Back in February, while the SOTV crew was hanging out at the Deer and Turkey Spectacular, we decided to raffle of a turkey hunt. Well……last Friday SOTV Pro Staffer Barry Cooper held up our end of the bargain, and took Justin Demott, the lucky winner, out into the southern Michigan woods after some gobblers. And, [...]
Go to Give-a-way Hunter Gets It DoneAuthor Archive
May 10th, 2012
A Hard-Fought Turkey Prize
By the time we made it into Jeff’s garage on Monday night, my feet and clothes were soaked – I literally had to peel my clothes off of me – and I was exhausted. After tromping through three different properties, and having to belly crawl and duck walk on a couple of them, I was [...]
Go to A Hard-Fought Turkey PrizeMay 8th, 2012
SOTV Southern Gobbler Success
The SOTV crew has been having quite a year. And, though many of us Michigan hunters have had some great hunts this year, I’ve neglected to spotlight Brent’s Arkansas gobbler that he shot back in late April. Brent’s son, Grayson, was with him at the time, and acted more mature than his 4 years when [...]
Go to SOTV Southern Gobbler SuccessMay 1st, 2012
Weekend of Turkeys……and Misses
The last three days have been pretty good for the SOTV crew. On Saturday, Barry headed down to Fort Custer, near Battle Creek, and participated in a NWTF youth weekend. And his calling expertise came in handy, as he called in a very nice bird, which ten year old Katey put on the ground. Congrats [...]
Go to Weekend of Turkeys……and MissesApril 23rd, 2012
Opening Day of Turkey Season: Tyler D’s First Bird
While my season doesn’t kick off until May 7th, many of the SOTV crew were in the woods this morning looking for a bird. And though Tyler hasn’t had much success with turkeys in the past, including one gobbler who put a sweet matrix move on him a few years ago, which was captured on film, [...]
Go to Opening Day of Turkey Season: Tyler D’s First BirdApril 18th, 2012
Mentored Youth Hunting Program: A Perfect Example
This is Jeff’s oldest daughter, Morgan. And it’s a perfect example of the affect that Michigan’s new Mentored Youth Hunting Program can have on our young hunters. Rather than Morgan having to “come along” and watch us hunt turkeys, this year she can hunt them herself, and she has the tags to prove it. Later [...]
Go to Mentored Youth Hunting Program: A Perfect ExampleApril 10th, 2012
Thinking Turkeys
A few weeks ago, the wife and I were out walking in 80 degree temps. Today we had snow flurries. A few weeks ago, I was afraid that the warm weather would inspire the turkeys to start mating, and that they would be completely done before my May hunt. Today I’m afraid that they might [...]
Go to Thinking TurkeysApril 6th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 16
In this episode, you’ll get to follow along as the SOTV crew go after some Detroit River walleye. And after that, you’ll get to tag along as we have an epic day on the Pere Marquette river, while chasing after some Michigan steelhead.
Go to SOTV: Episode 16April 2nd, 2012
Walleye!
While I was treating my wife to a trip up north – a little getaway for her birthday – Jeff, Justin and Melissa were down in the Detroit River, near the mouth of Lake Erie, catching walleye. Overall they did pretty good and put five total fish in the boat. And more importantly, Melissa caught [...]
Go to Walleye!March 30th, 2012
Steelheading: Like the Old Days – Part Two
And the story from Monday continues….. If you missed the previous post, you can read it here. —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— After recovering from my minor melt down, and re-rigging, I headed back to the same hole where I had hooked the previous fish. I wasn’t in that hole long, though, before Jeff was calling for the net [...]
Go to Steelheading: Like the Old Days – Part TwoMarch 25th, 2012
Steelheading: Like the Old Days – Part One
It’s a walk that many never get to experience, through quite a pristine place. But as I walked through the Manistee National Forest – head lamp showing me the way – I didn’t really have high expectations. While I love this part of Michigan, and love being able to experience it first hand, I didn’t [...]
Go to Steelheading: Like the Old Days – Part OneMarch 23rd, 2012
Weather Whackiness Means Steelhead!
Our grass is high enough that tonight I honestly had to contemplate whether I wanted to mow it or not; as we walked past the Dairy Queen tonight, the line was almost out into the street; Harleys were passing us as we walked, too, their exhaust rattling my soul; kids of every shape and size [...]
Go to Weather Whackiness Means Steelhead!March 15th, 2012
The Hunter Within
It’s no secret that hunters are the minority these days. With hunter numbers on a steady decline, it’s not very likely that a new acquaintance is a hunter. On a normal day, especially in my line of work, I rarely have to deal with a fellow hunter; typically I’m explaining the reasons I hunt, and [...]
Go to The Hunter WithinMarch 13th, 2012
Shooting in March
I’ve tried to convey it before on this blog, but I think I’ve failed every time. I always try to put into words how I feel about shooting, especially archery, but words truly cannot describe how good it makes me feel. Since the weather was so unseasonably warm last weekend, we decided to take advantage [...]
Go to Shooting in MarchMarch 6th, 2012
The 3800: Almost Ready for Season
After a few weeks of waiting, and a few trips to the archery shop, my Darton 3800 is finally equipped with sights, a rest, and a quiver. Honestly, it’s really starting to take shape, and is starting to look the way a modern day bow should. I sat down for a few hours tonight and [...]
Go to The 3800: Almost Ready for SeasonMarch 1st, 2012
American Academy of Pediatrics: Concerned about their Agenda, not about Kids
It was a trying time for my wife and me. After having a premature baby, and having to spend a few weeks traveling back and forth to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding our lives. We were thankful that we had a local hospital which specialized in preemie babies, [...]
Go to American Academy of Pediatrics: Concerned about their Agenda, not about KidsFebruary 27th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 15
This episode you’ll get to follow along, as one of our hunt winners, Katie, chases after some whitetails. You’ll be able to watch as Jeff and Barry take a couple rabbit hunting for their first time. And you’ll get to step back in time – back to a time when it actually was cold enough [...]
Go to SOTV: Episode 15February 26th, 2012
Setting Up Our New Darton 3800′s: The Magic is Back!
Honestly, it was like getting rid of an old friend. As I packed it up the night before, so that it was ready to be left with Jeff the next day – he had a guy from work who was interested in buying it – it was actually kind of sad in a way, as [...]
Go to Setting Up Our New Darton 3800′s: The Magic is Back!February 22nd, 2012
No Hunting Age: I Side with the Kids
I was lucky. When I was growing up, I had the good fortune to be surrounded by people who loved being outside, and who were generous enough to share that passion with me. I was lucky, too, because there wasn’t much to distract me from hunting and fishing; videos games weren’t a huge draw at [...]
Go to No Hunting Age: I Side with the KidsFebruary 19th, 2012
Deer/Turkey Spectacular Recap
For the last three days, many of the SimplyOutdoors crew have been hanging out at the Michigan Deer and Turkey Spectacular. And though we’ve visited the show many times over the last few years, this was the first time that we had a booth at the show – it made for a long three days, [...]
Go to Deer/Turkey Spectacular RecapFebruary 12th, 2012
Mentored Youth Hunting Program: It’s Here!
Honestly, this news could not have come at a better time for me. With my oldest just turning three in October, and my newest little one not turning a year old until October of this year, the recent news from Michigan’s DNR couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s official: Michigan does not have [...]
Go to Mentored Youth Hunting Program: It’s Here!February 8th, 2012
Empty Freezer/Skeeter’s Batter it Up Mix
My chest freezer is in dire straits these days, and looks pretty pathetic, actually. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the ten pounds of venison that a buddy gave to me recently, the thing would be completely empty. What a hunter I am. But venison burger wasn’t exactly the first thing I wanted to use [...]
Go to Empty Freezer/Skeeter’s Batter it Up MixFebruary 7th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 14
In this episode we take you down south to see if Brent’s cousin can get his first bow kill; Brent takes his 13 yr. old niece on two different hunts; and Jeff and I have one of the most interesting days we’ve ever had in the deer woods. It’s a unique episode, and one of [...]
Go to SOTV: Episode 14February 5th, 2012
The New Simplyoutdoors.net
When this site/blog started back in 2007, we really had no idea where it was headed. Jeff initially came up with the idea, created a Myspace page (remember Myspace? Oh how times have changed), and that is where SimplyOutdoors initially started. After I took a look at the Myspace page, however, and noticed how weird [...]
Go to The New Simplyoutdoors.netFebruary 4th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 13
In this episode, the SimplyOutdoors crew chase after some Michigan Whitetails. And, in case you didn’t know, Michigan Whitetails are some of the hardest hunted deer in the country. It could be interesting.
Go to SOTV: Episode 13February 4th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 12
Watch along, as Barry, with many of his family members in tow, chases Whitetails in the foothills of Tennessee. It ends up being a very memorable trip for all involved.
Go to SOTV: Episode 12February 4th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 11
Join the SimplyOutdoors crew, as they head to woods during Michigan’s archery season opener.
Go to SOTV: Episode 11January 25th, 2012
Huntin’ Time Expo/My Lack of Posts
It’s absolutely no secret that I’ve been neglectful of this blog lately. Some evidence: I never posted a few of the deer that Justin shot. I didn’t post anything about Jeff, Barry, Erin, and Josh heading down to the ATA show in Columbus a little over a week ago. And I’ve never posted anything about [...]
Go to Huntin’ Time Expo/My Lack of PostsJanuary 14th, 2012
SOTV: Episode 10
[vimeo id="29665537" width="450" height="248"]
You have to watch this episode of SimplyOutdoors TV. Sit back and watch as the SimplyOutdoors’ crew put a few early season doe in the freezer, and as we put a few youth hunters in the right spot …
January 5th, 2012
End of Deer Season: Maybe I Stink
Last night I cleaned my muzzleloader. And though I usually love the feeling that comes with cleaning any firearm, last night’s cleaning kind of depressed me a little, because it was a sure sign that another deer season had passed and that I had once again went through an entire season without putting any venison [...]
Go to End of Deer Season: Maybe I Stink