More excited for bow season than ever before...

and it has nothing to do with deer that I may shoot...

Riley will be hunting with me this year and that has opened up a whole new world and is making me feel like a kid again.

I introduced all my kids to the outdoors at an early age and bow killed a deer with each of them when they were 4.  I never attempted to push it on them and they wanted to go. Madi was so cute... She went with me a few times... Thought it was cool but did not really seem to take to it. Dawson went with me quite often... He at first seemed like he could take it or leave it but as time went on he seemed to get more into the adventure and especially the camp type hunts where we have time to cook and eat what we shoot or catch at the end of a successful trip.

Dawson still loves to go with me although he has never expressed much of an interest in shooting anything himself. He loves to just hang with Dad and has become my most reliable camera guy. That a bonus for me and we have a great time together.

I could tell things were going to be different with Riley. This kid wants in on whatever Dad is doing. We hunt, fish, process, and cook our game and fish together all the time. She seems seriously upset when she can't go. She has been begging to go and we decided that she was ready for the safety course this year.

I was mostly worried about the field portion of the test because I thought she may have a lapse in judgement and have her head somewhere else and fail. I was wrong she crushed that part but struggled with the written portion.

I think I was more devastated than she was. I felt bad for her and she was worried she had let me down. We scrambled to find another course and practiced even harder. I am so proud of the effort she put in and could tell she really wanted it! She again crushed the outdoor portion and then passed the written portion and became a licensed Maryland Hunter!

Riley and I have been practicing hard and scouting out our spots. She is a quick learner and a deadly shot with a bow and her Excalibur Matrix Cub! Things sure have changed since when I was a kid because I couldn't use a regular bow until I was 13 as I could not pull the legal weight. The crossbow has shortened the time for her to be in the woods by 5 years before my first hunt.

Another thing that has changed is the method of hunting and the amount of scouting that Daddy does... My Dad, Grandfather, and Uncles were my hunting crew when I was a kid. We had a blast but there was really no effort put in ahead of time... We just went hunting. I am crazy about scouting and trailcams so I feel like Riley is already a little Jaded when it comes to the bucks on the camera... Telling me today that the one small 8 point might not be big enough...

Uhhh, listen here kid... Lets discuss that if he steps out on Friday eve!

because #firstdeer

Anybody else ready to see some shredded velvet on summer bucks? Kevin and I watched this young 8 that had recently shed on the second day of the season, but the party was just getting started! Here is a preview of the next Minute 2 Kill

Because summer whitetails...

Turning the page

     This is a big weekend coming up and with it brings a ton of changes to hunting life as I have known it... My 8 year old daughter, Riley is taking her hunters safety course. Riley has been begging to get her own deer for quite some time now. She has shadowed me on many trips to the woods and has been a part of numerous successful and unsuccessful hunts. The fact that she wants to keep going after some failed attempts lets me know she loves it. I know she understands why we are doing it when she helps me process the game we bring home.

     I have been telling Riley that as soon as she was ready to take the course that I would take it with her.  I got my start at age 12 and wished I had been able to do it sooner. Riley has a good grasp on what it is like to be a safe and ethical hunter and I feel she will not have any trouble with the test.
This week we took a couple practice tests together online and she crushed them.

     Riley becoming a hunter means a lot of things are going to change but somehow stay the same for me in my hunting endeavors. I have always enjoyed teaching and exposing beginners to the outdoors. I was bitten by the videography bug years ago and that has become a major part of my time afield. I have always hunted for food as well as the trophy. The trophy changes from year to year and season to season. When I was younger, It was all about getting that buck... Then it became more about a certain size buck and ultimately getting that buck on film. During that time I enjoyed filming others shooting a lot of the bucks that I did not want. Riley will fit right in the mix. I pass on a ton of bucks throughout the year. Riley has already told me that she's not going to be picky. (She has also told me she wants to mount her first deer so we might have to be a little picky) I really hope we can shoot a doe together first to get one under her belt and get a real appreciation for what she is doing.

     I have involved Riley from the beginning in all aspects of the hunt. She has helped me scouting, creating mineral sites, checking trailcams, shed hunting, and ultimately processing and cooking the game we have taken. She has been a very quick study full of questions that I have tried to answer. Being able to teach her all of the things I have learned in my last 27 seasons is keeping me fresh and looking forward to many more seasons with the added bonus of having my Daughter hunting with me.

Because its time for a change...

     I have always put a lot of effort into my hunting... I have a bunch of like minded friends that do as well. A bunch of the guys are still hitting the woods pretty hard year after year while others have slacked off a bit due to Family and other reasons. I have always been more on the extreme side of things. So much so that I get asked this question quite often.... Why?

     That question is simple for me to answer but my answer still may not answer the question for those that are asking. I figure if you are asking... You wouldn't understand anyway. The answer is what I have decided to rename the blog...

Because...

Because Whitetails...
Because Turkeys...
Because Ducks...

You get the point.

No matter what life has ever thrown my way, the outdoors has been a constant. The amount we hunt with certain people may change... The way we hunt may change... but the one thing that never changes is my love of all things outside and sharing it with family and friends. Why?

Because...