en-us http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal.aspx?id=27 10 Journals http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1050 Trail cameras are like a lot of things in the hunting world, some people believe in them very much while others put little to no stock in their effectiveness.  I'd say my beliefs fall somewhere in between these two extremes.  While I do believe they can help you identify the animals living... 12/17/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1049 Despite my recent close encounter with a nice buck here at home my confidence was still pretty low in my hunting spots.  Late season seems like it's always hit or miss and given my trend of misses lately I figured it was time for a change.  So I packed my truck and headed down to West... 12/17/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1030 It looks like that last week of October when the temps gold cold really brought the big guys out to hit the scrape lines. I put my Cuddeback Capture out in Mid-October in an area where scrapes usually open up and sure enough one did about 5 days after I put my camera out. It looks like I'v... 11/14/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1029 For those of you who may not be familiar with the Campbell Outdoor Challenge, let me take a quick second to explain exactly what it is and how it works.  The Campbell Outdoor Challenge is a television show that showcases a series of hunting events for a variety of animals around the country.&nb... 11/13/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=1012 The 2008 season has been a long time coming for me.  For those of you who don't know, I got married two weeks ago and up until then much of my free time that I normally spent doing hunting-related things was consumed with wedding things.  However, I am glad to say that after 13 long months... 10/16/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=970 The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting cooler, and summer is finally starting to wind down.  Here in Northern IL we had a great summer for deer sightings during the height of the summer season.  The spring rains and moderate temps throughout this summer have allowed the crops... 8/25/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=868 As the snow continues to fall and cover my hopes of shed antler hunting this coming weekend I’m left once again to reflect on the season that was and look forward to the year to come. To read the full story about our trip to the Campbell Outdoor Challenge and how I harvested t... 2/6/2008 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=804 For those of you who have read mine or Todd's journals over the past year or so, you might remember way back at the ATA show in January when we signed up to compete in the 2007 Campbell Outdoor Challenge . Our good friends Brian Bychowski and Jim Broberg from Pine Ridge Archery competed in the Ch... 11/9/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=752 The beginning of the bowhunting season is always a sort of surreal experience for me.  With the beginning of the season comes a heightened sense of expectation and a fresh outlook on a new season.  Waking up three hours before daylight begins to peak over the horizon doesn't seem like such... 10/12/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=101 Opening weekend of Illinois archery deer season has come and gone without much excitement or deer movement in my neck of the woods.  The 80+ degree temperatures really supressed movement patterns until late in the evening and during the course of the night when temperatures dropped. Saturday m... 10/5/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=228 The sun has finally set on yet another bow season here in IL and while I certainly would've enjoyed more success in the traditional sense, I still had a great time and have some memories to last a lifetime.  From our early season search for a new lease to hanging stands in the sweltering heat o... 10/5/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=731 With the break of tomorrow's sunrise I will be perched high in a tree somewhere in Wisconsin, waiting for a deer to make it's way toward my stand in hopes of getting that perfect opening day shot - with a camera!  This year, despite the burning desire deep within my soul to release an arrow at ... 9/14/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=705 Where do I even begin?  It's hard for me to even fathom that it's been nearly 3 months since my last journal, but the date stamp on the server doesn't lie.  Usually I admit when I've simply been slacking off, but that hasn't been the case as of late.  Like many of us, I try to cram as... 9/6/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=661 Click play on the video below to watch my first-ever Video Field Journal.  I'm still new at this whole "being on camera" thing, so don't laugh too much!   You need the latest version of flash to view this content. Download it for free here. Story... 4/26/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=622 Wow, I can't believe it's already been nearly 4 months since my last journal entry.  It's amazing how the time flies when you're having fun, or in my case staying busy at work and thinking about next hunting season already.  What can I say?  I'm a whitetail addict - oh wait, someone a... 3/12/2007 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=549 Heading into the peak of the Illinois rut this fall my hopes were higher than ever.  My stands had been hung for months, lanes were trimmed out, and luck - as it seemed - was on my side! Shortly after my last journal entry I headed out to the stand where I had killed my doe on opening day.  As I ... 11/30/2006 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=532 November is finally upon us and once again my mind is focused on but one thing - the rut!  As a whitetail deer hunter in Illinois there is no better time of the year than these first two weeks in November.  It's like your birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, the 4th of July, and Labo... 11/6/2006 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=504 The past few years have been, to say the least, trying times for me. Between moving several times, changing jobs into a whole new career, relationship issues (partially caused by hunting of course), my seemingly endless hunting woes, and whatever else life could throw at me it's been quite a roller... 10/20/2006 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=486 Opening day of the 2006 Illinois archery season was upon me before I even knew it. Granted, I had been scouting, hanging stands, shooting my bow, and gearing up for the season for months and back in May it seemed like it would never get here so I can't say I was surprised that it was October 1 alre... 10/3/2006 http://huntingnet.com/fieldjournal/fieldjournal_detail.aspx?nID=480 With the Illinois archery season not opening until October 1 I decided to take advantage of the earlier Wisconsin archery season and get out in the woods sooner rather than later. Although I missed the opening weekend due to a prior obligation that brought me all the way to Pennsylvania, which is b... 9/28/2006