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.

My buddy Mark's camera has been capturing some solid action of the same bucks I have been seeing.  Take a look at these pictures of this bad boy giving the camera some up close and personal views.  This bruiser better watch out come opening day!  The bucks still seem to be running in bachelor groups as evidenced by the first photo.  On my cameras, I have pictures of 6-10 does...  so hopefully in a few weeks when the first rut starts, they'll get moving all over again.

Took me a few days to write this, as I am still a bit in shock about it after only being on this lease 4 or 5 weeks...  I went to the lease this past weekend to do some work, and help my buddy Mark setup a new blind.  When we finally went to my spot to fill feeders, put up a new feeder, etc. we found that I had been robbed!  Initially, I thought the hogs might have knocked over my feeder and it was out of view as we approached, but then we realized it was gone.  Some crook decided to steal one of my low boy feeders full of corn and a Moultrie game camera! What kind of useless piece of $%#$# does this stuff?  I have been robbed or attempted-to-be-robbed 4 times in that past 2 years (laptop from truck, truck tailgate, truck side door, and feeder/camera) and I am sick of it.  Crime has become such an epidemic, that people no longer steal to cover the basic needs of themselves and their family... its ridiculous.  The feeder was full of 300# of corn... ...

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...

Went to the lease the other night to get the game cameras out for some pre-season scouting.  Hadn't been to the property in several months, and was shocked at what I saw.  With the surprising amount of rain we have had in Texas, the trails and fields were VERY overgrown!  I have a lot of work to do to get ready for the season, but things look really healthy, and it was great to see.  I am going to leave the cameras up for a month or so and see what is moving out there.  I will begin feeding at the start of August with supplements and corn.  At that point, I'll get to try out my Duke DP coon traps to keep the coons from eating all my corn! I'll post an update once I get the cameras back, and when I have my action plan in place for the food plot.

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...

Finally got the plow after a shipping debacle with UPS.  First, this thing was relatively easy to put together, even though the instructions were complete garbage.  The directions were on a small piece of paper with an even smaller diagram with numbers pointing to illegible numbers relating to part numbers... disaster.  But as a relatively bright individual, I was able to figure it out :)  haha. Anyway, for the cost, it is pretty darn heavy and should do what I need it to do.  I am quite certain it will not fair well from a "weather proof" perspective, and I think will rust.  Will have to keep an eye on it. Just need to throw 2 or 3 cinder blocks on the tray for extra weight when needed, and lower the wheels using the bar to drop the tines into the dirt.  I plan on using this to prep the soil by first mowing.  Then I'll use the plow to churn up the ground, then throw down the seed & fertilizer, and finally use the drag harrow to smooth the...

Purchased an ATV plow to better prep my plots in the areas where breaking up the soil requires more than just my drag harrow.  I saw this one on The Sportsman's Guide site .  For the price, I think it will do the job, and the reviews say it is heavy and rugged enough.  My Polaris Sportsman should pull it without a problem.  From the looks of it, I can put 3 or 4 cinder blocks on it, and attache my drag harrow right behind that and do a twofer. I will take some pictures once I get it and get it assembled.  I will also take some pictures of the work I do in the field with it. Anyone have recommendations on a seeder/broadcast spreader?

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 ...

I got on my lease real close to the start of last season.  As I sat in my tripod one morning and looked over my barren field, I started making plans for the NEXT season on how I would prepare the field.  The challenge lay before me in acquiring/coordinating getting the work done.  I don't live near my lease, and don't have any equipment.  So basically, borrowing, renting, etc. was going to be the course of action.  As with everything else, life takes over and the season was upon us before I knew it.  I still had been planning but the execution and coordination was becoming the bigger challenge.  Throw in the fact that we hadn't had ANY rain for months and it was looking like it was going to be another barren field... Well, I blogged in the past about how it all came to be... the purchase of the drag harrow, and laying the seed in the first rain in months, etc. etc. etc.  Well, I turned my game camera towards the plot the week leading up to my ta...

Was looking at some pics of this buck from the game camera prior to him breaking off a few of his tines.  Pretty cool to see how it has changed.

After sitting in the stand and hunting hard since the season opened, I finally got a nice deer on the ground. He made me earn it for sure! The Details: I was in the stand by 5:45am, with sunrise at 7:15am.  It was a half moon, but overcast with slight fog so I had moderate visibility.  It was still dark around 6:40am.  As usual, my eyes are playing tricks on me with the fog and waiting for the sunrise, and I see something flicker behind the feeder (about 100yds away).  I grabbed my binoculars and there he was rubbing his antlers in the brush back behind the feeder.  I watched him for a minute or so, then grabbed my rifle when he started to walk towards me to the food plot.  He was starting to head to the left (where there is a game trail that heads back into the woods).  I put the cross hairs on him and landed a perfect hit behind the shoulder with him right at the edge of the food plot.  I was shocked and thrilled!  6:45am, 30 min to ...

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 than...