Tred Barta Update

Tred Barta is an outgoing, outspoken individual that has good old time values. Watch one of his TV shows and you know you are dealing with a special person. Last year Tred had some very unfortunate medical issues strike him and I'm not sure that I could have survived as he did.

Pat LeFemine at Bowsite.com has posted an exclusive interview that you really need to listen to. This man is something special and I think everyone could learn about living through the tough times and to make the best out what ever God hands you.

Tred Barta Interview

A Jerky Treat

If you are like me you enjoy eating jerky. The problem is that most store bought jerky tastes more like the bottom of a grease pail than jerky. Because of this I have resorted to only eating jerky that I make, until now.

I've had the pleasure of trying the jerky from Jerky.com and I can tell you that it is some good stuff. They recently sent me two new flavors to try. Sweet and Spicy Mango and Sweet and Spicy Orange. All I can say is grab a cold one and enjoy. These flavors are not what you expect in a jerky but they were both very good and in no way were the flavors overpowering. They hit the spicy part right so if you are into very mild jerky these are not the flavors for you.

If you like jerky and want to try something a bit different click here, order a few bags and enjoy.

Going to Africa?

If you have plans on going hunting in Africa, check out this new site. There is tons of good information there and I especially like the shot placement gallery.

Trail Camera Real Estate Agent

If you are looking at purchasing some hunting land, ask if you can place a few trail cameras on the property for a week or so before making an offer. Even though a piece of property looks good to you it may be devoid of wildlife activity. Remember to ask yourself why the property is for sale. Maybe the reason is that the current owner has never harvested any game from it. Don't take the word of any seller or agent. If they are not willing to let you put out a few cameras I would be hesitant. Talk to your attorney or real estate agent. It may be possible for you make your purchase offer contingent on using trail cameras for a set period of time. If the photos do not produce positive results you could withdraw your offer. Contingencies are very common in real estate transactions so don't be afraid to ask.

Deer Vehicle Accidents

Deer and vehicle accidents are up all across the country and several lives are lost each year because of these accidents. One of the problems is that our instincts induce a swerve when something presents itself in front of our moving vehicle. These swerves can put our cars into oncoming traffic or into the ditch where many cars end up rolling over. 

To avoid, or should I say try to avoid these accidents we have to do our best to override our instincts and keep the vehicle straight. The chances of missing a deer by swerving and not having a related accident are poor at best. You are much better keeping the car straight, hit the breaks and hope for the best. One thing though, right before impacting the deer, if they have not moved, is to let off the brakes so the cars front end comes back up so the deer goes under the vehicle not over or into the vehicle. 

I know that these tips will be hard to do when that deer steps out in front of your moving car but try your best, it may save your life or the lives of your loved ones. 

Another thing we as hunters can do to reduce deer vehicle crashes is to kill some does to help control the deer population.  Many hunters have no interest in shooting a doe but I believe it is our duty as hunters to kill as many does as the Game & Fish Departments allow for each given area. So get out there and take a doe.

Be Prepared While Flying

If you are traveling by airplane to go hunting or fishing this fall do yourself a favor and put a large padded envelope that is self addressed and has 3-4 dollars of postage on it in your carry on bag. If security finds something that is not allowed to take on the plane, like your trusty Leatherman, you can deposit the item in the envelope and mail it home rather that forfeiting it to security.

Rapala's Fishing Frenzy

It's hard to beat actually fishing but if you are one of those families with an Xbox 360, Playstation or Wii sitting below your TV then you owe it to yourself to check out the new Rapala Fishing Frenzy game. This is a new game this year and is available now. I know I can only play so much golf or tennis on my son's Wii and a I find a relaxing game of fishing a joy. If you pay attention you may even learn a thing or two which may help you when you're back on the water.

PETA - The New Slaughterhouse?

New Data Shows PETA Killed 97 Percent Of Dogs And Cats In 2006

WASHINGTON, DC- Yesterday the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom formally petitioned Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), requesting that the government agency officially reclassify People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) as a slaughterhouse.

An official report filed by PETA itself shows that the animal rights group put to death nearly every dog, cat, and other pet it took in for adoption in 2006. During that year, the well-known animal rights group managed to find adoptive homes for just 12 animals. Not counting pets brought to PETA for spaying or neutering, the organization killed 2,981 of the 3,061 “companion animals” it took in. According to VDACS, the average euthanasia rate for humane societies in Virginia was 34.7 percent in 2006. PETA's "kill rate" was 97.4 percent.

“It is absurd to classify PETA as a ‘humane society’ when its employees are slaughtering nearly every companion animal they bring in,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko. “PETA has killed over 17,000 pets since 1998. Given the group's astonishing habit of killing adoptable dogs and cats with such ruthless efficiency, it's only fair that the state of Virginia refer to PETA as a slaughterhouse.”

25 Ultimate Vacations for Outdoorsmen

Looking for a great place to go on a vacation as an outdoorsman, check out this link.

Cold Feet

There is nothing worse than cold feet that has been caused by of all things, sweaty feet. If the conditions are right and your choice of socks were not, you will end up with sweaty feet which will lead to cold feet in a hurry.

The best way to prevent this, other than proper foot gear, is to use an antiperspirant on your feet. Make sure to use a scent free product. You don't want the heat of your feet carrying the fhu fhu smell of your antiperspirant all through the woods.

Money Talks

Unfortunately, Politicians make most (in my opinion) decisions based on either keeping their jobs or money. For once this may help the sportsmen, as long as we make a point to let our elected officials know about the facts revealed in a report released by the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation. The CSF sent a copy of this full report to all Members of Congress but I think that if we each sent our Representatives a copy it would do more good. The full report can be downloaded here.

Some highlights of the report are:

• America's 34 million hunters and anglers directly support 1.6 million jobs.

• They spend more than a billion dollars a year just in license, stamps, tags, and permit sales.

• They pay $25 billion in federal, state, and local taxes which is enough to pay the salaries 0f 527,900 police officers or 454,000 firefighters or 476,870 public school teachers.

• Taxes paid by hunters have enabled the purchase of more than 15.4 million acres of federal and state managed wilderness and national wildlife refuge land.

• If Sportsmen as a whole were a major corporation, they would be among the top 20 largest companies in the world. Revenue generated by sportsmen exceeds the combined revenues of Microsoft, Google, eBay and Yahoo.

• Fishermen spend more than $1 billion on the purchase of bait alone.
  

Economic impact is not the only "big stick" that us sportsmen carry. We also have tremendous political influence. Outdoor enthusiasts comprise 1/3 of all voters, one of the largest voting blocs in the nation. 8 out of 10 sportsmen say that a candidate's position on sportsmen's issues is important in determining for whom they will vote. 73% of Americans approve of hunting and 95% approve of fishing. Only 3% that appose either or both hunting and fishing are from an animal rights philosophy (isn't it surprising how we only hear about the animal rights issues in the media).

With this information we should all feel a little bit better about the future of our sporting life. However, we must use this information to our advantage the next time the animal rights groups threaten to take away what we all love. The Humane Society and PETA don't want people to know the truth and they are very aggressive and persuasive at pushing their view points. Make it a point to inform your Representatives about the financial impact that we as sportsmen make and more importantly the political clout that we have as a group. If they want their job for another term they had better look at who is footing the bill.

Ice Safety

If you will be going out on the ice this winter please assume that "There is no safe ice" and read the information on this web page put together by the US Army. No fish is worth losing your life over. Play it safe and have fun.

PETA Signs

Take a look at these signs from PETA. Remember also that the Humane Society is in the same boat as PETA and all sportsman need to get involved in fighting back against these groups. If we expect someone else to fight the fight then we will all lose.

Delayed Posts

I just wanted to check in with everyone and apologize for the low number of posts lately. With the fall hunting season and fall walleye fishing I have not had much time to sit behind the computer....and neither should you...get out there and enjoy the fall!! Keep checking back as I'll be adding posts sporadically and I promise to get back into regular posting as soon as my freezer is full.

A Real Deer Story

I received these pictures in an email and I thought I would pass along the story and pictures. Pretty amazing stuff.

You won't believe this one. I was hunting out in Sidney this past weekend for my muzzleloader buck. Well I got him. I'll make a long story short.

First off, Mike kept telling me he saw a buck with an arrow through his head.
I thought he was full of it, but he kept telling me he saw it again.

Sat. evening we saw this buck jumping around going out of control from about 350 yards away. Mike told me it was probably the one with the arrow in its head. The buck was with another one that night.

The next morning I sat up in the tree stand and waited, all of a sudden at about 10 minutes after sun up there were two bucks that came right to the side of my stand, 30 yards. I saw the arrow instantly and didn't know what to think. Anyways, he ended up giving me a shot and I took him.

Looks like the arrow was in there probably at least a couple months or more. No blood or anything and you could move the arrow.

Checklists

If you use a personal computer, create a folder called "Checklists" in which to store lists of items you don't want to forget the next time you leave on an outdoor excursion. In the folder, keep permanent lists for Boating, Deer Camp, Bass Fishing, Upland Hunting, etc. If you don't use a computer, type up the lists and keep them in a "Checklists" folder in your filing cabinet. After each outing you should adjust your checklist to include items your could have used and delete items that were not needed.

Venison Bacon Cheeseburger

Today's post is not a tip but I think you will enjoy this anyway if you give it a try.

I had the opportunity this summer to try a new way of using venison that I truly enjoyed. It is simple and even my wife and son liked it.

If you have any venison left from last fall or when you get your fresh venison this fall keep some of it to grind into burger. Not just regular venison burger but Venison Bacon Burger. Mix by wieght 2/3 venison to 1/3 bacon. Grind as usual and cook on the grill as burgers. These burgers are great and taste like a bacon cheeseburger, that is if you had some cheese.

Learning by Dave Holt

I wanted to share a statement made by Dave Holt in a recent Bowhunter magazine article. We should all adopt his idea about learning. Dave is talking about bowhunting in the article but his words apply to most issues we deal with on a day to day basis.

"Realizing that I'm wrong about an issue can be embarrassing, but learning the truth is far more important. That knowledge helps me build a solid foundation that will pay benefits for a lifetime. For me, even the smallest bit of newfound truth is far more valuable than a few moments of comfort from successfully defending a mistake."

Saving Fuel

I just wanted to pass along some info that I read in a magazine today about saving fuel. The article said to fill your tank up in the early morning or late evening during the warmer months because gas is more dense when its cooler.

They also said that when you fill up your tank you should not top it off. That "extra" gas you are tying to get into the tank is mostly syphoned back into the hose.

Maybe these tips will save you enough to get you one more trip to the lake or river fishing this summer.

Optics 101

Every sportsman should have a good pair of binoculars and knowing what those crazy numbers mean is a must. Ask most sportsmen what the numbers 7x35 on their binoculars mean and I’ll bet they won’t know.

I’ll use a pair of 7x35 binoculars as an example. The first number given on a pair of binoculars tells you how much the object you are looking at will be magnified. In my example the object will appear 7 times closer than it actually is.

The second number tells you the diameter of the objective lens in millimeters. The larger the objective lens is the more light it allows in giving you a brighter sight picture. Of course a larger objective lens equals more weight.

You should also be aware of the eye relief that a pair of binoculars has, especially if you wear glasses. Eye relief is simply the distance from the lens, in millimeters, to a point where your eye is positioned to view the entire image. Most binoculars have an eye relief between 8-13 millimeters and a long eye relief pair, made for eye glass wearers, would be in the range of 14-20 millimeters.

Exit pupil is also an important number to know about. The amount of light that is usable by the binoculars is expressed as the “exit pupil”. A rule of thumb is the larger the exit pupil number the brighter the image will appear. Exit Pupil is arrived at by dividing the objective lens diameter, the second number, by the lens magnification, the first number. In our example the exit pupil would be 35 divided by 7 = 5.

Field of view, resolution and coated lenses could also be discussed but if you can master the above items you will be leaps and bounds above the average optics buyer.