The Big Eight

Let me just start by saying that 2013 has been my absolute worst hunting season so far. I've hunted anywhere from 1-4 evenings a week and almost every Saturday morning since September 16th. I've seen a total of five deer, and four of them were seen on November 23rd, which was also the craziest deer hunt of my life so far.

 

 

 

Everything about this hunt was just wrong from the beginning. We were hunting a high pressured area, with three other hunters within a twenty acre perimeter. It was mild, 55 degrees, foggy, no wind, and humid. It has been raining for three days straight, and more rain was supposed to come in that evening. The property we were hunting had been hunted by at least two others all week, and no one in the area had seen a deer. Rumors were that the rut was over in our neck of the woods, and the bucks were locked down and resting.

Brandon and I decided to sit together that morning, which we very rarely do. We sat in the stand that his brother had shot a giant eight point out of about a week ago, watching a huge power line that crossed the Saluda river, with a cow pasture directly in front of us and a thicket behind us. He sat his chair facing back towards the thicket where Bradley had shot his deer, and I sat my chair facing directly down the power line.

We cut up and joked, and were too busy laughing to really care about how this hunt was going. We had been hunting hard for nine, almost ten, weeks and we were done caring. We were in the middle of laughing at and quoting Earl Dibbles Jr. when Brandon spotted movement about 400 yards across a pasture in front of us. He pulled up his scope and I pulled up the binoculars to see a big mature doe walking along the wood line. About the time we locked in on her, she took off loping across the field.

"Wonder if there's a buck chasing her?" Brandon and I both asked each other.

"That was odd of her, just to bust out of there like that" Brandon said. We knew the doe was heading straight down towards one of the other stands, and we waited for the shot. We didn't hear anything, so we shrugged it off and went back to talking.

About thirty minutes later, I sat straight up to stretch my back and get a better view of the field. I saw the doe about the same time Brandon did. I grabbed my .243 and turned, leaned over Brandon's lap and very awkwardly found the her in the scope. She was trotting up the fence line in the pasture, and it was so thick that I could just see her silhouette as she made her way towards the thicket.

"Bah!" Brandon bleated. "Bah! BAH! HEY!" he finally yelled and she stopped, directly behind a tree.

"I cant shoot, she's behind that tree" I whispered.

"Crap I see it." Brandon sighed as she took back off into the thicket. "I doubt she'll come back out because I yelled, but who knows. Hurry up and turn your chair around so your facing the pasture. Don't take your eyes off of that corner and be ready."  I did as he said and watched the corner hard, steadying my breath.

I hadn't been situated in my new position more than a minute when I saw the second deer booking it up the fence line, nose to the ground.

"Holy crap Brandon that's a buck" I said as I found an opening

and settled in on it waiting on him to cross into it.

"Get ready. BAH! BAH! BAH! HEY!!!" Brandon yelled, and the buck stopped right in what I had thought was my "clearing". Turns out it wasn't much of a clearing just a weak spot in the thicket.
"I can't, Brandon, its too thick" I whispered.

"Shoot him, hurry up and shoot him now." Brandon urged me, and I took a deep breath and squeezed at the deer's silhouette. 

"You hit him. You hit him" Brandon said as we watched two does scatter out of the corner.

"Are you sure??" I asked, trying to regain my composure.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. Go ahead and jerk another shell in there."

As soon as I slammed the new shell in the chamber, I saw horns busting out of the woods to my right.

"Holy crap Brandon there's a buck" I turned and got him in the scope. I watched him take three leaps when I heard Brandon's .270 Weatherby crack through the air, and then I watched him nose dive into the thicket.

"Oh my God Brandon you just shot a monster!!" I slapped his shoulder and could no longer contain my excitement.

"Are you sure? I didn't see him fall?"

"I'd bet my paycheck on it, I watched that deer nosedive!" I jumped up and down in my seat.

"Wouldn't that be funny if it was the same deer?" Brandon laughed as I shook my head.

"There's no way, that happened way to fast, what deer would be that stupid anyway?" I laughed.

After about ten minutes, we decided to get down, stretch our legs and look for our deer. Brandon's was an easy find, laying exactly where I told him he dropped.

"Sweet! Now lets go find yours." Brandon high fived me. It was hard to hide my doubt, I really didn't think that I hit that deer through the thicket. But I went anyway, and as soon as I hopped the gate I landed in the blood trail that headed towards the woods.

"Here's blood! Good blood too!" I showed Brandon one of the leaves, high fived him, and turned to start tracking. I walked ten feet and found where the deer had jumped the fence.

"No freaking way." I whispered as I looked up at Brandon.

"You're kidding." He said and started laughing. He went back to the deer and tracked in backwards as I followed the trail I was on. Sure enough, we met right at the edge of the woods.  We had shot the same exact deer.

Closer inspection showed there was a shot behind the shoulder, a little high, but still a lethal shot, and one right in the chest. We high fived, hugged, and Brandon said that he didn't do anything but save us from tracking him, that the deer was all mine.

This was a hunt full of firsts for me. It was my first eight point. My first time ever seeing a buck run a doe, much less shooting a buck running a doe. My fastest spot-to-shot I've ever taken. The hardest shot I've ever made. And most of all, the first time shooting a deer with my husband. This hunt means more to me than any hunt I've ever gone on. I'm so grateful for such a wonderful best friend, husband, teacher, coach, and hunting partner to experience hunts like this with. One things for sure, a couple that hunts together, stays together, and I might just have to start sitting with my husband a lot more!





Review | Wal-mart's Realtree Insulated Parka

Realtree AP HD Insulated Parka

 



I'd like to start by saying that this jacket is not necessarily a "Wal-Mart Brand", however I've never seen it sold anywhere but Wal-Mart. Another thing I'd like to say is I can't find my exact jacket in Wal-Mart stores any more. With Realtree introducing the "Xtra" and "Xtra Green", the AP HD pattern had been harder to find, which is unfortunate because this is my absolute favorite pattern.  So if you can't find my jacket, there is one exactly the same, but the coloration is different.



The built in half gloves are one of the
features I love to hate in this jacket.

I'm absolutely in love with this jacket, and for the price ($50.00 after tax), it's hard not to love it. Keep in mind that I live in the upstate of South Carolina, and we don't see temps in the single digits (like ever) so keep that in mind if you live in North Dakota or some such state. This jacket is warm, waterproof, windproof, and silent. It features nifty little half gloves built into the sleeves, which are both a blessing and a curse, and I'll touch on them later. It has the removable hood, and is minimal on the pink, unlike most ladies camouflage nowadays.
 I have worn this jacket chasing coons through the mountains in twenty degree weather, and I wear it every time I hit the woods once the temps hit around 50 for a high.  I do layer, which can be a little hindering with this jacket. I bought it when I was pregnant, so I got a size larger than normal, and thank God I did! If its going to be a cold morning (I'm talking 25 to 35 degrees), I'll wear a thermal under shirt, my regular shirt, a hoodie or other mid-weight jacket,  followed with this jacket on top. I stay toasty, but it is so hard to move with that many layers on. And if you're a bow hunter, you can forget trying to wear a release with the built in half gloves. I love them if its a mild 40 degrees or so, but any colder than that they just get in the way of any gloves you wear. I'll just warn you, you will be frustrated trying to fit your arm in the sleeves with that many layers on, much less try to pull back a bow. Other than the sleeves and half gloves, this jacket is great. I took off my hood because if I ever do need a hood, which I rarely do, I'll just use the hoodie underneath. I would definitely recommend it if you're going to be hunting in mild to cold weather, but keep in mind that the more layers, the harder it is to move.

All in all, I'm happy to give this jacket a good review, because I really am happy with the jacket. If you are looking for a mid-heavy weight jacket low on cost and high on quality, I'd recommend this! Therefore, I give this jacket 7 out of 10 points. For what I use it for and with the temperatures I deal with, it's exceeded my expectations. I would NOT recommend this jacket if your hunting in anything lower than 20 degrees, it's just not made for it. With the aggravating half sleeves and tight arms, I had to deduct some points. Other than that, this jacket has definitely been worth the fifty dollars spent on it!

Melissa Bachman | The Witch Hunt

If you keep up with any hunting current events, it's most likely you have seen or heard about hunting star Melissa Bachman's lion hunt going viral. Are the anti-hunters going to far this time? 

The anti hunters have been known for creating, sharing, and signing petitions that would in any way encroach on people's right to hunt, fish, and trap, but now they have taken the right to petition to a whole new level. If you don't know about the hunt that's caused the drama, it was a legal hunt in Southern Africa, filmed for the show Winchester's Deadly Passion. The picture that sparked the outrage was of the star host kneeling behind a large, mature, male lion. Melissa also harvested quite a few other, all legal, animals while on this trip. The safari had to have cost an astronomical amount of money, considering a lion tag alone will cost you a cool twenty grand.  What most people may not understand, is most of this money, and meat from the harvests, goes to taking care of the towns and people living in the wild African bush.
It certainly did not pacify animal rights activists, who immediately persuaded Cape Town resident Elan Burman to create the petition to ban Melissa Bachman from south Africa.  Believe it or not, nearly 15,000 people had signed the petition by the morning of November 16th.

"Melissa Bachman has made a career out of hunting wildlife, for pure sport. Her antics are captured extensively on her personal website: http://www.melissabachman.com/. She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation, this country prides itself on. Her latest Facebook post features her with a lion she has just executed and murdered in our country."
 

This was taken directly from the petition website, which will eventually be sent directly to Department of Home Affairs, Ministry of Water and Environmental Affairs, and Private Office of the President.
 

This is not the first time Melissa has been singled out for her passion. In September of last year, she was booted off of a survival show hosted by the National Geographic channel. A gentleman by he name of Tim Martell viewed some of Bachman's photos, and obviously being an anti hunter, created a petition on Change.org (the same site that her current petition is on). The petition gained over thirteen thousand signatures, and within twenty four hours Melissa was removed from the show.

"The National Geographic Channel has carefully considered the public discussion of our series on surviving the wilds of Alaska currently in production and premiering sometime next year. Upon further reflection we plan to eliminate one of the survivalists from the ensemble cast, Melissa Bachman. Hunting is not the focus of the show, and we regret the misinformation that has clouded what we hope will be an exciting adventure series set in the incredible Alaskan landscape."

 

Was it enough to get her kicked off of a show for no real reason other than different views? Absolutely not.  Many radical anti hunting groups, such as "Empty Cages Worldwide", had quite a few fans sharing their thoughts on the matter of lion hunting. Some were pretty mild, and some where down right inappropriate.

 

 "Melissa Bachman you are a coward! You shoot a beautiful animal with a high powered rifle and think you are something special. I wonder what kind of a monster raised you, that you are so cruel to murder a lion. You have no sensitivity or compassion which makes you a very ugly person!" -Laurie Ann Breen, Empty Cages Worldwide 

 

"Greedy heartless lowlife sewer scum.... let her run and I will hunt her with my bare hands and when I catch her ugly retarded ass I'll rip her head off and shit down her neck... then I'll take her head and hang it on the closest post for the world to see!! Fucking piece of wasted space!" Robyn James, Empty Cages Worldwide

 

"Kill yourself you fuckin whore. You are a worthless piece of shit and deserve to die painfully like all other hunters" -Greywolf Daniel Salvatori, The Anti-Hunting Movement.

 "A monster pretending to be a woman, I would SO like to see her - and others like her - with an arrow in her neck, slowly bleeding out." Alexander Roberts, The Anti Hunting Movement

"This bitch deserves a bullet to finish her life, I am sure she will get one soon." -Anthony Lai, Empty Cages Worldwide

"What an absolutely disgusting person, I pray that the next time you hunt, it goes terribly right and the lovely animal gets to rip your fucking throat you vile peice of shit and that goes to every hunter out there!" -Raun Thomas James O'Boyle

 

Unfortunately, innocent bystanders are getting thrown in the crossfire. I've even had people to tell me to kill myself because I shared a photo on Instagram months ago of Melissa Bachman following me on Twitter.

 

 

Hopefully, Melissa can come out of this alive as she did before, but with anti hunters getting more bold in their actions, I really do fear for her safety. If you get anything from this article, I hope you become more aware of cyber bullying. Please be safe out there, and here's a tip from Rack Em Up on how to handle a violent anti-hunter & death threats.

 

"Reporting such to Facebook is a waste of time, report to Homeland Security or FBI only. They have to start an investigation of a death threat as a priority issue. Be sure take a clip of the thread to send that with the complaint but do not notify Facebook of the death threat, they will delete the post before the big boys get there with the warrants. You got to do it right to teach these people a lesson. Additional outlets should be sent to the media concerning death threats on Facebook. There are many ways to fight back, just be smart about it!"

 

 

 

 



Two Hunters, One Buck of a Lifetime

 

It was the coldest morning so far this season, so Bradley Peterson and youth Alex Reece decided to hit the woods, not knowing they'd get a shot opportunity on the biggest buck of their lives.

 

 

They got in late. The sun was peeking over the horizon as they slipped down the road to their box stand. The head high weeds were sparkling with the snowy white frost, and they didn't say much as the climbed up into the stand. It was cold, in the low twenties, and they settled themselves each facing opposite of each other. Alex was watching four hundred yards of power line, while Bradley watched a huge thicket with high weeds and some cleared spots for shooting. They both decided that they didn't want to sit past nine, they were hungry and cold, and if they hadn't seen a thing they didn't want to wait.

 Around 8:30 Bradley had just gotten done with a quiet phone call from his brother and Alex was ready to get down. Bradley decided that they should stick it out until nine, as originally planned. They were talking and joking when Alex noticed a bird fly up at the end of one of the shooting lanes. He pointed it out to Bradley who started watching hard and, as luck would have it, out stepped the old eight point Bradley's father had seen a few days ago. 

"Do you see it? Can you get on it?" Bradley asked Alex and they both propped up their rifles. "He's heading back into the woods, can you see it?"

"No, I don't see him." Alex whispered, trying to contain his adrenaline.

"If you can't get on him, I'm going to shoot him, he's about to get back into the woods." Bradley flipped the safety, and settled in on the scope. About that time Alex's .270 cut through the air.

"Did you hit him??" Bradley whispered, trying to spot the buck.

"I don't know, I cant see him." Alex whispered shakily.

That's when Bradley saw the buck running though the brush, heading directly into his shooting lane. He locked in on the shoulder, took a breath, squeezed, and the buck started to drop. As soon as Bradley was recovering from the recoil of his seven mag, he heard Alex shoot off another round.

It all happened within 30 seconds. Three shots, two hunters, and one dead buck in the field. As they both caught their breath, Bradley asked Alex where he shot.

"Behind the shoulder." Alex breathed. They both shakily climbed out of the stand and walked towards the old eight. As they both approached him, they realized how big he really was. They both celebrated, took pictures, and loaded the 240 pound giant into the back of the truck. As they headed home, they came to the realization that they had to decide who actually killed it. With closer inspection, they found one bullet hole, directly in front of the shoulder, a good fatal, clean shot for a deer that was quartering to you, and exactly where Bradley had aimed. After much discussion, debating, re-enacting, they came to the conclusion that Bradley had made the kill shot, and got to claim the prize.

The buck will be sent for scoring soon, and will most likely make the South Carolina record book. This was definitely a once in a lifetime buck for Bradley, who had never shot anything larger than a basket six point. It was an experience he'll never forget, and a roller coaster of emotion that will take days to get over. One of the many reasons why the feelings hunting gives is something that can never be explained, just experienced.

Practice Makes Perfect

It's the first frosty morning in upstate South Carolina, which just so happened to be on a Saturday, so lifelong hunter, Brandon Peterson, knew it was the time to be in the woods.

 

 

 He slipped towards his stand settled on top of a ridge filled with white oaks, feeling the frozen grass and leaves crunch under his feet. His breath was turning to smoke as he walked the two hundred yards toward his stand. He was running a little late, and could see the horizon turning a light orange behind him. He knew that if he was to see anything he's have to hurry, so he pulled himself up into is stand, ignoring his frozen fingers as they protested the ice cold metal. He got settled, nocked an arrow, hung his bow, stuffed his frozen hands into his warm pockets, and waited.

It was barely daylight. He was waiting for the sun to finally make an appearance over his left shoulder to help thaw the frigid ground. He scanned the power line that was about 50 yards to his left, and worked his way back to the thicket on his far right. About 8:30, just as the sun was warming his back, he was surprised as three does filed into the salt lick in front of him. Two of the smaller ones walked under his stand, looked up at him and then continued to feed. Brandon knew it was now or never as he grabbed his bow and eased into a standing position. He waited. Not one deer looked at him, just continued gobbling up acorns and licking salt. He methodically connected his release to his D loop. All the months of practice took over, the hundred arrows thrown from different angles and yardages finally took their place at the peak of his concentration. As he pulled the bow back, the does scattered. By the time the was at full draw, he bleated and the largest doe stopped and gave him a perfect 35 yard broadside shot. He released the arrow and heard the smack of broad head hitting flesh and bone. Sixty five pounds of bone crushing power dropped the doe in her tracks.

 

Brandon sat down, took a breath and called me. I had missed all the action from my blind about one hundred yards in the other direction. His excitement was so tangible over the phone that I could barely wait to go help him drag it. At this moment, I realized that one of the hardest things for a gun hunter turned bow hunter to do was to wait almost an hour before you can put your hands on a deer. Who knows how much it would've killed us to wait if he would've shot her further back and she ran. Finally the time came for him to put his hands on the deer that he had worked so hard for. He had his bow in one hand, his trophy in the other, and a look of pure joy that could never be replaced. I never thought that a doe could be more of a trophy than others we have on the wall at home. All those months and years of practice, all of the money poured into it, and all of the hours in the stand finally reaped a reward, even if it was just a doe, she was his greatest trophy to date.