Rob's Hunting Journal: July 2010

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Velvet Bucks

I got these trail camera pictures from my friend Marc yesterday. These are some great looking bucks! The first one has some really good mass. The second one has some really cool brow tines. And the third one has some character to his rack.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Latest Camera Build

My obsession with trail cameras continues to grow, and building my own has really added a new dimension to my hunting experience. I recently put the finishing touches on another camera and thought I would take this opportunity to unveil it here on my blog. So here it is, complete with custom 3-D camo:

This trail camera utilizes a 7.2 megapixel Sony digital camera with a 2.5" LCD view screen for reviewing pictures in the field. The control board I used in this camera features 8 different delay settings and can also be set to "Rapid-pic" mode where the camera continues to take pictures as fast as it can as long as motion is detected. This is perfect for a trail setting where multiple deer might be walking by in a situation where a camera set to a 30-second or 1-minute delay could easily miss the second, third or fourth deer.

Here is a view of the guts of the camera. The control board runs on a 9-volt battery which should last several months. The Sony camera runs on a Sony "G" rechargeable battery. This camera also has a walk-test mode in which a red LED lights up when motion is detected so you can get it set at just the right angle.

Another feature I added to this camera is the pipe-through security system which allows you to run a cable through the case to secure and lock the unit to a tree. If you aren't concerned about the unit being stolen, I also added a quick-connect to the back of the case which allows for easy setup on multiple sites. The quick-connect is the same style used to hold quivers on archery equipment.

This camera is only 7.5" x 5" in size, so it easily fits in a backpack or coat pocket. Here are some more views of the camera.

This camera was deployed to the deer woods a little over a week ago, and I can't wait to check the camera and see what it captured!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Summer Update

Well, the dog days of summer are here. It's hot. Really hot. But, that means that cooler days and fall hunting seasons are just around the corner. As I write this, dove season is only 37 days away and archery season for deer is only 68 days away.

I've been really busy this summer with work and family activities, and I haven't had many opportunities to keep my blog up to date. So, with that being said, I also haven't had many opportunities to make it to my hunting grounds this summer. A few weeks ago, I was finally able to go, and when I got there I discovered this:

That my friends is prep-work on an oil well pad site. That used to be solid woods with a small clearing where one of our ladder stands was located. Now it is a two-acre clearing. I also had one of my homemade trail cameras on a tree in this location. The ladder stand had been taken down and was laying on the ground, but the camera was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I was a little aggravated. But sometimes that's the way life goes. When I look at this on the bright side, I think that after the well is drilled and the trucks and equipment are gone, this might make for a good food plot site, since there is really good cover surrounding it. And I also have vehicle access to a location where I used to have to walk.

On to some trail camera pictures. Since I was unable to locate the camera, I don't have as many pictures to show you as I would like, but I do have a few from some other cameras. These are the first pictures I have of bucks in velvet from the summer. Nothing huge, but at least something to look at.

This one looks like he has something strange going on with the G-2 on his right antler. Maybe he bumped it against something and caused it to grow funny...

This little guy better hope that his left antler branches, otherwise the antler restrictions won't be in his favor...

I think this is the same deer that was in the first picture. If so, looks like he added a little bit of length on those tines in just a couple weeks...

Here's a couple pictures of a doe I got from one of the cameras I built that was placed in my camera test location. I had about 20 pictures of this doe in front of the camera, and in every single one of them she had that horsefly on her forehead...

Those last two pictures are from my homemade trail camera while the first three are from a store-bought Cuddeback. Based on image quality, which one would you rather have?

My Hunting and Fishing Influences

These people, in no particular order, have each had a significant role influencing me when it comes to hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general. To each of them, I am truly thankful.

Scott Jordan - Daddy started taking me hunting and fishing with him at about the age of 5 or 6. One of my earliest hunting memories is of opening day of dove season in about 1985. I was only 6 years old, not big enough to actually hunt, but I remember vividly that day being one for the ages. It was steadily raining all day, and we were hunting west of Gunter, Texas in a maize field that was full of round bales, and I got to retrieve the birds. My Dad and my Uncle Robert will still tell you to this day that there were more birds that day than they have ever seen.

Wayne Watson - Grandaddy's eyesight had started to fail by the time I was old enough to hunt, so we never actually got to hunt together. He is the one who taught me how to use open sights on a rifle. I remember him teaching me how to make the front sight sit right on top of the back sight, and to hold my breath while I squeezed the trigger. He always said that by squeezing the trigger instead of jerking, I wouldn't know exactly when the gun would fire, so I would be more accurate. Grandaddy passed away on January 1, 1997.

Robert Watson - I've always wanted to be able to shoot as good as Uncle Robert. He is the best wingshooter I know, and he shoots competitively in a skeet/trap league. Anytime someone compliments me on my shotgunning, I think, man, if they could only see my uncle shoot, they wouldn't think I was any good. He has given me lots of pointers and I always enjoy when I get to go to the skeet range with him. We have bird hunted together quite a bit over the years. When I was about 10 or 11, my Uncle took me and my Dad to his deer lease with him in central Texas. An incident happened on that trip that opened my eyes to the importance of firearm safety, and I will never forget it.

Dr. Tim Patton - This was one of my college professors and advisor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. I learned more about wildlife and fisheries from his lectures and field trips than anywhere else. He encouraged me to apply for the summer Park Ranger position at Lake Texoma, which eventually led to my career with the Corps of Engineers. Some of my favorite college memories are of field trips with Dr. Patton to trap fish in some of the streams of southeastern Oklahoma.

Kenyon Wood - Mr. Wood was my Ag teacher in high school. During my Junior year he taught a wildlife management class, which is where I completed the Texas Hunter's Education Course and the Boater's Education Course. He took us on field trips to shoot skeet and archery equipment, to fish, and to the TPWD Wildlife Expo in Austin. Mr. Wood passed away during the summer between my Junior and Senior year of a heart defect. I couldn't bring myself to take Ag my Senior year without him there.

Steve Hollensed - Mr. Hollensed was my science teacher in high school. He also assisted Mr. Wood with the wildlife management class. Mr. Hollensed was an avid bass fisherman. He taught us how to make our own lures and to tie different kinds of fishing knots. He took us on a field trip to Lake Ray Roberts to watch the TPWD biologists electroshock fish to take sample data. That was probably the first time I realized I wanted to have a job involving the outdoors and wildlife. The last time I saw Mr. Hollensed I told him that I was a Park Ranger at Lavon Lake and I could tell that he was proud of what I had done and that he had impacted the life of one of his students.

Denny Somers - Denny is a longtime family friend who lives in northwest Iowa. My Dad and I have pheasant hunted with Denny every year since I was 16 years old. Denny and his wife Kathy are very generous people and are an integral part of a ministry that spreads the love of Jesus Christ to physically challenged youth by providing them a means to overcome their disability through hunting. Denny's place is a haven for wildlife and I enjoy the trip every year. He is also an avid deer hunter and harvested a deer in 2001 with his bow that scored in the high 170's.

Carl Davis - Carl was a member of our church growing up and he always gave my Dad and I an open invitation to hunt on his land. When I was 12 or 13 years old, he always made me feel like I was the best shot in the field by complimenting me in front of the rest of the group. It made a lasting impression on me, and I hope to be able to pass that on to another youngster some day. He also bought one of my showpigs my Freshman year, and then turned around and gave it right back to me. Carl was a hardworking painter and he passed away at a very young age when I was a Senior in high school.

Mark and Terry Drury - I've never actually met these guys, but they are brothers who have a hunting show called "Wildlife Obsession" on the Outdoor Channel. Their show, which happens to be my favorite, is more than just about shooting a deer. They are primarily bowhunters that explain the ins and outs of deer hunting and talk about different aspects of the sport that most people don't consider, like why they choose specific stand locations, how to effectively use food plots, and other informative tips. I've learned quite a bit about bowhunting from watching these guys. They also host another show called "Dream Season" where teams of amateur hunters compete by videoing their hunts in an effort to become part of the Drury Outdoors team.

Ben Jezek - Ben was a friend of mine growing up who had his own boat in high school. Neither one of us played football our Senior year and spent many hours on Lake Ray Roberts while our friends were at football practice. Ben taught me how to use a Carolina rig to fish for bass. On one trip with Ben to Ray Roberts, I caught a bass that weighed about 8 pounds. I got it mounted and still have it on my wall today. Ben knew Lake Ray Roberts like the back of his hand, especially where the humps and brushpiles were, and he could put you on fish just about every trip.

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Thursday, July 29, 2010

Velvet Bucks

Monday, July 26, 2010

Latest Camera Build

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Summer Update

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My Two Archery Deer From 2008 (Both harvested on the same morning within 2 hours of each other.)

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