Drury Outdoors Blog

Jeff Lindsey - New Season. New Goals

2011-09-29T12:21:00.002-05:00

For a brief moment, it appears the dog days of summer are behind us. In has been one of the hottest and driest summers I can ever remember. We have been hit with a small drought but nothing that compares to what everyone out west or in the deep south has had to endure. The crops have taken a small setback but I do believe I feel a touch of fall in the air. That change of air is just enough to make a big smile come on my face . The Reconyx cameras are working overtime to give us a summer inventory, some familiar faces have shown up and it's going to be a fun November.

This fall I have 2 main goals that doesn't involve any of the familiar faces Reconyx has let me know about. The first one is to get my wife Ashley a deer with her bow, her PSE Chaos is firing darts and her confidence is growing by the week. The first doe that gets within 30 yards of her is going to get some carbon flung her way! My second goal is to shoot a mature doe with my recurve bow. I have been shooting it almost a full year now but have yet to take it afield. That will change this October.

Fall will be here in no time and its all down hill from there. Celebrate the upcoming season, have fun and most of all be safe. Happy blood trails. - Jeff

Aaron Bennett - Busy Summer!

2011-09-29T12:12:00.003-05:00

Well, this has definitely been one of the busiest summers of my life! Between planning for a wedding and trying to learn a new hunting lease, time has been flying by faster than I ever imagined it would. My fiancée Jessica, and I have been busy preparing for our September 3^rd wedding date all summer, while I have been running Reconyx cameras and hanging stands on the side. I've always heard that wedding planning was stressful, but now I know why---it interferes with summer scouting! Ha, just joking sweetheart!!

Anyways, this year I hooked up with Matt Robinson from the Hunting Lease Network ( HYPERLINK "http://www.nationalhuntingleases.com" www.nationalhuntingleases.com) in search of a good piece of ground to lease for the upcoming deer season. He directed me to several farms to look at, and man, they were all smokin' hot farms! Finally, I settled on the one that would suit my needs the best and put in my bid. I won the bid and the lease became mine for the year! The unique thing about this particular tract is that the aerial photo of this farm is very deceiving. It didn't look like much, and I wasn't even going to go look at it but Matt told me I should check it out. He said a couple of other people went to look at it and never even got off the gravel because it didn't look like there was enough timber to hunt. I love to walk farms, so Jessica and I put our boots on and walked every inch of the farm and discovered TONS of deer sign! Needless to say, I am glad those other guys never got out of their truck!

The Reconyx pics have been rolling in and they look very promising! I just hope the big shooters that live on this farm decide to hang around long enough to have a bad encounter with a Rage broadhead!!!

If you are still in search of a good piece of ground to hunt this fall I would highly recommend checking out the Hunting Lease Network, they have hundreds of farms and the representatives are very knowledgeable! Good luck and stay safe! - Aaron

Joe Shults - H.O.O.A.H.

2011-05-13T13:24:00.003-05:00

The Pine Mountain Longbeards Chapters Wounded Warriors /
Wheeling Sportsman annual hunt was held in Campbell County
Tennessee again this year. I have been looking forward to
this hunt all year. Last year I was introduced to a program
called H.O.O.A.H (Healing Outside Of A Hospital). This
program is one of the finest and most needed programs that I
have ever had a pleasure of being a part of. After spending
2 years of quality time in blinds with 2 warriors and
hearing their stories of battle, pain and recovery I have
seen why this program is needed and how this program is
helping ! Last year I had the honor and pleasure of hunting
with Corpl. Catlin Mixon and this year it was RET. SGT.
Leroy White III. Both of these brave soldiers have fought
proudly to protect us and this great land! For that I am
grateful and proud of these fine soldiers.

The Pine Mountain Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild
Turkey Federation and C.O.R.A are the host of this event and
do an excellent job in doing so. It takes a lot of hard work
and organizational skills to put together such a event and
for that I salute these great organization's!

This year we were surprised with a visit from an Army
Apache helicopter. It was truly an awesome sight ! What a
piece of machinery it was. All the kids got to get there
pictures taken in it. I would like to give a special thanks
to Mike Trentham for taking those photos and helping get the
Apache there for this event!

Last year I met Leroy briefly but this year I got to get
to know him and hunt with him. He is not only a decorated
soldier but a really nice man and a true outdoorsman. While
we were hunting and Leroy was telling us of his war
encounters it would make the hair stand up on the back of
your neck ! With his many injuries and exposure to chemical
warfare he is lucky to still be with us. Leroy was telling
us about the H.O.O.A.H. program and what it has done for him
and that let us know real fast what a great program that
this is.

The morning hunt was a slow hunt with not a lot of
action. After the morning hunt we went in for lunch and all
the midday events that where planned. Around 2:30 we went
back out for the evening hunt. It really got hot with the
temperature reaching 81. We were not complaining since last
year it rained the whole weekend. After a few hours Leroy
spotted a bird coming into the food plot as I raised the
camera and zoomed in there were actually 4 birds and all
gobblers! As two of them spotted the Feather Flex decoys
they had to come in for a closer look. Big mistake!! As
Leroy got into position the gobbler gave him a perfect shot
I gave him the signal to take him and he wasted no time. The
gobbler dropped like a rock and the hunt was over! Leroy
was so excited and it was his biggest bird to date! It was
also the biggest bird taken during the hunt!

It was an honor to get to hunt with Leroy and once again
I feel like I have made a friend for life! I also got an
invitation to The White House for dinner! It just happens
to be in Savannah, Tennessee. When I go it will be proudest
I have will have ever felt as I walked through the door of
an true American hero! -Joe

John O'Dell - Spring Break

2011-05-04T10:08:00.002-05:00

So I had to take a break from turkey hunting to take the family on our annual trip to Fort Myers Beach FL for spring break. My kids school spring break was late this year due to Easter being so late. Even though I was going to miss a few days in the spring woods I was really looking forward to this trip as we always have a blast on the beach looking for shells, swimming in the ocean, just relaxing on the beach, and fishing.

This year in particular was a great year for fishing! Jacob was up early with me every morning by 5:00AM to hit the beach. He had two goals for the trip this year. 1) He wanted to catch a big redfish and 2) he wanted to catch a shark. Early in the trip he was rewarded for waking up early by catching a big Fort Myers Beach redfish. Also by trips end we had hooked and lost several sharks (one giant that almost spooled our line off the reel) and on the second to last day lady luck shinned our way and he caught a nice bonnet head shark. Not to be outdone by little brother Madison got in on the great fishing action as well and caught the biggest speckled sea trout of the trip and the only pompano.

All in all it was a very relaxing trip for the whole family and I can’t wait to do it all again next spring!

Later this month Dave and I are headed to Saskatchewan for Bow Madness to hunt with Black Bear Island Lodge www.blackbearisland.com for my first ever spring bear adventure so stay tuned to the DOD journal to see how we do!

Ben Rising - The Looong Off Season

2011-04-08T11:00:00.007-05:00

For anyone who is a die hard hunter like I am, Feb through April can be a long haul. Deer season came to an end and the wait for Turkey season began.

We have had a tough winter here in Ohio which included one crazy snow/ice storm which turned into a massive flooding that trapped most of us in our homes for a day or two. The flood waters preceded and eventually we were able to find routes to get into town. But it made for one crazy week. The pic that I have included is at a downtown intersection.

The great part of all that flooding was the fact that it meant all the snow had melted and the shed hunting could begin. We found several nice ones and I was able to include my oldest 3 boys in our search. Of course with boys there age it became a competition to see who could find the most. We found our fair share this spring including a match set from a 12pt I had my wife trying to hunt at the end of the season. He was wounded from a neighboring hunter and we weren’t sure if he would make it so we were tried to get in on him to “see how bad he was”. We never did see him while hunting, but finding his sheds let us know that he at least made it through the winter. Our biggest downfall this shed hunting season was finding Mule. He’s the big one I was after in the beginning of deer season. I watched this deer for quite a while and had TONS of trail photos. BUT he just dropped off the map 2 weeks into the season. I had assumed he must of traveled off our farm and someone else had the fortunate luck of harvesting him. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case and I can honestly say I wish it had been that way. I just happened to be driving past the farm and a shine caught my eye in the woods. Of course I pulled off and took a harder look. My heart sank! How I never noticed him in that patch of woods before is beyond me, I must have drove past it a thousand times. There lay Mule locked with another buck. We have never seen the other buck before, but he was a nice one also. I have heard plenty of stories and seen several pics of deer that have come to a horrible death like this before, I just wish that I never had to find one like this. The DruryOutdoors.com Inner Circle has a Kodak video of me finding these deer in March. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out.

Shed hunting is over and we are now finding other things to keep us occupied. Hawkins Lumber Co and Wolf Creek Outfitters put together an ATV benefit this past weekend for a very good friend and family member Clem Sours. He became ill this past Oct and ended up with a blood infection. As an end result he had to have a leg amputated, but oh so lucky to be alive!!! This benefit was to help raise money to cover the cost of a prosthetic leg. We had an ATV ride, LOTS of food, DJ, and silent auction and reg auction that were all donated items. We also raffled tickets off for a new ATV and drew a winner (pic included of Clem Sours, Rick Hawkins, Paul from Valley ATV with the winner-Dane Donely). It’s amazing how many people pulled through in a small community to donate items for the auctions, food, and paper items. All of this went on for 2 days. I’m not sure about Sunday but I do know that we had over 130 ATV’s going through over 40 miles of rugged, muddy, rocky climbing trails. It was a blast!! Check out the Inner Circle for new videos that I am sending in of us getting MUDDY!

I would like to say a special THANK YOU to Drury Outdoors for donating several items for this benefit. You guys are great and we couldn’t thank you enough for what you did! I ended up being the auctioneer at this event (not quite sure how that happened…I sure wasn’t expecting to have to do it, they just handed me the mic and said go ahead and start J) But I can say that your "Giant Whitetails" book was one of the highest bid items. Thanks again from ALL of us!!

Well, last but not least my final bit of my blog I’d like to announce that my family is expecting a new addition to our family. NO, we are not having any more kids LOL. At the time I wasn’t so sure if it would be a good idea or not, but my 13yr old son started reading Where The Red Fern Grows a few months ago. Naturally, he has been begging me for a coon dog ever since. Lucky for him, I grew up coon hunting and it was one of my deepest passions. If you would have told me 15yrs ago that I wouldn’t have a coon dog now, I would of laughed in your face. I lived for coon hunting. Unfortunately, having a large family like ours, owning a logging business, deer hunting, turkey hunting and coon hunting…something had to give. I started working with Drury’s and it just came to the point where I didn’t have the time for my dog like he deserved (if you have ever heard of Timber Cutter the red tick English- he was mine originally) so I sold him. Once I sat Jarod down and we discussed just how much dedication and work he will have to put into this dog, and he agreed to keep up his end of the deal, we got to looking for a pup. We are keeping our fingers crossed, but I’m pretty sure that we have a 14 month old lined up that should be arriving in a few weeks. Not quite sure who is most excited, Jarrod or me, though I have to say that I am ecstatic to see him carry on a tradition that I grew up with. Nothing better than spending your teen yrs in the woods with a dog. I also have to mention that I don’t think Feb-April will be such a drag anymore. Look for a new blog soon!

Ben

Steve Coon - Kids Hunting For A Cure

2011-03-28T13:58:00.011-05:00

LongBeard Madness 17 starts off in a special way for 2011! Comstock and I were invited to Huntingdon Tennessee for a special event “Kids Hunting For A Cure”. So after talking to Comstock we didn’t waste any time packing our equipment and gear to be part of a great event on behalf of Drury Outdoors.

After we were packed and loaded it was off to the great state of Tennessee for this Turkey Extravaganza! Once our feet hit the ground it was time to do the leg work. After meeting the landowner and him showing us the property lines it was time to scout. So after the morning lacked the early morning gobbling that we had hoped for, it was time to put our thinking caps on and to take to the timber even though we were new to this Tennessee dirt but also the short time we had to scout. We knew we had to be on the money to make this hunt successful for the hunter we were taking the following day.

So during our scouting mission we located two great spots. One being in the timber and one at the edge of a pretty food plot in a cut corn field. At the time we set up both blinds and we decided if it was raining we would hunt the field if not, it would be the timber set.

Now it was back to the convention center to meet our hunter and what a great young man he was Mr. Ty McClain. So after a meet and greet at the convention center it was off to the McClain’s residence for a restless night of sleep! So as all turkey hunters know prior to opening day it’s tuff to sleep! Oh yea! it was real tuff for Comstock because he put so much thought on where to hunt the next morning.

Now 4:00 a.m. the alarm clock sounds off and it’s off to the timber set, no rain at this time but once we were set up, are morning turns into a 45 minute rain. So as we sit in the blind did we make the right choice? But then the rain stops and we have two longheads gobbling in our face. So once they hit the ground one of the birds made his way to Comstock’s calling and Ty’s Thompson Center! So at that please check out Drury’s Inner Circle along with the Drury’s Journal for further on this great hunt and for the great cause!! -Coon Dog

J.J. Kolesar - "NOT AGAIN!!!!"

2011-02-28T11:32:00.003-06:00

Well, if you have followed Drury Outdoors at all you may have heard us say more than once that “we are on a new lease.” Unfortunately it has happened again, but hopefully we can maintain this one for long-term period. It is not that we get kicked off or anything, but situations like land auctions, outbidding (money), outfitters, and insurance scares, make it a difficult time to wrap up the type of property we and maybe even you would ultimately like to have. However, after 3 county plat books, 43 no’s, 2 maybe’s, and 1 we will see, we final broke into pay dirt. We have been on the hunt for better ground for the last 3 and half months and just now feel as if we have found where it is we want to be. We feel though we have found a piece that will hopefully lead us down a more successful road and hope that we can bring you some fun and exciting hunting action.
If you find yourself in a similar situation here are a few ways to make it easier and not feel so depressed about the rejection that you will probably face. These were some of the aspects we feel will help your cause:

1) Choose to make 3 calls/trips a day! (Simple, but not overwhelming, not as depressing or frustrating, but doing diligence is the only way to discovery)
2) Find someone in common with the landowner (“Kind of like the Kevin Bacon Game, if you know what I am saying”)
3) Have an answer for any question the landowner may ask:
a) Insurance, # of people, typical season, etc.
b) Know what it is you want, alleviates problems in the future that could cost you your opportunity.
c) Expectations of both you and him!
4) Most importantly, BE HONEST & COMPLETE ON YOUR INTENTIONS, stones left unturned could come back to haunt you!

This brings us to our Blog topic of the early spring. Now that we have acquired a new tract we are in the process of breaking down what is taking place on the farm. We have not set foot on the tract, but in all honesty, didn’t have the choice. We had to pull the trigger and hope that the reputation of the ground treats us right. Without having set foot on it, we have been eagerly studying the buckview program within Reconyx’s new software. With the tools we are able to highlight what we think the deer would do, and identify spots that we believe should be good. Needless to say, we are excited to compare our computer notes to those of the real landscape. With this being said, we at Drury Outdoors would love to hear more about how you break down your new tract and any tricks of trade from which you have benefited, and we will also share what we have done in the past that has led us to some of our mild success on green ground. Good Luck Shed Hunting and we look forward to hearing from you.

Kyle and JJ

Matt Bullins - Endless Beginnings

2011-02-28T11:28:00.002-06:00

I’m not sure which is worse for an avid hunter, the anticipation and excitement that the upcoming season is just around the corner or the bittersweet taste of the final chapter of an ongoing season. However you may take it, there is no worse feeling than both. The problem lies hidden in the fact that most serious hunter’s season never actually begins or ends. It’s simply a full time job on top of another full time job, added to life’s treasures such as family, friends, and other obligations and duties. The point being that it’s truly an endless beginning.

As Jason and I made our way to Tara Wildlife in late January 2011, we realized that this season was approaching its end. However, without much despair, we found ourselves pondering and strategizing for the upcoming season. It’s hard to believe that we had more or less already planned our upcoming seasons hunting schedule nearly nine months ahead of time. One of our goals was not only to hunt several of the same states as this season, but to try to add new adventures in different states to the upcoming slate.

Without doubt, this has been one of the most promising and successful seasons of our lives, but we had high hopes for the years to be. Looking back and taking note of where we had ventured and what states we had hunted, we began to highlight each and became rather fixated or stunned of the opportunities we had this year. After tallying the results, it was apparent that we had traveled through most of the south and Midwest and had the privilege of hunting ten different states throughout.

With the hopes of having lady luck by our sides throughout the upcoming season and during the 2011 DNR license lotteries, who knows, we may be able to add such states as Iowa, Colorado, and more to our highlighted maps of great fortune. It’s hard to believe that the timeless effort of chasing whitetails just recently passed and it’s only a short time until everyone will be checking websites and waiting impatiently to find out where and when they will be hunting during the upcoming season. It just seems to never end or grow old and that’s perfectly fine with us.

Safe Travels,

Matt Bullins

Bart Goins - Seasons End

2011-02-03T13:29:00.004-06:00

I saw the last white tail flicker off into the distance as darkness slowly rolled in. I have watched countless sunsets from this particular stand, but this one would be different. The disappearing sun had brought an end to what is now last years whitetail season. This is always a weird time for me because for the last five months of my life I had been in the woods day in and day out. As a deer hunter, you just get in this routine everyday to suit up and hit the deer stand. As I sat there many thoughts ran through my head. My twelfth season as a whitetail deer hunter had come to an end. But this season was definitely a life-changing season for me.

The ride home from the farm brought somewhat of an empty feeling … knowing that I wouldn’t be returning to the farm to actually hunt deer for a grueling eight months. It seems like such a long season and towards the end your almost ready for a break … but not an eight-month break. There is a drive there that never gets filled. No matter how many times you go or how many deer you kill. That’s what separates me from a lot of “hunters” today. It’s a madness ….a sickness for real! This season was different for big brother and I. This season was special in the fact that my brother and I were apart of the Dream Season Workin’ Man Cast. So that meant an end to being on Dream Season as well. As I thought more about the season … I was overwhelmed with a sense of satisfaction and completeness. I had given it my all and hunted my tail off. I traveled more than 3500 miles with hunting seven states. I made the most of every opportunity that was given to me this season. I had introduced new people to the sport that I love so much. I had also learned more things about the animal and myself. I had watched more sunrises and sunsets than I care to remember … and loved every minute of it. I definitely grew as a hunter and an outdoorsman.

As I look back on the season, one of the greatest things was the people that I had met. Every year I meet great people in deer camp … but this year was the best. I feel like I have made a few new best friends for life. The type of people I could call on anytime, anywhere for help. There is no telling how many times I had gut aches from laughing so hard with some of the new people I met this season. I’m certain I wont remember every single deer I saw from a stand … but I will remember the people that I was blessed to get to meet. There was also one experience in particular from the season that I will never forget as well. I am so grateful that I got to be apart of the Catch A Dream Banquet at Tara. Its not everyday you get to see something like this and it literally blessed my heart to the core. Makes you realize really how blessed and fortunate you are.

The next few days will consist of me putting the hunting gear up for the year and finish logging tapes for the Dream Season editors. One of the greatest things about being an outdoor videographer is that you get to go back and relive all the memories of the previous season. For many previous seasons in that matter. Everything that happened to us this past season is documented on video … both good and bad. I can’t wait to see how Dream Season 8: Workin’ Man turns out. I would like to thank each of you who took the chance to get to know my brother and I this season. Thanks to all of you that HELPED our cause in one way or another. I know I have said it before, but I will say it again … Thanks to Drury Outdoors for giving the two Bama boys a chance. Blair and I truly were blessed this season, and for that I am grateful. Even though next deer season is several months away, turkey season for us is a mere 6 weeks away. Lets get ready to bust some heads boys’! Roll Tide , over and out!
-Bart

John O'Dell - Jacob's First Deer

2011-01-04T10:55:00.003-06:00

Well I had been waiting all year for a really special hunt in North Carolina with our good friends Matt Bullins and Jason Bowers who are on Dream Season Working Man. During spring turkey season Matt had invited my dad and my son Jacob to come and do some whitetail hunting on his family farm in NC. I look forward to these opportunities to spend time with my dad as we live in different states and don’t get to see each other often Also this was to be Jacob’s first deer hunt ever so to say I was excited would be a huge understatement.

After putting in the time on the practice range I felt comfortable that Jacob who is 9 would be able to handle his TC safely and make a good lethal shot so fast forward several months from April to December. My dad, Jacob, and I were on our way down to NC for our family deer hunt. Matt said the deer had been moving well and that he had filmed a friend’s girlfriend harvest her first deer ever with her TC muzzleloader a nice 8pt buck. He also said that he had a couple of spots picked out for us that he thought would be very productive. Jacob and I were headed to a shooting house on the edge of a food plot and my dad would be hunting a funnel along a hardwood ridge that the deer had been frequenting.

When we arrived in deer camp we went out to dinner and shared hunting stories and jokes (that were age appropriate and mostly at my dads expense). Then the next day we were in the blind and set up by 2:30PM. Right away Jacob and I had some big gobblers come into the field. He had fun watching them through his Nikon binoculars. I was just hoping that they stick around till spring and that Matt invites us back for turkey season. After that we had several hours with no movement of any kind. I would be lying if I said I was not getting a little discouraged as I was hoping we would see some deer even if Jacob could not get a shot. Well just when I thought the days hunt was over I caught some movement on the edge of the field and sure enough there were 2 does and 3 fawns headed to our food plot. There were some tense moments as Jacob and I worked to make sure that we were on the same deer (me with the camera and Jacob with his rifle). Luckily for us the biggest deer which was a big mature doe stepped away from the group at about 80 yards and offered Jacob the shot he had been waiting for. Jacob made a great shot with his TC Contender. As you can imagine there was much celebration in that little shooting house! I was so proud of him. He said “it was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him in his whole life”! Later we found out that my dad had also harvested a doe (Jacob told him later that his was way bigger). We also received word that Amy Bullins (Matt’s wife) had also harvested her first deer ever, another doe and she did it with her Browning/PSE bow!

All in all it was as much fun as I have had in deer camp in as long as I can remember. To have my dad along and to be able to introduce my son to the great sport of hunting and be with him for his first deer harvest was awesome! It reminds me of how lucky we are as sportsmen to have the opportunity to go hunting and to pass on this great tradition to future generations!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Matt and Jason for making this hunt possible!

Until next time good hunting!
John

Matt Bullins - Uncommon Ground

2010-12-13T11:42:00.005-06:00

For Jason and me, our journey not only begins several years back as we became hunting partners, but it begins every time we pack our bags. As most of you may know, we live on the east coast and hunt primarily in both North Carolina and Virginia. Most anyone who hunts on the east coast can reflect upon and have experienced what we feel as some of the toughest whitetail hunting in the country.

However, take nothing away from hunting in the Blue Ridge Mountains as we do, there are wildlife a plenty and we love where we live. Growing up in northwest North Carolina and Jason in southwest Virginia, we long dreamed about one day being able to chase whitetails somewhere far from home. Having said this, we had no idea that it would actually come true and have Drury Outdoors and their pro-staff to thank.

Reflecting upon the season thus far, Jason and I began to tally mileage, time, and all the necessities that come with traveling out of state to hunt. Needless to say, we were stunned at the results. We had no idea at the efforts we had put forth for this deer season and filming for Dream Season 8: Workin’ Man.

Ultimately, at the end of the road, we will have traveled through nineteen states, hunted in nine states, drove (ALL DRIVING TIME) over 220 hours, and tacked on 13,600 miles, which doesn’t include our flight from Greensboro, NC to Kansas City, Missouri and back for our late season hunt with the rest of Team Reconyx.

Over the past several seasons, Jason and I have become accustomed to traveling and spending much of our time driving to different parts of the country to hunt. However, without doubt, it is something that we enjoy and hope that Drury Outdoors will continue to allow us to do for many years to come. On each trip we take, our goal is to not only to produce hunts, but to meet new people and share experiences with them while doing so.

If you’re on the road somewhere, you never know, look around and you just might see the Virginia Boys in route to their next destination.

Matt Bullins

Bart Goins - Dream Season Workin' Man

2010-12-08T11:21:00.004-06:00

November 25, 2010
Bart Goins- Highs and Lows

Wow, what a year it has been thus far! If you rewind one year ago today, my brother and I were on an all time low with hunting. Last season we hunted five states with only one buck harvest … and it was a management buck at that! It was one of those seasons where you were glad to see it go and start looking forward to NEXT season. Needless to say, there have been many changes since then. Back in April, my brother (Blair) and I submitted yet another video to Drury Outdoors. This time it was an application video for the new upcoming Dream Season 8: Workin' Man. This could be a dream come true … something we had wanted for so long. Matt Drury called us two months later and revealed the good news. The Bama Boys had made the cast for Dream Season 8! We were proud to be the first team ever for Alabama and we wanted to do the state proud. Can I get a ROLL TIDE?! Our summer routines of hunting season preparation was here and gone before we knew it. The season was here and upon us. The season started slow in Kentucky in September with only a doe harvest. But that was good to get our feet wet. I found out on September 8 that I had been laid off at my job at Wiser Company in Murfreesboro, TN. This brought mixed emotions. I was upset from losing my first professional job, but then again it came at a great time in my life. I have no wife, no kids, and no other responsibilities beside myself. After a couple of weeks, I moved all my stuff back to Alabama. At the end of September, we took the long trip out to Misty Morning Outfitters in Kansas. The plan was to look at some properties and hang some sets for November.

October 15 was the Alabama opener for bow season. One of our goals was to kill a four-year-old or older buck in our home state with the PSE. For those of you who are from Alabama …. You know this was not going to be a simple task. Killing a four-year-old buck in any state isn't a simple task., especially with archery equipment in 80 day gun season state. That's right, 80 days! Alabama is a tough state to hunt! But we were up for the challenge. In the days prior to the Alabama opener, the faithful Reconyx had found two definite shooters for us on one of our farms. Daylight pictures at that! Big Heavy and Big Tex were the two deer that were targets for this particular farm. October 15 was upon us and found us sitting on a white oak flat ridge. The conditions were sent from heaven. One hour after first light, the Bama boys had checked in with a four-year-old Alabama bruiser named Big Heavy! We were on an all time high to start the Alabama season. Not to mention … thirty minutes after Blair put a rage in Big Heavy, Big Tex walks twenty yards by our stand. Unreal!
October 22 found big brother and I headed north to Hadley Creek Outfitters in Illinois for the first group hunt of Dream Season. Excited - was an understatement! Upon arriving at the Castle and meeting everybody, the archery competition was underway. The whole Dream Season 8 Cast was given the brand new PSE X Force Dream Season Evo with our names engraved on them. Let me tell you …. I have shot a ton of bows in the past and I have never shot as well as I have the past few weeks with this bow. This bow is WICKED! Without revealing to many surprises on the new season of Dream Season … all I can say was the archery competition was a blast. You know Mark and Terry love to put new twists on things!

Seven days and one big buck later, big brother and I were leaving Hadley Creek and headed to Misty Morning Outfitters in Kansas. I made a ton of friends at Hadley Creek and had so much fun! There are some good people at that place. After 468 miles, we pulled into Misty Morning lodge in Kansas and were ready to start our hunt. I killed my biggest buck to date with a bow five days later. The roadtrip was an overall success!

Hunting can be compared to life in general. It's a series of highs and lows. Blair and I have definitely paid our dues over the last few years. Were on an all time high as this season keeps rolling. Today is Thanksgiving Day and I definitely have a lot to be thankful for: God's forgiveness, great family and friends, and the great sport of HUNTING! Thanks to Mark and Terry for being two of the pioneers of this industry. Thanks to Drury Outdoors for giving my brother and I this wonderful opportunity. Were having a blast! Good luck to you all the rest of the season. There's still a ton of season left so go kill 'em and be safe!

ROLL TIDE!
-Bart

Ben Rising - What a Year!

2010-11-10T10:18:00.004-06:00

Last year Rising/Woods team had an awesome deer hunting season. This year it seems like if there wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all this season. In order to fully explain all of our bad luck, I need to rewind a few months back to July. My wife Melody was going through a rough time with her back. After finally convincing her to go to the Dr., once she could barely walk, she had Xrays done. Here her left leg is slightly longer than her right which has made her lower spine twisted, vertebra are unaligned vertically and suffering from 2 herniated disks. So she started a long treatment to try and get better. She was desperate to get better not only just to be able to live a normal life again but also to be able to get into a tree by the end of Sept.

Shortly after starting her healing process, our oldest son Zach had an accident. Trying to help me at the mill, he took it upon himself to try and dislodge a piece of wood that was stuck in a conveyor belt. Needless to say, the belt caught his glove and pulled his arm in. He was stuck in the machine for 20 minutes while Jarod Hawkins, his family and my fellow coworkers desperately tried to get him dislodged from the machine. Once we finally got him out I was afraid of what would happen. Surprisingly, while stuck there was little blood, so I was afraid that it would start flowing uncontrollably once we was free. BUT it didn't even though he had a gash about 8" long all the way done to the bone and open about 4" across. After getting him to the hospital he ended up going into surgery for 2hrs to repair his arm. The Dr was completely amazed!! He had just missed his main nerve and artery and could not figure our how he managed to not severe either one. A week after surgery there was signs of infection starting. It was a long recovery for him also, but recover he did and soon started physical therapy to regain strength in his arm. His biggest concern at that point was whether or not he would be able to pull a bow back by the end of Sept.

So basically that is how our summer went. All vacations were canceled and we spent the rest of the summer focusing on getting Melody and Zach healed. Finally by the end of Sept Melody was feeling A LOT better and only needs to go in every so often for adjustments (though her spine is still twisted and unaligned and prob will forever be so) her herniated disks are healed and therefor the pain is gone as long as she stays on top of it. Zach finally ended therapy and has regained strength back from 10lbs to 43lbs of strength in his arm (FYI-he has 96lbs of strength in good arm). Needless to say he will NOT be pulling a bow back this year. But we are just grateful that he will be able to go at all and have use of his arm.

So with all that said and done, it is time for bow hunting season to start. As most know by now, I am partners in an outfitting business with Jarod Hawkins. We start full camp by mid October so that gives me until then to hunt and film on my own personal properties. I have had my sights on a certain buck but he has been completely unpredictable and nocturnal. I was hoping by 1st or 2nd week of Oct he would be showing up more in the daylight. But NO, we hit that Oct lull that everyone's been talking about. The days got shorter, but a whole lot warmer!! Now it seems he has completely disappeared. I haven't gotten a picture of him in over 2wks.

We have had several other nice bucks that we have been keeping an eye on, hoping that they would make it through the season and become some serious studs next year. Unfortunately, we have had calls saying that the bucks we've been watching were harvested by neighbors. One has been hit but not recovered yet. Hope he made it!! I have included a trail photo of one that was harvested that we really hoped would make it. These are deer that have traveled off of our properties and been harvested on by neighbors. One deer in particular that Jarod had been keeping an eye on, was hit on the road. What's a guy to do??

Now it's work time and our hunters started showing up. And let me tell you, it was rough for them too. We were still in that Oct lull when our outfitting started. I don't think Ive ever seen it this bad before. By our second week of outfitting, the bucks were finally on their feet. We had several guys have opportunity, but just didn't make it happen with one wounding a nice one but unable to recover it due to a bad hit. We are now in our 3rd week of outfitting and things are really picking up with several nice harvests. Two of my best buds Kenney Bevans and James Mugrave help us out along throughout the summer hanging stands and such, so they get to come out and hunt our outfitting properties. Kenney was able to harvest a really nice buck on Sunday. I have included a Kodak video of him with his buck.

So now we are keeping our fingers crossed and hustling like crazy to get our hunters deer. In the mean time, I will be guiding and hopefully getting a little free time to get out myself and Melody out and on film. Soon I am scheduled to head out to Iowa and Illinois, so maybe then my luck will change.

Until then I'm hoping the RISING lull will end soon and you will all hear from me soon!!

Ben Rising

Jared Lurk - Lurk's October Lull Activities

2010-10-27T13:58:00.004-05:00

Justin and I have been in the woods several times this season already. We had a great encounter with a 2.5 year old stud (check out “The Inner Circle” dated 10-3-10 to see him), we also saw a shooter that wasn’t close enough for archery tackle and have seen a pile of does. As the October days click by and approach the middle of the month – we are officially enter the “October Lull” period. I first heard about this so called “lull” around 15 years ago when I went to visit Mark and Terry at Deer camp. I remember them saying, during the “lull”, you would be better off doing anything other than hunting deer (in particular – bucks)! That advice has stuck with me ever since then....

With limited vacation days, we try to be as efficient with our time in the woods as possible. We love hunting that early October period when the big boys are still hitting our biologic maximum and trophy oats plots. But when the “October Lull” hits (it usually begins around Mark’s birthday), its back to our daily routines which include working and spending as much time with our loved ones as we can.

To heed that advice garnered from my uncles almost a decade and a half ago – both Justin and I utilized the opportunity to spend some much needed family time prior to venturing back off into the Iowa deer woods to hunt the “rut”.

This past weekend, my daughter Eloise and Justin’s girlfriend’s daughter Liv (they attend the same daycare / preschool) had a Fall Festival. The school had a theme in each of the classrooms with games for the kids to play with candy & snacks for prizes. The kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes, saw all their friends, played a ton of fun games, picked pumpkins from the makeshift pumpkin patch on the playground and ate some delicious food prepared by the teachers. It was great to see them so happy in their costumes, it’s needless to say, but we can not wait for Halloween to get here so they can dress up again.

After Halloween, we will be back at it. Good luck to you all this fall!!

Bric Steward - 2010 Biologic Award

2010-10-15T11:20:00.003-05:00

Well talk about a weekend of excitement. Every year 160 something raging whitetail killers converge on St. Louis for the annual DOD Shoot to Thrill Awards. This is a weekend that has become the same as a family reunion to me. It’s a great time to catch up with the rest of the DOD Team and see the trail cams they have gotten of giants though out the summer, hear of out of state trips planned and trade woes and woos about rain or lack there of for our food plots.

Saturday morning is a class for the finest editors in outdoor video/television to update us on the latest technical camera information. The second half of the day is packed full of sponsor rotations. This is where it gets good. It’s a chance for representatives from our sponsors to come and bring the Team up to speed on their newest equipment and even give us sneak peaks of innovations yet to come. And let me tell ya, some of these things are going to make you want to run to Cabela's and start making a Christmas list!! For instance Blake Shelby from PSE was on hand and brought the new Dream Season EVO! WOW, is all I could say after drawing this bow. Michael Mayer was able to show us a few things in the works with the new Cold Fusion Technology and update us on the Numbered Layering system ScentBlocker uses. The HuntVe guys were on hand delivering Mark and Terry’s new Dream Season Edition HuntVe's. We were able to test drive these machines, and what an eye opening experience. It’s unbelievable the thought that went into these vehicles to make them hunter friendly. Craig Cushman was able to unveil the new Dream Season Omega. Oh, and the TV star himself Bobby Cole, or also know as “BobbyLogic”, was able to show us a great new product in the works that will for sure be the “Last Bite” of many monsters(Hint… Hint.)

Then the evening is capped off by the most amazing full featured award show in the entire outdoor industry, The Shoot to Thrill Awards! There are numerous awards handed out throughout the night to various DOD Teams. Some awards to mention are, “Best Reaction”-won by Rod Owen, the “Mossy Oak Passion Award”-won by Rick Malik, Best Produced Bow Madness Episode-won by Dave Reisner and John O’Dell, and the most Prestigious of awards “The Producer of the Year” was won by the Team that truly had a Dream Season last year Doug Hampton and Rod Owen. Dad and I were proud to be nominated for many of these awards and we were floored to have been chosen the winners of the “2010 Biologic Award!” It was a true honor to be presented with this award. Biologic has truly changed the way we hunt and it has truly changed the farms we hunt on. In my opinion Biologic is the winner for producing the best wildlife seed blends on the market, and for changing the quality of hunting experiences brought to everyday hunters across America. Thank you Bobby Cole and Biologic for all you do for the Drury Outdoors Team!

Tom Ware - Make A Kid's Dream Come True

2010-10-15T11:13:00.003-05:00

To everyone who has kids or has the ability to take a kid hunting. October is a great time to take a youngster hunting because we all know the giant whitetails that we all want to hunt aren’t moving much until later. It’s usually not too cold for a youngster in October! So take some time off work and make a kids dream come true. Most beginning kid hunters don’t care if they shoot a giant buck. Most just want to spend some time outdoors doing something “different” than shooting hoops or going to school. Hunting is cool to most kids. You have to admit that! So make their day or their week or their season by taking them hunting. You don’t have to use your best honey hole or your best stand, but get out there and let them see some deer. If they are too young to hunt just let them go in a ground blind and hunt with you. These trips hunting will actually be remembered way more than doing the “normal” things as they get older. They won’t remember the times you watched their favorite tv show with them, but many will remember the times you took them hunting and a special moment about each hunt. That will make all the difference down the road and the tradition will carry on.

Most states have an early youth season and are usually very economical. Take advantage of these. Many states have also gone to an over the counter purchase system for the youth hunts just in case you forgot to apply. The opportunities are out there if you just do a little planning.

I got my oldest girl involved in deer hunting at the age of 8 years old. It really depends on the maturity of each kid. I’m not sure my 7 year old will be ready next year, but she sure is trying to convince me she will be. Take them through a hunter’s safety course and see if they listen. If they listen and pay attention, then my feeling is they are probably ready. If they are running around playing and talking during the course and don’t care about what is being taught to them, then maybe wait a year and try again. Just take them hunting with you a time or two and then they will want to hunt themselves. They will see the passion in you and it will develop in them. I promise!

Good luck to all of you this season.

Here are a few pictures of my daughter’s successful hunts. She is only 10 years old now. I can’t wait to see what the next 20 years brings our way!

Tom Ware

Dave Kramer - Burning Lungs, Blisters & Bulls

2010-10-04T14:26:00.008-05:00

Burning lungs, blisters and bulls....Not to mention a swollen left knee. That's what you get when two old flat-footed Iowans head out to the higher elevations of western Wyoming to chase giant rocky mountain bull elk. That said, this turned out to be one of those hunts of a lifetime. One in which we hope to continue to do as long and often as our bodies allow.

Being from the upper Midwest, Bill and I cut our teeth on hunting whitetails an turkeys. There's no place like home when it comes to chasing those cagey old mature bucks. However, the older we get the more we feel the need to venture out of our element and try and add a few of the other trophies that call this great country home. Bull elk have been on our list of to dos but have basically kicked our butts each time we've tried to bring one home. This hunt turned out no different than the others as far as filling the freezer goes but was no doubt the closest we've come thus far.

It all started about a year ago when Bill contacted outfitter Tedd Jenkins of Jenkins Hunting Camps in Freedom WY. Tedd told Bill that he, his wife Christy along with his brother in law and sister Brian and Maurie Erickson had just recently purchased the business from his parents Larry and Shirley Jenkins. He also said that they specialize in big bull elk along with Shiras moose, bear, antelope and some of the best Mulies in the lower forty-eight. It worked out that we were able to book the hunt for prime time in the elk rut Sept. 20th-25th. Things were set and it couldn't get here soon enough. Bill and I prepared ourselves for the hunt by biking and hiking as much as possible.

When time finally arrived for the hunt we started things off by heading to ST. Louis for the annual Drury Outdoors meeting and Shoot to Thrill Awards banquet. It was great to see all the guys and get fired up for the upcoming season. In order to get to camp for our first mornings hunt we said our goodbyes and left the hotel at 2:30 AM to make the long 22 hr butt-kicking drive to western WY. We arrived at 11:30 PM Mountain time at camp. The next five days were filled with encounter after encounter as well as breath taking beauty of the Bridger national forest. We saw and videoed elk, Shiras moose, antelope, and mulies. We stayed in heated wall tents and rode in on horseback for a couple day's hunts. We ate like kings and hiked it all off during the day. There was no time to waste as Tedd and Larry kept us at from dawn to dusk to try and make this hunt successful. I can't say we've ever met an outfitter more sincere and prepared to do what it took to make our hunt the best it could be, and we definitely got our moneys worth on this one. We would both like to thank them for all they did and let them know what an awesome experience it was. Regardless of all our efforts, Bill was unable to take his bull on this hunt but you can bet we'll be back again next year for another try. This time I'll be in front of the camera with PSE in hand to try for my first ever Rocky Mountain Elk.

PS. Anyone interested in any of the big game hunts they have to offer, contact Tedd through his website www.jenkinshunt.com.

Tim Woods - The Big Move!

2010-09-21T13:54:00.004-05:00

This year the opportunity I’ve been waiting for my whole life came around. I received a job offer to work for Hunt Masters (formally known as Five Star Trophy Outfitters) in Ohio. I’ve been friends with Joel and Lisa Snow who started the business for about 8 years. Over the past few years I’ve been spending summers helping set up properties and hanging stands. I knew with the increasing success of his business he would someday need full time help, and if he ever offered I would jump at the chance.

Saying “YES” to the job was the easy part, asking my family to move away from home would take some convincing. It was a no brain’er for me, but my wife had to be on board. I know she would follow me off a cliff if I asked her, but there were definitely some sleepless nights on her part. We weighed all the pro’s and con’s and decided that if we were to move now would be the time. We decided to go for it and put our home on the market, and put the word out that my trucking business would also need to be sold.

With the housing market being as slow as it is, we were worried that we might not be able to make the move. We had countless open houses with little interest and no offers. My hopes began to sink a little. Then out of no where -two months after listing the house- a gentleman from Virginia called on the phone and said, “I am going to buy your house.” He had never even been in it, but we had a contract later that day. That was it, the house was sold.

Now it was crunch time and the search was on for a new home for my family. Candice and I looked at house after house but nothing fit our budget and/or our needs. Time was ticking and we had to be out of the old house by July. We were running out of time and I still didn’t have a plan for moving my family. I was a little nervous to say the least.

One week before we had to be out, another phone call came in. This time it was from Joel. He said his neighbor was going to put his house up for sale. This was too good to be true. Like it was meant to be I guess. We now had a house, and not just any house, a beautiful place. It was right next to the lodge, with ten acres, a pond, and everything we had been looking for. The only problem was we couldn’t move into it until August.

So it was July, my business was sold with no time to spare. I wanted to get started on this new job. Candice applied at the local hospital any they needed an RN to start right away. We needed to get to work and didn’t have anywhere to live. But we were MOVING.

Everyone knows that when I get something in my head I do it. So I moved my whole house 3 ½ hours south in one day. (I would rather take butt whooping than go through that again.) We put our every possession in the garage at the new place and took up residence with Joel and Lisa in the hunting lodge.

What an adventure this summer has been, selling our home, moving, starting new jobs, living with the Snow’s, and our five combined kids running around everywhere. But I wouldn’t take any of it back. I can’t thank them enough for opening their home to us, and making us feel so welcomed. The kids are adjusting to the move and their new schools incredibility well.

Okay now we are up to speed on where I am. Let’s talk deer. Joel and I have been working hard on about 14,000 acres scattered over 4 counties in West Central Ohio. We’ve been running Reconyx cameras all over finding nice bucks everywhere. We had 11 tons of Big and J delivered, and we’ve been using it to inventory thousands of pictures of our deer herds.

I can’t wait to get up in the mornings, food plots are going in, tree stands are going up, lanes are getting trimmed, and I’m NOT driving around in a dump truck. Most evenings are spent in observatory stands or in the truck glassing back roads. The beans are so high in some places I can barely see the deer. I didn’t think you would believe it unless I took a picture. Also, I’ve got some awesome footage of a white buck on one of our leases. He looks like he is a 3½ year old but unfortunately he is down from last year. We saw him with 9 points last season and now he is only a 5 point.

With all the pictures and footage I’ve been filing it looks like it’s going to be a great year.

Acorns are starting to fall in spots. It won’t be long and the hard horns will start showing up on the trail cams. That’s when you can tell where the big boys are going to call home. Then the fun begins.

I can’t wait to get the season started. It’s hard to believe I’m getting paid to do something I usually do for fun!!! Moral of the story I guess is to put your faith in God and never stop chasing your dreams. Thanks to my wife - who has supported me through a lot. I couldn’t have done any of this with out her. My family is more important than any job, so seeing them in a new surrounding happy and loving our new home, make every sacrifice worth while.

Good luck to everyone going a field this fall… whether you are chasing deer or ducks.

Be safe and have fun!

Tim

Jeff Lindsey - Rain Makes Corn...

2010-08-06T10:06:00.004-05:00

Rain makes corn, beans makes booners. Too much rain makes for stressed out farmers and deer managers. Ever since turkey season we have experienced excessive rain fall that would make Seattle jealous. However over the last couple of weeks we have gotten a break and the beans have really shot up. The corn has been spotty but we look to be having bumper crops on the high ground.

Rainy growing seasons usually make for great antler production and this year it looks like that is going to be just the case. The first two rounds of Reconyx cameras have been a little slow but have shown us some good growth on some up and comers. The big boys haven’t really appeared yet but every year it seems when the calendar flips to August they decide to go public on their appearances.

August is my favorite month to get a buck inventory on our farms, it seems the big boys let their guard down to fill the desires of their stomachs and we hope to take advantage of that with some well placed cameras and glassing the bean fields the last 2 hours of light. As hard as it is, I have been trying to give the cameras 2-3 weeks before checking them to keep my scent at a minimum. This makes for a serious waiting game but the moment I get those cards in my hands its like Christmas morning all over! Till the next round of pictures I’ll be waiting and trying to imagine what might show up. -Jeff

Steve Coon - Workin It!

2010-08-06T09:40:00.008-05:00

On a hot July day with temperature near a 100 degrees, I found myself doing my first in store for the up coming deer season! One of the owners of Dunn’s Sporting Goods asked if I would be available to work the opening of their fall sale and without hesitation I said yes.

Dunn’s is a store where you can get up close and personal with the consumer and it gives you a chance to show your knowledge of the products that we at Drury are sponsored by.

So whenever I get a chance to do that let me tell you I’m there! So prior to the store opening I did a little scouting to see where all the products were located and I was pumped to see that they carried all of sponsor’s merchandise.

As the doors open that morning, it was time to work the crowd. When I was asked what I thought was a better product there was no hesitation on what to show the customers, from the new Early Dream Season Suit from Scent Blocker in the new Infinity by Mossy Oak to all the Scent Blocker products.

Even though the store had numerous tree stands on sale I was able to give my honest opinion on the Big Game Tree Stands on how rock solid they were along with being one of the most comfortable stands that I have ever hunted out of.

So as I represented Drury Outdoors on that hot July day, I had a chance to show case my knowledge on all our products from PSE Bows, Rage, Bio-logic, Nikon, and Scent Blocker. Funny though I tried to get behind the gun counter to sell a few Thompson Centers, but the guys said the way I shoot it might not be a good idea. Wow a comedian in every crowd!

It just goes to show you when we work an in store we can be a great salesmen, because who has better knowledge of the products then us! The boys at Drury Outdoors!!!!

Next stop Bass Pro Shop August 7th with Terry and a few Drury Team Members. I hope to see you there!

Before I end this I did meet one special fan Anna. When her mom told me that Anna and her brother were big fans of Drury Outdoors and that she wanted a photo with me to show her brother, I knew right then and there that my day was complete. So Anna thank you from all the guys at Drury for being one of our fans and make sure you thank your brother also. Again thank you Anna!

Bric Steward - Hitting The Streets

2010-06-01T15:35:00.002-05:00

Tic-Toc,Tic-Toc, the time has finally came! May 15th Baby! The release of the new videos: Dream Season 13, Whitetail Madness 13, and 100% Wild Fair Chase Vol 10! Every year before I was part of the DOD Team, I could not wait until the new videos came out. I would sit and wonder of what giants where slain. And now, well it's even more of a tease because we've got a thing called..."The Journal." If you haven't checked it out, brother you are missing out. We are like a donkey with a carrot dangling in front of our nose, we can see the pics of these behemoths and read the story of these behemoths, but have to wait until this very date, until they "Hit the Streets", May 15th. Now you know what I'm talking about. Well for the "Hitting the Streets" event this year a lot of the DOD Team was going to be out and about doing what we love to do (other than sittin' 25 ft high) talking to You, the fans, about our new videos! I went to St.Louis

Cabelas along with "The Marine" Aaron Bennett, Matt Drury, Taylor Drury, and Steve "Coon Dog" Coon. While there we got to meet a lot of great hunters. This is what it's all about, all the hard work comes down to actually seeing you guys come out and share these experiences with us through these videos. And these videos are "Off the Chain!" Every year I wonder how they are going to top last years, but WOW did they. We truly have the best editors out there! If you don't believe it just watchem'! Well, now it's time to do a little target practicing with the PSE, hit the river for some sun, and make up some brownie points with the wife for this coming fall(I love you Rachel)! HA! Hang in there ya'll, it'll be fall soon! (at least I keep telling my self that)
Bric

PS. Thanks to Everyone who came out to see us, as Mark and Terry always say about the videos, "They were created for you!"

Jason Edney - St. Jude's Hunting For A Cure

2010-04-12T10:01:00.007-05:00

It’s amazing how fast the years fly’s by and once again it is time for Joe Shults and I to head to Savannah TN for the annual St. Jude’s hunting for a cure benefit hunt. Joe and I both look forward to this event each spring. It truly is one of the highlights of my spring for the past 4 seasons.

This event is a little different than other benefit hunts in the fact that 100% of the money goes directly to St. Jude’s hospital. That is amazing in itself because it shows how giving these people are that put the event on. This season had close to 52 children that were taken hunting. Imagine how much it takes to set up guides, children and landowners! Then take into account this is all done for free! Thank You to all the great people in Savannah TN that are a part of this!

The 2010 hunt started like every other with Joe and I arriving in Savannah on Fri. to meet up with our child that we would be guiding the for the next 2 days. This year our child would be 12 year old Jake Plunkett. Joe and I have been on a pretty good streak, for the last 3 years. We have been 100% on getting our hunter their turkey and for all of them it has been their first!

Saturday morning started early with a short climb up a steep TN ridge to a listening point that has been very good to us in the past. Turkeys started to gobble but not with much enthusiasm this season. Never the less we set up on a close bird and began to try and get him fired up. Instead of getting fired up the birds shut up! Sitting there scratching our heads for the reason that became obvious as a coyote came up out of the hollow that the birds were in and slipped in to investigate the calling.

With the misfortune of the roost hunt we began to cover some ground and luck seamed to shine on us once again when we found a strutter out in a hay field by himself! A little later Joe and I had Jake (our hunter) set up with “King Strut” in the field. Now all we needed was to entice the bird a little and have him see “King Strut”. Once we started calling Murphy’s Law popped up again as we heard an ATV coming. Seems we weren’t the only one to hear the ATV as the bird dropped strut and melted back into the woods.

After a quick lunch we were back at it again and fortunately we once again found a flock of birds with several gobblers in a small food plot. After a quick set up we were in a prime spot for an eventful evening hunt, but to our dismay the birds eluded us once again. Even though the birds slipped by unharmed on the evening hunt they roosted in a PRIME spot for our Sunday morning hunt.

Sunday morning came with serious thunderstorms and rain. Even though the weather was terrible everyone was excited for the morning hunt. Well before daylight “King Strut” was put in place and we were ready. As daylight approached so did the rain and here came the problem for us, the camera! To keep the camera dry and our hunter comfortable Joe and Jake climbed into a small shooting house over the food plot that we were set up in. As soon as they got set Joe realized the challenge was going to be videoing out of the cramped area, but he was checkmated because the birds were awake and starting to talk and were close!

Not long after the birds started gobbling they hit the field and came straight to the decoy set up! After a quick show Jake pulled the trigger on a great gobbler, but unfortunately Joe and I didn’t get it on camera. The little disappointment we had about the situation soon vanished as Jake picked up his first gobbler!

This event is a cherished weekend for Joe and I. We would like to thank everyone for everything they do to make this event great. If anyone would like to get involved please feel free to contact the crew in Savannah TN and get involved. Each spring they are looking for children and guides!

Kyle Lamore - Off Season Antics

2010-03-22T14:16:00.002-05:00

What to do in the off season?? That is a question we find ourselves trying to answer every year about this time. To try to keep our shooting skills sharp, for the last eight weeks, we have been involved with our local bow shop's shooting league. Myself, JJ Kolesar, and our two buddies Ben and Todd have been trying our best to oust the 25 competing 4 man teams. Although we didn't bring home the trophy, we had alot of fun shooting the DART target system and a variety of pop up targets every week. However, it is the "iron buck" that creates the most havoc every Monday night.

The iron buck is the last shot of the evening, although not required to be shot, it can earn each shooter 10 bonus points at the end of the night, which I usually need! That's the good news, however it can also destroy an arrow quicker than any shoulder blade! The hole is roughly the size of a baseball, and from 30 yards, along with plenty of verbal jabs from buddies, can be quite interesting. I have been fortunate enough to slip a couple through in the last few weeks. However, as you can see, sometimes the arrows aren't so lucky! Despite a snowed out shed hunt this past weekend in Iowa, the weather looks to be turning and Kansas spring gobblers are less than 2 weeks away! Good luck this spring!

-Kyle and JJ

Bric Steward - "Gobble Gobble"

2010-03-04T08:43:00.008-06:00

"Well if ya'll are like me, you are counting the days until it is time to "whisper sweet nothings" to the ears of big Timber Chickens! Since the day I put my the Buck Growl up, I've been sanding the "Cherry Bomb" and yelping on the mouth calls. It also means it's time for the pilgrimage to Nashville, Tennessee for the NWTF National Convention. I'm telling ya straight up, if you are a turkey hunter and have never been to this show...you are missing out brother!! It is jammed full of the industries newest products! Some of the DOD family was there to do a signing and give out some hot new shirts and PSE Bow Madness Hats at the Mossy Oak booth. We got to meet a lot of great people,talk a little turkey, and see the amazing new Mossy Oak Break-Up Infinity camo. This stuff is going to be the ticket to hiding form those bug eyed old gobblers.

We also got to see the new King Strut flocked decoy from Flambeau...yes I said new King Strut! I know,I didn't think it could get any better either but, when they added the flocking material (which is kind of like a soft fuzz) to the decoy, it came to life! I just hope I can get my hands on one in time for my season opener in central Florida. It will be my first time hunting these angry Osceolas, and after talking to John O'Dell and Joe Shults..it sounds like I'll be in for a treat. Stay tuned to the Blog and the Journal as you will soon start seeing these big black birds hit the dirt. But, before then we've still got a shed hunt at Marks which is always a treat! Gobble Gobble!!" -Bric

Oh yeah, don't forget to become a fan of Drury Outdoors on Facebook! There are more pics of the DOD Team on there!

John O'Dell - Trade Show Time

2010-02-16T11:15:00.003-06:00

Dave and I were fortunate to be at ATA in Columbus OH on the 14th and 15th of January this year. It was great to be able to hang out with all of our wonderful sponsors and to see some of the new exciting products that are coming out this year. Here are a couple of pictures from ATA.

This past weekend the weather warmed up just enough for the kids to talk me into doing some winter bass/bluegill fishing. I was convinced we would not have much luck catching any fish but I figured time spent with them fishing was way better than hanging around the house watching TV. I have to admit I am glad that they talked me into taking them to the lake as we caught 12 bass over 2.5 lbs with the biggest being a 5.5lb beauty that my daughter Madison caught on her last cast of the day. We also caught countless numbers of bluegills. Being from Iowa it was pretty incredible to be able to go fishing without first having to drill a hole in the ice this time of year. It was also the single best day by far I have ever had on the water (ice or no ice) in January!

Here in February from the 19th – 21st 2010 I will be at the NWTF convention in Nashville TN with a bunch of other Drury Team Members. If you are there please stop by and say hello.