Frank's outdoors...

So I went out the day after Thanksgiving, and took my daughter on her first hunt.  We were really just there to sit and watch deer, we didn't even take a rifle.  I wanted her to experience sitting in the blind, see what comes out, enjoy the serenity of being quiet in the woods, and enjoying my time her!  For a 6 yr old, she did very well.  We were only going to sit for about an hour and a half, and that was just the right amount of time.  She started to get a little bored, so I let her play a game on my phone.  As it turns out, we didn't have anything come visit the field that evening other than an owl and quite a few doves.  Either way, she asked a lot of good questions, and was actively looking for action.  Although, as with any youngster, the question "So, when are the deer going to come?" made me laugh... as I ask myself that a lot!  :) Also while there, I noticed how well the food plot is coming in!  Lots of greenery, and thanks to the rain we have been get

Thanks to my father-in-law and some of his ol friends, I had the opportunity to go pheasant hunting for the first time in Glen Elder, KS.  We hunted with Don's Guide Service , and it was TOP NOTCH!  Don and his wife, Cheryl, had us on birds all week, and they were great to hang out and hunt with.  Good people. Don and his wife have 13 German Shorthaired Pointers that work the field like pros.  Seeing those dogs on point was a thrill.  When the birds flushed, hearing the roosters crow as they take off was a heart pounding experience I'll never forget!  We hunted 3 days, and took limits (4 per person and we had 6 hunters) 2 days, and on the third day I only hunted half day in order to get to the airport, but I assume they got another limit.  I took a Browning Silver Hunter automatic and a Fausti over-under.  Don quickly told everyone to put the over-under back in the case.  You can take the plug out of your autos and hunt with 5 rounds, which makes follow-up shots on multipl

Opening weekend for rifles in Texas was a great weekend filled with lots of activity.  We saw a lot of deer.  The biggest issue we experienced was that the deer were constantly moving and appeared to be in the early stages of rut.  With the exception of the spikes and small bucks, the bigger bucks were actively moving and not stopping to feed.  Opening morning was cold, around 35 degrees.  I was sitting in my culdesac blind and had a nice 6 point buck come out and walk 5 yards out of the woods, turn around, and head back into the woods.  About 10 minutes later, I could see him coming through the woods again, and he walked right on out and turned and went to the side and into the woods via another trail.  I could see another buck behind him about 10 yds.  I grabbed my rifle, pulled it up, and by the time I saw the buck in the scope, I only had a side view, and couldn't tell if it was a legal buck.  I had about 2 seconds to shoot, and I couldn't pull the trigger without knowing f