Although I’m not a fan of most hunting shows, there are a few that I try to make time to watch, and one or two that I can’t wait to see. Perhaps my overall favorite in terms of outstanding adventures and creative video editing is Tom Miranda Outdoors. Bowsite.com did a great interview with Miranda and I wanted to share it with you. I found it to be outstanding reading, and I think you might be surprised by some of the things that he said.

I had the fortune of running into Miranda at the SHOT Show in January at the Under Armour booth and I can tell you that he’s probably way more of an “average Joe” than you would think. He will engage in conversation with anyone, and does not give off the vibe of self-promoting outdoor celebrities. I hope you enjoy the interview. Simply click the link below.

Tom Miranda Interview

I was driving through Wisconsin the other day and it made me think about the fact that it is illegal to shoot white deer there. Although I saw several deer including one buck, none of them were white or albino. Ironically, my Mom sent me a link to a neat story about white deer in Wisconsin, and I thought I would share it with you. You can watch the video here.

I wanted to share a few photos from the duck blind this morning from our hunt near Sacramento, CA. We were hunting flooded rice stubble and the diversity and number of ducks were amazing. The weather switched from high wind and pouring rain to overcast with a steady breeze just in time for our hunt. I shot a spoonbill and a drake mallard, as well as a lot of air during the few hours that we were out.

We have one more morning of hunting planned and hopefully the ducks are a little more cooperative. We saw hundreds of birds but most of them remained well out of range.

As you know if you’ve been reading Rub Lines for any period of time, I believe western Illinois to be the best whitetail hunting in the world if you’re after a buck of a lifetime. While there are several other states that have great whitetails, I feel that your odds of arrowing one are best in Illinois. If you’ve been wanting to plan a trip there, now is the time to think about booking for the 2012 season.

I have written many times about the great experiences I’ve had with Riverview Outfitters in Hancock County, Illinois, and you can hunt these same great places this coming season. Riverview Outfitters currently has openings for the five-day period of October 29 through November 2 if you want to hunt the rut, and they also have several openings for early season hunting beginning on October 1. There are also openings for the shotgun and muzzleloader seasons. For a list of the various hunting weeks offered and rates visit this page. The final two hunts of the archery season are booked, so keep this in mind when planning your trip.

If you think you might be interested in hunting with Josh and Tyler at Riverview Outfitters, definitely get in touch with me and I will be happy to answer any questions for you. I have hunted with them since the day they opened their doors and I promise you that you can’t go wrong. From incredible hunting to comfortable lodging and excellent food, they provide it all, and at an excellent price. Remember, the price includes great food, lodging (satellite television, washer and dryer, hot showers, etc.), and a fully guided hunt including transportation to and from your stand and handling of your deer. Also, the stands are very high quality and comfortable making it much easier to endure an all-day sit if you so desire.

If  you want to reserve your spot you need to act fast before the 2012 season sells out. All that is required is a deposit to hold your spot. For more details on Riverview Outfitters, definitely spend some time on their website. I promise you it is as good as advertised.

Here are a few links to previous posts I wrote while hunting with Riverview Outfitters:

2011 Season          2010 Season          2009 Season

Now that you’ve had a chance to study the photo for a few seconds, what do you think? Unfortunately, there was once a trail camera attached to this tree. Three bullet holes later there is nothing left but the evidence of idiocy. This is the second camera that one of my coworkers had stolen this year from his private property. Not only was someone trespassing, they took the next step and stole valuable property while they were there. This brings me back to the question that seems to creep into my head each hunting season. What is wrong with people?

I probably read dozens of notices in the local paper and on the many online hunting forums that I visit about trail cameras and treestands being stolen. What drives people to do these things we will never know. Even the least expensive cameras and stands start at about $100, with better models easily reaching $400 to $500. In the case of the photo above, the camera was secured with a steel cable and lock to deter theft, but quick work was made of it by the thief who decided to shoot them off. People pay good money for quality hunting gear only to have it stolen by common criminals who also happen to hunt.

I sometimes get frustrated when I hear people describe hunters as slobs and the lowest common denominator of society. At the same time, I can almost understand where it comes from. Instead of so many videos and television shows depicting celebrity hunters shooting giant bucks that are just a dream for most, maybe there should be shows focused on hunting ethics. I don’t want to point the finger at the outdoor television industry, but I do think it has an influence on the average hunter who always thinks someone else’s property is better and that they need to stoop to dirty tactics to ruin another hunter’s chances to improve their own.

After a brief vacation from writing, I’m refreshed and ready to get back at it! In terms of hunting excitement since I last wrote, my trip to do some waterfowl hunting with some of my new coworkers was easily the pinnacle. You may recall my recent announcement that I am leaving my job at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to become the COO at Delta Waterfowl Foundation early in 2012. Well, this trip was a great way to get to know the regional directors, while also shooting some ducks southern style.

We were hunting just outside of Lula, MS in an area that is flooded this time of year by the Mississippi River. The blinds were outstanding and so was the duck hunting. We saw thousands of ducks and were able to coax a good number of them into shooting range over the two days. On the first day we shot 13 ducks, which was pretty good for just a few hours of hunting. On the second day the four of us shot our limit of five each, and I went through more than a full box of shells. Instead of boring you with all of the details, I will share a few photos from the hunt instead to give you a feel for what the experience was like.

Buck, our helpful black Lab, sat patiently waiting for ducks to hit the water. It was fun watching him retrieve our kills.

We shot our limit of 20 ducks on day two, all of which were mallards.

As most of you know by now, I’m leaving Pennsylvania to take my new job with Delta Waterfowl Foundation in North Dakota. In addition to selling my house, I am also selling my share of the 160 acre hunting property that I own. While I don’t necessarily need to sell, I don’t see myself getting back here enough during hunting season to make it worth keeping. It is a great property that has been under management for more than 10 years. We have taken several Pope and Young class bucks on the property over the years. There are three other owners so what is for sale is a 1/4 share. You can see a complete listing with more details here.

This is a hunting property only and is used primarily during archery season. Some firearms hunting occurs on the property borders as well, but the core of the property is protected. Owners are allowed two guests on the property, and rules regarding property use is discussed by the owners annually. Nearly the entire property is forested with a lot of exceptional early successional habitat. If this is something you might be interested in, please feel free to get in touch with me. If you think you might be interested in the house (see below) and the property, let me know that as well and we can negotiate. It is not too often an opportunity to own a log home in the woods where you can just walk out your door and go hunting on a great property comes along. I hope one of you can take advantage of it.

Mike wanted to share a free hunt with you from our DVD, WOW Whitetails Volume 1: No Time To Waste. Check it out and if you like it, there is no doubt you’ll enjoy the entire video. There is still time to get your copy for Christmas either for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. To order your copy, go to the Weekend Outdoor Warrior website.

This is a video of our house that we have on the market. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to live in a log home in the woods! Check out the video and let me know if you or anyone you know has any interest. My real estate agent says she can get about anyone financed, and for rates under 4%, you can’t go wrong! The video contains the details, but of course you can contact me for more information at npinizzotto@hotmail.com.

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Sales Contact

Kuzneski & Lockard, Inc.Kuzneski & Lockard Incinfo@klrealestate.com(724) 349-1924

I sat with my brother yesterday who still had his buck tag and an atlerless tag to fill. It was a cold and crisp morning and about perfect for gun hunters, especially when compared to the season opener on Monday. It wasn’t long before a group of deer headed our direction, one of which was a nice-sized adult doe. Junior whispered “I’m going to take her if she comes in,” and it wasn’t five seconds later that she did just that. In fact, she almost came in too close as the shot was only about 30 yards as I watched it through the lens of my video camera. By 7:30 a.m. Junior’s doe tag was filled and we were concentrating on antlers.

We loaded up the big doe and climbed back into the stand around 10:00 a.m. Just before noon we saw at least 10 deer moving across the hillside above us. We could see a couple bucks, but they were small and well out of range anyway. We were hopeful that there might be a good buck in the group, and that he might make his way in our direction for the evening hunt. Since I didn’t have a tag to fill, I returned to the house for some lunch and a little bit of football before returning to the stand around 2:00 p.m. We saw several deer in the evening, but nothing to shoot at. We heard very little shooting, and there was almost no traffic on our road indicating that there were few hunters out. By this time the decent bucks have been pressured to the point of finding a good hiding spot and staying put, causing a lot of frustration among hunters.

If you still have a buck tag to fill, now is the time to seek out some of the nastiest cover you can find and post downwind of it. I’m not a fan of deer drives or just crashing through the brush because it is almost impossible to get off a reasonable shot in those conditions. Instead, I recommend finding good potential bedding areas and hoping for a buck to briefly emerge for a bite to eat or maybe to check on a few does. I also recommend waiting until mid-week to hunt if at all possible. There won’t be a lot of deer movement during daylight hours on properties that are heavily hunted so picking just the right day will be important. It looks like rain during the early part of the week so heading out on Thursday or Friday might be the ticket. I have seen good bucks moving late in the week during the last week of the season and even chasing does so don’t think you are facing impossible odds. I have even had some luck with a grunt call and scents during this time of year so don’t be afraid to give those a try. If you still have a buck tag in your pocket you really have nothing to lose.