Beman Bone Collector arrow recall

Hi everyone. I wanted to share this link to the Beman Arrow recall. If you shoot Beman arrows or know someone that shoots them make sure and share the article with them.

Here is the link:
http://www.usrecallnews.com/2010/11/cpsc-11259.html

Thanks,
Randy Duncan
Up North Journal - Team Fowlmouth

New Member to the Up North Journal Team

Up North Journal              Press Release For Immediate Release: October 25, 2010      Up North Journal would like to officially announce the newest member of their management team…David Boggs has accepted a position as the Pro Staff Manager and will also help the team with public relations, effective November 1st, 2010.      Dave brings over 27 years of outdoor adventures and misadventures to share with us, as well as a broad knowledge of useful and entertaining tips, tactics and skills related to the outdoors. Dave is a very successful hunter who has bagged many trophy animals. He is also widely respected throughout the industry; and has been formally recognized for his efforts to actively and professionally promote the great outdoors and the art of hunting.      He is currently a staff shooter for PSE Archery where he shoots competitively at 3D archery tournaments, and has other outdoor company affiliations as well.  Along with his affiliations he has experience as a guide and outfitter from his earlier years.  He attended Purdue University where he obtained a B.A. of Science degree specializing in Wildlife Management and Conservation.  He also has an A.S. of Science from Vincennes University specializing in Conservation Law.      Dave currently lives on the White River in northern Indiana with his wife, and 3 year old daughter. Follow Dave on the road, in the woods, on the water, and here: www.upnorthjournal.com We sincerely believe Dave will be a valuable asset to our organization and we look forward to his contributions and leadership.  Join me in welcoming David Boggs davidboggs@upnorthjournal.com to our team!

Michael Adams

michaeladams@upnorthjournal.com

President – Up North Journal

 

My hunt with Brady

This time around I am writing about a hunt that I went on in honor of a little boy named Brady.  Brady is a 4 year old boy that lost his battle with cancer a little bit ago. I hope you enjoy this post as much as I was apart of it.



As I read Chico's blog and started to understand the story of Brady it really started to get to me. My wife and I have two sons around Brady's age so it hit me like a ton of bricks when I learned of the story. Because it reinforced the fact that nobody is immune to cancer. So every time I read something about Brady I knew I had to do something to honor this young man. So with seeing my Up North Journal teammates putting Brady's name on their arrows I tried to figure out what I could do now to honor Brady. Well as people close to me know lI am a huge small game hunter and I love getting new hunters especially kids started into hunting and the outdoors. Well squirrel hunting is usually the first hunting season everybody starts out with. So with this on my mind and kicking around the idea of putting Brady's name on something that I use in the field and seeing as Chico always names his arrows and shells. Then listening to the last Up North Journal podcast episode 179 when Chico was talking about putting Brady's name on your outdoor equipment, it was the final piece that made it a great idea. So this was the plan, Brady was going hunting with me on my next outdoor adventure.
I treated this hunt just like I treat every hunt when I take a youth or a new hunter out for the first time. The only difference was I was going to be pulling the trigger. I was going to use the gun I shot my first squirrel with and head out to one of my favorite local public hunting areas.




So here it is the second Sunday of the season and today is the day Brady and I were going to go hunting. My oldest son seen me getting ready to go and he knew I was going hunting. He wanted to go so bad but I told him that this time it was going to be just me going and he would go next time. Well after a little crying he was good with that. Trying to explain to a 3 year old about Brady was pointless all he understood is daddy was doing something special and will take him hunting next time. So I got to my hunting spot and sat in my car for a bit staring at the shotgun shell going over what this hunt means to me and what I wanted to get out of the hunt. So I grabbed a marker and Brady went on to the shell and him and I were off to the woods.

The area I started at has a trail system that is used for all different kinds of outdoor activities so I decided to just walk the trails for a bit and see what I could find. As I walked along I kept a keen eye out for a flicker of a tail or the rustling of leaves that would signal to me a squirrel. The first little twitch I seen was a chipmunk and I thought for a minute about harvesting the animal but after thinking about what this hunt was all about I passed on the shot and decided that if I didn't find a squirrel then I would try to harvest a chipmunk.


As the morning drew on and grew closer to the afternoon I was starting to get discouraged as the fact I haven't see one squirrel. As I sat on a stump to take a break I remembered that I had my squirrel whistle with me. Now when I hunt with other people I get a lot of teasing and looks when I use it because it looks odd for a game call but I have had good success with it. The call mimics the distress call of a squirrel and it will get other squirrels all worked up so they start barking and will help you locate them. Well I figured what the heck let's try it. As I was blowing away on the call I heard some rustling coming down the trail. Turns out it was a lady and her dog walking the trails. Well I decided that I was going to move a way from this area because even if I seen a squirrel I didn't want to scare this lady with a gun shot. So I headed down a trail that I hadn't been down before and it more looked like a deer run then a trail but I seen a bunch of old foot prints so I figured it was a regular trail. As I was walking along the trail I heard a bark from a squirrel so I knew it was game time. So as I scanned the tree tops for the source of the barks I was just hoping that it was not a woodpecker because a chirp from a woodpecker can sometime sound similar to a squirrel bark. Well i found the source of the noise and it was a red squirrel perched up on a branch about hundred yards ahead of me. Squirrels have great eye sight and hearing, many say better then a whitetail deer. It is also said that if you can sneak up on a squirrel and harvest one you should have no problem stalking a deer. Well I don't know if that is true because I have harvested a lot more squirrels then deer but that is another story. So with every step I took I made sure it was placed in a way that there was no noise. It probably looked pretty funny but it was working because I was closing in on the unsuspecting squirrel. As I got closer I started to hide behind trees and stick to the shadows. I even picked up a handful of acorns just in case I had to create a distraction for the squirrel. So as I got to within about ten yards of the tree that the squirrel was in.   I then started to go through the shot in my head because I wanted to make sure I didn't miss because this was Brady's squirrel not mine. So I pulled the hammer back on my trusty 20 gauge and took a deep breath to steady my nerves and I put the bead of the barrel up to just under the head and in one motion I squeezed the trigger and BOOM. The squirrel fell to the ground. I took a quick scan of the tree to get a reference of the tree so I knew were to start the tracking. As I walked up to the tree I started to scan the ground and found the squirrel laying only feet away from the base of the tree. As I picked up the game to admire what God had created I took a moment to stop and take in what had just transpired. I unloaded the spent shell and stood there with the squirrel in one hand and Brady's shell in the other and just enjoyed the peace of the outdoors. After a couple of moments I did the sign of the cross and said a couple of prayers. First to thank God for the gift of the squirrel and then I said a prayer for Brady and his family and make sure that there was peace with both of them and someday they will be reunited.

So after saying my prayers and getting the squirrel into the game bag I grabbed my gun and walked along the trails back to the car. I didn't load another shell into my gun that day because this hunt was for Brady and not for me so I just walked the trails and enjoyed the fresh air and the serenity of the outdoors. As I got back to my car and was putting my gun and vest into the trunk I looked back to the woods and just had a huge smile on my face hoping that Brady was happy with the harvest. So after a quick drive home I went to the garage and set all of my stuff down and went inside and hugged the family and showed the boys Brady's squirrel. After I processed the squirrel and a quick clean up I took a piece of the tail and I will be using the fur to tie some flies so Brady and I can go fly fishing together real soon.

Thank You for taking the time to read this and always remember to never take anything or anybody for granted because you never know when it will be taken away. Enjoy the Great Outdoors and be safe out there.

Brady you made this hunt one of the best. Thank You again little buddy.

Hello Old Friend

Ah hunting season, it is like that old friend you haven't seen in a while but it is like you all never left each other. My first taste of the Good Life is the early goose season here in Michigan. I am going to tell ya if you have never tried goose hunting it is a trip.  Even if you don't like the taste of goose you can always donate the meat to a charity or soup kitchen. Early goose season is a great way to start the hunting season. It is still warm out so you don't have to get all of your big bulky camo out, you get to hang out with family and friends, and plus you don't have be quiet until the birds start coming in. So that means you can rekindle friendships and work on new ones. For me it also helps me recharge my batteries. Nothing beats sitting in a blind or laying in a layout blind and hearing the crickets and birds fly over that just makes things better.  This year was no different except for the fact that there were hardly any birds where I was hunting and the weather was not helping. I tried to fight it with every fiber of my being but I ended up saving my vacation day and I went to work instead of hunting opening day. Because it was a balmy 90 degrees on opening day and there were no birds to be found in the areas I was hunting.  There was just a hand full of people that I talk with on the social network sites that had birds but even their numbers were down. So as I was working away at my job kicking myself for not going out on OPENING DAY and dreaming of the flocks of geese that were still in Canada.  It was brought to my attention that I had forgotten about a vacation day that was coming up on the Friday of the first weekend of the season.  After finding that out I was in hunting mode. My brother called me and said he was going to be hunting some state land that Friday and wanted to know if I wanted to go. Well after twisting my arm I said YES.  Well the night before we were to go out it was my youngest sons birthday so the family and I went up to my parents house and had a great time talking hunting with my brother Joe and hanging out with my family.

So my opening morning was finally here. 2:30 am came way to early but it is hunting season so it is worth the trouble.  I headed up to my parents house to meet up with Joe. We piled into his truck and we were North bound and down.  Well we ended up with a spot that has always been good to me and my brother.  As a matter of fact him and one of his buddies hunted it during the week and got 2 geese. So we unloaded all of the stuff into the blind. Joe ran back to the truck for something and I went out and set up the decoys. Just before light I heard a lone honk in the distance so I was already getting excited. The lone goose must have known the shooting hours because 3 minutes before legal shooting hours the goose flew over the blind. I could have been mistaken but it looked like he looked back at me and stuck up a feather to tell me GOOD LUCK.  So my brother made it back to the blind so that meant it was game time for the Duncan boys to lay the smack down. Well things were so fast paste and exciting that I was able to take a quick nap and finish reading a old hunting news paper that I had in my pack. After a couple of hours Joe heard a honk and yelled get down.  He started making sweet music with his Get Em Locked Up goose call. Well I had a chance to see the goose out of the corner of my eye. It was a beautiful sight wings cupped feet down and gliding into the decoys. For a moment I forgot to shoot because I was enjoying the show. Which in hind site might have been a good thing. After emptying my gun and my brother emptying his gun we watched the goose turn and fly off  to enjoy another day in the great outdoors.

Even though that was the closest I got to a goose this early season it was still a good early goose season. Next on my list is small game season that opens up on the 15th. So again I will be in the field with friends and family chasing the bushy tails and maybe a random crow.  So until next time everybody be safe out there and enjoy the Great Outdoors.

Bay City Waterfowl Festival

Here it is the first part of August  and that means it is time for the Bay City Waterfowl Festival in Bay City MI.  This show seems to be my most favorite. This show brings in a little over 13000 people every year. It is like every other show a bunch of decoys and call makers.But this show is special to me in many different ways.

One of the reasons it is special is the fact that Bill Maholland from Get Em Locked Up goose calls comes into town. My younger brother is  pro staff member for Bill so me and my family have gotten to know Bill real well. To the point he is now apart of the family. So Bill and his wife came into town a couple days ahead of the show so the waterfowl show started early for us.

On the night before the show we all showed up to my parents house to hang out and swap hunting stories,share hunting tricks and talk about the huge flocks of birds that we have seen. It was a great night for us, the neighbors on the other hand  probably didn't like all of the calling but hey we were having fun.  It was nice to sit out by the fire and hang out with family and friends. One of the highlights of the night was when a family friend Scott Rivard and his son Seth stopped by. Bill and Joe took Seth to the side and was teaching him how to blow a goose call. In the matter of minutes Seth was breaking over the short reed goose call with no problems. After that Joe and Bill was teaching him how to cluck and moan and it was all over at that time. I could tell that Seth had caught the bug of goose calling. I always love seeing the face of someone when they catch the bug of this great heritage of the great outdoors. Seth's dad Scott is an avid outdoorsman so Seth has been around the hunting heritage but there was something that night that was special about Seth's calling.  So much so the guys talked him into calling in the kids division goose calling contest on that Sunday. More on that later. Another highlight was when Bill went and got his Nintendo Wii and we all played Remington Bird hunter. So that was a late Friday night and Sat morning was going to come way to fast.

Well Sat. morning came and the first stop for me was my parents house for breakfast of Scrapple and eggs and to talk about the show. Well after breakfast to was off to Bay City to set up the Get Em Locked Up booth and I was working the Delta Waterfowl booth so it was going to be a busy morning. Once we got the booth up and the calls out I ventured over to the Delta booth and helped set up the tent and set out the merchandise. There was a good amount of people strolling through the show and we had a few people come up and buy some memberships even got to talk with other Delta Waterfowl members and compare notes on what some of the chapters are doing.  After working the booth for a while Joe and I walked through the show to see what the 2010 show had to offer.  Well Corey Sorensen had his calls company W.I.D.E.O. calls.  Joe and I stayed at his table for a good will talking with Corey and his dad about the calls and swapping stories. While we were there Corey asked Joe to be is partner in the 2- man duck calling competition.

At about 11 o clock the Delta president asked if I wanted to judge the kids duck calling competition.  I have never judged a calling competition so it was going to be a fun time.  So the the kids got up there and blew their hearts out.  It was fun to hear the difference in calling and the difference in ages.  I always like it when youth are involved in the hunting heritage and I hope every single one of those kids continue in the heritage.  If they do I think we will be in good shape for the future of hunting.  After the kids comp was over the 2- man duck calling competition was up.  There was 4 teams in the comp and the competition was so good that all of the teams had to blow 3 extra rounds to find a winner.  Corey and my brother finished 2nd and missed 1st by three points.

Once the calling competitions were over it was back to the Delta booth.  After a couple more hours it was time to go.  We all ended up back at my parents house again for great food and good friends.  Most of us were pretty tired from the show so it was a quiet night of watching hunting videos and talking about life.

Sunday morning came and it was another day at the show.  Well when I woke up and looked outside I wasn't sure it it was going to be a good day because it looked like rain.  Well I ventured to the show and decided to hold off putting up the Delta booth.  In the mean time Kyle Fleming was there with is call company so I helped him set up his booth.  At about the time we finished his booth the rain started up and boy did it rain for about an hour or so.  While it rained I was able to sit and talk with Kyle and find out that he had been to the World Duck Calling Competition in Stuttgart AR and finished in the top 10 five times.  To finish in the top 10 once in  a field with the best duck callers in the world is a big deal so to do it multiple time is a great feat.  Along with talking about the World Duck comp. Kyle talked about making duck and goose calls and I turned into a sponge soaking up as much info as I can.  Because I  don't think there is a waterfowl hunter out there that hasn't thought about hunting with a call that was made with their own hands.  So waiting out the rain talking with Kyle was a great treat for me.  The rain stopped and it was ready to start the show.  The highlight of Sunday was the calling competitions.  Today was the Michigan State Duck calling competition.  The winner of that competition gets a invite to the World Duck competition that I talked about earlier.  While the rain was coming down I got a call from Mike Adams to see if it was raining because a few of he Up North Journal guys were coming up to the show and little Mike was going to blow in the hunter division goose calling competition.  After the rain stopped the sun came out and it looked like Sunday was going to be a good day.  Well I met up with big Mike, little Mike, Chico Lopez, and Logan a buddy of little Mike's.  At about the time I met up with the UNJ crew it was time for the kids goose calling competition.  Well our buddy Seth was blowing in the beginner division using one of the Get Em Locked Up goose calls. I could tell he soaked up everything that Joe and Bill taught him.  Out of ten competitors Seth finished forth.  That is a great finish for someone that has never blown in a competition and a good showing for Get Em Locked Up goose calls.  We all congratulated Seth on a great competition.  After that comp it was ready for the hunter division that little Mike was blowing in.  Well it turned out to be a big day for little Mike and the UNJ family because he won his division.  Congrats Mikey!!!! 

  After Seth was done with his comp and waiting for Mikey's division I took my son and Bill,Seth, and Scott all went over to the wood duck box tent.  Inside of the tent my son, Seth and Scott all built wood duck boxes to be used for the next breeding season.

  The last calling competition of the day was the Michigan State Duck.  Corey Sorensen was blowing in this competition representing GK calls.  When it was all said and done Corey walked away with the winners trophy and his ticket to the World Duck Calling Championship. Congrats Corey we will all be rooting for you at the Worlds.

Over all this was by far the best show I am been at.  I could be the fact that I had a lot going on but I am all ready looking forward to next year so if you ever get a chance make sure and stop by Michigan Duck Hunters Bay City Waterfowl Festival.  If you ever see the Up North Journal logo make sure and stop and say HI.  As always enjoy the Great Outdoors.  Take care and be safe out there.

Waterfowl Boot Camp

   I woke up Sat morning and I knew it was going to be a good day. See this fine morning I was headed to the Waterfowl Boot Camp in Ohio.  This was my first Boot Camp and it was a good time. The first stop on my list was a seminar put on by George Lynch of Lynch Mob Calls. I have been a fan of George's for a while. Really ever since I bought my copy of his DVD Hanging Em Low 2. (Which features hunts from our very own Up North Journal Team Fowlmouth). So to finally meet George in person was a treat. I walked away from that seminar with some great advice and a few new tricks to try this season. 

   So after a quick stroll through the vendors area it was time for another seminar. This time the seminar was put on by Shawn Stahl from Fowl Pursuit and RNT calls. Again it was great to meet Shawn and pick up some helpful tips and tricks about goose calling and waterfowl hunting in general. I am a very visual type of learner so to see some of the calling techniques in person that I hear on the instructional Cd was great.

   When Shawn's seminar was over the seminar with Jeff Coats of Pitboss Waterfowl and Ducks Dogs and Decoys .  It was a fun time picking up some tips on photography and carving decoys.  I also liked hearing some of the hunting stories.  The story about his trip to Alaska to go duck hunting was the best.  If you ever get to meet Jeff please have him tell that story.  It sounded like a crazy time but a fun time.

   Now that I was done with the seminars I took another stroll through the vendor area to look at all of the calls, decoys, and outfitters.  It was like Toys R Us for a waterfowler seemed like every big name manufacturer was there.  One of the booths that I stopped at was at the James Patrick Lynch booth. See James is a country singer that was the featured act for the Boot Camp.  If you have watched Woods and Water TV on the Sportsman Channel then you have heard James.  He sings the opening music for that TV show.  Man James is a really nice guy.  As soon as I walked up to the booth it was like walking up to a old hunting buddy.  We talked about all of the hunting products for sale, the show, he talked about Nashville, country music, and swapped a couple hunting stories.  Please go to his website and check out his music.  Besides his regular country music he has a whole CD of nothing but hunting music.  I give it 2 thumbs up.

All in all it was a nice show.  I would imagine that I missed some stuff but it was fun.  It was a nice way to start off the waterfowl show season.  I hope to see everybody at other shows.  If we are ever at a show together make sure and stop me and say Hi.  Just look for the Up North Journal logo. As always Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the great outdoors and be safe out there.

Happy Father's Day

Well I woke up this Father's Day expecting to just chill around the house and deal with a sick kid.  My oldest was not feeling good the whole weekend. But both kids were feeling good this morning so we decided to do some visiting. Well on the way up to see my dad I get a call from my brother telling me him and dad were going up to Saginaw Bay to do some fishing and to see if I wanted to go. Well the wife and I talked and I was on my way to the bay for some fishing. The kids and my wife dropped me off at the gas station were my brother and dad were at. It is good thing I keep a spare fishing pole and a small box of tackle in the trunk. So kissed the wife and hugged the kids and jumped into the van and the Duncan boys were off to do some damage to the fish population in the Saginaw Bay area.

We didn't have a boat so decided to fish the waters that feed into the bay. So we headed to one of the bridges that has been a good fish catching site. After about an hour or so and couple lost fish my brother hooked into a nice northern pike. It looked legal but with us going to be out for a while he decided to threw it back so it can make more pike to catch. We stayed a little bit longer then decided to change locations.

The next location was right across from one of the waterfowl refuges in the state so I was all excited to see and hear the birds calling to each other. Well the birds weren't doing much chattering but this was a good spot. We could see fish all over but they were being real finicky. With it being the middle of the day and hot it was understandable.  Then all of a sudden my dad yells "Hey I Got One" so my brother and I ran over to see what he had. What we seen was a very nice looking northern pike.

After talking with my dad I found out that was his first pike ever so it was great to be there to see him catch it. Well that turned out to be the last fish of the day even though we tried a couple of other spots after that.


So even though I was the only one not to catch a single fish, this was by far one of the best trips that I have had outdoors. Spending time with my dad and my brother was the best and the fish was just the great side note to this day. Because when I get to spend time with my dad I seem to learn something new. The stories might be the same stories time every time but I seem to always pick up something new.

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there.

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy the outdoors and be safe out there.

Thank God for the Great Outdoors

      I picked the title of this blog because I am Thankful for the outdoors.  Getting outdoors is one of the things that keeps me sane and gives me the chance to clear my head and get back to center.

     For the last few months now my youngest son has been battling with seizures. They come and go through out the day and only last about 5 seconds and he seems to not be getting harmed by them. The doctors don't seem to know right now what is causing them but  he seems to be responding to the medication. It is going to be a long road but it will be a journey that is going to make me and my family stronger.

    So with that said, this is how the outdoors fits into the equation. Ever since my wife has given birth to our sons the boys have turned what was a spark for the outdoors and turned it into a 4 alarm fire.  So because of that fire burning deep in my soul the boys have always loved hunting, fishing and the outdoors.

    The little town that my family and I live in has a river that runs through it so there is all kinds of birds and animals to see. With everything going on and the weather turning nice we  take the kids downtown to feed the ducks and see what other animals we can find.  The time with the kids outdoors also gives my wife and I the chance to recharge the batteries and lets us both get back to center.  It is nice when the kids are fussy all I have to say is let's go scout for turkeys or deer and everybody is ready to go. There is a bunch of state hunting land all around the house so it is nice to go for a drive and find animals in the fields and woods.  It also gives my wife and I time to talk and make sure we are on the same page on things.  Which is nice because with the issues with our son patients gets thrown out the window sometimes.

   These drives have done good things for my family. I get to share the outdoors with my wife and kids and I get to show my wife where I go on the weekends. Now maybe we will get out this coming season and hunt together.  Which is one of my family goals is to get my wife out hunting and to share with her what GOD has graced us with and that is the Great Outdoors.

    Thanks for stopping by.  Have a great day and make sure to share the great outdoors with everyone you meet.

Dead Down Wind - Its not just for hunting anymore

For the past few deer seasons I have used scent elimination products and sometimes I wasn't sure if they worked or not. Well last year I was at one of the anniversy campouts for the website Talk Hunting.com when I received a bottle of Dead Down Wind Elive Odor Terminator from Dead Down Wind prostaffer Mike Adams. On the bottle it said it was best used while fishing to get rid of the smell. So the bottle was in the trunk of my car for a few months and one day I was pumping gas into my car and some of the gas must have spilled on me because there was a gas smell and I had a meeting that day and had to do something. Well I seen the blaze orange bottle in the trunk and figured what the heck. So I sprayed down my shoes and hands and the smell was gone. So after that time it seemed to work I went to the Dead Down Wind website and started to read about all of the products that they offer.



So after using the Scent Prevent I always made sure it was in the car. My wife and I have two small children so right now we go through alot of diapers. We had to spend a few days away from home and so the garbage can had developed a smell. The wife wanted me to just put everything outside until garbage day but I didn't want the animals to get into the garbage. I told the wife let me try something first. Well I went to the trunk and pulled out the blaze orange and started to spray down everything that looked like a garbage bag. Well it was about five minutes later and my wife went to the garage for something and she yelled for me to come to the garage. Well I went to the garage figuring that I was going to get a told you that stuff wouldn't work but I didn't get that. What I got was what other things does the Dead Down Wind work on. She could tell by the smile on my face that I was happy to hear that. Anytime I can sell my wife on the positive aspects of any hunting product it is a good day. So now I have a bottle of Scent Prevent in the car, tackle box, garage, and diaper bag. We have even when as far and getting a bottle for some friends of ours that just had a baby. It is funny how a product that seems too forgotten in a hunting pack until hunting season turns into a regular household tool. Now I am working on selling my wife on the positive aspects of keeping bait in the fridge.



Thanks for stopping by Have a Great Day and Enjoy the Great Outdoors.

The Great Ice Out

I was able to make the Great Ice Out this year.  This by far was one of my best weekends spent outdoors. Literaly the whole weekend was spent outdoors. I got to sleep out on the ice in one of the shantys that we rented from Lymans on the Lake in Houghton Lake and boy was I in for a surprise.

 My plan was to either get a hotel room or crash on the floor in one of the cabins.  Well things worked out and I got to sleep out on the ice for the weekend. The first night sleeping was rough because I forgot my sleeping bag at home so all  I had was a blanket and many layers of clothes.  That next morning I made a mad dash to one of the department stores and picked up a heavy duty sleeping bag so the second night was a lot better.

 

The highlight of the weekend for me was not the fish that were caught but it was the friendships that were made and the friendships that were able to grow stronger. Sat. night was filled with great food and even better conversations and hunting stories. I try and learn atleast one new thing everyday and Sat night was a great learning experience for me.  I got to pick up a couple of tips from all of the hunting and fishing stories that  were told.  The biggest nugget of info from that night was don't be the first person to fall asleep around the team.  Well if I do make sure I am wearing a face mask.  The other thing  that was funny was  to see the reactions from the TalkHunting.com guys when they got out on the ice and into the shantys.  Because all of the these guys were from the southeren part of the USA where ice fishing is not an option and something you see on TV.

 

So if  the conditions are right and you get a chance to stay out over night on the ice make sure and take the opportunity because it will be a great story to tell around the campfire.  Thanks for stopping by.  Be safe and enjoy the Great Outdoors. 

The Ultimate Fishing show Part 2

So after the seminars and a stop to watch my oldest son play in the kids area I was off to the fly fishing area.

I started off at the Michigan Fly Fishing Club booth, again these guys were great.  I told them that I was new to fly tying and that I had questions.  They let me ask all of he questions that I could think of at that time and they took the time to answer every question.  For the questions that they couldnt answer they gave me ideas on where to go to get the answers.  After that I went over to the Colton Bay Outfitters booth.  With being new to the sport of fly fishing I have alot of questions.  Again these guys answers all of my questions and gave me ideas on more questions to ask.  I was able to go to their fly casting area and received some one on one instruction with one of the guys from thier shop.  All I have to say is that I will be a customer of thier's for a long time.  One of the nice things that I seen with both of these groups is the time they took with the kids.  It seemed like when ever there where kids around they made sure and anwser the kids questions bring them behind the booths and get them involved in one of the activities that the groups where doing.  After the fly fishing section I met up with the family and we walked around and gave the show one last go around to make sure we didn't miss anything.  It was a great show i will be comeing back next year.

The Ultimate Fishing show Part 1

I got a call from a buddy asking if I wanted a ticket for the fishing show down by Detroit.  Well turned out that I could go so loaded up the family and we were off to the Ultimate fishing show.  First booth we came to was the Metro West Steelheaders.   They made me and my family feel like we were one of the members.  They took us behind the table and showed us all of the great things they are doing for fishing and the outdoors.  Started off with the kids camp they hold every year then we talked about the conservation activities that the group is doing.  The nice thing I liked about these guys was the fact that they didn't push joining their group.  They gave me the info. told me a little about what the membership includes then we shared some fishing stories talked with the family and got a couple invites to go fishing this summer.

So after shaking hands and exchanging contact info. it was off to check out the rest of the show.  The wife and kids went to the exotic animals and I was off to the seminars.  The first seminar I watched was about jigging for Walleye.  Now I am not a huge walleye fisherman but after all of the seminars on walleye fishing I am ready to go catch some fish.  The highlight of the day was getting to see Michigan's own  B.A.S.S angler of the year Kevin Van Dam.  I ended up walking away with a lot good info that I hope to use on the water this year.

First Ice Trip of the season

So duck season is just getting over and ice is forming on the lakes and river around here in Michigan. It was a week before Christmas and my brother calls me and says there is 4 inches of ice on the Bay and they are catching perch just off shore. Well I can't pass up an opportunity to fish so I loaded up the ice fishing poles and bucket and we were off. The funny part of this is that my brother and I are complete opposites. So when we got to our destination he gets all of his equipment out and he looks like he could be on the cover of a ice fishing mag. I get all of my equipment out and I look like I just got done shopping at a garage sale. See I am more about function then fashion. It is site when we are together he has the latest in equipment and I have equipment that I like to say has experience. So here we are I got my blaze orange camo snow suit, my hunting bibs and and my floppy hat.

What made it all better is that I borrowed my sons sled that we use to go sledding. It is shaped like a big blue bird but it holds a 5 gallon buck just fine.




So we get all set up and we are fishing in about 4 foot of water and nothing. An hour goes by and sure enough I get one on the line. A nice perch about 6 inches or so not a keeper but it was a fish. So after that one I go and catch 3 more and my brother catches 1 in about 2 1/2 hours of fishing. No keepers but for the first ice fishing trip of the year it wasn't to bad. So until next time enjoy what God gives you and enjoy the Great Outdoors. See Ya out on the Ice.

Hello Everyone

Hi my name is Randy and as the title of the blog says I am a Everyday Sportsman. I don't have the most flashiest equipment or the newest but I get the job done. My plan with this blog is to share my stories of outdoor adventures and tips and tricks that work for me and maybe you. Thanks for stopping by and Have a Great Day.

Enjoy what God has given you and Enjoy the Great Outdoors,
Randy