Let’s do this as a pictorial…May 11th

The set-up….

After about a half hour of calling, two gobblers came in……

Follow along……

Shot placement was perfect….entry…

Exit….

Time to head home…..

As I sit here and write this the long, hot Oklahoma summer seems to be dragging by.  However, there is reason to rejoice; two days from now I’ll head out for the first hunt of the 2009 fall season.  I’ve had a lot of questions in recent weeks about my preparation leading up to a hunt, and, seeing as how many guys are suffering from the same pre-season doldrums as I, this seemed like a good time to “blog” for the first time. 

 I take pre-season practice extremely serious, adhering to the belief that if I train myself and my equipment beyond what I expect to encounter in the field this fall then good things will happen.  Mr. Tony had an excellent post recently about pushing one’s body and the resulting benefits it can produce during the fall.  And, let’s be honest, if we weren’t expecting to be rewarded at some point most of us wouldn’t train hard.  I believe the same mentality should roll over into our shooting practice as well as our choices in gear. 

 I believe shooting sessions should as closely resemble the real thing as we can possibly make them.  I know that is a trendy statement to make, however, I also know for the most part, that is all it is; a statement.  When it comes to practice, generally by mid-June I am shooting broadheads exclusively.  Being a borderline OCD equipment guy, by this time I have already weeded out any shooting accessories that won’t “cut the mustard” so to speak.  Sights, rests, stabilizers; if it fails during the middle of summer in Oklahoma, trust me, I don’t want anything to do with it after mid-June. 

It’s also about this time that shooting skill is tested to the max.  I will be shooting broadhead groups all the way out to 120 yards.  I would never take a shot at such ranges, but believe me, it is a humbling beginning when you start.  It may get expensive, (lost arrows jump to mind) however, I have a theory that goes like this,”It’s not where you start but where you finish.”  For me personally, nothing I have done has helped my shooting as much as this extreme range practice.  Form becomes priority one, and it only takes a few errant arrows to convince you to shoot the shot until the arrow finds it’s mark.  If I’m feeling really salty I will even shoot these 100-120 yard groups in full Sitka attire.  I better be feelling really good though! 

Also, it goes without saying, uphill, downhill, sidehill, off your knees, all of this needs to be practiced.  Another great benefit of this is you can really see if your shooting setup is up to snuff.  Are your fiber optic pins too big, not bright enough? Is that fully loaded quiver causing you to inadvertently torque the bow at the shot?  Extreme range practice will tell all the truths.  Finally, if you’re like me, stretching the yardage out like this will at first be overwhelming.  However, like anything, if you take control of the situation and let the bow do the shooting I think you will find, come fall, this training will pay off.  Who knows, you may even start to like it, just don’t try this in the Celcius Series in July in Oklahoma, I don’t recommend it!

Most shots don't come easy--be prepared!

Four arrow 90 yard broadhead group

Here is a logo that anybody looking for a finely crafted hunting recuve should pay close attention to!

Pro Staffer Brian Wessel is starting to offer his handcrafted custom recurves for sale.  Brian has taken game from groundhog to grizzly bear with his home made recurves and after shooting his personal bow last winter, I jumped at the chance to be the first to order one.  The bow impressed me so much, I actually ordered two; one being a LH twin to mine.  The risers are Cocobolo and the limbs have Cocobolo vaneers.  Here are a couple pics:

Tulipwood Limb Vaneers

Cocobolo Twins

These TallTines recurves are accurate and fast.  I did some chrono testing recently.  I have a few very well known custom recurves and have access to pretty much any custom recurve you can think of.  I took a couple bows with identical spec to my TTs and ran them all thru the chrono.  With heavyweight hunting arrows, the TallTines was a minimum of 10 fps faster than any.  To give you an idea of the kind of bows these are, the LH bow I ordered for my buddy Gary has taken over as his #1 bow from a Double Carbon Habu Vyperkahn!

30 yard moose; TallTines shoot as good as they look!

Here is another hot off the press TallTines:

Zircote Riser

Kingwood Limb Vaneers

Strung profile of a killin' machine!

Braden sporting optifade

A day at the zoo with Braden.  The African Safari exibit was pretty cool.  Giving my four year old some pointers on shot placement. 

On even years, the Professional Bowhunters Society holds a convention for 4 days near the end of March.  The locale changes every time to be fair to everyone.  The next convention will be in Nashville, TN March 25-28 2010.

On odd years, the PBS holds a summer shoot for members to get together.  This past weekend was the Odd Year Gathering and it was held at the Ojibwa Bowhunters near Milwaukee, Wi.

Since Mike Mitten, Barry Wensel, Brian Wessel and I planned on attending, I kept the dummy HQ sent out for the Compton Rendezvous booth and loaded him up with gear to show off at the shoot.

Here Mike Mitten draws a crowd around the Sitka booth!

"Yeah, Sitka is GREAT!"

Dead and dead!

Our summer has been unseasonably hot in the heartland and not too many reasons to break out the Sitka Gear. Unless I take some time off and head north or west my gear patiently waits in the closet until antelope season or the Kansas whitetail opener coaxes it from the closet. I use my Sitka Gear in the fall and winter exclusively while pursuing my outdoor activities but I’ve just found a great use for this summer as well. Boating across the water in Ontario! I used both my 90% lite jacket as well as the vests and they were great from a functional standpoint with the wind and spray as well as easy to pack when there are limitations to how much you can bring.

Pike from "Tiger Bay"

My firm works with Bill McGhie Associates as partners on justice architecture projects. Bill and I have worked together on many county jail projects packaging a durable and safe environment for inmates and staff alike. We are both focused on that end result and we both enjoy outdoor activities. As the proprietor of his own business representing Norix detention furniture as well as several healthcare furniture lines he is a consummate marketer and has the perfect setting for persons like myself and my peers. His family has owned property on Lake of the Woods for 39 years and he has an intimate understanding of the waters and fisheries.

I attended his “furniture seminar” the second week of June along with Steve Davis, Principal and  the director of Business Development, Rick Freeman of HMN Architects. In our four days of fishing with the McGhie brothers we averaged over 150 fish a day. We caught Walleye, Pike, Smallmouth, Largemouth, Yellow Perch, Sauger and one Musky. My Sitka vests worked overtime on the morning cruise and by the lunch hour the weather was nice enough to stow them and fish in t-shirts and shorts. I’m planning a second trip north this summer to fish with my father and brother and I plan on being in my Sitka Fishing Gear.

I’m a bit melancholy this year.  I know, woe is me!  I certainly don’t deserve any sympathy but this year I’ve been longing for a good physical hunt.  Perhaps it’s because I don’t have one planned this season for the first time in a while.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be hunting my tail off, just nothing too demanding.   Sweating it out in an antelope blind just isn’t the same as packing a muley off the top of a lonesome peak.   Seeking some therapy, this was the next best thing.  I strapped on my pack and hit the hills to scout out some bucks for a few buddies hunting my favorite Eastern Sierra unit.  Man I love the Optifade!

July in the high plains of western Kansas and eastern Colorado is one of my favorite times of year.  Months have passed since the last shed hunt, and it is time to dust off the spotter and hit the roads in search of deer that will consume my thoughts until the archery season arrives in late September.   The months of July and August will result in thousands of miles of  county roads traveled and many hours spent behind quality optics.  All in hopes of finding “the” buck for the season. 

Always good to have deer up and moving.

Where there is one there is usually more;)

Antelope season also opens in September and many times our excursions take us to areas that antelope frequent.  

Some little guys pose for the camera.

Potential Shooter

Things are looking pretty good!  Come on September!!