Happy Thanksgiving everyone. For those of us who are deerless this means 3 more days left. I hope your day is very special. Enjoy it with friends and family.

God bless you.

I wrote this poem as my wife was pregnant with our son Kolten. I had put this on our old computer and it crashed. I thought it was gone forever. Today I was pulling out my old winter jacket and found this in the pocket. I was very excited to find this poem I had written for my son before he was born. So excited I thought i’d share it here..: )

A gift from above that’s what you are
waited upon for such a long time
its hard to believe your finally here
I love you so much my precious son.

So many things you’ll want to do
so many dreams I hope they all come true
whatever your dreams search them through
and know your daddy will be there to support you

This was my thoughts before my son came into this world. My thoughts tonight are how very thankful I am that he’s here. Being a dad is so much better than I could have even imagined. There is nothing I would not do for him. There’s no end to a dad’s love.

We have a heavenly father that loves us even more than we love our own children. There’s no end to what he’ll do for you. He even sent his son Jesus Christ to earth to die on a cross that you and I could have eternal life.

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life”.

This is our promise and the greatest demonstration of love ever shown. That love was shown to you and I. Take this wonderful gift of love. Strengthen your personal relationship with Christ or if you have never experienced that personal relationship with him read this verse and ask God to help you. Ask him to forgive you of your sins, have faith that Christ came to give this gift to you, then search his word and talk with him in order for him to touch you in your very own personal way.

This is an article that those who think people that hunt are non-compassionate people. Those of us involved in the sport are not suprised by the compassion of hunters and their giving nature.

In a recent article I talked about hunters giving to local food pantries. During that week it was the annual hunters helping the hungry week. In reading articles and doing research I came across this article and thought I would pass it on to make everyone aware of hunters giving back.

Well here it is Thanksgiving week again. In two days we will sit down to a nice meal whether it’s at home, Church or a restaurant. Thanksgiving has been and probably always will be my favorite holiday. It’s a time that my family gathers together and just kind of relaxes. We sit and shoot the breeze during morning. Then around noon we eat lunch. Then there’s a lot more talking, football watching and of course “turkey” napping.

Recently i’ve been thinking about thankfulness. Over the past year I have so many things to be thankful for. My son is healthy and growing just as he’s supposed too. I just landed a really good year round job that will benefit myself and family. My wife and I continue to grow closer together. The list could go on and on for pages of what I need to be thankful for again this year.

During this process I began to think what i’m most thankful for. It didn’t take long to come up with my answer. I’m most thankful for my best friend Jesus Christ dying on the cross of calvary for my sins. Through this process he made it possible for me to make Heaven my home. Even more important than Christ dying for me is the thought that he died for my son, Kolten. I’m pretty fond of myself and thankful for people that do good things for me. However this doesn’t compare to my little man. I can never repay Christ for dying for my family and I. Thank you Jesus doesn’t really seem enough. But I have to say THANK YOU JESUS FOR ALL IN MY LIFE.

What is it about sharing Christ that is so hard for most of us? Is it our own fear of being rejected? Maybe we are ashamed of Christ himself. Then there’s the thought that we are worried people have an image of church and “church people” and that image is in a negative light.

I don’t know the reason. It sure is hard at times to share our faith though isn’t it. I sit before you certainly guilty of passing up great opportunities to share his love and character with others. For me most times its my own fear of being rejected. Being ridiculed. Being labeled as a “Jesus” freak. I still find it really easy to sit here and type my thoughts and feelings on the blog. It’s super easy to share the gospel of Jesus Christ through your computer screen with you. Although I am much better about sharing Christ in person I’ll admit I certainly do struggle at times.

I did however get to share about my relationship with Jesus Christ with my best friend the other night while we had a guys night out. We went to eat and watched UMaine hockey put a whoopin on UMass Lowell. I have shared some things with this friend a few times in the past. He would just kind of laugh and call me crazy. Unfortunately this friend and I met when I was not following Christ and had seperated myself from a personal relationship with him. This past week though he didn’t laugh and appeared to take it to heart. I hope that he sees the change that has happened in me as the past year or so I have really committed my life back to Christ and attempted to take up his cross and follow his path.

Whatever your reason is for not sharing Christ, we need to. God has called us all to “spread the good news”. Pray to God for strength and the right words to share his love. A huge way that we all share his character is through living our daily walk with him. Let people see Christ through us. We owe this to him. After all he died on a cross that I might have life eternally with him in Heaven. He paid my debt. Christ has always and will always be there for me no matter what is going on.

Take the time and share Christ with someone special to you. The world of hunting and fishing has loads of opportunities to share about God’s character. There are many people in our outdoor world that are desperately seeking a relationship with him. They just don’t know it yet. Everyone has a desire to be loved, appreciated, needed and wanted. Christ meets all these in a relationship with him. My friendship with Christ is the absolute most satisfying part of my life.

Hello everyone sorry about not posting that past couple days. We have been experiencing some difficulties with our computer here at the house. I have been busy and unable to sit down and solve the problem. But here I am, i’m back.

Thank you for your understanding.

On their way back to camp Pard showed Bubba an old apple orchard that each year produced deer out of it. Pard walked Bubba in and showed him a tree stand he had placed in there.

“This is a good evening stand” said Pard.
They got back in the truck and headed towards camp. Within a half mile they saw a nice 8 point crossing the road heading into the woods adjacent to the orchard. They then arrived at camp and immediately headed out to check Pard’s traps. It proved to be another productive day in capturing 2 yotes, a bobcat and 3 fishers.

They then headed out the trail towards the dirt road heading towards camp. In the distance they heard a truck coming down the road. Pard thought to himself “that’s kind of strange”. Other than Pards camp the only other camp on the road was old trapper Williams camp. Trapper had died a couple years back and there hadn’t been anyone in camp since that Pard knew about. The two of them stopped and stood just out of sight of the road so as not to give away his line. Within a couple minutes a big pickup appeared barreling down the road. The first thing that stuck out to both Pard and Bubba was the amount of lights on the cab and bed.

“Reminds me of a Christmas tree” said Bubba.

“That’s what I was thinking” replied Pard.

For the next couple days they watched this “Christmas light” truck travel back and forth on the road. Each time there was only one guy in it. Pard couldn’t make out who it was due to not wanting to give away his location.

It was noon when they heard in the distance some hammering noise. It sounded as if someone was working on the old Williams camp. The two made their way down into the woods and from a distance watched a guy working on ole trappers camp.

“One of Trappers family members must be fixin the place up” said Pard.

“Bubba tomorrow is opening morning. You should go grab your tree stand and we’ll go down tonight and set it up”

“I have a self climber, no need to set it up before hand. She goes right up the tree as quiet as a church mouse” replied Bubba.

Bubba went and gathered his tree stand out of his pickup.

“This is the tree lounge. It’s so comfortable and easy to use.” said Bubba.

“That looks more comfortable then my old recliner in camp” Pard said.

That night the two of them sat around the table and shared hunting stories of old. Pard told Bubba he would have to go out and check his traps in the morning but he wouldn’t interfere with either area Bubba would be hunting in.

“Do you ever see anything while your checking your traps” asked Bubba.

“Oh quite often I’ll stumble upon one”.

Bubba climbed in bed in preparation of getting up early to get in his tree stand aways before daylight. While attempting to fall asleep he noticed Pard sitting in his chair this time reading that same book he read each night.

“That book you read each night, you must be about done with that” said Bubba.

“This book here” asked Pard?
“Yes”

“No this book has no end, there is always something new I learn from it” said Pard.

Bubba thought to himself what book doesn’t have an end. It must be some kind of study book for trapping he said to himself.

A couple minutes later Pard turned off the light and crawled into bed. Just before each of the guys dozed off Pard asked “do you need help finding that spot across the stream or can you find it”

“I can find that area with no problem” replied Bubba.

Bubba tossed and turned all night long like a kid on Christmas Eve. He envisioned a nice buck walking within site of his stand early the next morning. He woke up about every hour sure that it was time to get up and get out in the woods. Finally the time arrived it was 4 a.m. Bubba jumped out of bed as if there were springs in his feet. Pard seen him and kind of chuckled to himself. Bubba was so anxious he skipped breakfast and headed out the door.

“I’ll see you around lunch time” said Bubba.

“I’ll be here. I’ll be listening for a gun shot. If you shoot one fire your pistol three times and I’ll come over and give you a hand”.

“That sounds like a good plan” replied Bubba.

Then he was off like a beagle chasing a rabbit. He strapped on his tree lounge over his shoulders and headed over the stream. Making his way through the dark as quiet as possible. Within a few minutes he was at his location and found the tree they had previously marked. He took off his tree lounge and headed up the tree. Once he was completely set he began to pull up his gun. It was still well before light and he just settled in. He peeked at his watch and it was two minutes before legal shooting time. So he loaded up his gun. There was an abundance of wildlife running around. The squirrels were all over the place. Birds began to sing. The sunrise was the most beautiful that Bubba could recall.

The first day of season was finally here. The day that Bubba waited for all year. He kept thinking to himself how lucky he was to run across Pard. A guy that knows the area and had shown him a great morning and evening stand. Bubba planned to sit in his stand until about eleven that morning. Then he would go out and eat some lunch and head for the apple orchard about 1:30 where he would remain until dark. It was approaching 8:30 when he heard some leaves rustling over to his right. At first he thought that’s too much noise to be a deer.

“Could it be a moose”? Bubba thought.

Then all of a sudden there was complete silence. Then he would hear a twig snap or leaves pushed around every now and again. This got his heart a pounding and knees shaking in preparation that the big one was making his way down the trail towards him. He finally was able to pinpoint the noise. It was coming directly towards him out of the small patch of fur trees about 60 yards up the trail.

Then there it was, the source of the noise appeared standing 60 yards away from Bubba.

Have you taken time to search for God today? Did you include him in your thoughts, decisions, and every aspect of your life this week?

We try to keep God in church on Sunday morning…Maybe, Sunday night…And, the unlikely event of a midweek service. We do like to have Him around during sickness…And, of course, at funerals. However, we don’t have time, or room, for Him during work or play because that’s the part of our lives we think we can, and should, handle on our own.

“I knelt to pray but not for long I had too much to do. I had to hurry and get to work for bills would soon be due. So I knelt and said a hurried prayer and jumped up off my knees. My Christian duty was now done. My soul could rest at ease. All day long I had no time To spread a word of cheer. No time to speak of Christ to friends. They’d laugh at me I’d fear. No time, no time, too much to do, That was my constant cry. No time to give to souls in need But, at last, the time, the time to die. I went before the Lord. I came, I stood with downcast eyes. For in his hands God held a book. It was the book of life. God looked into his book and said “Your name I cannot find. I once was going to write it down but never found the time.”(author unknown)

While in the woods hunting today I took the time to reflect on my relationship with Christ. Certainly in the past I have only seeked him out when I was in need of something. Christ wants to be a part of our life each and every day. Every second that passes by. Take the time for God now. Let him work in your life. Let his river of love overflow in your life.

I recently came across Don. Through talking with him I found out for years he did taxidermy before moving to Idaho. He still works with wildlife and works out of his home.

I looked over his website and found some amazing work. Some really cool items that when I build on to my house in the Spring I would love to add in. I just wanted to pass on his site to everyone. Go check it out. If your a waterfowl hunter this is the place to get some decoys.

Don I for one will be in contact with my order.

This land owner in Canaan deserves a firm handshake. Even though he chooses not to participate in the sport of hunting he sees the benefits of a hunting program and wishes to allow people the opportunity on his land. This even after he found a stray bullet in the side of his house. We have said it or heard it a thousand times, make sure you know what your shooting, make sure you know what’s behind what your shooting.

I firmly believe hunting to be a safe sport. I completely support and agree with the safety courses and recognize the huge impact this has had on hunting accidents. But it never hurts to say it again or hear it again. Be safe out there in the woods. Respect the landowners, without them our future of hunting will not be what it is today. Take the time to teach a new hunter the importance of hunting. First and foremost the safety of everyone involved. The end result is the kill. There’s a whole lot more important details of hunting that will lead to a successful and safe kill that needs to be emphasized.

If you live in New Hampshire and would like to give back to the great sport of fishing that you love here is your chance. A chance to teach youth about ice fishing. The skills that go along with this great sport. Also, along the way you can leave an imprint on an upcoming fisherman.

New Hampshire Fish and Game Department will be hosting a class in order for those interested in becoming an ice fishing angler instructor. This is a volunteer position to teach adults and youth about the great sport of ice fishing.

You can find out where, when, and how in this article. If you have the time and are interested in giving back to the sport of fishing, here is a great chance for you.

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak.

“I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked,
“What you got there, son?” “Just some old birds,” came the reply. “What are you gonna do with them?” I asked. “Take ‘em home and have fun with ‘em,” he answered. “I’m gonna tease ‘em and pull out their feathers to make ‘em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.”

“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?” I asked. “Oh, I got some cats,” said the little boy. “They like birds. I’ll take ‘em to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment. “How much do you want for those birds, son?” “Huh??!!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old field birds. They don’t sing. They ain’t even pretty!” “How much?” the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?” The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. “Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn’t resist. Got ‘em all!”

“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked. Satan replied, “Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I’m gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I’m really gonna have fun!” “And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked. “Oh, I’ll kill ‘em,” Satan gloated proudly.

“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked. “Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don’t want those people!!”

“How much?” He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your blood, tears and your life.” Jesus said, “DONE!”

Then He paid the price.