I noticed an add for the Carbon Express F15 $50,000 broadhead giveaway on Facebook this morning and I thought I would share it with you. I have never used these broadheads so please don’t consider this an endorsement by me in any way. For a modest shipping fee, they’ll send you one free broadhead to try out. For a few bucks, I decided to put in my order and I’m anxious to get my hands on this interesting head.

I selected the fixed-blade head and I’ll be anxious to see how it flies. It would have been nice to get two heads for maybe a few more bucks because once you shoot it into your target you won’t be able to use it in a field situation. It would be nice to have one to sight in with and another to try in the field. That being said, I’m sure they want you to like what you see on the range, and then drop the $40 necessary for a three-pack.

Check out the video above and maybe take advantage of the offer. Who knows, you might just like them. My initial concern is that they would be tough to sharpen and reuse, making the $13+ a little much for a one-time use broadhead. I’ve always liked the performance of Muzzy’s 100 grain original broadheads, as well as the ability to reuse them either through sharpening or blade replacement. That being said, it never hurts to try something new.

Here is the link:  http://www.carbonexpressarrows.com/cms/content/f15dualblade.com

This turtle is an unfortunate casualty of the BP oil leak.

Another day, and yet another news article stating that the end is near for the BP oil leak. Is it just me, or does this sound like a story we’ve heard before? Today’s article in the Washington Post quotes BP executive Bob Dudley as saying “In a perfect world with no interruptions, it’s possible to be ready to stop the well between July 20 and July 27.” This comes after countless other claims that the leak would be plugged in the near future, only to be followed by the disappointment of another failed attempt. To add insult to injury, within the same article a BP spokesperson disputes the claim made by his coworker. Here is an excerpt from the article:

But top BP spokesman Andrew Gowers on Thursday morning sought to temper public expectations, saying the company hasn’t changed its target date of an August completion of the well-killing operation.

“It is true that we are proceeding on exactly the same schedule as before, which means that it is most likely to happen in the first half of August,” Gowers said in an-email. “You will note Bob Dudley’s comment to the Journal that it is theoretically possible but UNLIKELY that it could happen a bit sooner.”

A hermit crab struggles to cross a patch of oil from the the Deepwater Horizon spill on a barrier island near East Grand Terre Island, Louisianna.

I’m not going to waste time and space by recounting the details of this environmental disaster. All one has to do is Google “BP oil spill” and you’ll find more than enough information to make you sick to your stomach, and lose a little bit of faith in humanity. From my perspective, I’m not seeing an “all hands on deck” approach to dealing with this. Why is BP still the one leading the effort? True, they probably know more about their operation than anyone else, but it seems to me there’s room for other oil companies to get involved and at least offer a fresh perspective.

As I think about the situation more, it makes me wonder why the government agencies regulating these practices don’t know the intimate details of the operation. There should be no surprises! Why are we asking for a moratorium on off-shore drilling now instead of months ago if there was a perceived problem? It’s a lot like apologizing and showing remorse only after being caught red-handed. When something goes wrong, the solution should be readily available, or at least close at hand. Regulators should know exactly what to do when situations like this arise. Instead, my impression is they’re throwing up a bunch of Hail Mary’s and hoping one of them works eventually. In the meantime, an entire ecosystem is being destroyed, with animal and human life suffering the consequences. It makes me sad and angry at the same time, as I’m sure it does most of you.

An oil soaked pelican takes flight after Louisiana Fish and Wildlife employees tried to corral him on an island in Barataria Bay just inside the the coast of Louisiana, Sunday, May 23, 2010. The island, which is home to hundreds of brown pelican nests as well at terns, gulls and roseate spoonbills, is impacted by oil from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

We need to produce energy sources to power the world. I’ll never argue against that. However, these operations need to be strictly regulated to the smallest of details. I don’t want to hear about lack of government funding to hire inspectors or the difficulty on industry to employ expensive devices that would help reduce the chances of something like this happening. I don’t care what it costs because we all end up paying for it in the long run, just as we are now. I don’t think BP, or other energy producers willingly destroy the environment in the name of saving a buck, but they must understand that taking shortcuts will eventually lead to a crippling catastrophe like we face now. To add insult to injury, millions of plants and animals are dying every day, paying for our lack of vigilance, and commitment to doing the right thing.

I wonder about the impacts of natural gas drilling on our natural resources, particularly the Marcellus Shale play. While I don’t think any of the drilling or gas companies would intentionally do something to harm the environment, the very nature of the work provides the potential for problems. Drilling and gas production is necessary, but so is close regulation of these activities. My fear is that because my home state of Pennsylvania was once again forced to make deep budget cuts, there won’t be the attention to detail necessary to regulate this booming industry. Maybe we can all learn something from the BP oil leak and business and government (regulatory agencies) can work closely together so that we can all make a few bucks, while doing as little harm to our natural resources as possible. With a little patience and cooperation, there’s no reason we can’t make that happen.

I finally had the opportunity to do some shooting the other day, and went to a 3D shoot near my home. I was surprised to see how many shooters there were there considering it was July 4. Needless to say, the pace was pretty slow so I took full advantage by playing around with my Blackberry camera.

As for the shooting, I was rather impressed with how well I did considering I hadn’t shot for quite a while. Not my best performance, but I’m sure I’m somewhere in the top 10 out of the 120+ shooters that were there. It was nice to get back at it and now maybe I’ll get back into a more regular practice routine. Enjoy my “goofing off” photos!

The first target is always the toughest, but I handled it well and started off with a solid 10.

I was about half-way through the course when this thing crossed my path! I immediately texted my wife and told her to keep the pets in the house (except our bad cat, Vinnie).

This was a little embarrassing for all involved, but I have to admit, I always wondered how bears relieved themselves.

Jerry Pepe with his 2009 Allegheny County, PA trophy 10-point.

Again, let me first apologize for my limited number of posts lately. Same reasons!

I had the opportunity to score a great buck taken by Jerry Pepe of Allegheny County, PA during the 2009 archery season. Upon first glance, I could see that it was a really nice 10-point with a uniform rack. It wasn’t until I put the tape on him that I realized just how uniform he was. Amazingly, the deer had just 4/8 of an inch of total deductions. That’s impressive for a small six-point that scores 50 inches, let alone a 158 7/8″ gross score rack! Of all of the deer I’ve measured, I can’t recall one that was as close to perfect as this one.

The main beams were just 1/8″ different in length with the longer one measuring 23 2/8″. The brow tines were responsible for the largest deduction, still just 2/8″ as the left one was slightly longer. The only other deduction was on the G-3s, which measured 9 5/8″ and 9 4/8″. The circumferences were perfectly matched on both sides.

Jerry had been hunting this buck for three seasons before finally connecting on November 7 last year. He told me that he thought the buck had been shot during the 2008 season because he hadn’t seen it yet in 2009 until that fateful day. He made a quick and clean kill, and now has a tremendous trophy to show for it. He also shared with me photos of another bruiser that’s hanging around his area, which he hopes to get a shot at this fall.

Putting my hands on a great deer might have been the motivation I needed to finally get at least a trail camera or two out there. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes. Congratulations on a great deer Jerry!

I thought I should put together a brief post to let my readers know that I’m still out here, despite my lack of new posts lately. I’m still trying to figure out the balance between work, baseball, and a master’s degree, while getting a bit of time here and there to do things like update Rub Lines.

Despite my swamped lifestyle, I have had to focus a bit on the upcoming archery season. Illinois out-of-state permit applications are due this month, as is my second payment to my outfitters. Talk about a reminder that hunting season really isn’t that far off! A big hit to the wallet will get your attention, let me tell you. Still, I know how much I’ll enjoy the trip when it comes around, and I think it’s well worth the investment.

I still haven’t found the time or energy to put out a few of my trail cameras. I truly think I’m going to go lighter on them this season, while generally trying to stay out of the woods more. Although I’ve gotten great pictures over the last few years, I’ve been seeing fewer mature bucks while hunting. Before cameras were popular, it seemed like I was seeing more of the big guys during hunting season, and it makes me wonder if it was because I wasn’t in the woods as much checking cameras. Who knows. We’ll never know, and I guess that’s what makes it so fun.

Although I need to dedicate a full post to the topic, I’ll just say that the BP oil leak (which seems like a ridiculous understatement) has me pretty upset, angry, etc. I don’t think the general public really understands what a tragedy this is, and from the people I’ve heard from who have been on the ground, BP seems to have total control of the area and is making it terribly difficult for volunteers to come in and do what they can to help. The death and suffering toll on the Gulf’s fish and wildlife is unfathomable. The expense to those who live along the Gulf as well as those who rely on it for survival (fishermen, etc.) is astronomical. Is it even possible to adequately punish a company for their negligence that led to so much pain and suffering?

Well, despite a more than honest effort on my part, I didn’t end up bagging the turkey I was pursuing this spring. Those of you who know me best understand that I’m a very committed whitetail hunter. I’ve bagged a few turkeys, but they were either in the fall, or it happened so quickly and easily that I didn’t get a lot of experience. For instance, last year I scouted a group of birds and shot a decent gobbler on my first day out, within the first two hours of being in the woods. That was great, but it certainly didn’t make me a better turkey hunter. This year I decided I would really put forth an effort and try to learn something. Mission accomplished.

Since I last posted, I don’t think I missed a morning in the woods. Unfortunately, things really cooled down in the turkey world. On one morning, I never heard a gobble, and on the others, the active birds were many hillsides away, and out of my range. I never did have another face-to-beak with the bird I spent so much time chasing. When he sounded off this morning, I thought he might be within a reasonable distance for me to get to, so I beat feet as quickly as I could in his direction. Sweating profusely, I got to what looked like a good ambush point and made a few soft calls. As was the case the previous few mornings, he quit gobbling the minute he hit the ground. I’m not even sure he’s looking for a hen at this point and may just be gobbling because it has become the norm for him every morning. With that I headed home to help my wife prepare for a picnic we had planned with our family. I gathered all of my gear and returned it to my hunting room, where I’ll revisit it in a few days to put everything away properly.

A funny thing happened during our picnic that’s worth mentioning. About 2:30 p.m., I heard my bird gobbling excitedly on a neighboring hillside. Over the next hour, we listened to him work his way across the ridge, eventually picking up a jake along the way. If there was ever a time he seemed vulnerable this was it. I just laughed about it with our guests and was satisfied that he beat me this spring. I hope I have an opportunity to see him again this fall, or maybe even next spring. I had his number when it came to enticing him into range with my calls, but unfortunately it’s not how you start, but how you finish, and that’s where he owned me. Still, I consider it a tremendous season, and one where I learned more about turkey hunting than I ever had before. I have a ton of respect for that old bird, and I have to believe somewhere in his pea brain he has some respect for me. I have to say that I’m officially hooked on turkey hunting now, and I’ll blame that on a bird that I will likely never harvest.

Thanks you filthy, rotten old buzzard!

My Dad (right) with his first bear. Friend Jim Stormer also scored on what looks to be a great animal.

The good news is my Dad got his first bear while hunting in Canada this week. I can’t wait to hear the story. I don’t have any details yet because technology is pretty limited there as you might imagine. I do know that it weighed about 250 pounds, which is pretty good for a bear from the great north.

As for me, I’m still playing around with my friend Mr. Turkey. I thought I had him figured out the other day and I positioned myself accordingly at first light. I made a few calls just to let him know I was there, but I kept it pretty low-key. Well, just like most of the rest of the season, he pulled the unexpected. Let’s just say he about took my hat off when he gobbled in my ear from behind! Yep, the old buzzard came in silent until he got to within about 20 yards, and then decided he should announce his presence to the hen awaiting his magnificence. After another gobble I tried to peek around the tree with my gun barrel, only to hear him sound off his alarm and scoot out of harm’s way.

I made an adjustment this morning, but it turns out the bird was roosted well away from my setup. Not having a lot of time before work I decided to call it quits for the morning. I have a new trick up my sleeve for the next hunt, although I doubt it will work! Thank God there are just a few days left in the season.

Back to my reading for school. I apologize in advance for what will likely be many quick and less detailed posts. I’ll do my best.

The majority of the hens are sitting on nests right now, which gives hunters a late season opportunity to find a lonely gobbler.

This year more than any other, I dedicated a lot of time to turkey hunting. The bird I picked out prior to the season is still out there, and I’m down to one more week before having to pack away the gear until next year. One of the things I’ve learned this spring is sometimes it can be easy, meaning no matter what you do on the call, the bird is coming and will give you an opportunity. Another thing I’ve learned is sealing the deal can sometimes be the hard part. I used to think it was calling, but I’m changing my thinking on that. Finally, I figured out how how to turn frustration into enjoyment, which is a good thing when turkey hunting. Let me explain.

Yesterday I had a well though-out setup that included my blind in an area where I could see the birds coming in my direction from a good distance. I’ve been out enough days to know what their pattern is, so I figured I’d just cut them off along their route. Since the giant tom I’ve been flirting with is roosting further away, I decided I’d be willing to take a lesser bird if one presented itself. There are three gobblers in the group I’m watching, with two being jakes and the other somewhere in between. Just when it looked like things were going according to plan, I have to sit in the blind and listen to the “big guy” come through gobbling his head off as he walked through an area I had set up in many times previously! On top of that, the birds that normally stroll through where I was set up decided they would zig instead of zag, and walk through yet another area that I was using for an ambush location. This has been the story of my hunts over the last week or so, and in a strange way, it has been great!

My "other" life as a baseball manager.

After a lot of thought and research, I decided to go back to school for my master’s degree. Thanks to much better technology than when I got my bachelor’s degree at IUP a few moons ago, I’ll be able to get the degree in about 18-months by taking several six-week courses in succession on-line. With a little luck and a lot of hard work, I will have a master’s degree in psychology with a concentration in sports and performance from the School of Professional Psychology at University of the Rockies in Colorado Springs, CO. It’s a topic I’ve always been interested in, and I realize it’s a far stretch from the conservation field that I work in now.

I became strongly intersted in sports psychology when I began managing the Indiana Blackhawks adult baseball team last season. We did some remarkable things, and I attribute much of our success to our mental approach to the game. I’m interested in learing the formal concepts behind sports psychology, and the lineup of courses offered at the school are just what I was looking for. As for what I’ll do with it, I don’t know for sure. What I do know is that it will position me better for high-level positions in sports-related fields, among many other things.

The demand on my time will be the most interesting challenge, particularly this fall when hunting season is in full swing. I’ll have to work hard to keep my focus on school, while still trying to enjoy time in the woods.

Jason Mears with his trophy gobbler.

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After hunting almost everyday for the first two weeks of the spring gobbler season, getting up early each day was starting to wear on me but I was still able to drag myself out of bed come Saturday morning. I had seen nine different long-beards since opening day, but it was a constant battle with hens that have yet to nest. Finally after doing some scouting late last week, I was beginning to see gobblers without hens in tow.

I got into the field early on Saturday, around 4:45 a.m. and set up in a corner of a field that I have been seeing several gobblers roost in. As the sun began to brighten the morning, I heard a bird gobble about 75 yards to my left. He sounded like a jake based on his gobble so I wasn’t all that concerned with him. Within several minutes, other birds began to fire up in surrounding areas as well as two other gobblers about 100 yards behind me. I taunted them with some soft clucks and tree yelps and they hammered back with every call I made. Before long, the birds where on the ground and coming my way just over the hill in a small valley to my left. I worked these birds for over an hour but could not call them up over the hill, which is typical of what I have experienced in the past. I could also hear some hens in the mix which never makes things easy. I figured it was time to change the set-up. I quickly grabbed my decoys and changed my location to the end of the small valley in the woods. Once set-up I gave a few loud yelps and was promptly responded to with a thundering gobble. Within minutes, the large tom peaked around a wooded corner adjacent to the field and was within range. I put my bead on his head and squeezed the trigger. The result was my first bird of the season. He has a 10 1/2 inch beard, and 1 1/8  inch spurs.

———-

Thanks again to Jason for sharing his story. The timing of his text message on Saturday was amusing because I was just leaving the woods after having called in yet another gobbler, only to watch him flee because he saw me before I saw him. I set up mid-morning and was just enjoying the day, making a few calls when the bird came in silent. Of course, he came in to my right, and I was mostly watching to my left. I couldn’t tell if he was an older bird or not, and I thought it would be best to just let him scoot away without pursuing him and spooking him further.

On a lighter note, I did see my first fawn of the year. I’m guessing it was only about two days old based on its behavior. When its mother ran for cover upon seeing me, she gave the customary warning call, which caused the fawn to drop to its belly in the grass without moving. It’s amazing that they instinctively know how to respond to danger after just two days. Eventually the tiny deer got to its feet and bounded toward its mother. At that point, I didn’t care if I saw or heard another turkey. My day was made.