SVO Scores!!

Opening day of the 2014 MD deer season was a great one as my buddy Josh from Shenandoah Valley Outdoors scored on this great doe 35 minutes into the season. The entire kill was captured on film and will air on tv this fall. Just a great day of hunting with a good friend.

Stoner

Big Bear Down!!

What an amazing and memorable spring bear hunt I had in New Brunswick Canada. I am blessed to have killed my biggest bear to date and I saw a total of 6 bears in 3 hours of hunting when this beast gave me a beautiful quartering away shot with my .308 Remington 700 rifle and I made it count with a smackdown!!! shot. He was a big boar that weighed 352 lbs and was 6 ft 10 inches in length. getting him rugged out and he will look beautiful in my man cave.

Stoner Out!!

Spring Stripers

Between my turkey hunting and bear hunting I did get to do some striper fishing on the Cheasapeke Bay and the action was great with several large rockfish caught and released.

Double Team!!

I had a great spring turkey season with many close encounters with some big toms. Guided a few friends to some nice turkey kills and even manged to kill my largest eastern tom to date and he had double beards. Just a ton of fun with good friends and gods creations in the outdoors.

Stoner Out!!

 

 

Love the Ladies

Been really going hard at the turkeys here in Southern MD the last two days. Running and gunning from different properties with my buddy Mike and his 75 year old dad Dwayne in tow. Man did we get on birds and hunted hard but just couldn't get any toms to close the deal and really wanted to get Dwayne his firts spring gobbler but most of the time the birds win. No matter what we had fun and this isn't the last end of our chase for a big tom. Mike and his dad had to leave at around 11 so that gave me another hour to hunt and man am I glad I did. Not more than 10 min after they left I got a hen to answer me and for the next 30 min we were going back and forth untill finally she couldn't take anymore and decided to see what this new hen was all about. Well as she started to get closer I noticed at about 50 yards she had a beard and then it was game on. I am in no way going to give a bearded lady a reprieve from some smackdown!! and when she got into 30 yards my 12 gauge Remington 870 sent some thunder No 5 shot into her head and stone cold knocked her out. Talk about the last minute, killed her at 11:41 am and goes to show you never know when it can happen in the turkey woods. Bautiful hen with a 5 inch beard and going to do a great mount of the fan and beard for my man cave.

Youth Day Smackdown!!

Today was a great day in the turkey woods as I had the pleasure to take Catfish Cam and his dad Brandon Criddle hunting for tom turkeys on youth day here in MD. What an awesome day it was and to keep a long story short lets just say that Ca...tfish Cam aka the terminator, devastator and turkey eliminator got it done on a beautiful love sick jake with an absolute SMACKDOWN!! shot at 15 yards. Just an absolute AWESOME!! hunt with great friends and very proud of this young man. If your not taking a kid hunting than you are mssing out on so much about what makes hunting fun and a great sport for our youth. To all the adults who took time to take a kid hunting, a big shout out of THANKS!!!

Stoner Out!!

 

 

 

 

Shed Hunting

Went out this weekend to do some shed hunting and with the beautiful weather it was a awesome time to be back in the woods. I managed to find 1 dead head and 5 sheds. Looking forward to the start of spring turkey season in another two months.

Been Awhile but Big Bucks Down!!

I haven't posted here in quite awhile but I have been Hunting hard!! and have had some great success with some Big Bucks Down and a few nice doe's. Here is both write ups for the bucks and a few pictures.

Today was the last day of the Maryland Firearms season and got into my stand early (5:30am) and the weather was cold but clear so I decided to do an all day sit. Of course the weather as predicted changed but I hung tough and at around 4:15...pm (didn't have my cell on for the time as it was raining that hard) this big boy steps out chasing about a 60lb yearling doe and was running around crazy after her. Finally mouth grunted him to a stop at 50 yards and he was facing me directly so he got a .50 cal muzzy round dead center in the bread basket. Tough but rewarding hunt today and goes to show you never know when it can happen in the deer woods. Hunting hard in any weather condition can pay off big time. Sorry about the quality of the pictures but it was still raining hard and didn't want to mess my camera up.

Stoner

Well another great day in the woods today and a very special hunt for me as this is Veterans Day and being a 21 year USAF Security Police Vet made this one memorable hunt. Got this great buck literally in my back yard less than 150 yards fr...om my house in the Shenandoah Mountains of Virginia. He came in with 10 minutes of shooting light , grunting and looking for a fight. Only shot I had was a neck shot at 80 yards but I felt confident of the shot and what my smoke pole can do. Got him good with the first shot in the neck and then finished him of with a quick reload and center mass second shot. I have learned big mature bucks don't usually give you allot of time so you got to make it count and sometimes fast. Just a great big bodied mature buck and not my biggest buck by far but a great buck for this neck of the woods.

Got Lucky!!

It's been a good 2013 deer season so far for me as I have been seeing allot of deer and getting allot of time in the woods to hunt. Moastly been seeing allot of doe's, fawns and small bucks. I have managed to put the smackdown on two nice fat doe's and this great 8 point buck during the 3 day early muzzlelaoder season. Maryland truly has some great deer hunting and I am blessed to be able to hunt as much as I do and harvest a big mature buck. Deer hunting is never easy but if you hunt hard sometimes you do get a bit lucky.

Big Atlantic Salmon

Got back from my fishing trip in New Brunswick Canada and what a great trip it was. I was fishing with my dad on the Miramichi river and we were fishing as part of the 2013 Salmon Classic put on by the Miramichi Salmon Association. I caught a big Atlantic Salmon on a Shady Lady salmon fly and it was a beautiful salmon with an estimated weight of 12lbs and we had to release it quick due to the hot water temperatures and the 10 min plus fight on the rod. I did get the entire catch on video and got some still pictures off the video. Just another great trip with my father, an amazing fish and another memory to last a lifetime



                           

New Brunswick Canada Black Bear

I killed this beautiful color phase black bear in New Brunswick Canada and what a beautiful bear and trophy. He had chocolate brown coloring from both shoulders to his hind quarters. Going to get the hide tanned and he will look awesome in my man cave. This was a very exciting hunt and a memorable hunt that I will never forget.

Rockfish

Went out with a good buddy of mine to do some fishing on the bay and even though it was a slow day I did manage to catch this nice 37" Rockfish and he will be some really good eats.

Ohio Youth Turkey Hunt Smackdown!!

Just got back from an AWESOME!! Ohio youth turkey hunt and man did we get it done. Went with my good buddy Rich and his twin girls Vicki,  Becca , son Josh and two other youth hunters and we went 5 for 5 on toms. I personally called in two big toms for Vicki and Becca and these awesome girls put the Smack Down!! on old mister tom and Rich got it all on film. Just as impressive Rich’s son Josh called in his tom by himself and this kid is only twelve and quite the accomplished hunter. Me and Rich also did a little fishing on some private ponds and caught some nice bass, bluegills and crappie.  To cap off a great week of hunting I managed to kill a beautiful bearded hen when I got back home and she will look awesome mounted in my house. Just a great week of turkey hunting with great friends.

                                                                                                                                 

Shed Hunting and Trout Bonanza

Went out over this past weekend to do some turkey scouting for next weekends youth hunt and decided to do some shed hunting too. Had a great day as I found three really big sheds. One was a fresh shed and two were chewed up sheds that were both older but the one had 5 1/2" bases and came off one dandy buck. After scouting for turkeys in the am, met up with buddy Big Fox and his family/son's friend to do a little trout fishing and we absolutely slayed them. The five of us caught our five fish limits in 1 hour 45 min and we had a blast.

Late Muzzle Loader Buck

It's been awhile since I have posted here on my Blog but life has dealt me and my family a couple of tough blows and dealing with that has kept me from posting and hunting very much. I did manage to take this nice last season muzzle loader buck last week and I am happy to have harvested him. Not my biggest buck for sure but a hard earned one. I'm hoping 2013 is a better year for my family and my hunting.

                                                                    Stoner

October is National Audiology Awareness Month and National Protect Your Hearing Month

My good buddy John O'Connor wrote this article and if you hunt or enjoy the shooting sports please protect your hearing at all times.

                                    Stoner 


Protecting Yourself from Hearing Loss While Shooting and Hunting
Hunting and shooting are essential American pastimes in this day and age. People love to take out their guns and blow off a little bit of steam. Some do it regularly as their favorite sport. Hunting can be a fun activity when it is done the right way. There are some serious safety concerns that you have to keep in mind, though. Hearing loss is one of the major problems that hunters and shooters face in the wake of their activities. You must understand the risks of hearing loss and take the proper precautions to protect against long-term ear damage. My father did not realize the potential harm hunting could have on his hearing.  He usually did not pay much attention to his hearing and now he is severely affected by hearing loss.  In his late 70’s now he wears hearing aids to help him hear better.  This is a prime example of not protecting your hearing while hunting.  Take the right precautionary measures now to ensure healthy hearing for the future.
The Danger of Firearms

An article from Ball State University, suggests that many hunters do not wear ear protection at all times. In fact, younger hunters regularly fail to take care of their ears when they go out shooting. Firearms can be dangerous when you do not take the risks seriously. Firing certain guns can lead to chronic ear pain or long-term hearing loss. Though this problem is not felt by all people who shoot guns, the effect is substantial enough that it needs a broader audience. Given how easy it is to protect one's ears, it makes sense to take this precaution.
Enclosed Shooting Ranges

People who go to shooting ranges must be more conscious about their hearing protection. If you do your shooting indoors, you are in greater danger of running into major hearing issues. A smart hunter will do everything in his power to avoid these types of situations. If you need to practice or just want to do some shooting, you are better off at an outdoor range, but if you choose to take your practicing indoors make sure you are fully protected. 
Using Earplugs

Many people think that they are protected when they use foam earplugs. These can be molded to your ears and are designed to protect on the most basic level. More importantly for some, these earplugs are very cheap. If you lose a couple of them, there is a good chance that you have an entire box waiting at home. These should be considered the baseline for ear safety. In many cases, they do not do enough to protect your hearing, but are better than nothing. 
Earmuffs and Noise Canceling Earmuffs

If you want to take things more seriously, you should consider earmuffs and noise cancelling earmuffs. These products have been known to provide adequate protection for people who are shooting in outdoor areas. Those individuals who do the bulk of their shooting indoors or with especially loud firearms should strongly consider the more expensive noise cancelling earmuffs. Protect your hearing today in order to ensure healthy hearing in the future. 

Wyoming Antelope

Just got back from my Wyoming Pronghorn Antelope hunt and had a great time with some really awesome hunting friends. Caught some really nice rainbow trout, killed a nice pronghorn Antelope and had allot of fun helping my buddies stalk and kill their antelope. looking forward to a return trip to Wyoming in the future.

                        

Big Bass

I did a little fishing at a friends pond this Sunday and caught this nice 5lb bass and six other bass all over 3lbs. A great day of fishing and tons of fun.
  

No. 2 Doe Down

Got my second doe of the season today and she will be some great eats. Filling my freezer fast and now I can use my Bonus Buck tag. I'm back on the big mature buck hunt.


Stoner

Doe Down

Killed this nice sized doe just before dark and after pictures , gutting and a 1/2 mile drag I finally got her in the truck. That long drag definitely made for a late night but well worth it. A very nice fat doe and some really good eats here. 1 more slickhead to go and I'm back in the buck hunt.