Black Friday Big Buck

 The morning of November 25th I finally picked the right tree on the right morning! This season has been one of the toughest seasons for me to even get a chance at a shooter buck. More south winds than I can ever recall during bow season. And more windy days too. I know for sure that our deer population is down and still on the decline due mainly to the over harvest of does. There were several days with no deer sightings at all. Deer sign in general is mostly sparse with small concentrations in certain areas. Its in one of those areas that I shot this big buck. I have hunted the area a lot in years past and I decided to scout it a week or so prior the 25th. When I got back to the truck I had seen over 10 does and 5 bucks! I had finally found an area worth spending some more time in. Kent and I took turns as cameraman in this area a couple times with one close encounter with a good ten pointer that we almost got a shot at. It was my turn on the 25th and once again we had a south wind. I only had one stand location for a south wind so in we went. Only this time it was a calm cold morning with a good frost . I looked up at Kent after we settled in with our climbers and said " I'm gonna kill a big buck today". Little did I know about a couple hours later that statement would come true. At about 8:50 am a doe snapped me to attention as she came running toward our tree with a big buck following by 40 yards or so. She stopped 15 yards from my tree and the big boy stopped at about 35 yards....I was already at full draw as Kent gave me the OK. But  I thought the buck would come to the doe so I let down my Matthews and waited to see his next move. I didn't really want to take that long of a shot. But then he turned back to his back trail, I'm not sure if he smelled where we walked in or if he was defending his doe from the smaller bucks that were trailing. So back to full draw I came. And at 38 yards my arrow found its mark. The buck crashed off and a little later I was standing over one of the bigger bucks Ive shot. I rough scored him at around 151" gross. He is a nine pointer with over 12" G2s! He field dressed 188 lbs. Truly a trophy buck that I am very thankful to have even got a chance at. Thanks to Kent for doing a great job on the camera. It should make a great hunt for the next video.

Big Buck Down

Well, you can't imagine how glad I am to post this. Big Buck Down! I took off from work on Monday November the 7th and decided to hunt. The weather was really not very good for this time of year. The morning temperature was 52, and it was a little breezy, but what are you gonna do, it's November 7th and I needed to be in the woods. Anyway, Dave had to work, and my kids were at school so I decided to try to not only hunt, but film myself. I headed out, and on my way to my stand jumped 2 deer. Needless to say, I wasn't happy. I got to my stand and got everything strapped to the tree with plenty of time to spare. Right at first light, I had a small 6 pointer come within 10 yards in front of my stand. My spirits lifted a little, and I thought maybe this would be a good morning after all. At around 8:00 I decided to do a little rattling with some grunts thrown in. At around 8:15, I heard something in front of me and to the right. I immediately saw a deer across a little drainage ditch in front of my stand. He raised his head and right away I knew he was a shooter. He was 80 yards away but slowly quartering to me. I was trying to get the camera on him, but I was more concerned with trying to actually shoot the deer. At about 40 yards, the buck started to turn away from my stand. I frantically reached for the grunt call and gave a couple of short quick grunts. The buck stopped, and immediately turned toward me and came trotting in. I moved the camera hoping I was getting some footage, and at 15 yards I stopped him. I released the arrow and thought I hit him a little far forward. The buck ran about 40 yards and piled up, a double lung shot! I watched the footage, and there he was right in the middle of the screen. I had not only shot a great buck, but got it on film to boot! I couldn't believe what had just happened. God had answered my prayers. Moments before I saw this deer I had prayed my usual prayer, and ended my prayer with, "God, if you see fit to have a big buck walk in front of me this morning, that would be great". That's exactly what happened! Well, I got down, and after a short trailing job found the buck, and he is a beauty. A main frame 8 pointer with two stickers off of each main beam. I gross scored him at 145, (give or take a couple of inches). He's an absolutely great buck, and I got it all on film. Just an unbelieveable day that I will never forget. God continues to bless me way more than I deserve! Good luck to everyone!

Latest news from the field 10/31/11

Well, saw some bucks and many does this weekend. No shooters. Weather has been great for deer hunting. Problem we're seeing is that the overall deer numbers are way down. Everybody we've talked to are seeing less deer now than a few years ago. Not going to get into a big discussion again about regulations, but the Indiana DNR is doing an absolute horrible job managing the deer herd. Enough said about that. (If anybody wants me to go into detail, just ask, but be prepared for an ear full)!

Dave shot a doe on October 21st. He was off work, and I had to work, so he didn't have a cameraman. Said he passed a 120" eight pointer. He had a great morning.

I've got a lot of days off coming up and the weather is supposed to be good for hunting. We've been limited on our hunting spots and we plan to spend some money on some hunt leases next year. It's really a shame that hunting has become a rich mans sport. (Again, if you want me to go into detail about this, just ask)! Ha ha.

Good luck to everyone. It's October 31st, time for the rut!!!

Remember to respect the game that you hunt, and to praise God for your time afield.

Glenn

Team Huber/Nunemaker on the board

Well, I decided to hunt the evening of October 12th. Dave had to babysit, so I took the camera and went by myself. It was a very warm but calm evening, and my expectations weren't very high. About an hour before dark, I had 3 does come from a small pond and make their way to a food plot that Dave and I planted. At about 12 steps, I double lunged one of the does. She ran about 30 yards and piled up. It wasn't easy, but I got it on film. Would have preferred to have Dave there running the camera! Video is ok for filming myself.
Well, anyway, we're on the board! Can't wait for the rut to start!

Good luck, God bless, and shoot straight!

Oct 5 2011 Deer Season

And I'm sitting at home with 2 broken fingers!!!! One of them being my trigger finger. I'm just itching to get this cast off and get in the woods. So all you guys complaining that it's to hot to hunt I will gladly trade you places! That's all I got to say since I can't type left handed !!!!

Bring on Deer Season!

Just like Dave said, we've been doing a lot to get ready for the upcoming season. We really struggled last year after losing most of our hunting ground. Some of the property sold, and some of our past "friends" decided that a little money and the possibility of a little fame was more important than friendship, so we gave up our opportunity to hunt those places also. God, family and friends are whats most important to us. We don't just say it, we LIVE it! Dave and I have been hunting together for more years than I care to count. We're like brothers. Thats the sort of people you'll see in our videos. (Some of us actually ARE brothers)! We're certainly not to worried about fame and fortune. We film our hunts because we love hunting and we wanted to share our adventures with everyone. Sure, we would all like to hunt for a living, but for now, were content with what we're doing. Things are happening really fast, and I see nothing but success in our future! Our videos are getting better every year, our editing knowledge is getting better every year, and we're having a blast!
Now, lets talk about hunting ethics. If there's one thing we pride ourselves on here at BareBones Outdoors, its obeying ALL of the game laws ALL of the time! I would never break the law just to fill a tag. Unfortunately, there are some of those that break game laws every year, and let me tell ya, it's not worth it, and I couldn't do it! Now, I don't always agree with many of our game laws here in Indiana, but I assure you all of us follow those laws no matter what. (Way too many does being killed, basically no antler restrictions, and having the gun season come in during the peak of the rut, are just a few of the game laws I don't agree with)!
Dave and I are trying to make more of a commitment this year to filming. Last year was tough, but that's no excuse to split up and stop filming. For those of you who haven't tried filming, just imagine giving up at least half of your time hunting. I love filming, and I'm certainly not complaining. The more I film, the more I enjoy it. It means just as much to me to get good footage of a kill as it does to pull the trigger. It gets in your blood!
We do have a few new places to hunt this year, and we are always on the lookout for more. We are going to be doing a lot more public land hunting, which means a lot of walking, which means this fat boy needs to lose some weight! I'm more excited this year than I've been in the last 10 years. We have so many good opportunities with new places to hunt this year. Like always, God has blessed us more than we deserve.
I would like to thank Kent for inviting us up to his house. Kent has been stuck doing all of the editing because my computer is down and so is Brians. Kent has done a great job, and I think everybody is going to love the new deer video. Brother Brian was at a Chicago Cubs game, and I do believe they won, so Sharon should be happy!
Anyway, we haven't posted in a while, so I thought a little update was in order.

Keep shootin them bows, 'cause the season is just around the corner!

GETTIN READY!!!!!!!

We'll it's that time of year for bowhunters all across indiana to start gettin ready for the season.Here at barebones outdoors ,we have already started.Glenn and myself have been puttin out food plots every where there is a semi clean area.We found a couple new spots to hunt that we can do what we want on them.Were gettin some decent bucks on trail cams plus seein some late in the evenings,so its looking better than last year already.So,with that said,good luck to everybody.Hope to post some good news in coming months.Oh by the way ,Brian how was the cubs game?We had a great time editing at Kents house!!!!!lol

Its HOT!!!!

Man it's hot outside. The daytime temperature today was 100 degrees with the heat index at 115! Thats just crazy. I won't complain about being cold in my treestand ever again!

Well, the baseball season has ended for the year for Kurtis too. He's so tired of playing for some of these so-called "coaches". Many of these "coaches" at the high school level are only interested in coaching so they can make sure their kid, (who can't play a lick), gets some playing time. It's way to political. My boy is a great player, but he's just about burnt out. He found out if he's not playing baseball, he has much more time to hunt, and make money. He's all for that! His baseball career could be over, and thats fine by me. That will just mean more time I get to spend with him in the great outdoors. I've pushed him for soo many years to play sports, and I finally had to ask myself, why? He's having tons of fun now and he's not playing any sport. He's a great kid, and I can't wait until deer season so we can do a lot of hunting together.

Well, thats it for now.

Stay cool, and remember, October is only 71 days away!

Summer Time Fishin

Well Glenn your right, not much going on here either. We're done at the ballpark for the year so that gives me time to edit the new Bare Bones Outdoors Deer Video. Its coming along , its gone be Awesome!! The new computer and new software is slowing me down a little, but I'm working through it. In the meantime, Ive been fishing with the guys at work . So far its been a good year for BIG BASS!!! Hey Dave, what u say about that!! How's the BASS trail? You been wining some $$$$$$$$$? Well, I got to back to the video... good luck FISHIN.

Summer fun

Since there's not a lot of hunting going on this time of year, I figured I had better post something on the blog just to give people something to read!

My oldest boy Kurt got his drivers license, so stay off of the sidewalks. He has summer basketball, and he's playing in 2 seperate summer baseball leagues, so he has a busy schedule this summer. The kid is an athlete, and I don't know where he gets it!

My youngest boy Austin has caught 100's of bass from some of the local farm ponds. I think he wants to become a professional fisherman. He's just gonna hang out and enjoy his summer, (Man, that sounds like fun. I sure miss those days)!

I've got my hands full right now. I'm ripping out all of the carpet in the house and putting in wood floors, and my A/C went out! Not a great time to lose you A/C when the daytime temperatures are in the high 90's! We'll just have to fix things as we can afford to do so.

I've been seeing many bucks in velvet around some of the places we hunt. I'm getting ready to put out the trailcameras and see what kind of pictures I can get.
I also saw 4 toms strutting in a field this week. Kinda late to see that many strutting in a field. It was an awesome sight though.

That's about it for now. The dog days of summer are fast approaching, and that's when I start to long for those cold mornings in my treestand.

Deer season will be here before you know it. Make sure you got that bow out doing some summer practicing!

Now, back to work for me! ..............Yeeeeeeee Hawwwwwwwwww

Time for some fishing

As turkey season comes to end my mind always turns to the water....time to get serious at some fishin!! I too am always sad to see turkey season come to an end but also I know that I have been missing out on some good fishing while chasing those gobblers. I was definitely blessed to have another great turkey season. First to get to go along with Hannah and her Dad as she took her first turkey, then to watch my son Drake man up and take a trophy bird in tough conditions. I'm very proud of him and he is turning into a pretty darn good hunter. I cant wait for next year to take my youngest son Brax who is 6. He is a lot smaller than Drake so it will be a challenge that I am looking forward to.

I was fortunate enough to film my own hunt on my property, then the next day film big brother Mark on an incredible hunt on his land, and then two days later film an awesome early morning hunt with Kent as a big strutter put on a show. What a season!!

It was great to get to hunt with both my brothers this season and I loved it! Time spent with family and friends in God's country.....that is what its all about.

We should have a great turkey video and Kent is already busy editing the deer vid which will be done soon.

All I know is I'm ready to hit the lake!...and so are my boys. I don't really care what kind of fish we catch...or shoot!!

Keep the sun at your back, the wind in your face, and God in your heart.

End of the season

Well, this is always a sad time of year for me, the end of turkey season. Seems like the season just started, and now it's over. I have to say, we had a great season though. There sure were a lot of highlights to the season which should make for an awesome video.

As always, I have to thank God for allowing all of us to enjoy the great outdoors with our families and friends. It's just amazing to me how chasing a bird around the woods can be so enjoyable.

My brother Brian and I actually got to hunt together, which is a rare occasion for us. We didn't shoot anything, but it was one of the best days turkey hunting I had all year. We both have families and many responsibilities and the miles that we live apart prevents us from hunting together much, so to be able to spend a day hunting with my brother is a memory that will last a lifetime. Thanks big brother!

Of course, Dave survived another year hunting with me, and I'm here to tell ya, that ain't easy! We had some great hunts and laughed our rears off like we always do. We pick on each other all season just like we're brothers................which we probably are and just don't know it!

My oldest boy Kurtis didn't get one this year because of his baseball schedule. When you're the starting shortstop and the #3 batter on the team, the coach doesn't want you to miss ANY games or practices. We'll just hit it even harder next year! He's got plenty of time to hunt, but a very short window to play baseball. My youngest boy Austin got his on a pretty quick hunt in Kentucky, now all he wants to do is fish! Guess I'm ready for the fishing too!

Anyway, I could talk about all of the hunts, but you'll see them on the video.

I'm just glad I'm still healthy enough to be able to chase those turkeys with my family and friends. There is nothing quite like sitting in the woods on a cool spring day, listening to all of the birds and observing all of the trees coming to life. Then suddenly, in the distance, a lone gobble snaps you back into hunter mode, and the chase begins. I really feel sorry for those folks who don't get to experience the things I experience in the turkey woods.

God is great, and he continues to bless all of us more than we deserve.

Time to bring the bow out and put the hurtin on some carp!

.........I reluctantly say good bye to the 2011 turkey season. It's been great!

Mother's Day Hunt

Started out Sunday morning with a heavy fog and rain drops dripping from the trees. With Brian as my guide we headed out at 5:30am and arrived in the woods around 6:00am and just sat and listening for the birds to gobble on roost. We heard one off in the distance and started working the bird and working our way toward the bird. The bird did not co operate very well. We moved and set up this bird 3 different times but with no luck the bird just shut up and that game was over. Brian knew another spot and we re located and started listening for more birds. We heard a good bird and set up and started calling to him. He would answer every now and then. Brian decided to try and move a little closer. We made our move and the bird started responding a little better so we set up yet another time and thought the bird was heading our way but got hung up and the edge of creek. Brian tried to work the bird and convince him to cross the creek but he was just to stubborn. Brian decided to make a move and go around the ridge to the other side if the creek. We made to the other side and started calling to him and he started responding so we set up in one spot and just waited on him for about 40 minutes and he just got hung up so Brian decided to move a little closer. We moved about 50 yards and started calling again and the bird responded and he started moving closer. We set there for about 45 minutes with the bird answering to Brian's slate call just about every time. The bird sounded as though he was moving closer but then he would sound as though he was farther away. He kept this up for about 30 minutes and then he just went tight lipped. By this time it was getting close to 11:00am and we both had places to be on Mother's Day. I would like to thank Brian for having the patience to take a rookie who is not a kid and out of shape. Those big hills will kill a big guy if you don't take your time. Thanks to the good Lord for letting us have such a wonderful day. I'm going to keep trying and I might just get lucky.

Hunting with big brother

The 330 a.m. alarm came awful early.....but I was excited to get going. I was heading south to Crawford county to hunt with my older brother Mark on his 160 acres of God's country. He manages his property well for deer and turkey and the work is paying off. He has been watching a clover food plot and the turkeys are out there everyday. So to me it was obvious.......pop up a blind on the edge and wait em out. We only heard one tom gobble at day light and he was way across a valley with some hens for company. So we waited and called every now and then. Soon we heard another gobble from a different direction, then soon another, then another! I lost count, but I'm sure there were a least 8 gobblers in the valley behind us!! It wasn't long and the 1st turkey was in the food plot. It was a jake. Not long after he left we had a longbeard strutting to the decoys, but at 70 yards he saw something he didn't like and went back in the woods behind the blind. He must have walked 10 feet from the blind behind us! Soon after that we had two more gobbling and closing in to the food plot. Between Mark on his old box call and me on the mouth calls we soon had them both strutting in to the decoys. and at 17 yards Mark leveled off and slammed his 2011 turkey! I got some really good footage. Mark was fired up and I was too! While we were taking pictures we had three more longbeards cross the food plot! What a great place he has down there. It has been a long time since Ive got to hunt with my big brother and really enjoyed the whole day. He was the one that really got me into hunting. He would take me along before I could drive and I have never forgot that. Thanks brother. His bird was 22 1/2 lbs. and had 23 mm spurs.

Drakes 2011 Turkey

Heres a couple pictures of Drakes turkey taken on Easter Sunday. 23 lbs, 42mm spurs! I think he's hooked!!!!

Day 4 Turkey Slam

The day started out great...NO rain!!! I meet Hubey at 5:15AM in the parking lot where we start every hunt we go on. This is the first day we get to hunt together this year....and I get to hunt first! We get out to location and we listen for HAMMERHEADS. The wind is blowing MACH 90 and of course, we can't here a thing. Wind and rain don't mix with turkey huntn. But we've done our scouting so we step in the woods a little and wait........BANG one hammers and he is right on us. We set up call him in to 25 yards and were done!!! Back in town for my daughters ballgame at 10:00! Days like that don't come around very often but when they do you got to THANK THE GOOD LORD! Now we got it on video and I think its are best one yet!! Hubey got it all, so I can be on our video's too .

Huntn big woods not fields (Glenn) is tough.
Were out there fightn all the element's.

To all you fellow hunters "stay after it"

OVER AND OUT

Day 2

For the last couple of years I've taken a day or two to hunt with Steve(an OLD friend of mine.) We started this year off with opening day. Of course we had the rain to deal with but we also had to deal with all of his huntn land being under water from the river being out. Now huntn the river bottoms always has good turkeys and big misquotes but this year we got big waves!! We decide to start out on high ground on the 1st day, and we hear some turkeys and see some hunters,not a good day, but at least the rain quit. Day 2 didn't start out much better with the temp.down the turkeys were froze up at first light so we went for more COFFEE!! Well about 8:00 we spotted some big O river bottom hammerheads on the levee and slipped in. Got to about 20y and......and IT WAS DONE !!!! Our first hammerhead ON VIDEO!!! THANK YOU GOD!!


Had a great time huntn with an OLD friend and hey...we finally got it done.

Opening day

I was planning on hunting this morning, 1st day of turkey season, but I watched the weather forecast the night before and they were calling for heavy rain and storms, so I went to work. Mistake. A little after daylight the clouds broke up and it stopped raining. I couldn't take it, i had to get in the woods. So I left work and headed for my property in martin county. I only have 52 acres so the chances of birds being there are usually 50 50 at best. There are always birds in the area but catching them on my property is just kinda luck. Gotta be there the right day. Well, let me tell you....today was the right day!! I heard one gobble 100 yards from my truck on the 1st call. I tried to set up on him but he was just too close. I heard another one answering my calls on my back ridge, so I went after him. turns out it was two longbeards! And on the 1st set up I had them coming quick. I decided to try and film my own hunt and I had the camera on the tripod ready to go when the two strutter's showed up at 30 yards. Only thing was I only saw one off them through the view finder and zoomed in on him. When I went back to the gun to take aim I only saw one birds bright blue and red head, so I put it on him and letter eat. So the bird I shot was just off camera by a foot or so. You can see him strutting on the video, I just zoomed too tight. Hard to see through the view finder. Anyway I think we can still make a good hunt out of it. And I loved it!! Awesome hunt! First bird taken from my land. 21 lbs. 24mm spurs.

Thanks, as always, to God!

I'm heading south in the morning to film my older brother Mark on his property. Should be lots of fun!

Easter Gift

What a wet, rainy weekend for youth turkey season here in Indiana! Not the best conditions for turkey hunting, especially where Drake and I are hunting, mostly big woods. I would have loved to have had a field to hunt and just sit in the blind and wait the rain out, not the case. Saturday we heard some gobbling and set up on some birds that were heading to a field that we don't have permission to hunt, so they gobbled and headed to there strut area. Then it rained and we got lots of wet. Kent was on camera and had to leave around lunch time. Drake and I hunted all day. We had 1 tom come in around 4:30 but he snuck in from the left and spotted us, Drake just couldn't get turned in time to get off a good shot. Easter Sunday we got in the woods around 11:00 and around 1230 got an old tom to answer. We made a half circle on him to get on the ridge he was on and set up where the woods opened up. After a couple calls the old boy was in our lap. At 30 yards he spotted us and started to leave. As he was slipping away and I thought the game was up, Drake picked an opening and at 50 yards put a load of #4's in his head and neck! To say he was excited is a big understatement! After some celebration and hugs n hi fives we looked the bird over and found some of the biggest spurs I've ever seen. 42mm!!! that's 1 5/8 inch!! I thought I got the hunt on film but when I reviewed it it was blank, the head on the cam needed cleaned so I didn't get it. But it was a great hunt anyway. I am so proud of Drake. He made a tough shot on a bird that was getting the heck out of there. What an Easter gift from God! I'm very thankful.

Youth Turkey season

Well youth turkey season didn't start out the way I had planned. Mother nature had her own idea. Storms hit around 4:30 it was still raining when we hit the woods at 6:40. We hit the woods and decided to let mother nature do some natural locating for us but that didn't work out to well. We tried to locate birds but we wasn't having any luck. Finally we heard a bird gobble but it was off in the distance. We must have walked 3 miles on that first set. We left around 11:00 and ate lunch. We went back out to a different area after lunch a found a lot of hens and a few jakes. Jackson was really wanting a big tom but we just could not find any. Around 1:00 we were lucky enough to stumble upon 3 jakes that were with 2 hens and Jackson decided that he was going to shoot a jake. He made a great shot. The bird was out at about 30 yards and he took the old single shot 20ga with a modified barrel and hammered the bird. He was really pumped. I wasn't lucky enough to get it on video because of the rain and I did not want to take a chance on messing up my camera. The jake had a 3 1/2 beard and weighed 16lbs. Where the spurs were supposed to be it was only nubs. I enjoyed being out in the woods with my boys. Pop realized how much he was out of shape after walking about 8 miles on the first day. I would also like to thank a guy from work Jon VonPilsen for going out with us and calling. On the way to the check in station we saw 3 long beards strutting out in a field along side the road and Jackson said where were you guys all morning. Just had to laugh. Great day in the woods enjoying all Gods creation.

Youth Turkey 2011

Well its almost here! Its the evening before the youth turkey hunt. I look forward to the start of Indiana turkey season as much as I did Christmas when I was a kid! I'm taking my 9 year old son Drake tomorrow and Kent is going to be on the camera. If the weather cooperates we might get lucky and get Drake shooting an ol slob nobbler. Hope its not too rainy to film. Drake shot my 12 gauge a few days ago, 3 1/2 inch #4's, he smoked the turkey target at 45 yards. He handled the 12 really well, but I'm still gonna have him use a shooting stick. He's really looking forward to getting out there and hunting. He shot his first turkey last year with a 20 gauge with a modified choke. He had to pass on a couple of shots because they were just out of range for the 20 .....different ball game this year. I have a lot more confidence in his abilities this year, he's growing up too fast.

Good luck to the rest of the BareBones Crew!

Be safe and enjoy these times with our youth.....they pass so quickly.

Hopefully I'll be posting a good story or two about this weekend.

What a great weekend to be in the woods....thanks to God for everything.

Need some contributions to the blog!!!!!!

If were going to keep this blog going, we need some more contributions. I see Brian, Dave and Myself as regular contributers, but where's Kent? We all know Kent likes to talk, so blogging should come very natural to him. lol. Saying that blogging is not your thing is not gonna cut it brother! ha ha

Also, let all of your friends know about our site so they can contribute to the blog too. We need more followers. I'll be telling everyone I know to join up and blog with us. This is a great way to talk to people and let them know what we're all doing.

Come on fellers, lets keep this blog active!!!

Another successful Turkey trip in Kentucky

Well, we just returned from another trip to Christian county Kentucky. Myself, Dave, Scott, and Ethan Rennirt met up with Larry Deaton for a little turkey hunting. Dave went with Ethan, and Scott was behind the camera. I took Larry, and unfortunately, we didn't have a camera. (We only have one at the moment). Wouldn't you know it, 25 minutes into our hunt, 2 longbeards walk out of the woods 40 yards from the blind. Larry lets them seperate, and at 25 yards smokes his first bird of the season. Congratulations to Larry. We always have a lot of fun hunting together. We don't usually have these quick hunts, so this was a pleasant change.

The weather was horrible the first day. Highs in the low 40's, 30 mile an hour winds, rain...........not the best turkey hunting conditions. Ethan, Scott and Dave hunted their rears off. After sitting most of the morning, they all came in for lunch, and then headed back out. After another loooooong sit, at 6:00, they had a jake headed for the decoys. At about 25 yards, Ethan drilled his second turkey ever. Scott did a great job capturing this moment on film. Nothing quite like filming your own son. Congratulations to Ethan, Dave and Scott for sticking it out in some horrible conditions. Great job Ethan!!

Well, Dave and I discussed for hours if we were going to buy our out of state licenses and hunt ourselves. Finally, after a long discussion, we drove to Wal-Mart and bought our tags. We decided that I would hunt first. Dave was on the camera. We headed out early, and shortly after first light had one gobbling 150 yards away. We set-up on a small food plot, and hoped for the best. Well, this tom put on a show. He gobbled many times and came strutting straight to the decoy. At about 34 yards, I pulled the trigger and had my first Bluegrass bird on the ground. Just one of those classic hunts. Dave did a great job filming the hunt, and I'm sure glad he was there to share this moment with me.

Dave was up next, but unfortunately Dave got the call that his father-in-law had passed away. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Dave's wife Rita and her family. Needless to say, we cut our hunt short so Dave could get home and be with his family. My heart goes out to all of them, its never easy losing a loved one, even when it's expected. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

Again, you can never take these days for granted. I thank God for allowing me to share these moments with my family and friends. God has blessed me a whole lot more than I deserve, and I'm eternally grateful.

Thanks again to Scott for allowing us to hunt this special place. Also, thanks to Kevin Deaton, Mike, and Dale. We appreciate you guys more than you know.

Next up is Indiana's season. Can't wait!

Stay tuned, hopefully there's more to come.

..........and remember, There's no such thing as a bad day hunting!

Back to KY: opening weekend

We'll it's back to Ky tomorrow for the barebones crew.Be there until monday,unless Ethan&Larry smoke a couple long beards early.All I know is i'm fired up about the whole turkey season,it don't matter where its at.I'm still pumped about Hannahs bird on the 2nd of this month.The way it's going,this could be the best turkey season to date for the barebones crew.With great friends getting together,you can't go wrong.The people in the hunting &fishing industry have to be the best people,or a close 2nd that's out there.Fishing has been going good.Fred & myself have won a little pocket change.Patoka is looking good,lots of grass is showing up.Should be a great year on the water.God bless ,shoot straight,cast it on there heads.

Day at the lake

My youngest boy and I spent Sunday at Patoka lake. We were trying to catch bass early, but just like Brian said, I ain't much of a fisherman. After becoming a little discouraged, we decided to go after some crappie. On Austin's first cast, he caught a really nice 1. Well, we fished all day and caught about 40 small crappie. Austin had a blast and that's whats most important to me.

We did see many carp splashing around in the shallows though, so maybe between turkey hunts, I'll have to bring the bowfishing equipment out of the closet.

Like always, I thank God for a great day with my boy Austin.

Now, I'm ready to hit the woods again and start chasing them longbeards!

"One proud papa"

Let me start out first and foremost by thanking Scott,Kevin,Dale,and Mike for allowing Hannah and myself to hunt on their awesome property in kentucky.This past weekend was a perfect example of what happens when good friends get together.Ok here we go,saturday morning it was Brian,Drake,Hannah(my 7 yr daughter)and myself.We hadalongbeard gobbling on roost right off the bat.Brian and myself would call at the same time and he could not handle it.7 hens flew in the field and 10 minutes later big boy showed up strutting the whole way to the decoys.Poor hannah just froze.She just could not get on him and he followed the hens to the other side of the field.After a short lunch break we got back in the blind at 11:00am.We sat till 3:00pm calling every 10 minutes until finally 2 jakes showed up at the decoys.I got hannah set up on her bipod and told her to pick one out.She had me thinking she wasn't going to shoot again because she was just aiming and didn't even have her finger on the trigger.But finaly she let her little 20 eat and her first bird was on the ground!!!!To say the least,I was pumped.I'll have to say ol' dad's eyes had a few tears in them.It was a hunt that I will never forget.Congrats to Austin on his longbeard earlier that same day.Thanks to Brian and Drake for hanging out with Hannah and myself.

Hills of Kentucky

What an awesome weekend in God's country in the hills of Kentucky!! I knew we were in for a great time on opening weekend of youth turkey season in Ky but it turned out to be really something special. Drake and I were lucky enough to get to share a once in a lifetime memory with Dave and his 7 year old daughter Hannah as she harvested her first wild turkey. Thanks Dave and Hannah for letting us be a part of that. I reviewed the footage and we have some great stuff to work with. I know its early and theres alot of hunting to go but I think this could be the best hunt of the video. That's a challenge to myself....and to the crew.........to try and film a hunt that is even better this season! Good job Austin on your Ky longbeard! Thank you Scott for letting us go along. You guys have a really nice place down there. I cant wait to get back in the woods! My goal this season is to get Drake on film shooting one.

Kentucky Youth Turkey Season Starts with a BANG!

Well, we just got back from our youth turkey hunting adventure in Kentucky, and let me tell you, it went GREAT!

Dave took his 7 year old daughter Hannah with Brian on the camera, (Brian's boy Drake tagged along too). Just a couple of Dads with their kids. Hannah had a big tom fly off roost and come within 19 yards. We think that maybe she got a little "turkey fever" because she just couldn't seem to pull the trigger. After coming back for lunch, the crew set out again for the same location, (Imagine, all 4 in one blind)! After sitting for a long while, 2 jakes made their way to the decoys, and after a few tense moments, Hannah had her first turkey on the ground. I'll let Dave and Brian fill in all the small details. I couldn't be happier for Dave and Hannah. Its a rare moment to capture these firsts on film and Brian did a great job filming the hunt. Congratulations Hannah! Now she will be hooked for life!

Well next, I took my youngest boy Austin along with Scott Rennirt on the camera. We chased turkeys for most of the morning with very little luck. We came back for lunch and Scott decided to go with his boy Taran and my oldest boy Kurtis to try to film them. Austin and I decided to hunt an elevated blind overlooking a food plot for the rest of the day. Austin was the hunter with old fat Dad on the camera. We put the decoys out and settled in. I yelped 4 times and a tom gobbled about 100 yards away. Austin and I switched seats, and about 5 minutes later the big boy was within sight walking down an old logging road right toward us. At about 25 yards, Austin took aim, and his first Kentucky bird was on the ground, all on film. I couldn't tell you how proud I am of Austin. God has sure blessed me with some great kids. It never gets old to me. Making these memories with our kids is what its all about.

These times where the Dads and their kids get to spend quality time together are just priceless. I have 2 great kids, a great group of friends, and a great brother to share these times with, ...............I am certainly blessed.

Scotts boy Taran had several opportunities at jakes and decided to pass. We'll be working hard to get him one in a couple of weeks!

Anyway, I would like to thank Scott Rennirt, Kevin Deaton, Dale and Mike for letting us tag along and film these hunts. Your generosity is appreciated more than you know.

I would most certainly like to thank God for giving all of us the opportunity to spend quality time with each other in the great outdoors.

Just a great way to start the season! Stay tuned, hopefully there will be a few more exciting hunts this season!

Stay safe, and remember, there is no such thing as a bad day hunting!

new man

Glad to be one of the newest members of the blog world. Thanks to all the guys who let me be a part of this great web spot. I am going to try and do justice to the site. Had a great time this past weekend with Pointerman hunting birds. My 11 year old got his first chance at bird hunting and was lucky enough to kill a nice pheasant. I know this is going to be a great sport for him to stick with. We are going to try our hand at turkey hunting this season. He has had some success at deer hunting. He has taken 2 does and 1 buck all with a gun. This year he is dead set on killing a deer with his bow. We have not been seeing any turkey back in the woods where we deer hunt but the deer have been coming to what is left of the 4 food plots we have. this goes out to Dave "GO BULLDOGS!!!!" That's about it for my first blog. Again thanks for letting me become apart of this Crew. Mack

Kentucky:Ky youth turkey

Let me start off by saying congratulations to coach calipari,players,and all you hard core cat fans!!!!!!It's been a great ncaa tournament so far.I hope they go all the way but if they don't,it has been a awesome year.They have really went farther then anybody ever thought they would.Come on ,14th final four app,27th sec title,that is awesome!!Ok that is enough about the all time most wins in ncaa history.Ok, back on track.Big weekend in ky,there is several youth boneheads as well as there bonehead parents headed to the bluegrass state to put the hurt on some thunder chickhens.Hopefully I will be back on the blog on monday with some awesome success stories.God bless u all.I KILLED A TURKEY!!!!!!

UK in Final Four, Gobble report

Ok Dave... lets hear it! UK is in the final four and I have to say looking pretty hard to beat. Should be a great game with UConn! I will be rooting for the Butler Bulldogs tho! Gotta love it! Should be some great games! Gobbling has picked up some, even with the cold weather. Only have listened a few times but it sounds like the toms have started splitting up....so its definitely getting time! Cant wait! If a guy plans on trying it with a bow its time to check your equipment, practice shooting and polish up on your calling. Im feeling that fimilar urge to head south and get started early!!

Glenn's B-day

Its Glenn's birthday today..........Happy Birthday little brother! I figured out why Glenn's a pretty darn good turkey hunter.....he was born at that time of year when the gobbling is starting to get going good.....something mystical and magical at work there! Cant figure out why he cant catch fish tho!

I remember before Glenn turkey hunted, I practically had to twist his arm to get him to try it. He was a deer hunter and didn't want anything to do with some "dumb, ugly turkey". Well he finally decided to give it a try and got him one on his first season...he has been addicted every since. I would hate to guess the number of birds that have been fooled by the sweet sounds of his calling. I would put him up there with the best.....he definitely has a feel for the little things that make a BIG difference when it comes to hunting turkeys. Now. I taught him everything he knows ( just not everything I know) so no wonder he's got it down! Lol! Seriously, he's one of the best turkey hunters I know, and I'm proud to have him as my little brother.

p.s. he actually is a pretty good fisherman too....usually out fishes me....which isn't saying much tho.....

March Madness

Well for all us basketball fans the madness starts today. I love this time of year not just because of approach of turkey season but also for march madness. Gotta love it!!

Its halftime of the Uof L / Morehead St game and its tied at 33! Cards got off to slugish start and went down 15 to 2. Morehead St has the nations leading rebounder and he is showing us why!...and Siva has 3 first half fouls!!...Gonna be a tough 2nd half.......Come on Cards!!

U of L Spank the irish!!

The cards just came back with tough D, and a little sharp shooting, and beat the irish!!!

GO CARDS!!!!!!

Louisville Cardinals

Well, it can't always be about the great outdoors! Tonight, my Cardinals take on the fighting irish. I hope like heck they pull this one out!

.........Oh, I almost forgot,.........I heard some more gobbling this morning.

Well there it is, I guess I'm wrong,.............it IS always about the great outdoors!

Antler Shed Theory

Its that time of year to start looking for sheds....well, at least I thought so. Usually by the first week in March, most, if not all, of the bucks have shed their seasons headgear. But this year is a little different. Lately I, and other hunters as well have noticed several bucks with their antlers still attached. This is not the first time I've seen this. The following is my theory on some of the reasons bucks shed when they do. This is strictly my opinion based on over 30 years of studying whitetails in southern Indiana. I have kept log books ever since I started hunting, logging everything a guy could possibly think of and over the years some definite patterns have become obvious ( I recommend every hunter to keep a log. It definitely has helped me to bag some nice bucks). Anyway, I believe there are three key factors that determine when a buck loses his antlers; Nutrition, Health , and Buck /Doe ratio. Now most of the bucks I'm talking about spend most of their time in hardwood timber, bedding and feeding. First Nutrition.....Ive noticed that when the acorn production is low most bucks tend to shed as early as the first week or two of December. With the opposite being true on bumper acorn years, with most bucks hanging on to their racks til well into march and even in to April. When there is good acorn crop the deer around here are fat and healthy. Now nutrition kind of goes along with the acorn crop production in my area, but if its a low acorn year and a buck can get into some exceptional feed that he can eat until things start to green up then he may shed later. If a buck is in poor health or injured this of course can cause him to shed early. And finally, I believe the buck to doe ratio effects shed time also but not as strongly as the other two. When the buck doe ratio is way out of balance, with there being lots of does for the bucks to breed, almost all the bucks get into the breeding pool...even the young 1 1/2 olds. So testosterone levels in most bucks are high. On the other hand when then buck to doe ratio is closer to even, or what we call good, then only the more dominant bucks get to do the breeding, with testosterone levels low in young, non breeders and high in the dominant big boys. Possibly causing the dominant bucks to hang on to their antlers later, that is providing that he is not too run down from rutting activity, then especially a bucks nutrition becomes important to the equation.

Well there you have it....just my opinions. Here is a couple of tips for finding those boney treasures....
Hunt south facing slops.......hunt where you know bucks spend most there time in the late winter/ early spring ( bedding, feeding, trails or routes between)......but wait til you KNOW they have shed or you'll bust bucks out of your area before they drop.......hunt on overcast, cloudy days, I prefer a light rain, makes them stand out more.....lastly carry a shed with you and throw it out there every now and then to get your eyes trained again on what to look for...kind of like finding that first mushroom, once you find one the rest get easier.

Well good luck looking for those amazing antlers!

Next I'll give some thoughts on buck/ doe ratios and doe harvests.

See ya in the woods!

where's Kent?

Has anybody heard from Mr.G?Have not seen a comment or new post from him.Has he quit hunting & fishing or what?

Turkey hunting dates

Well, the spring turkey season is getting close, so for anyone interested, here are the season dates for Kentucky and Indiana. Kentucky youth - April 2nd and 3rd. Kentucky regular season - April 16th to May 8th. Indiana youth - April 23rd and 24th. Indiana regular season - April 27th to May 15th.

We'll be traveling back and forth between Kentucky and Indiana trying to get as many birds on film as we can. This is absolutely my favorite time of year!

.......and remember, you can lead a horse to water, but that doesn't make him a duck.

Thanks to Jim "Pointerman" Beasley

Just wanted to take a moment and thank Jim for all the hard work he's put in on our website and this blog. All your effort is certainly appreciated. I owe you a turkey hunt brother!

Just maybe I could talk you into letting me tag along on an upland bird hunt, (hint, hint). I would love to watch them pointers work.

............anyway, you can't see me, but I'm giving you the BareBones salute!

Thank God Everyday

Life is tough, especially in todays world. The economy is in the toilet, there are many people out of work, and I paid $3.47 a gallon for gas! ...............But you know something, I walked in my house after a hard day of work today, and my little dog Max was there to greet me with a lick to the face. About an hour later, my kids got home from school, and I was there to greet them with a hug. My Wife showed up shortly after, and again, a big 'ol hug for me. ................It's real easy to get depressed over all the bad things going on in this world, I'm here to tell you, take the time to count your blessings! I have so much to be thankful for. God has blessed me with a great wife and kids, a great family, and great friends. I appreciate all of them more than I can put into words.

Don't let life get you down. Count your blessings, and especially thank the good Lord above!

That's my inspirational sermon for the day, I'm sure there will be more to come!

..........and remember, there is no such thing as a bad day huntin.

How sweet it is!!!!!!!!!!

Whew, I am so glad it's friday. Had great trip home from work today, seen 37 turkeys in 1 field, all hens,seen 12 in another field, 4 strutters in this group. Have alot to look foward to this month, first we are heading to guntersville in about 2 weeks to hook up with some real bucket mouths. Next, Glenn, Scott, the kids, and myself are heading to KY for some signs of thunder chickens. Can't wait for the first bass tourny of the year. Fred is really fired up about that also. 5 in the well, bout 22lbs, oh yea!!!!! Remember always, thanks to the 1 that created all things. GO AHEAD............

Feeling Spring

I saw two big old toms strutting a couple days ago. They were tagging along with about 15 hens. As I drove closer they shock gobbled to the sound of my truck. I could see their long spurs as I passed them! After I was by them they stepped back out and got back to showin off for the girls! Awesome sight to see! Gotta love spring turkey hunting! Amazing how a bird can cause a guys heart to pound with such excitement and then other times bring out emotions you didn't even know existed.

Heard a bunch of frogs today at a small water hole just singin the sounds of spring. Saw and heard a couple flocks of cranes flying over yesterday evening while I was throwing baseball with my boys. All signs of that spring is near here in southern Indiana.

Found a few sheds so far, nothing really big yet, but I haven't really went looking hard yet. Plan to soon though.

Got wood to cut and a food plot to clear before turkey season gets here. Going to try and get my youngest son started on shooting a real gun soon, so lots to do, and I'm thankful for it!
Looking forward to filming with all the BareBones crew this year. Cant wait!!

...and did I mention I feelin the urge to wet a line!! Man I love spring!!!

Early Gobbling

Heard my first gobble of the year yesterday morning. Really makes it hard to go to work. I hope the boss-man understands that I'm gonna be distracted for the next few months. That turkey fever is contagious.

I've had people tell me that they think I'm half turkey, ...........that's crazy,...............I'm ALL turkey. lol

Dave and I will have the camera rolling this weekend. Trying to get some of them early spring gobbles on film.

....Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Louisville basketball is #1!

............go ahead.

3/2/11

I posted the website on a few outdoor forums that I visit frequently and it has been a hit 175 hits in 24 hours, now guys just keep gettin the word out there.

Went to the Doctor

I just got back from the doctor, and it ain't good.
He says I got a fever, ................and the only prescription is more cow-bell.

come on springtime

BARE with me this is my first blog.Had a great time in nashville with my fellow bone heads.The people in the outdoor industry have to be the best in the world.Ready for the turkeys to start gobbling and the bass to start looking for places to spawn,oh yea!!!!!!!Looking for everything this spring,including some warm temps.Man i was really impressed with the realtree booth this year at nwtf.shoot straight and cast it on there heads.

Just a bunch of BLOG!

Hey this is my second blog ever....dont know when I'll stop countin'em!?! I just like sayin BLOG! .................BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG BLOG!!! O yeah, now I feel better! go ahead!

Hey I had a great time at the NWTF covention in Nashville too! Thanks to Dave for getting us a room to stay in at the Opryland Resort...that place is cool! Met some of the people in the outdoor business that we get to see on tv. I have to say I was impressed with how nice and down to earth they were. Its nice to know that such good people are representing the great sport of hunting and the outdoor way of life. Im proud to be a part of that, even if just in a small way.

Looking foward to turkey season. Goal #1 for me is to get my nine year old sons turkey on video.
Goal #2, maybe a bow kill on video. The main thing is to have fun. I hope to switch things up a little and film Dave or Glenn some. Now that we've started this filming stuff I dont think I can hunt without a video cam along to catch it!

well thats it for BLOG BLOG BLOG #2!

Keep the wind in your face, the sun at your back and God in your heart.

Howdy All!

My first ever blog post. All I know is, I'm ready to hit the woods and start chasing longbeards! February stinks!

Met a lot of great people at the NWTF Convention in Nashville. Our plan is to have our own booth there next year.

We've decided to help out some friends of ours in Kentucky and do some turkey guiding for them. They have 600 acres and they are leasing more. The property is located in Christian County. They have a huge lodge and 2 awesome fishing lakes. It is a hunters dream. We will be guiding and doing some filming while we are there. If anyone is interested in booking a hunt just e-mail me at glenn@barebonesoutdoors.com. Please leave a call back number.

Well, that's it for my first blog entry. Enjoy the great outdoors!

My first blog...whatever that is???

Im at work and would rather be hunting or fishing....go ahead.

New Video Trailer Deer Season 09

Here is a copy of the video trailer to our new deer hunting video, "Simply Hunting Whitetails" Hope you enjoy it and as always comments are welcome.

Video trailer

Here is our new video trailer for our spring 2010 turkey season. This is just the trailer, if you would like to purchase and see the complete video, please visit us at our website at www.barebonesoutdoors.com

NWTF EXPO

Got back from the NWTF expo yesterday. Great show and a great time! Everybody should go sometime. Picked up some new turkey calls and can't wait for turkey season. Come on spring!!

New Blog

This is our new blog our website is http://www.barebonesoutdoors.com/ We are avid outdoorsmen and we will blogging about our hunting and fishing outings.  Follow along and enjoy our experiences outdoors.