Daddy's and Their Little Girls

DADDYS AND THEIR LITTLE GIRLS




Sitting down to right this blog I have chills that are unexplainable! Something about being Daddy to two little girls almost makes me cry with joy. Like I said, words cannot express the feelings.

I have killed lots of big bucks over the years, but I think I have daydreamed more about taking my little girls hunting one day. Then, there is always some doubt that creeps into my mind that they wouldn't even be interested in hunting. Maybe all they would want to do is shop, or play on the computer. Though I hated that thought, I had a simple plan. I was not going to push them into hunting just because of my passion for it. I promised myself it would be their own decision.

My oldest daughter, Jaylee (8), came to me this year with a desire to go hunting. I was out of my mind! You have no idea! I think I became a woman in a sense. I began to shop for all the goodies a little girl might need, or could possibly want. I got her a little turkey vest, a new shot gun, a box call, a slate call, a mouth call. Okay, you get the picture. I bought her EVERYTHING! She did a great job when I took her out for shooting practice. It was now time to head out to the field to fulfill her lifelong dream, or wait a minute. Maybe it was to fulfill my lifelong dream!

Well, opening day of youth season came. I woke her up at 4:30am, and we were on our way. We were heading north of Stillwater, OK, to hunt with good friend, Roger Rudd, of BoneDmonium. We arrived at the farm, visited with Roger for a second, and then Jaylee, Daniel McVay, and myself headed to our spot. Daniel would be filming the memory in the making. As we sat down that morning we could hear turkeys off in the distance. I had more butterflies than I’ve had in any of my own hunting experiences. I was so nervous! Here came the doubting. What if we didn't see a turkey? Would she ever give it another try? What if she misses, and it breaks her heart? Maybe I am just plain crazy, or maybe this is just what every Dad feels taking their child hunting for the first time.

We called for about 45 minutes off and on when we spotted our first turkey. It was a hen, but it was a turkey and it was heading our way. Jaylee hit her box call, and it sounded perfect. My heart swelled with pride! The hen cleared the point of woods, and she had over 20 more behind her. There were two big Toms, and a couple of Jakes. Now I knew we were in business. We were sitting behind the new GhostBlind Runner, and the turkeys did not have a clue we were there. I whispered to Jaylee as I pointed out the big tom, and she never took her eyes off of him. The turkeys got to the decoys, but now I needed to raise Jaylee up with my knees to make sure she could clear the blind. As I lifted, I cocked her brand new shotgun while asking her, "Are you ready?" She replied, "Yeah!" BOOM! All I saw from my point was a dead turkey at 15 yards, and a little girl that had just made her daddy’s dream come true through welling tears in my eyes. I really cannot describe the feeling that I had watching Jaylee shoot her first turkey. Spending this time afield with her will always be special, and very close to my heart! I am so proud of my little girl, and I am even more proud that she calls me Daddy!

Thanks for reading a God Bless!

Big Buck Advice

BIG BUCK ADVICE


As most of you know, I love shooting big bucks! My number one rule to do this consistently is to have hunting ground that has big bucks! Here are some ways to acquire that ground that everyone thinks is out of reach for the average Joe.

Acquiring Leases

"Most people can't hunt good ground like the pros on TV hunt." I hear this continually from fans nationwide. My reply is, "Why not?" It really boils down to how badly a person wants to hunt some of that great ground.

Consider this: a Kansas lease can be acquired for anywhere between $4 an acre to $8 an acre. Lets just say it costs you $6 an acre, and you find 500 acres. That's $3,000, and that’s a lot of money. Find four trustworthy buddies willing to go in with you. This breaks your cost down to $600 per person. Now, you have your own land that you can hunt and manage. Trust me, this can be done. I share this tip with you from my personal experience. This is how I have been leasing great property for fifteen years. Most of my big bucks have come off leases I could not afford, but I was able to pull some friends together to share the expense.

Public Hunting

One of the best pieces of ground I ever set foot on was a public piece in Iowa. There are literally hundreds of thousands of acres of public hunting ground accessible in the Midwest states. These opportunities are a click away on the Internet. Do some research to find the land that is away from major cities and heavily populated areas. In my experience, some of these public areas do not get that much pressure during bow season. The great thing about most of these public grounds is they are set up just for the wildlife.

The opportunities are endless for killing big bucks, but I’ll tell you, none of it comes easy! If you choose to lease or hunt public ground, they both require some hours logged doing research or spending time on the phone learning all you can about the area.

Good ground is a must to kill big mature bucks consistently. The hunting society says that expensive land leases are only for the people with money, but I think it’s for the hunter that can think outside the box. Regardless of the budget you have for hunting land, it can be attained! Hard work and determination go a long way in any aspect of our lives. This applies just as well to finding and obtaining that perfect piece of ground out there just for you!

Thanks for reading and may God Bless each and everyone of you!