Now is a good time to start trimming those shooting lanes to improve your deer hunting honey holes.

You reap what you sow, that’s how the saying goes right? Well I’m planning on getting some sowing done early this year so hopefully I’ll reap the benefits of some hard work when it comes time to go deer hunting. Hopefully this will be the season I finally get that Pope & Young whitetail. I have got to trim a lot of shooting lanes and hang several stands. I moved a ladder stand after this past season and I went to check it out the other day and man have I got some lane trimming to do. I want to get it done early this year.  I would rather do it now than to have to do it right before or during the season. I just think the more commotion there is in the woods close to the season the less likely those big bucks will know you are in the area. That big whitetail didn’t get big by being stupid. If they sense a lot of activity in the woods they will go nocturnal or leave their core area. I am planning on going to do some lane trimming tomorrow and put in some screw in steps in a tree where I plan on hanging some stands on one of my favorite deer hunting properties.

Get those trail cameras out now to watch your big whitetail develop throughout the antler growing process.

Have you started getting you’re whitetail honey holes ready for the upcoming season yet? I’ve got so much work to do to get ready but I enjoy getting out in the woods and putting up stands, trimming shooting lanes, putting out trail cameras and all other sorts of fun stuff. It  is a great way to get some exercise also.  I can’t wait to start getting some good trail camera pictures of some of those big bucks. I am wondering what bucks made it through the very harsh winter here in Kansas. There is one buck that I really hope made it through and is back. He’s the one I missed with my bow last year and this year he should be an absolute brute. I would love to match wits with him again this season. I was so close to getting him last year but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades!

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• July 7, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Big Bucks Looking For A Big Whitetail In Summer Feeding Pattern (5)
• April 19, 2011 -- Doug’s First Buck Deer Hunting In Ohio & Trail Camera Pictures (0)
• April 4, 2011 -- Whitetail Deer Hunting On Windy Days (2)
• December 20, 2009 -- Big Whitetail Bucks Hit By Cars Every Year And My Last Chance Deer Hunting This Season (6)
• November 26, 2008 -- Whitetail Deer Rut In Big Deer Texas (2)
• July 28, 2011 -- Using Whitetail Vocalizations Deer Hunting (0)
• June 22, 2011 -- A Little Deer Hunting Preparation (4)
• June 21, 2011 -- My Favorite Deer Hunting Spot Looking Good (0)
• June 9, 2011 -- Put Out Those Trail Cameras On Your Deer Hunting Hot Spots (1)
• May 17, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Video Of Austin (1)

This is the corn they planted on the east side of one of the properties I will be deer hunting this season.

Today I went and got all my trail cameras up and running and hopefully I’ll have some good pictures to share soon. I had a great day out in the woods putting up cameras, trimming trails and I put out some apples and I am pumped and ready to go deer hunting.  I went to two of my favorite deer hunting spots and I saw the new corn they planted on the property that butts up to the land I hunt. My neighbor had told me they were planting corn back there but I wasn’t quite sure where they were going to plant it. I thought from looking at the map that they were going to plant it deeper into their property but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they planted the corn all the way down the south property line where I have permission to hunt. This  particular piece of deer hunting property was already awesome but having the corn all the way down the south property line makes it even more awesome.  Now it has corn on the south property line and a huge corn field on the east property line as well. I have a stand in the hardwoods that run in between the beautiful corn fields and there is a very nice creek where the whitetails can get water. This piece of property has everything whitetails need, plenty of food, water and cover. The other piece of property I went to today is an absolute honey hole. I put up a trail camera on a mineral lick site for whitetails and I trimmed some shooting lanes and trails to the stands.

This is a mineral lick site for whitetails I established on one of the properties I hunt.

This piece of property is surrounded by huge soybean fields that are coming up nicely and has corn planted on two ends of the property. Needless to say I am stoked to get after some huge whitetails.

I talked to fellow DHBB Pro-staffer Troy today and he got his Kansas tags today and will be coming to hunt with me during the rut in early November. I will be filming Troy on his hunt and hopefully we will get some awesome Kansas whitetail rut action on film to share on DHBB. Troy will be making the trek to Kansas from Georgia, it will be his first time getting after Kansas whitetails and he is super pumped about it. I hope I can help Troy get a huge Kansas buck and get it on film to boot. If you are considering coming to hunt Kansas this season now is the time to get your tags. Now is also the time to get those mineral licks established and get those trail cameras out to get those pictures of those big bucks as they develop.

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• July 7, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Big Bucks Looking For A Big Whitetail In Summer Feeding Pattern (2)
• June 24, 2011 -- Whitetail Deer Hunting Pre-Season Chores (0)
• June 21, 2011 -- My Favorite Deer Hunting Spot Looking Good (0)
• June 9, 2011 -- Put Out Those Trail Cameras On Your Deer Hunting Hot Spots (1)
• May 17, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Video Of Austin (1)
• May 6, 2011 -- Use Scent Control and Wind Direction To Improve Your Deer Hunting (1)
• May 4, 2011 -- Successful Deer Hunting (2)
• May 3, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Misc. & Trail Cameras (0)
• April 27, 2011 -- Simulate Deer Hunting Conditions When Practicing Archery (1)
• April 25, 2011 -- Whens The Right Time To Plant Your Deer Hunting Food Plots? (0)

Put out those trail cameras on your favorite deer hunting spots and watch those bucks grow their antlers.

I’m getting the fever to go deer hunting. I went and put out another bag of Whitetail Institute 30/06 mineral/salt supplement at one of my favorite deer hunting honey holes the other day. I haven’t been there since March and it just amazed me how much of a jungle that place has become since March. I guess all the rain we have had just made all the green lush plants just take off. I pulled the sd cards in two of my trail cameras and put out a new camera. I had to change the batteries in two of my cameras and put batteries in my new camera. I also had to get a new sd card so when I go to check my cameras I can just swap out the cards. I had to do some trimming with a machete on some of the trails I use that were so grown up.  Now is the time to start getting your favorite deer hunting spots ready for next season. I have learned through the years that it is best to get prepared early and then when it gets close to the season you can stay out of your honey holes and the bucks won’t have a clue when you go in to hunt. If you wait until right before the season to do all your lane trimming and hanging stands sighting in your gun etc… the big bucks know what is going on and get smart in a hurry. Get started preparing your spots sooner than later you will be glad you did. One of my favorite properties that I hunt has been planted in soybeans and corn and it is coming up nicely. They were a little late planting this year compared to some of the other farms in the area. But the soybeans look good and the whitetails should have plenty of food to fatten up on and grow them antlers all nice and big. I can’t wait to start getting trail camera photos of those big bucks growing their antlers. Hopefully I’ll have some pictures to share soon. I’ve got a lot of work to do between now and the season and I am looking forward to every bit of it. I just enjoy getting out in the great outdoors and spending time with nature. I can’t wait to get after those big bucks, it will be time do do just that very soon.

These soybeans are coming up nicely.

The other day I took my boys to the Cabela’s here in Kansas and we had a blast. I took a lot of pictures  and I got some really good ones. If you get a chance I definitely recommend going to Kansas City Cabela’s.

I took this picture at Kansas City Cabela's.

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• July 7, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Big Bucks Looking For A Big Whitetail In Summer Feeding Pattern (2)
• June 24, 2011 -- Whitetail Deer Hunting Pre-Season Chores (0)
• June 22, 2011 -- A Little Deer Hunting Preparation (4)
• June 9, 2011 -- Put Out Those Trail Cameras On Your Deer Hunting Hot Spots (1)
• May 17, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Video Of Austin (1)
• May 6, 2011 -- Use Scent Control and Wind Direction To Improve Your Deer Hunting (1)
• May 4, 2011 -- Successful Deer Hunting (2)
• May 3, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Misc. & Trail Cameras (0)
• April 27, 2011 -- Simulate Deer Hunting Conditions When Practicing Archery (1)
• April 25, 2011 -- Whens The Right Time To Plant Your Deer Hunting Food Plots? (0)

Really, what more do you need to start the weekend off right than enjoying this awesome mix of amazingly flavored food.I Cooked up these shish-kabobs in the backyard on Friday. Snapping a picture that turned out nice and colorful was the least I could do to share it.  These are being cooked on the Camp Chef BB60X Grill Box coupled with the new Expedition 2X two burner stove. The combo of these two excellent pieces of cooking equipment is perfect for simple grilling.

All I did with these was add a little season salt and lightly sprinkled them with garlic powder. I couldn’t get a “finished” picture of the kabobs because they got eaten up so fast. Try this out for yourself. It really will set your weekend off right.

The late Dale Earnhardt enjoyed deer hunting and was my favorite Nascar driver.

They were here for a few days and one day we decided to go fishing at one of our favorite deer hunting properties. The fishing was great and my 5 year old son caught a really nice bass and a big ole catfish and we caught a lot of bream and crappie. This pond is smack dab in the middle of prime land for deer hunting. And as we are sitting there fishing one of the boys says hey look and we look up and there are two does and two nice bucks running across this big field. And you could tell they were some really big bucks. Even though they are just starting to grow their antlers they had some impressive antlers already. You could just tell they were some bigger more mature bucks. It could have been one of the big bucks that I missed this past November with my bow. Now I’m all fired up and this week I’ll be putting out some more Whitetail Institute 30-06 mineral/salt supplement and putting out another Moultrie Gamespy and checking my two trail cameras that I already have out. I am so pumped. I had shoulder surgery in April and I’m currently doing physical therapy every day and I am getting better everyday and hopefully I will be ready once bow season rolls around. After missing the Pope and Young buck I have been after last year I am more determined than ever to finally get that Pope and Young this season. How about you have you gotten any trail camera pictures yet of those big bucks sporting their new headgear. It will be time to go deer hunting before you know it and now is the time to start getting ready. During the spring and hot summer months the bucks need minerals to help them grow their antlers to full potential. And putting a trail camera on a mineral lick site is a great place to watch that big buck develop his antlers throughout the antler growing process. Hopefully I will have some great pictures to share here soon.

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• June 24, 2011 -- Whitetail Deer Hunting Pre-Season Chores (0)
• June 22, 2011 -- A Little Deer Hunting Preparation (4)
• June 21, 2011 -- My Favorite Deer Hunting Spot Looking Good (0)
• May 17, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Video Of Austin (1)
• May 6, 2011 -- Use Scent Control and Wind Direction To Improve Your Deer Hunting (1)
• May 4, 2011 -- Successful Deer Hunting (2)
• May 3, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Misc. & Trail Cameras (0)
• April 27, 2011 -- Simulate Deer Hunting Conditions When Practicing Archery (1)
• April 25, 2011 -- Whens The Right Time To Plant Your Deer Hunting Food Plots? (0)
• April 22, 2011 -- Deer Hunting And Filming Hunts (0)

Austin killed this buck deer hunting with a crossbow in Kansas.

My friend Terry has a not for profit organization that takes kids with disabilities and illnesses out to enjoy the great outdoors. I thought you might like to go by Terry’s website ChaseVideo.org and see the video of Austin killing his buck. To see the video click on this link here and then click on the picture of Austin with his buck.  Terry takes the time and the effort to take these kids out that might not get the chance to go deer hunting otherwise. It is just nice to see .  Terry received an award this past year, it was the Streamlight challenged hunter of the year award. Even though Terry has cancer he still gets out and takes these kids to enjoy the great outdoors. That is awesome. So go by and check out his website and watch the video of Austin shooting a buck with his crossbow and some of the other videos he has of other kids as well. It is really a good thing Terry is doing for these kids.

On a different note if you are planting food plots this year have you got them planted? Just this past week in the mid-west I saw a lot of farmers planting. I got my garden planted about a week ago. It seemed  like the cold weather would never go away. It was a really rough winter here in the mid-west this year. I heard several reports of bucks being found shed hunting that didn’t make it through the harsh winter. Mother nature can be cruel. That’s why on the properties where I hunt I try to put out some corn when the conditions get really tough. This year I want to leave some standing corn and soybeans so late in the year when the snow is deep and food is scarce they will still have a food source to count on. I am going to talk to the land owners where I hunt to see how much it would cost me to leave some standing crops.

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• June 22, 2011 -- A Little Deer Hunting Preparation (3)
• June 21, 2011 -- My Favorite Deer Hunting Spot Looking Good (0)
• June 9, 2011 -- Put Out Those Trail Cameras On Your Deer Hunting Hot Spots (1)
• May 6, 2011 -- Use Scent Control and Wind Direction To Improve Your Deer Hunting (1)
• May 4, 2011 -- Successful Deer Hunting (2)
• May 3, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Misc. & Trail Cameras (0)
• April 27, 2011 -- Simulate Deer Hunting Conditions When Practicing Archery (1)
• April 25, 2011 -- Whens The Right Time To Plant Your Deer Hunting Food Plots? (0)
• April 22, 2011 -- Deer Hunting And Filming Hunts (0)
• April 19, 2011 -- Doug’s First Buck Deer Hunting In Ohio & Trail Camera Pictures (0)

He cooks it Dutch oven style on the Camp Chef Expedition 3X just like we like to do.  Check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Their cooking videos have a way of causing us to just stare open mouthed for the duration and, as soon as the video ends, immediately head to the local meat shop.

We have convinced the Pit Boys to try out the Expedition 3X this spring to amp up their already awesome cooking possibilities.  The following video features the episode in which the Pit Boys receive their brand new Expedition 3X that we sent them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Their cooking videos have a way of causing us to just stare open mouthed for the duration and, as soon as the video ends, immediately head to the local meat shop.

We have convinced the Pit Boys to try out the Expedition 3X this spring to amp up their already awesome cooking possibilities.  The following video features the episode in which the Pit Boys receive their brand new Expedition 3X that we sent them.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Scent control products can put the odds in your favor when deer hunting.

There are many good products on the market to help you with scent control.There is one noise that makes a hunter cringe when in the woods (other than a nearby gun shot) a whitetail blowing at you is a bad feeling. Although no matter how hard you try to control your scent when deer hunting sometimes it is damn near impossible to keep whitetails from smelling you. Especially if the wind direction is shifting. Even if it is shifting I feel much more confident if I take a few steps to control my scent. I wanted to list a few things that I do to keep my scent at a minimum.

1. The first thing I do is wash my clothes in some type of liquid clothing wash for hunters. I like the way the  autumn blend smells.
2. Store your clothes and boots in scent proof bags and maybe throw in a few pine needles or scent wafers or some plain old baking soda.
3. Take a shower before going hunting using a scent eliminator soap
4. Use a scent away anti-perspirant deodorant. I like the Hunters Specialties brand.
5. Keep your boots in a scent bag until you arrive at your property and are fixing to go out. Don’t ever pump gas in your boots.
6. Use scent eliminator spray and cover scents
7. Pay attention to wind direction and use it to your advantage
8. Don’t smoke or dip while in the woods. This one is a hard one for me, I do dip in the woods even though I know I should not.
9. Wear light clothing when walking to your stand to avoid sweating and put on more layers once you are at your stand or in your stand.
10. If the wind shifts and is not to your advantage you will be better off to change stand locations. This is a tough one it can be a tough call to get up and leave a location once you are in the stand but if you are serious about harvesting mature trophy bucks you must pay attention to wind direction.

By paying attention to wind direction and doing your best to control your scent you can put the odds in your favor for a mature trophy buck.

Deer Hunting Big Bucks

• June 21, 2011 -- My Favorite Deer Hunting Spot Looking Good (0)
• June 9, 2011 -- Put Out Those Trail Cameras On Your Deer Hunting Hot Spots (1)
• May 17, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Video Of Austin (1)
• May 4, 2011 -- Successful Deer Hunting (2)
• May 3, 2011 -- Deer Hunting Misc. & Trail Cameras (0)
• April 27, 2011 -- Simulate Deer Hunting Conditions When Practicing Archery (1)
• April 25, 2011 -- Whens The Right Time To Plant Your Deer Hunting Food Plots? (0)
• April 22, 2011 -- Deer Hunting And Filming Hunts (0)
• April 19, 2011 -- Doug’s First Buck Deer Hunting In Ohio & Trail Camera Pictures (0)
• April 12, 2011 -- Kansas Deer Hunting (0)