Loving Life Today

Worlds fastest deer cleaning

2011-02-14T16:43:00.000-06:00

I wish I had this guy around when I kill one!! Very sharp knives and saw, and this guy has probably working in a slaughter house at some point in time. Very impressive!! It's the fastest I've ever seen one skinned!!

Mediterranean Cruise Ship Hit by Wave

2010-03-04T14:14:00.000-06:00

Mediterranean Cruise ship hit by 26-foot wave!!! I ran across this video today, and just had to post. The wave hit the ship when it was traveling between Barcelona to Italy. The ship was carrying over 1,800 passengers and staff when the wave hit. If this happened to me while on a cruise, I'm not sure what I'd do probably freak out. I'm not sure if anyone was hurt or not. But I did bust out laughing when you can hear a passenger "ABANDON SHIP!!! ABANDON SHIP!!!". Then I could just picture in my mind, the passenger running to the top deck, and jumping to save themselves from the "Titanic" sinking :) Of course, only then to realize it was just a wave that busted out some windows :)

Introducing Kids to the Outdoors in Arkansas

2010-02-01T10:26:00.003-06:00

The newest challenge from Outdoor Bloggers Summit,OBS, was to write an article on "How to Get Everyone to Play Outdoors". Writing is not my expertise, but I've been fortunate to spend alot of time in the outdoors starting as a young child, and so I just want to share some of my experiences, and hopefully they'll spur you along or entice you to take a kid to the outdoors.

Image by El Destructo via Flickr

First of all, I've lived in the great state of Arkansas all my life. Unlike many states, Arkansas has numerous outdoor options including hiking, camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing,mountain bike riding and many other activities. Not many states have the variety of outdoor activities that we get to enjoy here in Arkansas. Guess that's why we're called the Natural State.

Arkansas Outdoors
Over 250 hiking trails that cover more than 1,500 miles
Over 2.9 million acres of public access national forest for hunting,fishing, camping, and hiking
600,000 acres of lakes and 9,000 miles of streams and rivers for water sports, scuba, fishing, etc.

Hiking in Arkansas

Image by El Destructo via Flickr

Numerous hiking trails to explore including day hikes, and backpacking adventures. Mountain bike trails, horse trails, and hiking trails take you into some of the most beautiful country you have ever seen.
(insert pic of buffalo river mountains,etc)

On and Off the Beaten Path, a guided hiking tour company based in North Arkansas, offers day hikes in the Ozark National Forest and the Buffalo River Wilderness Area.

Camping in Arkansas

There are more than 200 public-owned Arkansas campgrounds—offering nearly 9,800 individual family campsites.

Arkansas State Parks

Canoeing and Kayaking Arkansas Streams
Arkansas is home to the Buffalo River. The Buffalo River was chosen as America’s first national river in 1972, an honor held by only America’s finest rivers. I can honestly say these pictures don't do the river justice. You have to see the place for yourself. There are several outfitters that can plan you a trip, whether you want a half-day,full-day, or multi-day trip (which are awesome!! I'll be taking our annual 3-day float trip in April, can't wait!!). This is a great river to float for families, but also has some more difficult rapids upstream. You owe it to yourself to come check this river out.

There are many more things to do in Arkansas outdoors. I just don't have the time to list them here and explain. Most important thing to remember is take your family and children to the outdoors. It's important we keep them involved with the outdoors, so they can make sure that we preserve the wonderful outdoors that we all enjoy so much. If you want to experience the Arkansas outdoors, feel free to give me a shout, and I'll do what I can to help you!! Take care and God Bless!!

Every hunter that is married needs this T-shirt

2010-01-14T11:04:00.000-06:00

I stumbled upon this T-shirt, and I have to admit I love it, and will probably be ordering one soon!! I'm sure all you married hunters out there will be able to appreciate it. We all love our wives I'm sure, but we love them more when they let us go hunting!!

I love my wife funny hunting Light T-Shirt - CafePress

More Bushnell Trophy Camera Pictures

2010-01-07T17:09:00.000-06:00

There are some many options these days on game cameras!! I've had some Moultrie game cameras, and they were good. But I'm still very pleased with the Bushnell Trophy Cam game camera. I've included some infrared pictures so you can get an idea of what kind of pics the game camera takes. Hope these help when making your decision to purchase your new game camera!!

Best Archery Target for 2010 - Rinehart RhinoBlock Archery Target

2010-01-06T16:41:00.000-06:00

When you get ready to go buy your new archery target this year. Check out the new Rinehart RhinoBlock Archery Target. Six unique sides to shoot at. As well as, two sides featuring a 3-D deer target.Measures 16x16x13. Unlike other Block-style targets, the Rinehart RhinoBlock Target has a replaceable inner core, if you ever shoot it out. But if the durability is anything like the Rinehart 18-in-1 target, it'll last a long time before you wear it out.
Check out Archery Gear

Looking for new hunting boots? Lacrosse Alpha SST boots may be the answer

2009-12-28T11:44:00.000-06:00

Finding the right hunting boot can take some time, but finding the right hunting boot is very important. There are alot of things to consider when buying new boots. Comfort is most important to me!! I've been wearing Lacrosse Alpha Burly boots for a while now, and I love them. They have a nice tennis style fit, which makes walking very comfortable. I just saw the ad for the new Lacrosse Alpha SST boots(pretty cool ad), click on Alpha SST TV ad to check it out!! Take advantage of Cabela's: $20 off $100

Click here to get more information on the boots!!

Here are some stats on the boots:

SST: Scent-Suppressing Technology
1200grams of Thinsulate
18" height
5.7lbs(pair)

How to make Homemade Deer Mineral Lick

2009-12-15T09:26:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd pass along this recipe for a homemade mineral lick for deer. Here's a link to the eHow article: How to make Homemade Mineral Lick. In addition to deer feeders, it's very important to have an established deer mineral lick. I've used this recipe in the past, and it's proven it works. Not only do deer utilize it heavily, these supplement minerals provide alot of nutrition for the deer.

1 part Dicalcium Phosphate (dairy feed additive, comes in 50lb bags. You'll need one)
2 parts trace mineral salt (loose) (50lb bags, buy two)
1 part loose stock salt. (50lb bags, buy one)

Makes around 200lbs, you can usually make two or three mineral licks with the ingredients.

All of these are available to purchase at most local feed and farm supply stores. You can use a 3-lb coffee can for the measurements. Clear 3-ft circle of ground of any leaves, debris, etc. Also, you can use a rake or shovel to break up the ground, so the minerals get soaked into the soil.

Dicalcium phosphate is used primarily as dairy cattle feed additive and other animal feeds. It promotes feed digestion, weight gain, and milk production, which is obviously beneficial to a lactating doe deer. Dicalcium phosphate contains roughly between 18 and 21 percent phosphorus and 19 to 23 percent calcium.

Dicalicium phospate is great for antler growth because antlers are consist of large amounts of calcium and phosphorous.

Trace minerals contains salt, which is an attractant, but also contains magnesium and potassium. These minerals also help the deer herd health.

This should be replenished after 6 months and then once a year thereafter. Most use seems to be during the spring and summer months on mineral licks. It's a good idea to keep these areas replenished and stocked in the same spot to maintain use. I like to put mine out in March. Also, it's nice to have this mineral spot close to water.

Good luck hunting!!

Why you should not bet facebook friends on football!!

2009-12-11T16:07:00.000-06:00

This is a perfect example of why you shouldn't bet on football. This guy told all his facebook friends, that the Washington Redskins would beat the New Orlean Saints. He told them if New Orleans won, they could come over and shoot his TV. Well, Saints won in overtime. 33-30. Several truckloads of drunk rednecks show up with pistols, shotguns, semi-automatic rifles, and even automatic rifles to pay a visit to his big screen TV.

Bowhunter shooting skeet!

2009-11-30T15:03:00.000-06:00

I wouldn't say he's the greatest archer of all time, but looks like the guy can shoot!! I came across this bow shooting video. I'm not sure if this is real or fake, but if it's real very impressive. This guy from Kansas can straight up shoot, whether it be bow or gun. Very impressive skeet shooting with a compound bow. It looks like he uses some sort of custom skeet thrower. Check this video out!!

StruttinBucks knocks down a BIG Illinois Buck!!

2009-11-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

Heath and Brandon went up to Illinois this past week. They only hunted a few days and knocked down a big Illinois buck. This will be on Season 3 of StruttinBuck Outdoor Reality TV show. They got some great footage, so check it out this upcoming year.

I won the lottery!!...well maybe not the lottery but still I won something!!

2009-11-04T13:16:00.000-06:00

I'm the type of guy that always misses giveaways by one number or one person, but this time I actually won!!
Ben, over at Ben G. Outdoors, put on a Reader Appreciation Giveway a few weeks ago , and I was one of the lucky winners!! I won second place, which was a hoodie from Warrior Outdoors. He also gave away several other great prizes including several Rack Attack DVDs from Warrior Outdoors, Muck Boots from Hank's Clothing, and a Magnet Gun Caddy.

Big thanks to Ben for putting this giveaway on. Stop by and check out his site Ben G. Outdoors, he's always got some great articles!!

I'm addicted!! I need help!!

2009-11-02T17:13:00.000-06:00

Image by Tiago Rïbeiro via Flickr

Please help!! I have a serious issue. This addiction started so fast I didn't see it coming. First use, was recreational. Now I just can't get enough of it....I find myself using while at work, while I suppose to be working around the house...I even sneak a hit or two in between TV shows at night. Any suggestions for help? I'm sure there is a support group that I could find somewhere. The drug is easy to come by, and even has a free option. By the way, my drug of choice is Google Earth!! I've looked at so many hunting places I'm pretty sure I have them memorized. I'm leaving for Kansas Friday, so hopefully I can bag a good buck, and take a break for awhile!!

Kids remember drugs are bad and will ruin your life. Try hunting and fishing, they both have great adrenaline rushes, and hunting and fishing trips can become some of your best memories!!

Bowhunting Blog - Check this Out! What an Amazing Whitetail Buck Mount!

2009-10-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

Trying to decide what kind of mount you should get with your next trophy, check this mount out at Bowhunting Blog!! Not only is it a really sweet mount, the rack isn't half bad either :)

Bowhunting Blog - Check this Out! What an Amazing Whitetail Buck Mount!

Online scouting and hunting tools

2009-10-28T12:16:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Well, thank goodness for the internet!! Guess we should all thank Al Gore for creating it :)

Free online hunting tools!! Gotta love them!!

If you're like me, I love to hunt different places in my home state, but also do some hunting out of state. I've got work, family, etc. so time to scout on foot is very limited. So I do alot of pre-scouting using a variety of tools. Using these tools can drastically reduce the areas that you need to scout on foot. You can locate pinch-points, funnels, saddles, foodplots, etc. and then just put the locations on your gps and away you go.

Here are some of the tools that I use:

1) Google Earth - http://earth.google.com
Good aerial photos, and just a cool application to use. Offers maps and satellite images for complex or pinpointed regional searches. You can use GPS coordinates for searches

2) ACME Mapper 2.0 - http://mapper.acme.com/
Uses Google Maps, but also includes different map types including TOPO and DOQ types.

3) USAPhotomaps - http://jdmcox.com
USAPhotomaps downloads all the data to my pc so I don't need internet. satellite, topo, and gps support. It works flawlessly but, it is a front end for Terra Server and therefor, the satellite pics are not quite as good. I have it on my laptop, so I use it in camp when I don't have internet. This tool was created by an individual so I donated to help his cause, since it's some good software.

4) State Wildlife Maps - Many of the states wildlife agencies have maps of there public ground, so check those out as well. I often use a combination of these tools.
Here are a few states that have online maps available:
Kansas - http://kdwp.state.ks.us/
Arkansas - http://www.agfc.com
Missouri - http://mdc.mo.gov/

If you want to print off some topographical maps of your hunting ground, check out MyTopo.com

Feel free to comment on some tools that you use!! Good luck hope these tools help you!!

Heading to Kansas!!

2009-10-22T14:36:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

Well, I'm heading to Kansas in the morning. I know it's early, but I've got some free time, and since the tags aren't cheap. I figure I better try my hardest and spend as much time as I can up there. I'm just going for a couple days, but hoping to catch some early pre-rut action. It looks like it's going to be some good weather, hopefully I can have some good encounters, and come back with a Kansas giant!! I'll keep ya posted!!

Taking the wife hunting....Lord, give me Patience

2009-10-20T11:08:00.000-05:00

Well, after my bear hunting debacle this year, my hunting has been slow!! I took my wife muzzleloading this past saturday. And of course, we get in a little spat before we go. I can tend to think she should know everything about hunting, and I'm not very patient anyway. But I'm working on it, so give me a break. After she got me lined out, we kissed and made up, and heading to the stand. We saw a few does, and she wanted to shoot one, but I had mercy for them, until they snorted at us. I told her to shoot one, but she didn't think I was serious. The way I look at it is if those does want to act stupid, then I'll let the air out of them :) We got some good video of them though. They came into the food plot around 5:30pm and left at dark. They were chowing down on Austrian winter peas mixed with Biologic Green Patch Plus. She didn't get to put anything on the ground, but we still had a great time watching the deer, and spending time together.

Bushnell Trophy Cam = Fast Trigger = Great Game Camera Pics

2009-10-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Here are some game camera pics from my Bushnell Trophy Cam game camera. I'll try and keep posting some pictures as the year goes along. Hopefully, I can post some big buck pictures in the future. The year is a little slow so far. This camera was setup on just a deer trail. No corn or any other attractant. As you can see the camera triggered before the deer even got to full frame. I've used Moultrie game cameras in the past, and while they've been good over feeders, I've never gotten a great trigger speed out of the Moultrie game cameras. But I've usually gotten the$100-$150 range cameras from Moultrie. I do not know how the higher end cameras perform. But so far, I love this new Bushnell Trophy Cam!! These pictures are taken using the 3-megapixel setting. It has a 5-megapixel setting also. Hope you enjoy the pics!!

A must have for easy access to your binoculars and rangefinder

2009-10-09T16:34:00.000-05:00

If you're like me having access to your optics is a must. I can't tell you how many times I've been digging around in my backpack while on the stand trying to get my rangefinder or binoculars, before the deer gets out of site. Well, I finally purchased the Crooked Horn Outfitters Bino-System. It's a harness that holds your binoculars and/or rangefinder close to your body, and out of the way if you're bowhunting. I hate binoculars hanging around my neck so these let your shoulders do the supporting. Check them out at Bass Pro Shops.

What binoculars do you guys use? I'm in need of some new hunting binoculars. I've been looking at the Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 binoculars pretty hard!! Nikon binoculars have a great reputation and great reviews. Hopefully, I'll have me a new pair of Nikon Monarch bincoculars by Christmas! (Hint: Christmas present)

What to do when mosquitos are eating you alive when deer hunting?

2009-10-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

This past week was the start of Arkansas archery season. I was sitting in my stand doing some bear hunting, and swatting at mosquitoes. I got to thinking about a hunt I had a few years back when I really thought I was going to die from all the mosquitoes sucking my blood out. Me and my brother-in-law were trying to drag the deer out of the swamp, but it was just muddy, and thick, and seemed like we just stirred up the mosquitoes worse. So I came up with a better plan, it seemed like a good idea at first...Here's the video

Bears and Big Buck - things are looking GOOD!!

2009-10-05T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well, second day was uneventful. Bears had hit the bait at night, but nothing during daylight hours. So on the 3rd day I decided to hunt on the bear stand all day. That morning around 9am I heard something to my left and saw a deer moving behind me. I noticed antlers right away. He was about 60-70 yards away, of course, since I was on the bear stand I wasn't prepared to see any deer, so I didn't have a grunt call or anything. Plus he was heading away from me, and don't think it would have helped. He looked to be around 120" deer, hopefully I can catch up with him later. Saw another smaller buck on the same trail about 30 minutes later. No

bears came into the stand so I decided to get down at 11, and go to camp and get some lunch. I climbed back up into my stand at 1:45 and noticed the barrel had been moved, and two fresh piles of bear crap right in front of my camera. I couldn't believe it. I've sat in the stand for several hours, and took a small break and they come in. I was upset to say the least, so I figured that was going to be it, so I took a nap. I woke up to something running down the hill. I couldn't believe it. Two bears coming in!! My heart started pounding!! Turned the video camera on..grabbed bow. I realized these were two smaller bears probably around 175-200lbs, definitely not the big ones I had on camera, but I decided I'd try and take one. I setting my pin, and shot....right over it's back!! I thought it was just nerves, they didn't spook, so I grabbed another arrow, gathered my composure, released another arrow..WHACK, no that wasn't a whack of hitting the bear I had shot high again perfectly nailing the 55-gallon drum. One of the bear ran one way another the other way..at this point I'm so rattled I don't know that the problem is...I get another arrow, last one might I add, the bear comes in again to try and meet up with the other. So I shot again, and yes you guessed it..right over it AGAIN!! They finally left, so I got down got my arrows and climbed back up. I decided my sights must have been knocked off, so I shot at a spot on the ground, and I was correct. I was over a foot high at 20 yards, so I'm guessing either bumped it on the four wheeler or bumped the sights when pulling it up the tree. Needless to say, I'm still feeling rejected over it...but it was exciting and fun, and that is bowhunting!! Going to shoot my bow right now to see where the problem is!! Here is a couple pics of the bears before I attempted to shoot one of them :)

Arkansas Bow Season Day One

2009-10-05T11:38:00.001-05:00

It's finally here!! Arkansas Archery Season started on October 1st. I've spent alot of time this year preparing for trying to kill my first black bear with my bow. I'll post more about in a coming post, but the plan was to hunt for whitetails in the morning then get on the bear stand around noon. Opening morning, I was sitting in one of my favorite tree stands. It's on a point with two good draws running on both sides of it with a clearcut just a 100 yards away. There are alot of acorns dropping in the area, so I thought it'd be a perfect place to be opening morning. I was walking into my stand that morning, and I was about 10 yards from my stand, and I look up and see two BIG red eyes staring at me. It was right at my mineral lick. I just knew it was a BIG bear, and then my mind starting thinking it was a sow with cubs that's why she's not running away, so as I'm trying to think of how fast I'm going to run away, I realized that I had my headlamp on the led red light, so I clicked it to regular white light, and it was a big doe standing there looking at me. It's funny how your mind can make you think some crazy things. I had to laugh at myself for that. The doe ended up walking closer to me, and never spooked just walked by. Later on that morning, I had a another doe come in, and I thought about shooting her but decided I'd pass, and try and get one later. I did find some new rubs, so I'll probably try and get back in there in a week or so. The bear stand that afternoon was uneventful, didn't see anything.

Bowhunting Blog - HUGE North Dakota buck taken by Bow!

2009-10-05T11:19:00.001-05:00

It's that time again!! I love this time of year. Nothing like getting your juices flowing than seeing these giants shot!! Congrats to Jon Skalicky for arrowing a buck of a lifetime!!
Bowhunting Blog - HUGE North Dakota buck taken by Bow!

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Arkansas River Valley rich with hunting opportunities

2009-09-22T11:30:00.001-05:00

Arkansas River Valley rich with hunting opportunities … more

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Bushnell Trophy Cam Pics

2009-09-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post a few pictures from my new Bushnell Trophy Game Camera that I bought this year. I love the camera. It takes color pictures during day, and no-flash IR pictures at night. When taking infrared pictures at night, a little red light comes on then goes off that's it. I'm got it setup on my bear site right now, but I moved it earlier this week, so hopefully I'll be posting some pics of a big buck next week.