Frank's outdoors...

Took my daughter the last weekend of bow season, and took my son opening weekend of rifle season.  Saw a couple of does at different points over both weekend, but not the big whopper from opening day bow season.  Well, to prove I am not hallucinating, he finally showed up on a trail camera I had sitting on the scrape I watched him on! Enjoy: A couple of other bucks in the area (all smaller).

I read an interesting article at Petersen's Hunting called the "Science of Sight:  What Whitetails Can Really See" .  Really fascinating to think about how the hunting industry puts products out on the market, that might not be so great afterall.  I look at a lot of the camo products available, and note that their are REALLY expensive brands, like Sitka, that have lots of grey and bluish tones that probably are not so good in the woods.  I have known about using non-UV intensifying detergents and such.  But, I may just buy a green shirt and pants, and call it good! And, just for grins, her's a few pictures of the big buck we are actively hunting this season.

This past weekend, went back to the lease to try and get on that big 14pt.  Unfortunately, didn't get on him, but got some good pictures of a nice 8pt working a scrape.  Been tough getting in position.  I grabbed my portable 11' South Texas Tripods & Feeders tripod , and tried to setup on the scrape, but the action I saw were 2 does that came out about 40-45yds away, and I am just not comfortable with that shot. By the way, it was GORGEOUS weather out there... sitting in the stand and 50 degrees was perfect.  No skeeters, etc..

Opening weekend came and went with nothing taken this trip.  However, I did have some pretty good excitement that I have never seen. Opening morning, I saw the biggest deer of my life.  A tall-tined, chocolate antlered 14 pt.  Its the best count I have, need to get him on the ground to get an accurate count, but double crab claws on his upper main beams of an otherwise 10pt, and little kickers here n there. Sunrise was at 7:13am, and about 5 minutes later I see movement about 50-60yds in front of me through the woods.  This deer (coming from the right) goes behind my protein feeder, and around the corn feeder, and passed me to my left.  I was thinking, "why isn't he going to the feeders???"  That became very evident when he took a sharp turn at the treeline to my left, and came in behind me to a scrape that was 7yds from my tree!!!  Of course, no chance at a shot on him through the tree I was in, but I could turn and see the whole thing. ...

My buddy Mark found the old fella back and still alive after the crossbow shot on his shoulder last season on opening day archery.  He appears to be no worse for wear and still in the area.  Oh yeah, and his rack has grown!

So my good friend from church, Trey, invited me to go hunt in Louisiana.  He was born & raised in Jennings, LA and has a lot of family there.  Well, we saddled up this last Friday, and went to his cousin Frank's camp in Lake Arthur, LA (just south of Jennings 15 miles or so). First, to call it a camp is insulting.  This place was outrageous!  Really an amazing home on 5 acres on the lake.  It is a beautiful piece of property.  So, we roughed it there. Second, the hunting.  We were there to teal hunt on Saturday/Sunday mornings, and get some dove on Saturday afternoon.  We hunted until about 8-8:30 each morning, and with the cold front that moved in it was very pleasant upper 60's.  There were plenty of birds moving in the morning, but not a lot of luck having them sit down on our pond.  We only took 2 the first morning.  During our dove hunt that afternoon... sigh, there were birds, but the hunters left a lot to...