Slow Start to Archery Season

This archery season has started out pretty slow for me so far. Last weekend I hunted on Sunday and didn't see anything from either of my stands. But, I jumped five deer while walking back to the truck.

I had moved one of my game cameras to a new spot weekend before last, and when I checked it on Sunday it had pictures of three different bucks that I haven't previously gotten pictures of this year. The biggest one in these pictures is definitely the biggest buck I have ever captured on a game camera, and this is the quality of deer we have been holding out for over the last several years. Hopefully one of us will get a shot at him this season!






I also got some neat pictures of these grey foxes.

Opening Day of Archery Season

Saturday found my dad and I in our treestands at the hunting lease. The day started out with beautiful, clear weather for the morning hunt, but rain and clouds moved in during the middle part of the afternoon. While my dad didn't see anything from his stand Saturday morning, I saw three young bucks (a small 8-point, a 4-point, and a deer that looked like it might have been a spike), but none of the deer were within bow range.

Saturday evening my dad had some other obligations to attend to and I sat in a different stand that I just put up a few weeks ago. I ended up seeing five deer that evening (3 does and 2 yearlings), but once again nothing was in bow range to provide a shot opportunity.

I checked my trail cameras and had a few good pictures. These first two are from my second homemade game camera that I just put out at a feeder a couple weeks ago.


These next pictures are from the first homemade game camera.







These last pictures are from the Cuddeback.

I've had game cameras running for several years and these are the first pictures I have ever gotten of bucks fighting.

2009 Archery Season

Saturday, October 3rd, marks the beginning of the archery deer season here in Texas. If all goes as planned, I will be sitting in a treestand for the better part of the day this Saturday. Although my scouting cameras haven't captured any pictures of bucks that I would consider a shooter yet this year, I'm still optimistic about this season.

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department implemented several changes to the deer hunting regulations this year. One of the big changes was the new rule that legalizes crossbows during the archery-only season. In the past, crossbows were only allowed during the regular gun season or they could be used by persons with an upper-limb disability during the archery season. Another change was the increased bag limit for a number of counties throughout the state. The county I hunt in has previously had a bag limit of 3 deer (1 buck and 2 antlerless). The new bag limit is 5 deer (2 bucks and 3 antlerless). Along with the increased bag limit, the department has also implemented antler restrictions for this county which defines a legal buck as one that has: 1)at least one unbranched antler, or 2)an inside spread of 13 inches or greater. Only one buck with an inside antler spread of 13 inches or greater may be taken. In addition to these changes, a special late season for antlerless and spike deer has been added for January 4-17, 2010.

Whether I get a deer or not this year, I will still enjoy being outdoors and taking in God's creation. I look forward to the crisp mornings and hearing the woods come alive with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling. The success of the hunt isn't always determined by harvesting something. But, some of the guys at work have been wondering when I'm gonna bring in some more deer sticks! Hopefully I can at least get a doe to put some meat in the freezer.

Over the last several weeks I've been customizing some arrows to get ready for the opening of archery season. I've been using the Cabela's Carbon Hunter arrows for several years now, mainly because they are fairly cheap compared to other carbon arrows. Out of the box the arrows look like this:

I take a razor blade and strip all of the fletchings and dried glue off the arrow, and then I clean it with a solvent to remove any remaining glue residue.


Then I put one of these self-adhesive arrow wraps on.



Then I decide what color vanes and nock I want for the arrow. I use this fletching jig to attach the vanes.

This is what the whole box of arrows looked like when I finished. You might be wondering what difference it makes to have those fancy colored fletchings compared to the plain ones that come on the arrows. Well, the main benefit is that the bright-colored wrap makes the arrow a whole lot easier to see as it is flying through the air, and it is much easier to find after the shot. It just kinda adds a custom flair to it. Looks like I'll be hunting in style this season!

I tipped a few of these arrows with some 2-blade Rage expandable broadheads. I've never used these broadheads before so I thought I would give them a try and see how they work out. As you can see, the blades deploy from the rear upon impact, creating a two-inch wide cutting surface.

The weather forecast is calling for some slightly cooler weather for the next few days and I can't wait for Saturday morning!

SYC Deer Hunt Highlights

The Special Youth Challenge Ministries annual deer hunt was held this past weekend in Northwest Iowa. I was able to participate in this year's hunt as a hunting guide for one of the youth hunters. It was an AWESOME weekend and I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it!

I flew out of Dallas on Friday morning bound for Omaha, then made the 2 1/2 hour drive to Webb, Iowa. When I arrived Friday afternoon, several of the youth hunters had already shown up and were taking some target practice with the specialized equipment they would be using during the hunt. Each of the hunters was equipped with a shotgun that was outfitted with a scope, camera, view screen, and push-button trigger mechanisms.

The banquet was held on Friday evening. After a delicious smoked pork meal, all of the hunters were introduced and brought on stage, and a Christian speaker from the Mathews Archery company (who was also a ventriloquist) gave his personal testimony and preached the Gospel.


Saturday morning the hunt began, and I was hunting with fellow guide Mike Hanson and youth hunter Cory Gates from Michigan.



We ended up not seeing any deer Saturday morning, and Saturday evening was very slow as well with only two does coming in really late, just past legal shooting hours. Sunday morning proved to be a little better as we had four does come in to the food plot we were hunting. I helped Cory get the gun lined up to make a shot, and we hit one of the does.

After waiting for about 45 minutes we began the tracking job. We followed a good blood trail for about 75 or 80 yards and then we bumped the deer - it ran off ahead of us and up a ridge. It appeared to be moving pretty slow, so we decided to back out for a few hours to let the deer expire. We went and had lunch then came back with some other guides to help us look for it. Five of us spent the better part of the afternoon looking for the deer and we only found about three more drops of blood. Unfortunately we never found the deer. I hate that we weren't able to locate it, but sometimes that happens.

There were a total of 20 youth hunters participating in the event and 11 deer were harvested. Here are a few pictures I took of some of the hunters with their deer they brought in.




Overall, the weekend was a wonderful experience. I was amazed at the outpouring of love, time, money, land, and other various resources that all of the volunteers contributed to make the event such a success. It is my understanding that several people prayed to receive Christ as their personal Savior through this event, and that is what it is all about. It was an incredible event to be a part of and I look forward to participating in future SYC events!

SYC Ministries Deer Hunt

An exciting event is happening this weekend in Northwest Iowa! The SYC Ministries annual youth deer hunt will be taking place beginning Friday evening, September 25. The event will include a banquet on Friday night, a speaker that will be delivering an important message, and of course a weekend full of hunting. I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to participate in this year’s event as a hunting guide for one of the youth hunters and I couldn’t be more excited! This will be my first SYC event.

SYC, or Special Youth Challenge Ministries is a non-profit, volunteer ministry that exists for the purpose of reaching people for Jesus Christ. The ministry provides hunting opportunities for physically-challenged youth between the ages of 13 – 19 and empowers them to overcome some of the obstacles they may face in the outdoors involved with shooting and hunting. SYC Iowa usually holds several events throughout the year including a deer hunt, turkey hunt, and fundraiser. To find out more about this ministry, visit their website at http://www.syciowa.com/.

Stay tuned for an update from this weekend's hunt!