Our first annual all women’s hunt was a great success. We have been seeing a lot more women signing up as members and wanted to offer an all women’s hunt. Missy Eyester (left) and Amy Marbach (right) got it done.

Missy, from Florida, was the lucky member to get drawn for this hunt. When I spoke with her early last spring about being drawn for the hunt and informed her that she was headed to Texas in December, she was exicted. This would be her first opportunity to hunt outside of Florida and her first opportunity at a buck of a life time. Missy’s hunt started off with some great encounters and a couple of good opportunities. She quickly found out, that it was going to be a little tougher than first thought. By the end of the week and being close a couple of times, she was finally able to connect on a great south Texas whitetail. This will clearly be a memory she will have for a long time.

Amy…well, she didn’t have to work as hard as Missy. Her opportunity came right away the first morning. She didn’t waist anytime putting a buck on the ground. Although this was her first whitetail buck, she was like a pro in the blind.

Congratulations to both Missy and Amy on two very nice south Texas bucks. We want to thank COA Outfitters for all of the hard work they do and for hosting the women’s hunt. COA Outfitters was able to put us on bucks all December. If you haven’t checked them out, go to www.coaoutfitters.com and take a look. It is THE place to go for Texas hunting.

The first leg of our Texas hunt is complete with some great animals on the ground.  We headed to south Texas with Mike Marbach of COA Outfitters and it didn’t take long for whitetails to start hitting the ground.  Member Brian Reeher, of Alabama, was drawn for this hunt and he had a blast.  He was just coming off his annual hunt in PA with family and was struggling to see deer.  The one thing about Texas, you’re gonna see deer.

Brian was quick to learn that it looks easy on TV, but as soon as you add that camera in the blind, things change in a hurry.  Either the deer isn’t at the right angle, camera angle isn’t good, the deer is on the wrong side, cameraman is between deer and him…  The one thing that he did learn, Texas has some great deer.  After hunting hard for 3 days, Brian was able to put one of his best deer on the ground.  It was a blast getting to know Brian and spend the time with him in camp.  Congratulations on a great south Texas deer.

I was fortunate to tag out on the first evening of the hunt and was able to relax and get some r&r.  Once my deer was in the cooler, Mike had his family join us in camp and we decided to start a new show with him and his oldest son trying to take a couple of great south Texas deer.  This would be his son’s first buck and what a thrill to be there in the blind getting to capture it all on film and experience that with Mike.  All I can say is, within 15 minutes they both had deer on the ground.  Only in Texas!  Can’t wait to share this story on TV.

Thank you Mike for allowing us to spend some time with you in camp and all the hard work you did for us.  COA Outfitters is the place to be!  Also, thank you for allowing me to share the experience with you and Michael Dean when he got to shoot his first whitetail buck.

On to our youth hunt…stay tuned!

When we had an opportunity to hunt Saskatchewan this year, this was going to be one trip I was going to make sure I was on.  I have hunted Saskatchewan 6 years in a row in the past, but hadn’t been there in over 4 years, so I was really excited to get back.  This year we hunted with Jeff Smith of Kutawagan Outfitters.

Our new Remington’s showed up a week before the trip, we were quick to get our new Brunton scopes mounted, guns sighted and we were ready to head north.

The week started off at -18 F and was quick to test everyone’s endurance right away.  LTH guest, Tom Andes was about to find out what hunting Saskatchewan is all about.  The first few days found us seeing a lot of deer, but not the big mature bucks Canada is known for. Jeff had trail cameras out at each bait site and was trying to move everyone where he was seeing the best deer activity.

Day 3, Tom had his first opportunity at his first Saskatchewan bruiser.  He was quick to find out how difficult it really is with a camera over his shoulder and how everything has to line up perfectly for us to get the footage we need and the right shot.  To say Tom was disappointed that night after not getting a shot, would be a huge understatement.  He went back into that stand the next day, but the deer he saw on Wednesday didn’t show up again.  It was then, that he realized that he had his opportunity and it didn’t pan out.  But, they went right back into that stand on Friday again and the Lord blessed him with another opportunity on the same deer, but this time everything worked out and he was sitting over his first Saskatchewan bruiser.

I saw a lot of deer during the week and a lot of 2 and 3 year old bucks, but we just weren’t seeing those 4+ mature bucks that we should have been.  Again, Jeff was monitoring his sites and felt that I should go into this one stand that he had a good buck on a couple days earlier and felt that deer would show up.  Ed and I sat there all day Friday and saw a couple young bucks, but not the one he was hoping.  Last day and we go back to the same stand we were at the day before…9:15 am he makes a showing and the rest is history.

If you are looking for an outfitter that makes you feel a part of their family the week while you are there, then you need to give Jeff and Annette Smith of Kutawagan Outfitters a call.  The hunting, food and lodging is some of the best we have experienced.  If you love the cold and love seeing big deer, then you need to head to Saskatchewan.  You can count on us being back there again next year.

After getting completely shut down in October and not putting 1 kill on tape, November couldn’t get here fast enough.  This year we were hunting with Midwest Finest Whitetails in Kansas.  Sam Moore, is a very accomplished hunter and has had great success over the years, so we knew we were going to be in the right spot for the November rut.

Team member, Frank Fontanella, was very quick to show everyone how to get it done.  On the night of day 2, this Kansas giant came in and gave Frank a great broadside shot at 20 yds and ….well things didn’t go quite as planned.  Anyhow, the deer read the script and knew he wanted to be a movie star, so he gave Frank another chance.  This time Frank and the deer were on the same page and got it done.

Member, Brian Caliguri, from New York had a tough week.  It just seemed like the deer didn’t want to cooperate for Brian.  He sat from dark to dark each day and even through pour down rain, but the deer as they normally do weren’t on their feet as much as we were hoping for this time of the year.

Sam moved everyone around trying to get them on deer all week long.  Sam did everything he could to try and get everyone on deer, but as normal, you can’t control deer movement or the weather and both ended up being a factor.  Midwest Finest Whitetails runs a 5 star operation and without a doubt works hard and does everything they can to put you on deer.

Just finished our early season muzzleloader hunt with Mt. Hide Outfitters in Oklahoma just over a week ago.  We had a great time!  If you’ve never hunted Oklahoma, you need to try to make it out there.  Pat Burgess of Iron Mountain, Michigan was drawn for the hunt and he had a hunt of a lifetime.  In the 4 1/2 days of hunting, I bet he saw over 50 bucks and over 100 deer total in that amount of time.  Pat was very excited to be there with us, but I don’ think he knew what to expect when the camera was there over his shoulder.  It sounds easy, but just ask Pat!

Everything is easy until a shooter buck steps out at 150 yds, and then your cameraman tells you to wait to shoot because he’s not at the right angle or too many deer around him.  Then you have to sit there waiting for 15 minutes until that perfect shot angle is presented.  No you’ve had 15 minutes to really get yourself worked-up and nervous.   Let’s just say that Pat had some HUGE ups and downs.  This is one show that you are not going to believe!! Incredible footage, incredible encounters and a couple of frustrating moments.  Needless to say, Pat got it done on the last morning of the hunt.

I was able to put the hammer down on a very nice Oklahoma buck and Pat was able to put a very nice mature buck on the ground as well.  We had a fantastic time and really enjoy the new friendship we created with Pat.

If there is one hunt we wouldn’t miss each year, it would be the Kansas early muzzleloader season.  This year we were invited to hunt with Mark Uhlik of Uhlik Hunting.  As soon as we got into Kansas and met up with Mark and he showed us his stand sites and some of the deer he had on camera, we knew this was going to be a great hunt.

The week started off a little slower than we were hoping, but as usual, changed quickly.  The deer were not being cooperative, so Mark started moving cameras around to find out where the deer were moving the best so he could get us on them.

Joe Nailer from WI was seeing some good deer, but just not the mature bucks we were looking for.  Finally on the 4th evening, he and cameraman Ed moved to a new stand location that Mark had some good pictures and sure enough…Joe was able to make a great shot on this great Kansas buck.

Member, Jay Miller from North Carolina, was seeing a lot of buck activity as well, but again, not the mature bucks we were looking for.  Morning of day 5 gave Jay his first opportunity, but…we’ll just have to let the tv show tell the story.  Day 6, final day, comes around and we were out of options.  So again, Mark knew exactly what to do and sent Jay and cameraman Cody into an oak stand to see if they could catch one hanging in the timber before hitting the fields at night.  The picture below speaks for itself.

We had a great hunt with Uhlik Hunting and when it comes to knowing where to be and monitoring stands, Mark does a great job.  Kansas muzzleloader season can be a great opportunity to harverst a very nice buck, but it takes an outfitter that knows his area and knows the deer habits to make it all happen this time of the year.

September 2012 can’t get here fast enough.

North Dakota early season bow hunt is in the books.  If there is one place I always look forward to going, it’s North Dakota!  The week started off slow due to very high winds and warm temperatures.  Then we had rain and cooler temps move in and we really started to see deer.  I had some great encounters the first couple of days, but nothing mature would come within range.  Then finally, on the 5th morning, the Lord blessed me with an opportunity at a very nice 8pt in full velvet.  I came to North Dakota this year hoping to put a velvet whitetail on the ground, and it happened!  I didn’t think it was going to because half the deer were in velvet and the other half were hard-horned.

John Ritter was the member that won this hunt.  Talk about a trip of a lifetime!  John struggled to get deer in front of him all week.  He saw some real giants, but nothing would come within bow range.  Believe it or not, the last night, and with only 15-20 minutes of camera light left, an opportunity finally presented itself and the rest is history.

Congratulations John, it was great getting to know you during the week.  We all look forward to our new friendship.

This is going to be a great show for Season 2!

See you in camp…Shane

Our annual blacktail hunt was a great success this year with Shamrock Ranch Outfitters.  It was a tough week of hunting, but we finally had success on the 5th day.   Member, Mike Olsen from Michigan, was the lucky member to join us on this hunt.

Mike quick to find out how challenging hunting blacktail really are, especially with a bow and arrow.  He had several attempts during the week, but just couldn’t get within that magical distance needed to launch an arrow. 

Trevor had a lot of action during the week as well and was more fortunate to get a couple of opportunities.  Finally on the 5th day, Trevor was able to get an arrow in this great 2×2.  What most people don’t realize, is that only 6% of hunters that hunt blacktail with a bow will be successful.

We want to thank Shamrock Ranch again for a phenominal hunt and the opportunity to spend another week with guide, Frank Sanderson.  Can’t wait to get back there next

We just finished our annual spring bear hunt in Alberta, Canada.  This was our 2nd year with Clayton Royer of Grand Slam Adventures.  If there is one thing Clayton knows, it’s how to put us on bear. Our goal was to hopefully shoot one color phase bear on film this year, and the Lord blessed us with two.

Trevor and I drove up from Wyoming and met up with Cody and member, Andrew Garay, in Edmonton last Monday night.  We hooked with with Clayton on Tuesday morning, purchased our licenses and head to camp.  We finally made it to camp Tuesday mid-day and had time to get unpacked and get the truck unloaded.  Trevor along with Andrew were hunting on this trip, so they headed out back and shot their bows to make sure they were dialed in.

By 4:00 pm, we were heading out for our first night’s sit.  Trevor and I only sat for a couple of hours, and we had a very nice black bear come in.  As soon as Trevor and I saw this was a larger bear, Trevor decided to take a shot.  13 yds, on the ground in a ground blind with bow in hand, Trevor made the shot and his bear only ran about 20 yds and piled up.  Trevor made an absolute perfect shot and he had his first bear on the ground.  I think he was a little spoiled for his first bear.  Not only did he only sit for a couple of hours, but he scored first and his bear ended up scoring pope and young.  Andrew and Cody had a couple of nicer bear in on them the first night, but decided to pass.

Now that Trevor was done, the next morning we decided that I would hunt and so Clayton had seen a larger bear at a bait after taking Trevor and I in, so they decided to put us in that blind.  We decided to go out at noon, since the bear were starting to move during the day.  Trevor and I were only in the blind for 15 minutes and this large bruin came in.  We knew that there was a larger bear on this bait, so we sprayed down heavy with Dead Down Wind and thank goodness we did.  This bear circled us twice before committing to the bait.  Once he finally came in, again 13 yds from the ground in a ground blind with my bow in hand and I introduced him to the Rage.  This bear is one of the largest color phase bear they have taken and it was one of the only times I was speechless.   Less than 24 hours of being at camp and we have two super nice bears on the ground.

Andrew decided to go out on the 3rd day on a bait that they had seen some blonde hair.  Andrew and Cody went to sit at 10 am in morning hoping that they would have a very short hunt like I did the day before.  Unfortunately, they weren’t that lucky.  The bear Andrew shot came in at 9 pm that evening.  Not only is this the first time Andrew is ever bear hunting, but this is his first real hunting trip away from home.  To top that all off, he shot a bear of a lifetime.  Many hunters will hunt their whole life and never have an opportunity to harvest a blonde bear.  What a gorgeous animal.  Again, 13 yds from the ground in a ground blind and he put a killing shot on this bear.

The Lord truly blessed us with success on this hunt.  Not only were we successful, but we shot 3 bear in 3 days.  A black, a chocolate and a blonde and 2 of them are pope and young.  We would like to thank Clayton for all of his hard work and his hospitality.  This is one hunt we are definately looking forward to going back to next year.  Congratulations to Trevor and Andrew on taking your first bear.  What an exciting time shooting them from the gound at close distances.

See you in camp…Shane

Congratulations to the following members who were drawn for hunts in 2011:

Jimmy Arnold, GA     Andrew Garay, TX     Ron Raymond, MI     Brian Caliguri, NY     Debbie Charnock, OH     Davidde McIntosh, AR     Steve Turk, TX     Burton Maurer, IA     Jay Miller, NC     Andy Filizetti, MI     Travis McClendon, NV  Mike Olson, MI

We have a few more hunts that we are finalizing schedules for later in the year and will be drawing more members for those hunts.  Stay tuned…