka Gear, it is a truly unique type of hunting clothing and is particularly unique in the whitetail world. Sitka was originally created for hunters out west who were hiking up mountains, fording rivers and braving the backcountry wilds. There was a need for clothing that was truly performance oriented, but camo clothing at the time wasn’t utilizing the best technologies available. The founders of Sitka borrowed some ideas from the hiking and climbing industry and began utilizing the most technically advanced fabrics and processes for creating high performance gear. Over the last couple years Sitka Gear has become the pinnacle of hunting gear worn out west and it seems to be generally agreed upon that their quality is unsurpassed. With technology like Gore Windstopper and Paclite shell materials, DWR treatment and an athletic fit, Sitka has made supremely durable, waterproof and breathable hunting gear. In addition to being comfortable and functional, the new Sitka utilizes Optifade camo, which is the first camoflage designed specifically to fool deers eyes, utilizing scientific research on how deer see.
Recently Sitka Gear has fine tuned it’s line of gear specifically for whitetail hunters. This new line features a new variation of the optifade camo, which has been aptly named forest. Forest optifade was created specifically with whitetail tree stand hunters in mind, it should be ideal for tricking the eyes of whitetails looking up into our trees. In addition, the new Incinerator, Stratus and Downpour series of jackets/pants have been added, specifically created for the situations whitetail hunters find themselves in. Sitka Gear is based on wearing their clothes as a layering system, with base layers, insulation and shells being the three main components. I will be wearing this year the core and traverse base layers, the Kelvin vest for insulation and the Stratus Jacket and bib as my outer shell. Click here for more info about the new whitetail specific products from Sitka.
This year I’ll be running a hunting gauntlet stretching across Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Illinois and possibly even more states. This whirlwind adventure will be a true test of Sitka Gear and I’ll be sure to share all of my experiences with you, the Wired To Hunt Nation.
For more information about Sitka, visit their website here. Sitka Website
Have any of you used Sitka Gear before? How has it worked for you?
Local Bruisers – How Many Inches?
26 Jul2010
We are getting closer and closer to the season and to hold me over I’ve been driving around the countryside lately, camera in hand, scoping out the bucks in the surrounding areas. It’s actually become quite a serious addiction and every time I spot a nice buck I get more and more excited for the fall. Over the last week I’ve spotted a number of really good deer, all very close to my property, so my expectations for my farm are steadily rising. Here are a couple images I pulled from the film of a few of the nicest bucks I’ve seen in the area.
I apologize that the quality isn’t very good, unfortunately I always seem to see these deer at the very farthest reach of my camera’s zoom. Hopefully you can get a decent idea of the size of these bucks. That being said, I’d be interested in your opinions on what class bucks these are. My guess is that the top buck is maybe a low 130 and the second buck is closer to 140. I know these pics aren’t ideal for field judging, but what do you guys think?
Trailcam Troubles
22 Jul2010
It’s that time of year that we all love checking our trailcams to see how our local bucks are putting on the inches and I am no different. Every time I hike out to a camera, I feel like a 7 year old on Christmas morning. I just can’t wait to see what this batch of pictures has in store! But recently I’ve been getting a few too many bad Christmas sweaters when checking my cams and not enough iPads or Red Ryder BB guns! What I mean by this is that the last two times I’ve checked my cameras, I’ve been greeted by the disasterous situation of having no pics on the card!
How could this happen? Well let me count the ways… First off, my Wildgame Innovations IR4 has seemed to go off the deep end. When I turn it on, the two status lights stay lit and won’t go off. Which essentially means that my camera is locked in stand by. So no pics and unfortunately since I forgot to send in my registration card, no warranty to replace it. Looks like I’m SOL on this one.
Not long after this experience, I headed out to check my newer Moultrie i40 camera. With great anticipation I slipped the SD card into my Mac and to my dismay, once again, no bloody pics! I went back and looked at the camera and noticed that the batteries had died, but when I left the camera last, the battery power was at 87%. So I still don’t understand how it took no pictures at all. So there I was, two cams checked, that had been left out for several weeks and no pictures to be found. In addition to this issue, my Moultrie continues to have issues switching from “set-up” to “on”. What this means is that I usually need to turn the cam on and off 10-20 times before it will finally switch over to “live” mode. Talk about a pain in the keester.
Since these issues, I’ve decided to try my luck with another camera and I recently purchased a Bushnell Trophy Cam. In addition to having a good warranty, reviews have been strong and the trigger speed is supposed to be pretty awesome. With all of my previous cameras I have had a lot of empty frames, so trigger speed is going to be a priority for me in all future cameras. I just set my TrophyCam up on a soybean field two nights ago, so I will be patiently waiting a couple weeks and hopefully I’ll have some great pics of my resident bucks!
So my point of all of this is two-fold. Be warned of these issues with the Wildgame IR4 and the Moultrie i40 and secondly, don’t go cheap on trailcams if you can afford it. So that being said, I’m interested in all of your experiences with different trailcam brands. Which of these trailcam brands have you been the happiest with?
Loading ...Are Brassicas A Danger For Your Deer?
21 Jul2010
I recently attended a seminar in which the speaker spoke quite strongly about the dangers that brassicas can cause your deer herd. Supposedly the toxins found in some types of brassicas, a common food plot forage, can cause deer great harm and there have been cases of deer in Europe dying from diets high in brassicas. After hearing this, I was concerned and did some digging of my own to understand the situation better. After doing my own research, I found that this is a very hotly debated topic and one that is quite polarizing. Many people claim that this is a bunch of BS, that some people have used to sell other food plot forages. That being said, I figured we ought to examine both sides of this issue on Wired To Hunt so that you all know both sides of the story.
So first off, to hear about the potential issues with brassicas, check out this video where Dr. James Kroll provides insight into why he is concerned.
Interview with Dr. James Kroll
On the other hand, check out this article from Quality Whitetails editor, Lindsay Thomas, as he provides his logic for why this should not be an issue. I personally am no expert on the subject, so I can’t claim to know who is right, but I’d love to hear your opinions!
Toxic Brassics? Get Real – Lindsay Thomas Jr
There’s a myth going around the deer hunting community that brassicas – the family name for plants like kale, rape, turnips, canola and other leafy greens – are toxic to deer. The myth is based in truth: if a deer eats nothing but brassicas, or almost exclusively brassicas, health problems will likely arise. We have to put this in context. Almost every plant out there – natural and agricultural – contains compounds that, in high dosages, could be harmful to the health of deer. Brassicas are no more harmful to deer than most of the other foods deer eat every day.
“Plant secondary compounds” are bad-tasting or toxic to help repel animals that might eat the plants. Animals, however, have evolved strategies for getting around these compounds, such as resistance to the compounds and diverse browsing habits. It’s an ongoing evolutionary arms race in which plants evolve stronger defense mechanisms and animals develop offensive capabilities to overcome them.
Pokeweed, for example, contains at least two compounds (which when spelled out are about as long as this whole sentence) that are toxic to mammals, including me and you. People can safely eat “poke salad” if they pick leaves only from young plants, and if they eat in moderation. Deer browse pokeweed leaves throughout every stage of the plant’s development. Obviously, deer have their own mechanism for dealing with the toxic compounds in pokeweed. For one, they aren’t eating pokeweed exclusively – it is just one of many plants making up the green soup in their stomachs….
To read the rest of the article, click here.
So what do you think? Thumbs up or down for brassicas in your food plots?
As many of you know, I recently had the great opportunity to attend the 2010 QDMA National Convention & Whitetail Expo in Louisville, Kentucky. It worked out well for us to attend because we were driving north from our Tennessee vacation already and Louisville was right on our way home. We got to spend a terrific Saturday afternoon scoping out all the exhibitor booths, watching seminars and chatting it up with a lot of people in the industry. The QDMA really put on a great event and brought in some really terrific exhibitors and speakers. You don’t go to many conventions that have a speaker line-up including Bill Winke, Lee & Tiffany, Dan Perez, Dr. Grant Woods and even more! So needless to say, it was a really great experience and thanks again to the QDMA for having me down there. I’d encourage you all to consider checking out next years convention, as it’s a fun way to learn about deer hunting and management, while also providing a great forum for meeting new people and building connections in the hunting world. I’ve put together a short video that shows a little bit of my experiences at the QDMA convention. Look for Bill Winke, Jeff Simpson, some big deer and me asking Lee & Tiffany a tough question!
Wired To Hunt: QDMA National Convention 2010 from Mark Kenyon on Vimeo.
Ozonics: Next Generation Scent Control?
19 Jul2010
My inbox today contained an email from Deer & Deer Hunting in which I found a press release about a company called Ozonics. Now I’ve heard about Ozonics quite a bit over the last year, but haven’t dug into it too much. That being said, I figured that now is as good a time as any to do a little research myself and share it with the Wired To Hunt Nation. Ozonics is certainly creating a new product in the hunting industry that is fueled by technology, so it only seems right to give it a shout out on W2H. So what is Ozonics?
In a nut shell, Ozonics creates small tree-mounted machines that emit ozone, which is a gas that floats along with your scent down wind and neutralizes it. At the White Knuckle Productions video school, Todd Pringnitz had nothing but good things to say about the ozonics machines he’s used, so I started to pay attention. It certainly seems like an innovative idea, but I have yet to try one. None the less, it’s an interesting looking product and another creative solution to the always important scent issue with whitetails. Below I have posted the press release containing more information about Ozonics products, as well as a video created by Todd Pringnitz about the ozonics machines. Take a look and if anyone has used one of these before or is planning on it, let us know your thoughts!
If you’re an avid Bowhunter, chances are you’ve tried every kind of scent elimination product known to man. Well, what would you say about an electronic scent control device that eliminates human odor downwind? You’d probably be a bit skeptical, right? What if we said it is GUARANTEED to work or your money back? You would probably rush out and buy one. Get ready for your life to change! Introducing the new HR 150 (standard unit) and HR 200 (premium unit) from Ozonics. This is no gimmick. This is electronic scent control and it really works! An Ozonics HR 150 or HR 200 device produces ozone, a naturally occurring cleansing agent found in the earth’s atmosphere, to effectively deodorize human scent from the body, clothing and equipment of a hunter or sportsman. It also removes odors (natural and bacteria derived) in the air emitted from an individual’s skin and mouth. The HR 200/150 can be easily transported by a hunter/sportsman, and is easily mounted in a blind or tree stand with the supplied mounting device. Ozonics technology is unique, eliminating airborne human and equipment odors by just using the device as directed; mount it, turn it on, then let it run quietly and effectively so you can hunt with confidence. This device will change the way hunting is done today and allow hunters to see and harvest animals they never thought were attainable. Manufactured in the U.S.A. by Ozonics Hunting Products, the HR 150 and HR 200 offer the highest standards in Electronic Scent Control available today. For more information contact Ozonics Inc. P. O. Box 598 Lake Jackson, TX 77566. For customer service, please contact us at 979-285-2400 or email us at . Website is .www.ozonicshunting.com.
I just got a heads up that Carbon Express is giving away free F 15 Dual Blade broadheads! Looks like you just have to pay shipping and handling and they will send you a pack, but supply is limited. Seems like a pretty sweet deal, given that a 3-pack costs about $40, so I figured I ought to share it with the Wired To Hunt Nation! Check out the video below for more info. To get your free broadhead sent to you, visit F15DualBlade.com
