The Too Much Pork Problem

A growing concern across the United States is a valid one as urban sprawls intrude on more and more forest land.  Recently I had the chance to help with a problem that faces these areas, wild hog eradication.  Accompanied by my wife Beth, we traveled towards Tampa, Florida to meet up with our good friends Davie Ferraro of www.ihuntstrong.com, Trent Marsh of Hawke Sport Optics, and my show co-host Kevin Knighton.

Kevin wasn’t arriving until the next day so Beth, Trent, Davie, and I all headed out for a quick evening spot and stalk hunt.  For those of you unfamiliar with central and south Florida, orange groves are abundant.  Early spring of each year the oranges are harvested and many of them fall to the ground or are discarded.  This makes easy pickings for wild hogs in the area.

Arriving on the property with an hour or two before dark it wasn’t long before we saw hogs.  Stalking through the groves we cautiously watched for snakes, gators, and battled mosquitoes as the unseasonably warm March temps were getting all the critters active.  Then we saw our first hogs.  At 75 yards they were almost right on us, we froze and Trent tried for a shot.  The lead sows were too quick for us as they bolted for cover not offering us a shot.  Hoofing it through the grove we were unable to catch up with that pack, but when we stepped back out into the main road, so did a nice boar.  Trent steadied for the shot and dropped him in his tracks.  We broke the ice! As darkness settled in, we headed back to grab some dinner and a quick night’s sleep to head out the next morning.

The next day, Kevin was able to join us as well as Davie’s father David.  Morning hunting was a bit tricky with a front blowing through and warm temps still kicking in.  We did see a few hogs but didn’t get a chance for a shot.  After a quick break, we were ready for the evening hunt.  Deciding to split up into groups, Beth, Davie, and I setup about 100 yards from a feeder as Trent, Kevin, and David hit the orange groves again.  After about thirty minutes of sitting, hogs showed up at the feeder and Beth dropped a nice black sow in her tracks.  Let the gates open now!  After loading up Beth’s hog, the three of us headed to the opposite end of the orange groves as our other trio.  We were watching a road with a thick swamp on each side at the edge of the groves.  As light was growing low a big black boar charged out in front of us.  I steadied my Hawke optics for a high shoulder shot and dropped him in his tracks!  As he high fived and carried on, another huge boar popped out of the brush.  Aiming again I squeezed off on him and he fell in sight!  Two 300+ pound boars down in a matter of minutes!  In the low light conditions, the Hawke Optics performed great.

It’s always good to get to spend time in the woods with good friends and family.  This trip we were able to help control an ongoing problem with the growth of feral hogs as well as spend time doing what we love, living the Backwoods Life™!

Gear List

Camo: Realtree

Optics: Hawke Sport Optics (rifle scope and binos)

Gun: TC Encore 7mm-.08

Boots: Lacrosse

Pack: Gameplan Gear

Scent Control: Lethal Products

Conditioning: www.IHuntStrong.com

Gear Transport: Concealed Outdoors

Cobrabraid Products

One of the latest tools in the outdoor industry is the paracord survival bracelets.  In my latest journeys I ran across a new find in this area called the Cobrabraid.  These tools were designed first for military use born from the deserts of Iraq and originally brought to the U.S. by our soldiers. Cobrabraid 550 Paracord Gear utilizes paracord produced in the USA by a government contractor and has 7 inner woven strands surrounded by a tightly woven sheath, with breaking strength of 550+ pounds.

Paracord is the ultimate survival tool. It can be used as a tie down, tourniquet, animal snare, boot lace, clothes line, fishing line and many other things.  Depending on the item, Cobrabriads contain 4 feet to 100 feet of paracord.  By design, these products can help you in an emergency situation where you need paracord.

The Cobrabraid brand is owned and operated by 2 Monkey Trading, LLC, and a family-owned company.  Doug and Lynne Ingalls run the company and their son Ray manages production. With the help of their many wonderful employees, all Cobrabraid products are produced by us in the USA.

Now, what does that mean to us as hunters?  Other than a made in the USA product by a family run company, these tools can help us in all kinds of situations in the field.  Cobrabraids are licensed in Realtree camo so you have many patterns to choose from.  Yes they even have pink camo for the ladies too!  How many times have you been in the stand and realize you forgot your pull up rope or needed to tie something down on your ATV?  The uses can be endless especially getting you out of a bind in the woods.

 

The Cobrabraid product line not only includes bracelets, but dog collars, leashes, key chains, lanyards, paracord supplies, and even items for fundraisers.  If you can think of a use for paracord, this is the company you need to contact right away!

I proudly wear my Realtree Cobrabraid anytime I’m in the woods; you never know what situation you may need to be prepared or when you may have to hunt for survival.  I’m ready, are you?

Check them out online at http://www.cobrabraid.com

Finishing Strong

As many hunters are putting their bows and rifles up for the season, in the great state of Alabama the peak of the rut is kicking in to full gear.  One of my favorite things to look forward to after Christmas is hunting in ol’ Bama.  In the “black belt” region of the state the rut usually starts kicking off around Christmas with its peak around mid-January.  This is perfect for those of you that need to put some late season back strap in the freezer and maybe even a trophy on the wall.

My good friend Jeremy Johnson invited me to hunt his family farm for the first time this past January.  The tract record on his property has got to be one of the best in the area if not the state.  Over the years I have seen countless videos from Jeremy on this property with some really nice bucks hitting the dirt.  To say I was excited about the hunt was an understatement!

The first morning, cameraman Fred Branch and I met Jeremy, his better half, Elizabeth, and good friend Justin Moore on the way to the property.  The weather was a frosty 22 degrees with high humidity so we were bundled up big time!  The morning was slow, only seeing a small buck.  Justin did arrow a nice doe for the freezer though while Jeremy and Elizabeth saw a few bucks but didn’t get a shot.  We decided to grab a bite to eat then head back into the woods early in the afternoon and sit until dark.

Settling back in shortly after 1pm that afternoon, we saw deer right away.  A young buck ran two does in front of us and out of sight.  On and off we saw several deer until dark but no shooter bucks in range.  Not a bad day of hunting at all and we were ready for the next morning.

Up and at it we repeated the previous morning routing and were in the stand just as the day began to wake up.  This time we were deep in a creek bottom just off of an old cut over.  The palmettos were thick and seeing 100 yards was a chore in most directions.  About an hour after daylight, I look in front of us and catch movement, its antlers!  A tall, heavy, shooter buck is coming straight to us!  The buck turns and starts working a scrape as I try to find him in my Hawke scope.  The brush is just too thick to get on him.  He then begins walking from our right to left angling away.  Looking ahead the only shot I am going to have is when he steps into a narrow road in front of us.  I ready myself as the buck walks right into my scope and stops!  Boom!  My twelve gauge slug drops him in his tracks!  He’s done right there!

Climbing down I knew that he was a good buck, but after putting my hands on him this deer had some of the heaviest beams and mass of any I had been fortunate enough to tag.  The buck was a main frame eight point with two kickers on one base giving him ten points over an inch long, 13 inch inside spread, and scored just over 130 inches B&C.  I’ll take a buck like this all day long y’all!  Not to mention he was at least 4.5 or 5.5 years old, a true trophy buck to me.

I would like to thank Jeremy for opening up his home farm and inviting us to come over and hunt.  It was truly a great place to see and the amount of game on the place is remarkable.  Just as Genesis 27:3 states “Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me”.  We are blessed to spend time in the outdoors to see what has been created for us to have dominion over and as stewards of the land, we must open our arms and continue to pass on our God given right to hunt.

God bless and good hunting!

 

MICHAEL’S GEAR LIST:

Optics: Hawke Eclipse 30 SF 6-24x50mm, Hawke Frontier ED 43mm

Gun: Remington 1100 12 gauge

Ammo: Winchester Sabot Slug 375 grain

Stand: Ol’ Man Ladder

Safety Vest: Hunter Safety System Reversible

Scent Eliminator: Lethal Field Spray

Camo: Realtree APG by Gamehide

Pack: Gameplan Gear Spot N Stalk

Boots: Lacrosse Alpha Burly in Realtree APG

Conditioning: Hunt Strong

Arrows in Oklahoma

As the sun set on the Western horizon, my wife Beth, cameraman Hunter, and I still had six more hours of driving to do. Traveling through Mississippi, the miles couldn’t move fast enough to the Oklahoma line. We were headed to hunt the Okie state for the first time and couldn’t be more excited for a late season bow hunt.

Arriving after midnight, we quickly found our beds so we could start off the first morning. As daylight came the deer movement began. Since hunting over feeders is legal in the state, and late season food sources are a strong necessity to get a shot, we were going to use these to our advantage. Beth was hunting the top of a ridge and not long after being in the stand she had deer coming in. After the first few came in to feed, a nice buck followed but never offered Beth a clear shot.

Setting up just off a food plot on a hardwood creek bottom, I saw a few deer after first light, none large enough to shoot or close enough. Suddenly I saw a nice buck trotting across the plot. He was heading away and I decided to blow my grunt call. With a few short tending grunts, the buck stopped and headed straight for us! He came in on a string to the call and stopped at 15 yards…..right behind a tree! Standing there looking, the buck knew something wasn’t right and trotted back up the ridge and out of bow range. Talk about a great start to the trip!

Afternoon two was slow for me, only seeing a doe with two yearlings, but Beth was wrapped up on a food plot with deer. She saw several bucks that were nice and a couple of shooters. None offered her a shot on the first afternoon though.

When morning two began we awoke to rain, which isn’t a good combination for video gear or bows for the most part. We decided to tough it out in ground blinds, we normally hunt in Ghostblinds but in the rain we needed cover for the video cameras. Sitting in the blind as daylight approached we watched the woods come alive on the top of a hardwoods ridge. With the acorns long gone, the only food available was the feeder setup 15 yards away. Several does and yearlings along with one small racked buck came in to feed then eased back down the ridge. I thought to myself that the rain was setting in harder and the deer would stop their moving for the morning when I looked to our right and a buck was coming up the ridge. Checking him out with my Hawke binoculars, he was a nice eight with a broken rack. As I looked at him, a giant eight point walked into view. This buck had it all, mass, tine length, width, and height.

Quickly I told Hunter there was a shooter coming in and to get ready with the camera. I clipped my release on my loop and readied myself for the shot. The bigger buck came right in and began feeding. I slowly drew by my bow and anchored for the shot. Gently touching the trigger, my arrow released and I hear a loud thwack and watched the buck hit the ground right there! What happened? The chair I was sitting in was a little low in the blind so after I released the arrow, my fletchings clipped the edge of the blind window just enough to kick my arrow up. Luckily my Muzzy plowed the deer’s spine and dropped him right there. After a follow up shot the buck was done. Was I lucky or the buck just unlucky, I will never know but I had my Oklahoma tag filled!

Beth was back on the same food plot she hunted the afternoon before and again had encounters with a couple nice bucks with no luck. She was looking for her first deer with a bow and was doing all she could to contain herself. She finally had a nice eight point in range and drew back on him only to have a doe walk in the way and she was never able to get a shot off. Over the next three days she saw plenty of deer but no shooters to get an arrow towards. As dark fell on the last afternoon, I asked her if she wanted to give it one more try the next morning before we had to head home. Her answer, “I didn’t pay all this money for a tag to eat it!” She learned from me many times that tag sandwiches don’t taste good!

The last morning she climbed in the stand well before daylight and was ready. The morning was fairly slow then two bucks came in to feed. One was a real nice eight point, and on the last day she wasn’t giving any a pass! She drew back her Elite bow, anchored and placed her pink Muzzy right behind the buck’s shoulder at 31 yards. Beth had just filled her tag and arrowed her first ever deer with a bow! A nice eight point on top of all that!

There is nothing like spending time in the woods with the ones you love. Getting to share Beth’s first bow kill with her was very special and hopefully the first of many to come. She never hunted before meeting me, I don’t know if I’ve created a monster or not but she straight loves the outdoors and filling her tags as much as I do. I know I’m blessed for sure!

Until next time, God bless and good hunting.

GEAR LIST:
Bow: Elite Pulse (Michael) Elite GT500 (Beth)
Rest: QAD Ultrarest HD (Michael and Beth)
Sight: Spot-Hogg Hogg-It (Michael and Beth)
Broadhead: Muzzy MX-3 ,100 grain (Michael), Muzzy 100 grain 3 blade Pink (Beth)
Fletchings: Bohning Blazer vanes (Michael and Beth)
Optics: Hawke Frontier ED 43mm (Michael and Beth)
Release: Scott Quick Shot (Michael), Scott Little Goose (Beth)
Scent Eliminator: Lethal Field Spray (Michael and Beth)
Attractant: Muzzy Bowhunter Setup (Michael and Beth)
Camo: Realtree APG by Gamehide (Michael and Beth)

Welcome to My World, Who Am I?

Who am I? Well, it started over 34 years ago in a little town called Cordele, Georgia about 10:00 in the morning. Yeah, I never did like to get up real early. That’s where I was born and raised for the next 18 years of my life. My passions growing up were fishing, hunting, and baseball. I was going pro in something, just didn’t know what yet! Many summer days were spent on the lake or at practice, the falls then turned to chasin’ deer, doves, quail, and even squirrels. Hey, when you like to shoot stuff you stay in the woods all the time!

My family was always a huge influence in my life. My grandparent, aunts, uncles, cousins, and all in between always supported the outdoors and sports that all of us participated in. To tell you the truth we have a ton of talent in this big ol’ family. From fishing to football, you never know what will happen next!

In 1995, I graduated from Crisp County High School and headed to college. Heck, I didn’t even know where I wanted to go or what I wanted to be. Sounds like most 18 year olds huh? Chasing the dream of baseball, I venture to Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Georgia. That lasted a couple years when one of my close friends, Todd Clements, took me out in Valdosta, Georgia at Valdosta State University. It didn’t take me long to decide that is where I wanted to be and finish my college career. Finally, after some ups and downs, I graduated from VSU with a hard sought degree of Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Information Systems. Ladies and gentleman, that was one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life. It has made me a much stronger person, and I like to think smarter too, but my wife would beg to differ!

Speaking of my lovely wife, Beth, we met while in college at VSU together. I’ll have to admit, from the first time I saw her, I got chills all over me and that lil’ tingling feeling inside. Yep, you just know when you find the “one”. She is one of the kindest people you will ever meet and I wouldn’t trade her for the world. We both share love for the outdoors from yard work to planting food plots, she’s right there with me all the time.

While in college I started designing websites. What began as extra money for school has now turned into a pretty good business for me. I enjoy creating things, especially outdoor related, and through web design, I’ve been able to meet great people from call makers to NFL football players. It’s been a great experience for sure. Now mix that in with outdoor TV, writing, and speaking, I have a blast all the time! I’ve had the honor of getting to know some great people and see some amazing places. To God be the glory, because I know it has been his plan for me to take this road wherever it may lead. I’m just here doing what he has laid out for me.

Country born, bred, and raised, proud of it too! Like Pop always said, “Don’t forget who you are!”