On the Ground Outdoors

Do you own a gun?

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Glad to post again. Been real busy lately with Mr. Bob's Chuckwagon Sauce & Spice . I got this message in an email this morning. Thought the best way for me to send this out is to post it here. Please read the info and decide for yourself how dangerous this could possibly be...for everyone.

"Do you own a gun?

Very Important that you read this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To read more about this, go to SNOPES and put in "gun cotrol bills".

Federal law requiring disclosure of all guns on your tax forms

Below is a back-door federal approach to national gun registration. It will be passed administratively and won't even require a vote by Congress.

Remember, the socialist takeover CANNOT succeed without disarming the public. This is step one; a national list of who has what guns.

Subject: senate bill SB-2099 / amendment to internal revenue act of 1986

Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own.. It may require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun.

This bill was introduced on Feb. 24. This bill will become public knowledge 30 days after it is voted into law. This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act of 1986. This means that the Finance Committee can pass this without the Senate voting on it at all..

The full text of the proposed amendment is on the U.S. Senate homepage, http://www.senate.gov/ You can find the bill by doing a search by the bill number, SB-2099.

You know who to call; I strongly suggest you do. Please send a copy of this e-mail to every gun owner you know.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text

Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply.

It has started.

Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.

Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the government is trying to fly it under the radar.

To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information.

Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:

-It is registered

-You are fingerprinted

-You supply a current Driver's License

-You supply your Social Security #

-You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing

- Each update - change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25 - Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.

- There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.

-They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.

If you think this is a joke - go to the website and take your pick of many options to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along.

Any hunters in your family, pass this along.

This is just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense - chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it.

This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not.

If you take my gun, only the criminal will have one to use against me. HR 45 only makes me/us less safe.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.45:

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/show

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-45

Please.... copy and send this out to EVERYONE

I usually do not blog for political reasons, but thought this could be a really big deal. Please come back by when you can...we have started preparing for deer season (archery) and also working on handloads for a fall Montana trip.

Jeff

On the Ground

Whitetail Woods: Savory Sunday's - #25

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 10:26:00 +0000

Good day! Rick Kratzke posted this recipe over at Whtetail Woods and I thought it sounded pretty good. Please enjoy.

Whitetail Wo ods: Savory Sunday's - #25

Deer season is approaching fast and I am already behind in getting ready. Too hot to scout, and to shoot too much for that matter. It is defintely time to work on my plan of attack though. Whew! So much to do. Gotta get started.

Check back as we begin to at least work on stands and hunting blinds in the next couple weeks.

Thanks for coming by.

Jeff

on the ground outdoors

Sponsored by Mr. Bob's Chuckwagon, Sauce & Spice

New hunting book NOW available!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:57:00 +0000

This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Wm. Hovey Smith, an outdoor writer, near Dublin, Georgia. While at a local gun shop, a friend and I were working on our plans for our upcoming Georgia alligator season. A gentleman approached from the store and jumped right in the conversation, and really seemed to know alot about hunting gators. In fact, Mr. Smith seemed to have a pretty good grip on hunting in general.

Mr. Smith, as I found out, was working his way around announcing his new book, "Backyard Deer Hunting". From the author's website, "Backyard Deer Hunting: Coverting deer to dinner for pennies per pound was written to meet a need to providing information on how to find, kill and ultimately eat deer and other game animals as inexpensively as possible. Rather than being about trophy animals, the object of this book is to shoot and process game for food....". Also, "With the 2008 economic downturn, the need for such a book became increasingly apparent".

Please take a minute and stop by Mr. Smith's website, http://www.hoveysmith.com/ and see what he has to offer. Too, Mr. Smith publishes a blog that may be of interest to you, http://hoveysmith.wordpress.com/ .

Thanks for coming by the blog today. Gator season is fast approaching....and we are really hoping for those gator tags with our names.

Jeff

On the Ground

PS. I am positive that fried gator tail will be a real treat with

Mr. Bob's Chuckwagon Grillin Sauce.

We are what we leave behind.....

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:04:00 +0000

I have learned that one of the strongest impacts we can have upon those around us is the legacy we leave behind. Wikipedia defines legacy simple as, "Something someone is remembered as".... that's a lot to take in. If we could breakdown our outdoor lives into one sentence, what would it be.....?

We should recognize that our outdoor/hunting experiences are very precious. The memories of early mornings and late night camp fires....ancient hunting cabins and barbecue pits.......meat poles and deer kill log books. I am thankful for having been invited along from an early age.

Our family recently lost a gentleman that understood these ideas. My wife's Grandfather, Mr. Wood, was a Georgia outdoorsman...always looking for a creek to fish, or a trot line to work. In his younger days, Mr. Wood was known for taking kids fishing. When Mr. Wood passed away, there were flowers delivered, signed only..."from all the little boys you taught to fish". If I could choose one sentence to describe my outdoor legacy, this would be a contender.. Mr. wood left an outdoors legacy all over the county he lived in (for 90 years).

I believe our outdoor future lies in the hands and hearts of the youth....and the youth will only take up outdoors pursuits if they are invited into the "tribe".... Take a kid hunting/fishing and add to that legacy you are leaving.

I thank you for coming by the blog today for a visit. Please stop in again soon.

Jeff

On the Ground

Please visit:

http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/

http://home.nra.org

Mr. Wood with two nice bass!

Frying wild turkey strips

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:19:00 +0000

Hey, check out our article on frying wild turkey strips. Everyone is different, so please send us your recipes to onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com . We'll post them here too!

Thanks for looking today. Here's the link to the article:

http://www.squidoo.com/chuckwagonsauce

Jeff

on the ground

NRA position on Judge Sotomayor

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:28:00 +0000

For information regarding the position of the NRA on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the supreme court, please goto http://home.nra.org/#/home . Check out the full article.

Here's a sample:

"We believe any individual who does not agree that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental right and who does not respect our God-given right of self-defense should not serve on any court, much less the highest court in the land. Therefore, the National Rifle Association of America opposes the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the position of associate justice of the United States Supreme Court."

Please, if you are not an NRA member, consider becoming one. Now. Come back by the blog when you can spend more time with us.

Thanks

Jeff

On the Ground Outdoors

Whitetail Scouting

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 02:30:00 +0000

The time has come to start our scouting for deer season. Granted, it's way to hot in middle Georgia to be to far in the woods, but my trail cam does not mind a bit. Here's a great idea I came across on another blog for a feeder to get those whitetails to better pose for our pictures. Check it out and enjoy. http://whitetailwoods.blogspot.com/2009/07/inexpensive-gravity-fed-deer-feeders.html

Thanks for stopping in the blog today. Please come by when you have plenty of time, and please take someone you care about with you the next time you get to go outdoors.

Jeff

On the Ground

ps. remember to bookmark our blog, or send us a note for updates at onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com

Grilling outdoors makes for a great time!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 01:32:00 +0000

There are several seasons throughout the year that are near to my heart...deer season, turkey season, trout season, and of course grillin season. I do not love the heat of summer, but I sure love the heat and smell coming off a hot grill. I have found and interesting article about grilling over at Squidoo, (articles there are called lenses). Here's a sample, "To barbecue chicken, bring the grill to a high temperature, then put your chicken on the grill, bone side down. This helps get the chicken cooking internally. After a few minutes, lower the heat. Now you can grill your chicken as usual and the lower heat will keep it from burning."

For more information and grilling tips, goto http://www.squidoo.com/grillingandchilling .

As we go thru the summer, I will post more articles regarding outdoor cooking. Hunting may be kind of slow in the summer, but the eatin isn't too bad. Come back soon and stay a while.

Thanks

Jeff

On the Ground

Links

Jeff Barwick

Create Your Badge

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:31:00 +0000

My friend, Justin Brouillard, in Vermont, had a great turkey hunt. Thought I would pass on the link to his site, and a picture, too.

"At the last minute, we changed out plans from Bass Fishing, To going hunting again. Well we have not even heard a gobble since may 2nd, besides one day. The season has been rough and exhausting."

Check out the whole story at Justin's blog. Justin Brouillard Outdoors

Vermont turkey hunt is a success!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:46:00 +0000

I just got back from a great turkey hunting trip to Vermont! Our field staff took 3 birds during this trip, and got some great video footage too. Here is the story of one of those birds....and likely the most exciting. Read on.....

Brian and I went out together on his property (having no breakfast or COFFEE) to find us a turkey. Earlier in the week we had called in several birds and really talked it up with some hens, so we knew there were birds in the area.

We set up and called for a couple hours but heard nothing. The wind was horrible this morning and I thought we might do better to move to a lower, more sheltered area to call from. We moved a few hundred yards down the hill towards a huge green field, even checking the field. Finding a really nice open area in some hardwoods, we thought we might as well take a chance and start calling. (what we really wanted to do was walk back to the house and brew coffee).

After nearly an hour of purrs and clucks, I saw a bird cross way down in front of us. Shortly, a second bird crossed the opening......this one had a red head...YEAH!

I whispered to Brian that there was a gobbler out in front and looked like he might be coming to us. Getting ready, Brian could only get glimpses as the hens walked by.....the gobbler moving along behind them. I could not see any of the birds from my position....a great problem for the camera man, huh?

As the hens passed by in a thicket, the gobbler stopped...but behind some trees. As luck would have it, I gave a couple of clucks at the right moment and the bird raised his head.....right into Brian's sights. I did get the shot portion of the hunt on video..right up to the point where Bri said he missed the turkey. Walking down the hill, we found the gobbler in a depression in the ground about 32 yards from our shooting position...DEAD,DEAD,DEAD.

Whew, that was a tense couple of minutes. Never fails with us though, we never catch the easy break....as the birds came by us in the thickest area they could have, and we got no footage of the kill. The hunt though was superb. We faced the nasty weather, silent birds, and tough terrain....we stuck it out and got our chance at a tom.

This gobbler turned out to be a Vermont Jake weighing 12 pounds,10 ounces and carrying a 5&1/8 inch beard.

Brian and I could not believe what had happened....all the way back to the house...and while going to the Vermont game check in station (R&L Archery)...we kept reliving the hunt. One of the coolest parts of this hunt.....because Bri has shoulder trouble he only uses a 2&3/4 in shell. He shot the bird with a 2&3/4 in turkey load from a Remington 870 Supermagnum.....and destroyed that birds head at 32 yards. Very neat.

Later, while dressing this turkey Brian and I talked about our time in the woods together....there's never enough of it.....and even fewer hunts that went like the one we had today. I'll say this was one of he best days I have ever had in the woods......the fried turkey and Mr. Bob's Chuck Wagon Sauce that night made it a perfect day.

Thanks for hunting with us today. Always remember to never give up on a hunt.....never doubt a Remington....and hunt with your brother every chance you can find. Honestly, this hunt will go with us forever...and it happened in spite of that cup of coffee.

Links of interest:

Vermont Dept of Fish and Wildlife

R&L Archery

Jeff

On the Ground

Jeff and Bri at R&L Archery, checking in our bird.

On the Ground Outdoors in Vermont!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:05:00 +0000

I got an email early this week from my friend, Justin BROUILLARD, in Vermont, about a turkey that was killed this past weekend. Justin tells the story better than I can. Here is the link, please follow and enjoy.

http://justinbrouillard.blogspot.com/2009/05/day-2-and-3.html

Thanks for stopping by. On the Ground Outdoors field staff will be hunting in Vermont all next week for those great thunder chickens. Yeah!

Jeff

On the Ground

Send us your hunting stories!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:10:00 +0000

Please send a note to onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com if you'd like to be added to our email update lists. We'd be happy to hook you up. If you have a story of your own you'd like to send over please go ahead...we love stories about kids and hunting, families hunting, or just anything hunting.

Thanks for checking in, come back when you can.

Jeff

On the Ground

Turkey season comes to Vermont!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sun, 03 May 2009 11:40:00 +0000

The youth only weekend hit Vermont last week and many youngsters got a chance at their first bird. My nephew Ethan guided for a young fellow named Patrick, and a bird went down. (solid video footage obtained). Also, some folks hunting with Justin Brouillard also had some luck. Justin's blog tells the story better than I can, so here's the link. http://justinbrouillard.blogspot.com/2009/04/youth-weekend-recap.html

Please stop in there and see those "first time turkey killers". Congrats to you guys!

These kids hunting is what our traditions are all about. Hunting with them now will give them a strong base in their lives ahead. Building these memories is not cheap, but they'll be utterly priceless when the youth become the seniors.

Thanks for stopping in. Please come back for a read anytime.

Jeff

On the Ground

On the Ground Outdoors finds another Longbeard!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Last week, after my nephew Ethan had left, I went after a great looking turkey we had been seeing. Almost daily, we had seen this bird in a green field near my home. Ethan had seen the bird a few mornings before just after daylight, in full strut. The gobbler only hung around for a couple of minutes then returned to the woods (probably to a waiting hen). The bird did somewhat respond to E's calling, but did not come closer than about 100 yards. Ethan did note for me where the bird entered the field.

I scouted the field a couple of evenings in a row after the birds had roosted. Mainly, I was looking for tracks and scratch marks & strut marks. I had found some pretty good scratchings both days in a row in the same place...so I found a place to set up my blind and made arrangements to be back the next day.

Early the next day, I woke up to a light rain, but really strong winds. I walked from my home to my hunting blind listening to the howling wind. As daylight broke, I could hear trees breaking and limbs falling. The blind was barely able to remain standing in the high wind........I nearly went back home. I did get my nerve up to stay (I had seen no lightning yet), and I set up Ethan's Primos Jake Mobile decoy near the scratch marks (about 18 yards). Shortly after daylight, I did a fly down cackle and rapidly flopped my hat back and forth (to simulate a bird coming out of a tree). I repeated this action once more. In a couple of minutes I had a gorgeous Tom in full strut at 80 yards....I still do not know exactly where he came from....but he brought a young Jake with him.

The gobbler strutted and walked back and forth for a long time, gobbling every now and again. He could easily see my Jake decoy, but not the "hidden hen" that he could hear. The bird would gobble and I would purr and cluck really soft. Twice, the bird turned to walk away (with the Jake) and I would begin cutting (rapid and irregular clucking) loudly. When I would turn it up the bird would turn and again approach my position (he was still at 75 yards).

The Jake was out in front of the Tom, approaching my Jake decoy, bringing the gobbler along slowly. As the Jake finally got near the decoy, the big boy started running in. At 20 yards he stopped.............................15 seconds later I was holding my bird.

Wow, what a hunt! I only wish my hunting team could have been with me. Ethan, Brian, Will, and Farrell......Justin Town and Justin Brouillard too, it would have been great to have you guys there. The bird was awesome. He had a 10 inch beard and 5/8 in spurs.

Thanks for hunting with us today. Get out there with some folks you care about and hunt....and more importantly, build in that time together that you will always treasure.

Jeff

Hunt Our Heritage One Memory at a Time

Ethan strikes in 2009

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:19:00 +0000

This season keeps on getting better and better! After I killed my bird (story below), our friend Farrell was able to take a great gobbler…..10inch beard with 1in spurs. I do not have “the whole story”, but I do have a couple good pictures for you.

The morning after Farrell got his bird, Ethan and I were hunting together in that same field, and we had some action. When we could see dogwood trees down through the woods, Ethan did a fly down cackle call, and flopped his hat back and forth……..and got gobbles right back. Wow, seemed like it was starting off with a bang!

Quickly, we had 4 jakes walking in, and gobbling their heads off. These birds came in and walked around our decoy set up (Primos Jake Mobile and a hen decoy). I told Ethan to kill the larger bird, but he wanted to pass….hoping for a larger Tom. We did not ever see that larger Tom, but the Jakes put on quite a show…..and I got a good bit of it on video…to be presented here upon editing. The morning ended with no shot. These jakes stayed around the field area for quite a while, all the time gobbling back at Ethan's calling. Man, this morning was really fun to be a part of.

Fast forward a few days…..(mid-Ga suffered torrential rains for a couple days and really hampered our hunting) and Ethan and I are walking to that same field to hunt an afternoon. We eased around a bend in the road and gave a few yelps…but got nothing. Ethan was able to make out a hen feeding about 75 yards away thru some pines (the birds were already feeding at the spot we intended to set up). We could not tell what kind of birds we were watching, so we circled out wide around them thru some planted pines and hit another part of the road that would give us a much better look into the field. Soon, we were looking at 3 hens feeding. We did not want to get busted by the hens, so we inched very slowly towards the field, looking hard for a hiding Tom….and he was there. I thought one of the birds looked larger and darker than the hens.

Oddly, the hens began feeding our way and were soon going to be in our lap. I told Ethan to kneel and get ready for a shot, hoping the bird I thought was a gobbler would come as well. The hens were quick to pick us out in the open road, and one by one began to take off thru the woods. The last bird looked to have a red head but we could see no beard. Ethan clucked loudly at the bird….when he stopped his head was up and we saw a beard…..I seemed to be giving stage directions…so I said he’s got a beard, kill him. The shot was spot on, in fact, it was the exact distance at which we had patterned Ethan's shotgun when he arrived in Georgia....and the bird caught a heavy dose. Unfortunately, the shot had to be taken thru some pretty thick bushes, and I was not able to capture the end of the hunt on tape. The audio of the hunt will tell the tale.

The Tom turned out to be a nice Jake with a 4 inch beard, but man were we proud to have him. This was an exciting hunt. Ultimately, we would rather have called him, but sometimes, you have to go out and shoot one.

The video will detail the emotions in this hunt and how thankful we were to have taken a nice bird. Each year, when Ethan and I hunt turkeys and are able to take birds, we make a trip to the cemetery to place a wing feather at my father's head stone. Leaving the feathers is always an emotional event and quite serious as Ethan never had the opportunity to hunt with his Grand Dad....and we both miss dad very much. Our time together is becoming more and more important each season, and hunting is a powerful link to our collective past.

We had a turkey feast the next evening, fried turkey with Cracker Girl Original Spicy seasoning. Now that was fantastic eating.

Thanks for stopping by to hunt with us. The Georgia turkey season is a long one, and we'll keep after those longbeards.

Jeff

On the Ground Outdoors

Farrell's bird (very wet weather)

Georgia Turkey "On the Ground"

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:51:00 +0000

Turkey season in Georgia has started, and the first few days have been pretty good. This article relates our hunting efforts for the first 4 days. Video footage is soon to follow.

The opening morning (Saturday) I hunted with Farrell Landrum.....we began morning on a hardwood ridge with birds gobbling very near.... right at daylight. There were several birds, and we saw a couple fly down.

Early, we heard some birds working towards our position, but no gobbling. Soon, 3 birds showed up, a 2 year old tom and two hens. These birds walked right to us and to our decoys. We got some low qual footage. Farrell decided to shoot the tom, but the bird had already left our decoy area. I got the shot on film, but we did not get our bird.

After the shot, we looked for the bird. Then decided to hunt longer at the same spot as we could still hear more birds nearby. Sure enough, 3 more birds came to our location....3 young jakes, w/ 1 inch beards. These birds too walked right to our decoy setup. We did get a few minutes of high quality footage of these birds, but passed on shooting the youngsters.

Saturday afternoon, hunting alone on our turkey food plots, I setup a hen decoy and got in the blind. After only about 20 minutes of light calling, , clucks and purring, I heard birds walking towards my position. Over my left shoulder, 2 toms were looking into the food plot, but they would not come in. I did get a few seconds of low qual footage, as I was using the gun cam only. The birds walked parallel to my position, all along I was thinking they were going to work into the food plot. They did not, and walked off.

I did get to listen to several birds roost in the area at dark, though none would answer my owl calls.

Sunday morning, Farrell and I started out at the same food plot from above, and heard several different gobblers, but when the hens started, the toms hushed and flew down walking away with the hens. We decided to walk and call.

About 10:15am, we caught up with a strutting tom in the creek bottom, across the creek. We saw him first at about 70 yards, in full strut. We dropped down in the mud and tried to work out a plan. First we tried to just call him towards our spot......he only needed to further his approach by about 25 yards in order to be close enough for a shot (he had to come to the far creek bank). He would strut but not budge. He did GOBBLE a couple of times. But, when we heard a hen cluck, the bird came out of strut and disappeared.

I knew they were headed to a big wheat field above the creek, so we decided to go farther up stream and cross over to get ahead of them in he field. Turns out we over shot him by 200 yards. He went to the field for sure, but only a little ways in....to strut and keep close to the hen. We thought we should move closer, so back to the creek we went, and came back to the field closer to the bird.....not close enough. we did get the hen to yelp back to us, but the gobbler still strutted, and would not leave her. I thought we should put a move on the tom, but when I tried to sneak close enough, we found out that he had another 4 or 5 hens with him that we had neither seen nor heard. Busted!

Monday afternoon, I setup in the bend in the road between 2 food plots, set up a decoy and began calling. Not too long after, here came 2 hens, right to my set up. The lead hen walked to about 15yards from the decoy, then walked to my right, around my blind. If she recognized me as a threat, she never spooked, but rather gave a few soft yelps and fed off thru some planted pines. I never saw what happened to the other hen

Later, I heard footsteps, turning around I saw a nice whitetail doe. Turns out there were 4 deer, and they were enamered with the decoy, bobbing their heads up and down at the decoy, and perking up when I would strike out a yelp on my slate call. No gobblers appeared and I only heard a couple birds fly up to roost. Oddly, I thought I heard one fly up in the planted pines.

Tuesday, March 24th, started with nothing. I heard several owls but no gobbles. I even used an owl call a couple of times but got no response. This hunt took place where the gobbler above, 3-22 was found strutting in the creek bottom. With no response, knowing I was hunting in the preferred strut zone of a gobbler, I picked a large tree and set up shop. I put up the stake blind and set out a hen decoy. Layed out a few calls and got ready. Shortly I used a Primos "Many Beards" triple reed call and gave a few clucks, then some light cutting. Two different gobblers sounded off in the creek, on much closer than the other. After only a couple rounds, he gobbled much closer.

Soon I saw the tom circling to my right, thru the timber and palmetto bushes. At about

30 yards he went behind some brush and I was able to turn to the right and line of the shot. When the bird came from behind the trees, he only moved a couple steps and stopped again. BANG!

I am really proud of this bird....it was my first tom that I called in myself...using a mouth call too.

Video to be posted soon!

Thanks for hunting with us for a couple days! Please come back and catch up with us as we are seriously chasing birds over the next several days.

Jeff

Hunting our Heritage One Memory at a Time

Turkey Season on the Horizon!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:24:00 +0000

The Georgia turkey season is coming fast.....March 21st....and I have started to get ready. My first task was to visit the Georgia Wildlife Federations, Great Outdoor Show (the Turkey-Rama), in Perry, Ga. I got to visit with and listen to the calls of many custom call makers. I even picked up a new slate call, as well as a new box call......time for practice.

Next, I plan to plant a couple food plots, and start a feeding program.....hopefully gather some trail cam pics as well.

Too, I can no longer ignore the physical fitness aspect of turkey hunting......lots of walking to get ready. So, I have started a walking / gliding program. I'll update the blog with progress reports as I go.

Soon, a couple mornings a week, daylight will be spent walking the creek bottom near my home and listening for birds coming off the roost. Hopefully, by the time March 21 gets here, I'll have a good idea where the gobblers are sleeping.

Please stay with me for the next few weeks as I get ready for turkey season. Then, as we get going, keep coming by the blog and hunt with me.

Thanks for coming by.

Jeff

On the Ground Outdoors

Hunting our Heritage, One Memory at a Time

Muzzleloader Buck...a production of K&J Barwick Enterprises, LLC

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 17:26:00 +0000

Georgia’s muzzleloader season has come and gone, and so has another buck! I was very fortunate to take 2 bucks this year, with my muzzleloader. More importantly, I took these two deer with my nephew, Ethan.

Midway thru the week the weather finally turned a little cooler, around 46 degrees, and we were out there ready to go. I dropped Ethan off at good spot where we had found a lot of acorns dropping, and I had previously killed a buck (2006), and I went about 120 yards farther down the creek bottom.

The spot I had scouted for myself was a small point of land, coming off a thicket, that leads deer easily to the creek area of the swamp. This point of land has several oak trees, white and water oaks mostly, and they were dropping nicely.

In the darkness, waiting for the woods to wake, you have time to think about many things. Too often, these thoughts take away from the hunt and are a distraction. Today, I was full of memories about those hunts of the past....and was very proud to be toting an old Buck 110 folder on my belt. Daylight came quickly this morning.

After daylight, I heard and saw a flock of turkeys down past my position, got them on video too. The turkeys passed out of sight and I heard footsteps to my immediate left. I couldn't turn and look for fear of it being a deer. Sure enough, it was a deer, but I could only get a skewed look from the side. White oak acorns were surely on the deer’s mind this day, because I could hear the acorns being crunched.

Behind my ground blind, I reached up and turned on my video camera, mounted to my rifle with a Deer Ridge Innovations Gun and Bow Camera Mount. The deer still had no idea I was there, and was feeding at about 9 yards from me. There was a big tree right next to the deer, but I could not tell from my angle if the deer would pass on the other side of the tree, or on my side. (the video really shows how hard I was breathing at this point). Thankfully, in just a moment the deer walked by on the other side of the tree….giving me a chance to raise the rifle and get ready. The first thing I saw come past the tree were antlers, then head and neck, and then chest…nothing else came past the tree because I shot very quickly. The buck dropped where he stood.

After checking out the buck, I walked down to get Ethan and start the work of getting my deer out of the woods. That was one happy kid when we reached my buck and this made me really glad that I squeezed the trigger. Sure, I used my second and last buck tag on this deer, but killing it with Ethan present made it a great day for me.

The video for this hunt will turn out great, though I only have about 5 seconds of live footage before the shot. Please check out the video and pictures. Ethan was very happy for my success, and gladly ran the video and still cameras to get some memories down for good.

Throughout our lives, change seems to constantly surround us and cause us to make alterations to our life plan. Suddenly, we grow apart from those we are supposed to be closest to, and see one another less and less over the years. Hunting, for us, has become the bridge that really joins us. Now, I make a concerted effort to hunt and fish with my guys (On the Ground, Outdoors Field Staff) several times a year. Also, throughout the rest of the year we stay in constant touch......trail cam photos and our theories take up alot of cell phone minutes. I would be lost without my hunting time with these guys.....Brian, Ethan, Will, and Farrell (all Field Staff). They have added more value to my life than they could possibly know. My advice, hunt with someone close to you, and you won't grow apart. Please enjoy the video and pictures......I hope they make you want to get out there after em'.

Thanks for hunting with us today. Please come back and we’ll go again. Good luck this season, and when you can take someone your close to hunting, it could be the best day of your season.

Jeff
Hunting Our Heritage, One Memory at a Time

On the Ground, Outdoors Strikes....Muzzleloader Buck

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 01:26:00 +0000

Georgia's muzzleloader season began on October 11th, and it was a good day! I picked up my nephew Ethan, at the airport around lunch and ran back home to try to get in a hunt before dark.

After dropping him off at a climber stand in water oaks, I headed to a lock-on stand also in water oaks that bordered a 3 year old clear cut. We were running late to hunt and it was warm and humid, as a result I wore no camo shirt or gloves or face mask....anything to ease the heat.

About 6:15 this spike walked out and broadside at about 40 yards. All I was really able to tell was he seemed to be a full grown deer, with "something" on his head. One shot from the Encore .50 cal and it was all over but the work.

Now, many folks would have let this "little" buck walk. A deer this large with only spikes does not need to be left in the herd. More importantly, Ethan came to Georgia to hunt deer with me...to me this means we were out there to kill deer together. I think he was more excited than I was. Indeed, this hunt will be with him forever, a memory has to be made....they do not just happen.

This deer hunt was also captured on video using a Deer Ridge Innovations Gun & Bow Camera Mount, purchased at the Georgia Wildlife Perry Buckarama. This article will be updated soon with that video.

Please come back and hunt with us soon, and please enjoy our videos.

Thanks,

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Black bear on a trail camera!!!!!!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:17:00 +0000

Everyone, please take a look at this bear picture. My nephew Ethan was fortunate enough to get this photo a few weeks ago. Our question is, is there anyone out there who can give a realistic estimate of weight and size? A couple thoughts, this is an August picture of a bear from mid-state Vermont.

Please, if you have an idea or thought, leave a comment on this article.

Thanks for the help, and have fun.

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Deer season is here!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:24:00 +0000

Finally, archery season has begun. I have only had a couple of chances to get out, but we have finally had a hint at "less hot weather" (if not cooler). I got out today for 3 to 4 hours and walked around a good bit, looking for sign. I was able to come up with a few white oak acorns and loads of water oaks.

Those water oaks will prove to be a good spot, and I have prepped a tree for a climber. This spot will come into play a little later when blackpowder season opens, in about 3 weeks, when my oldest nephew Ethan will come in from Vermont to hunt whitetail. Wish us luck, and check back to see how we did.

Thanks for checking in today. Come again and we'll hunt some more.

Jeff
On the Ground, Outdoors

Deer season almost here!

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:56:00 +0000

"Deer management. You have heard the words before, but what does it mean to you? To different people it means different things. To pure hunters, deer management revolves around harvest management. You either shoot to get the deer population down or you lay off the herd to let the numbers grow. Sure, harvest management should be an important part of any comprehensive deer management plan, but keep in mind that it’s not the only thing.It’s real easy to talk about deer management, but there is talking the talk and walking the walk. White-tailed deer, like all animals, have three primary needs: food, cover, and water. This seems easy enough, but there really is a big misconception among lots of folks about what deer actually eat. If you don’t already know that deer eat primarily forbs and browse, then you have some homework to do because the words “browse” and “forb” mean absolutely nothing to you. But it’s not a big deal because it’s relatively easy to learn about and research the important deer browse and forbs in your area. Once you know what deer eat, the next step is to figure out how to provide more of those foods through proper habitat management."

Great article at Buckmaster...check them out for the rest of this article.

Thanks for stopping in. Come again.....we'll be adding hunting video.....as soon as possible.

Jeff
On the Ground, Outdoors

White River, Vermont

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:25:00 +0000

My recent trip to fly fish took our group to the White River, near central Vermont. The White is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon. I have fished here many times before, but this time with fly tackle......and this trip was very special.....I was with my brother and his two sons. Now let me tell you, fly fishing is brand new to me, but these guys were born with a fly rod in one hand and an Orvis tattoo on the other arm. (They love this stuff).

The lesson learned on this river could be life altering. Here goes........While on the White, and other rivers in Vermont, Brian showed me many different types of aquatic life, especially mayfly and caddis nymphs under many rocks. Also, I was able to see a few stone fly nymphs.......(small mouth bass love to attack stone flys). The point is that every life in the river is there to serve another.....as food. The circle goes around and around. In fact, in a wider view, we can see the river itself as a living being, full of energy and power. Understanding our place in this landscape is the great lesson.

By learning about and participating in this "food chain", how much can be learned about the world we live in everyday? If every being in the river is food for another, what were we born to feed? What's our purpose?........ The food chain is a deep pond to leap into, but looking at the living river, a flow of water controlled by gravity, with the strength to be unchanged, unstopped, despite the best efforts of man.......I have discovered the river to be PATIENT, if nothing else. ..the water finds it's own place to exist.....it's own time....the determination a river must have.

The lesson I learned is that we only have one life time to create a legacy.....some sort of impact....the river has no such time limits......eons of time will pass and the water will still flow....cutting rock and earth....reshaping it's path.

The trip to the White culminated with William catching a fine rainbow trout......the video of his fish is below.

Fishing with these guys was a great trip. I learned plenty, and hope I taught a little.

Thanks for coming along on my fly fishing trip to Vermont, I hope you had a great time. Stop by again for more pics and stories from the Green Mountain State.

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Rainbows of Vermont

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:04:00 +0000

The waters of Vermont are clear and cold. This particular year has been very wet, and until just prior to my trip, most rivers and streams were virtually un-fishable. I was glad to find the water level had been dropping, although I believe the quality of the fishing was affected by all the recent rainfall.

Out of the gate, we started our fishing at Plainfield, Vermont. West of Plainfield, on Hwy. 2 we parked on the highway and dressed in waders and boots. Excited, the four of us made our way to the river. Brian has a favorite set of ripples on this section of water that seem to always produce a good fish………today was to be no exception.

I had fished Vermont waters years before, but not with fly tackle. Not knowing what to tie on, I first used a tungsten bead caddis pupa wet fly. The general idea was to cast across the current and let the fly drift downstream and down in front of yourself. The trick is that you have to “mend” your line up river of the fly to create a realistic drift of that fly, (here’s a great article describing mending). I made several casts and picked up the technique, somewhat, pretty quick. The idea is to make that cast and drift several times, hoping for a bite. After a few tries with no bite, I’d move down river a few steps and begin the process over again, basically trying to locate the feeding zone of a trout. I did manage one bite, but no hook up.

My oldest nephew, Ethan, fishing the same ripple I was, did manage to hook up on a nice rainbow and land the fish. We took several pictures of this trout before release. I learned that these wild trout don’t want to leave……we pulled the trout back and forth thru the water several times to aid in oxygenation, and yet when totally released, the fish stayed right there. During the week long trip I saw this repeated many times, and was always amazed.

The reason for this trip was fulfilled almost immediately.....on our first excursion, as darkness overtook the land, as the air became suddenly cooler, Ethan hooked into this fish. I think both of us will remember his fish for a long time.

Thanks for coming by the blog, stop by again and check out the next installment of our fly fishing expedition to Vermont. Coming soon, we'll post some fishing video that really shows some beautiful water in Vermont.

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Jeff's fly fishing journal...a week in Vermont.

onthegroundoutdoors@gmail.com (jeff barwick) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 02:15:00 +0000

My trip is finally almost here!!!!!!!!! yeah!

Shortly, I have a trip scheduled to go to Vermont and fly fish for a week. This trip has been on my radar for a long time now, and I have been trying to get out here in Georgia and fish all I can this summer to get prepared. My plans are to chronicle the trip day by day here on the blog, with still photos. When I return, I will quickly have video footage online to further document the action on the trip.

I am truly excited to get in the Green Mountain State and chase some trout. I cannot wait to get into the cold water streams and rivers, running clear and clean. Also, the dark shade of the Vermont woods and timber will be a welcomed change from the heat and humidity of Georgia. I have included a picture of the results of some practice.

Traditionally, we start each AM off in pursuit of coffee....so I will also start off each day with you, tagging along, looking for a cup of Joe. From there I hope to take you to the White, the Winooski, and the Dog rivers. Too, still water fishing at Greenwood lake in Woodbury, Vt. will be a treat, too.

Please check back in the next few weeks and catch up with us on our expedition. Too, be sure to stop by the blog to look over our fly fishing videos.

Thanks for reading today,

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors