en-us http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal.aspx?id=113 10 Journals http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1119 My first steps into this world came to me when I started to become aware that the guns I owned weren’t as accurate as I wanted them to be, nor nearly as consistent as I thought they should be.  So one day, while sitting at the bench and "re"-sighting in my rifle before a Colorado mule deer hunt... 6/22/2009 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1064 I think every year around this time, I find myself taking inventory of last fall's hunting equipment as well as planning for the coming year’s trips.   Thought I would take some time to tell you about some of the things I use in the field that I take with me on my hunts.  ... 2/2/2009 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1054 “There’s some deer coming down behind us,” Merle blurted out as I whipped my head around to see out the back window of the blind.   “One’s a buck!” I replied, “He’s just an 8 point though.”   We both watched as the buck followed a doe down into the osage thicket behind us, rub... 1/2/2009 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1040 After a recent trip to Bass Pro Shops to get a crossbow restrung for a friend of mine, I felt compelled to write about my experience as soon as I got back home.   Every able-bodied hunter that noticed my bow stopped and asked me the same question:   “How far does that thing shoot?  ... 11/26/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1018 These were my last two shots when sighting in my 270 before the hunt.  Ironically, they'd be close to the exact distance I'd wind up having when I found my buck in my sights during the last few minutes of shooting light. A wise man once told me, "If you shoot little bucks,... 11/3/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1017 My hunt started this morning in the Super 8 motel paking lot.  Mike showed up about six to help dad load me and everything else we needed up in dad's truck.  We headed out to a piece of farmland owned by a rancher named Rocky who also has a disabled son, Denver, who would&nb... 10/27/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1016 We passed the Cortez, Co., city limit sign just before three o'clock on Friday afternoon after spending two days on the road from Texas.  Seems like we saw twenty different prices for a gallon of gas on the way up, all around the three dollar bill mark.  I don't even want to know how many ... 10/27/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=996 Hurricane Ike, yes the one that just leveled the entire island of Galveston and layed waste to the city of Houston, roared ashore Friday night a mere 100 miles to the east, just far enough and on the right side to give us a glancing blow as he went by.  Twenty miles down the road... 10/6/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=998 Back when I was a kid in south central  Texas , the only white-wing dove hunting to be had was either way down in the valley of south Texas or in Mexico .  Dad even took me down there one year when I turned 15 on one of their annual white-winging trips to hunt the vast ... 9/25/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=959 Since we're deep into the off-season, I thought I'd post an account of one of the most memorable hunts I've ever been on.  It took place the first days of August almost 3 years ago today... I was on the trail of Boone & Crockett that weekend. I thought every kid who grew up hunting in my ... 8/5/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=944 It's not too often that new products hit the market that are specifically designed for disabled hunters, most target the general able-bodied population and only by chance offer some benefit to chairbound outdoorsmen.  So whenever I find them, I feel obliged to help get the word out. The fir... 6/19/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=928 Since so much time and prep work, about 2 years worth, went into making my first African safari a reality, I thought I would share the experience with my readers in case anyone was as clueless as I was when I first started putting this trip together. First of all, it has always been a dream hunt ... 5/13/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=916 As I set my sights on this young tom way back on opening morning, I knew he wasn't the one I was looking for.  I never pulled the trigger. I did, in fact, find what I was after the following weekend when I spotted a big ol' gobbler on his way to roost one evening. And over the course of t... 5/2/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=906 The next time I could get out, mainly because I'm at the mercy of finding someone to go with me, was last Saturday afternoon.  I met John and his young daughter at the gate around 5:30pm and we set up on the wooded edge on the top part of the field where we saw most of the birds that one e... 4/15/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=899 We have been 3 weekends deep into turkey season around here, and finally I saw the first gobblers of the year in my decoy spread.  In Fredericksburg in the middle of March, we saw several nice rio grande toms but only passing by.  It was still early in the the spring and they weren't inter... 4/5/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=873 There always used to be a long lull period as soon as all the seasons ended every year.  And there still would be if I hadn’t gotten hooked on out-of-state hunting and the public draws.  Now is the time to start planning for fall hunts, disabled or not.  For me, the process begins... 2/15/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=862 As we approached late morning on day four, we approached the road that would lead us up from the second level to the top of the mountain and eventually back to camp. That’s where we’d stop for lunch. Temps were getting into the mid 70’s everyday now, and that was putting the mule deer to bed earlier... 1/24/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=839 At first light, Boudreaux, my scout Bert, and I left out for the lower part of the lease behind the rancher’s house. It’s rougher country down there, mule deer country, and I always liked jeeping the lower part better because I could see more. I can spot deer on the mountainsides down there. Aft... 12/20/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=838 Heading back west on the long stretch of interstate highway 10, I was excited as anyone in the group going back for the final week of the mule deer season in Texas. Conditions were as good as they ever were in that part of the country, when we last left the rut was just beginning to roll, and the ne... 12/17/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=826 I have to say, it was extra tough this year to outlast the heat, even by Texas standards. October sure seems like long ago now, but I can still feel its effects. For starters, it was one of the hottest bow seasons ever, with temps around 90 for most of the month. And I've always believed that it ... 12/2/2007