Frank's outdoors...

I have been doing a LOT of reading on food plot preparation, and the best way to prep my field to accomplish this. RECAP:  Last year I had the filed mowed, then used my drag harrow to scratch the ground surface right after a rain.  Then I threw some scatter seed on the surface with some fertilizer, and re-harrowed to try and get a decent seed/soil contact.  It yielded pretty good, but it was far from what the "pictures" show and what I know is possible.  Side bar, I am also aware that last year was an incredibly dry year, and thus moisture was an issue. To that end, I acquired an additional implement for my ATV, the plow, however I am missing the most critical one in my opinion...  a disc.  With the disc, when done properly (and regularly), I won't need to have the field mowed/round up/ground cleared every year.  Those are not bad things to do first, but having a disc eliminates that as a requirement.  I don't have regular access to a mower, and...

It is that time of year again, time to start the preparation before summer and it gets to hot to do any real work.  I have some lane clearing I want to do, foot plot setup, and feeder maintenance.  The last one is where I really need some help. I have 2 of the Academy brand Game Winner Low Boy feeders .  LOVE THEM.  They are low to the ground and easy to load/unload.  The biggest issue I have with them is the control/timer is separated from the motor box.  You then have this conduit going from the controller box to the motor, and as noted last year the raccoons were hanging on this and did some pretty good damage here... so that is a significant design flaw.  Academy brand Game Winner Low Boy feeder I went to the lease a few weeks ago to get my batteries out and remove the remaining few kernels of corn from the feeders, and found on of my Low Boys was inoperable.  Not sure if its the cable disaster noted above, if the motor died, etc, bu...

Alright folks, deer season is just around the corner, and preparations are well into the works.  I wanted to give a breakdown of what I had done last year (my first year on the lease), and what I am doing differently this year.  I will be heading out to the lease this week/end to take some pictures and do other prep in a follow-up post. Last year I started the season with single "permanent" tripod stand at the front of my acreage.  I moved it up into the trees and added a camo skirt to it for extra concealment, and that worked out quite well.   I also got a tripod cleaning station so I had a place to clean game.  I picked up just the thing from Sportsman's Guide .  I had bought from Academy the Low Boy feeder , and that thing is a beast.  I love everything about it, except that the battery and timer unit are in a separate box from motor.  The raccoons hanging on it caused all kinds of issues and I have had to do some reinforcing.  I had bo...

I am very excited about the upcoming season, and having purchased the Beretta Xtrema jacket (and the liner jacket that I got last year on sale at the Orvis store) to use this year!  This jacket system is awesome!  I am kind of a gear-freak, and when I saw this jacket at the Orvis store, I knew I had to have it.  Then I patiently watched for it for almost 2 years, and it went on sale at Cabela's and I had a gift card, and voila!  Cabelas Beretta Xtrema Jacket This thing has pockets for everything, is very light, but will be a nice layering jacket.  Plus, with the liner jacket that I have already, I'll be prepared for any conditions!