Well after the close call earlier that morning in Kansas we decided to go get some lunch and come back to the same ground blind we had set up on public land. We got to the stand about 2:30 and got our camera gear set up. With all the turkeys we had heard that morning, we were hoping for a quick afternoon hunt.  Since it had quit raining, Allen decided to put out a hen decoy.We sat for about an hour and waited. Allen got up to stretch his legs. When he leaned down to look out the blind he froze!!  He told us to get ready because there were turkeys less than 30 yards from the blind. Once again we turned the cameras on and sprang into action while Allen eased back down and grabbed his bow!One of the big gobblers saw the decoy and came in for a closer look. It came within 13 yards of the blind and Allen once again drew his bow and let his arrow fly!  He hit his target and he had his second Kansas gobbler on the ground within 24 hours.    Not bad to be hunting with a bow!!!!   

Since the hunt the afternoon before went so well and we only spent 20 minutes in the blind, our guide asked us if we wanted to try hunting some public land for our first official morning hunt!. Of course we were up to the challenge and we went and put up a Double Bull blind in the middle of a CRP field where the Outfitter had been seeing plenty of turkeys.Once day started to break we began to hear 8-10 different gobblers towards the west end of the field and then there was one gobbling to the north of our blind.  Once we heard the turkeys flying off the roost it started to pour down raining and we did not hear any gobbles for an hour.  Just as I had given up on getting a turkey that morning we heard a gobble less than 60 yards behind the blind. Matt and I fired up our cameras and Allen grabbed his bow to get ready for a shot. Due to the rain we had not put out any decoys so we were hoping the gobbler would come in close enough for a bow shot and he did not disappoint us. He came to within 24 yards of our blind. Allen drew his bow back and found his aim point, then he let his arrow fly. But there was a problem!!!!  The arrow lost momentum during it’s flight. When it stuck the turkey we heard a dull THUD and then we watched the turkey fly about 500 yards to the hills. Once landed he hit the ground running!!!!!We later found out that Allen’s arrow had hit some brush before reaching the turkey.  After our failed morning attempt we decided to head out for some lunch and come back to the same location for an afternoon hunt! 

My 2008 turkey season got off to a very quick start with Allen Treadwell and Bass Pro’s 100% Real Hunting! I flew in to Kansas City and arrived at 10:30 in the morning. I was picked up by Treadwell and Matt another cameraman for Bass Pro. Once they picked me up we made the 2 hour journey west to Manhattan, Kansas. Gun season was 2 days off, so we were going to try our luck bow hunting for a couple of days. We stopped for lunch and then went into town where we met our Outfitter. He told us he had been seeing plenty of birds so we all got dressed in our Camo and headed for the Turkey woods. Our guide, Jon, set up a ground blind for us and we started to get nestled in at 3:50. It takes a while to get 2 camera guys situated in a ground blind where everyone has plenty of moving room, but we were doing our best to get settled in when Allen wanted to test his slate call. He struck the slate twice when we heard a gobble less than 40 yards from our blind. Matt and I scrambled to make sure the cameras were ready and here come the turkeys. Two hens came into view first and then the gobbler. When Allen saw the gobbler he drew back and let his arrow fly. The arrow found it’s mark and we were all amazed at how fast our 2008 turkey season had gotten started. I looked at my watch just after he shot the turkey and it was 4:12.It only took us 22 minutes from the time we stepped foot into the stand to the time Allen put the turkey on the ground!!!! Simply Amazing  

Rebecca, from Bass Pro’s Next Generation, and I went to Winchester, Virginia last Saturday morning for a turkey hunt. Our host was Mr. Jim Clay, the founder of Perfection Turkey Calls.  Rebecca and I went hunting with Mr. Clay last year, but we didn’t have any luck. We saw some birds,  but we just couldn’t get them close enough for a shot.This year Jim wanted to take Rebecca to his “Honey Hole”! He set up a ground blind 3 weeks prior to our arrival and had been keeping an eye on their movement. He had been seeing and hearing plenty of Gobblers and had high hopes of Rebecca being able to get her first turkey.We met him before light last Saturday and headed to the blind. He said he had seen 4 different gobblers around the blind the afternoon before.  We snuck up the mountain in the dark and settled into our blind. Jim put some decoys out and Rebecca and I got settled into the blind. Once Jim finished setting up the decoys he joined us in the blind. We started hearing some gobbles at 5:50. In all we counted 7 different birds that we heard. As the sun started to rise we could see the birds flying off the roost down below us. We had a gobbler close in on the blind, but we never could see him because of the thick brush.We had 3 hens come into the blind, but we never  could get a gobbler to come check out the decoys. Due to Virginia law we had to quit hunting at 12:00. We are planning to get her back in the woods and try to get her a bird this spring! Rebecca and I have had some terrible luck the past 3 years. Hopefully we can get rid of our curse and have some luck in the field thisspring!   This picture below is about the only luck Rebecca and I have had together!  This fish was caught in the Albemarle Sound in Eastern North Carolina.  

Bass Pro Shops has hit the air waves this year with a new format for their hunting show on the Versus Network.  They have gone to 100% Real Hunting!!!! What you see is what you get. There will be no reinactments!!!! You will have one camera focused on the hunter and one camera focused on the animal to give you a real time encounter!!!! 

I was fortunate enough to be in on the ground floor of this concept! Personally I like running the camera that follows the animal. That way I know what’s going on and I get to see all the action. The person that runs the camera that films the hunter is basically in the “dark”. Yes he can see the hunter, but he has no idea how close the animal is and he doesn’t get to see all the action!

Now we are adding another factor into hunting. Yes a hunter and a camera man have to be good to harvest a wild animal, but now we are throwing a third person and sometimes a fourth person in the mix if there is a guide with us. But it’s all in the name of bringing you guys a quality TV show that you will enjoy!!! Check out the show and let me know how you guys like it!!!!

Here’s a link to watch the commercial for the new format!!!

http://www.versus.com/nw/article/mdview/?tf=TonightOnVersus_show.tpl&Limit=1&mt=3&f1=UserDef3&UserDef=true&d1=REAL%20HUNTING

Well I just got back from another successful trip! This time I went with Allen Treadwell of Bass Pro’s Outdoor World on a Black Powder hunt for Montana Mule deer. I left Friday for Great Falls, Montana and met Allen in Minneapolis. Then we flew into Great Falls where we met up with Chad Shearer of Central Montana Outfitters. We left the Airport in Great Falls at 2:30 and made the hour drive to our spike camp.

Once in camp we changed into our camo and went to the rifle range to make sure Allen’s scope did not get bumped during the flight. With one shot we knew we were good. We had 2 hours of daylight left so we went to try and get on a deer.  We covered some ground and saw a good Mulie, but we didn’t have any luck. We headed back to camp and Chad cooked us a great steak dinner.

The next morning we got up and ate a quick breakfast and headed to our glassing point before light. Once the sky started to turn orange we could see some deer silhouetted on top of the hills. Then Chad spotted a good buck on top of the hill. We sat and watched the deer for a while and then drove around the hill so we could make a stalk on the buck we saw on top of the hill. As we rounded the hill we saw another nice buck in the alfalfa field at the bottom of the hill. He saw the truck and ran around the side of the hill out of site. We grabbed our gear and went after him.

Chad started off with a fast-paced walk. I made it a total of about 30 yards before it felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. Not only did it feel like my heart was thumping like a drum, I also felt like someone was squeezing the breath right out of me. I didn’t get this winded on the entire 3 week hunt in the Yukon back in September.

Allen and Chad kept up the pace and I lagged about 20 yards behind. We kept the pace because we were trying to get on the buck. Once at the top of the hill Chad spots the buck one hill over, bad thing is he’s 170 yards away and going in the wrong direction. We sit and watch the buck check a some does and he finally goes over the hill out of sight. Then Chad checks to see if he can find the first buck we spotted on top of the mountain. Once again, Nothing.

We head back to the truck and we go to town to grab some lunch. We see a few bucks along the way, but nothing worth chasing. After lunch Chad takes us to the back side of the ranch. He said he had seen some great bucks on that part of the ranch earlier that week. 

As we a driving we are seeing lots of does and some small bucks. Then we get to an area where we see a group of small bucks together and no does. Chad says that this time of year you shouldn’t see that and he thinks there is a bigger buck in the area pushing the little bucks away. He says we should get out and ease around the hill and see if there are any bucks on the other side of the hill.

Boy was Chad right. As we eased around the hill, Allen spots a great Mulie buck. We get set up and I start filming the buck. The buck knows something isn’t right, but he doesn’t spook. We are in the shade and he can’t figure out what we are. Allen let’s me get some pre-roll of the buck, 6 minutes worth to be exact. The the sun starts to shine on us and the buck gets uneasy. At that point I tell Allen, “If you want him you better shoot him!” No longer than I had gotten that out of my mouth, Allen pulled the trigger. I could hear the bullet hit the deer, but all I could see was smoke once the CVA Electra ignited. We jumped up to see the fatally wounded animal stumbling over the top of the hill. We eased up to the top of the hill to find Allen’s deer laying just on the other side.

Boy were we surprised. We knew it was a good deer, but he definitely didn’t have any ground shrinkage when we got to him.

What a great hunt. Another successful trip and this was another 1st afternoon harvest. It has been a great hunting season so far and this one is special. As far as we know this is the first Mule Deer harvested with the CVA Electra. 

Great Deer Allen and a great way to go into the CVA history book with an awesome buck! 

When I got back from the Yukon Saturday morning I checked my email to find out I am leaving today for a 4 day trip to Colorado. I’m going with Ben from Bass Pro’s Next Generation and we’re going after Antelope.

All the details I have is that I’m flying into Denver and it’s a 2 hour ride to camp. Other than that I have no idea what is going on!!! Ain’t it great to be a cameraman. Just show up and we’ll fill you in on the details later.

I’m packing the bags light and  going to hit the road about lunch time because my plane leaves at 3:00 p.m. Maybe this time I will have computer access at camp so I can give you guys some updates from the road.

 I have a couple of more posts from my Yukon trip and I will try to finish them when i get back. I will have a week in town before I leave again.

You guys take care and I will see you Sunday!

I don’t usually film a lot of fishing trips, but this past spring I did a few for Bass Pro’s Next Generation.

The first one was done right here in Eastern North Carolina. A good friend of mine, Scooter, took Rebecca out for Striper and Speckled Trout. Boy was that a cold trip. While we were fishing it was pouring down raining and the temps were in the mid 30s. We left after 4 hours of fishing. When we got 10 miles up the road they actually had a couple of inches of snow on the ground!

The pictures below are special to me! They were taken on my birthday, March 18. I went down to Louisiana to do some turkey hunting and red fishing with Kelsey of Bass Pro’s Next Generation. This was probably one of the best birthday presents I have ever gotten. We had a couple of professional outdoor photographers ask if they could follow us on the fishing trip. They took some phenominal photos and made copies for us.