Frank's outdoors...

Yes, its been a long time, but its never too late to post some preseason pictures!  In preparation for the coming season, I have setup 3 good locations to sit with my bow and take my first game with it.  Just looking at my setup, and I know I'll be able to get on something.  I will take some photos of the blind layout on opening weekend.

Alright, archery season is a few weeks away, and I finally have the perfect spot for my first go at it.  Hopefully, I can catch them going to/from the creek on the right of this photo. Can you find my blind?

Here are the highlights... a write-up of the setup soon.

As it seems to happen every year on my lease, the bucks come out RIGHT before season starts.  You don't see a hide or hair of them on camera until literally a few weeks before season.  I have never had a picture of a buck in velvet... ever. But, they aren't disappointing... they are back and ready to rut.  Lots of pre-rut activity on camera, including a great "exchange" between a nice 9pt and a small spike!  Spike got his butt whooped (shocker). Enjoy the pics:

Been a crazy  2 weeks.  I'll explain. About a week and a half ago, my hunting partner, Mark, calls me to let me know our lease property had been sold, and it wasn't likely we would even get to hunt the upcoming season!  Apparently, the developer who was acquiring the property was going to get started immediately to begin land preparation for a subdivision.  Needless to say, given the timing and the news itself, I was floored.  Pissed. Distraught.  Frenzied.  Angry.  I need not continue.  In light of this news, I began to reach out to all the people I know that hunt that may have potential openings where they are, or know of spots. I got some replies, but the reality of being able to get something, see it in person, and actually get something going in time to actually hunt it this season were just not realistic.  It also made me realize how lucky I have been to have a spot less than 30 minutes from my house that I have had quick and eas...

Sorry I am so late on this post, but nevertheless here it is... My brother and I sat in the stand on Saturday morning for the final weekend of black powder season in our neck of Texas.  As my brother doesn't currently own a black powder rifle, he was borrowing one of my very generous friends Thompson Center Omega with open sights. We had agreed beforehand that we wanted to take a single doe (or my brother would take a legal buck if the opportunity presented itself).  So, the first one to have an opportunity would shoot and we'd be done.  Well, we got to the lease around 5:45am, and it was a brisk 30 degrees, that quickly dropped to 26 degrees at sunrise (according to weather.com).  I didn't see a single thing all morning, but my brother was surrounded by action.  He had 2 small 4 points eating under the feeder for about 45 minutes, including a bit of sparring.  They eventually moved on, and around 7:30am some does came out.  My brother decided to...

So the black powder season started on Monday (1/3/2012) in Texas.  Pretty much you get one shot during the sit in the stand.  I went out on Monday evening, and had a pretty exciting sit.  I have my Thompson Center Pro Hunter that I got for Christmas last year.  Around 5:15pm, 3 does shot out from right beside my blind and went every which way in front of me.  Not sure if they caught my scent or heard me move from inside, but they blew out from beside me.  After a bit of snorting, they re-entered the field from all sides, and there were 5 in total.  I saw a doe (or yearling) that had an injured front hoof, and was waiting for an opportunity to take her. Unfortunately, it never presented a shot opportunity.  I had MANY other shots I could have taken, and in hindsight I probably should have.  Either way, it was an exciting evening hunt, with lots of deer activity on my food plot. After the hunt, I gathered my SD card from the camera, and ...