I’ve owned my Remington 870 12ga. for about 10 years.  I didn’t have my own shotgun – I always borrowed guns from family – and I decided that it was about time I bought a gun.  After some research, and after talking with a few family members and friends, I decided that the 870 was probably my best choice – an excellent all purpose shotgun that would fair well against multiple game species.

And that it did.

The 870 and I have pushed through thickets in search of rabbits;  it helped me kill my first deer with a firearm; it was instrumental in helping me knock down my first pheasant; and I had it in tow when I killed my first turkey this season.  I have obliterated multiple clay targets with it, and shot many a slug through it as well.  It is just a good all around gun.

Honestly, I have only owned one other shotgun – a single-shot New England 12ga. – because I just never needed another firearm to get the job done.  The 870 has allowed me to hunt multiple animal species and has never failed me once.  And if we’re being fair, I probably didn’t  take care of the gun as well as I should in it’s early years, and yet it still has never failed me; the gun is scratched, gouged, and has plenty of character marks on it.  But I don’t consider that a negative thing, because each one of those marks tells a story about past hunts.

My 870, that I affectionately call my “trench” gun, has been there through thick and thin and has provided a variety of different table fare for me and my family.

Remington definitely got it right when they made this gun, and apparently people can’t get enough of a good thing, because Remington recently built their ten millionth 870.

Apparently a lot of people have the same love affair with the gun that I do, and like to hang out in the “trenches”.

I met her after work last night, at a local archery shop we discovered recently, and we started the process of getting her bow back in hunting shape.  It needs a new string, and the nice gentleman in the shop is going to take care of that for us and have it ready early next week.  Sweet!

Our archery season opens up in a little over a month, and we really need to get her shooting before it arrives.  I’m confident it won’t take her long to feel comfortable again, but I honestly wish we had more time; that is just the way life goes sometimes, though.  Sometimes you just lose track of time……especially when you have kids.

While we’re on the topic it is so nice to have a local archery shop that actually appreciates you.  We lost our trusted archery expert a few years ago – he closed his shop – so it’s nice to find another local archery dealer who appreciates your business and has great customer service skills; being knowledgeable as he is, is a bonus as well!  If you’re in the Mid-Michigan area I highly recommend Lifford’s archery.

Hopefully the wife will be back in bowhunting action next week.  Once the bow is out of the shop we’ll get her back on the 3-D course, and get her shooting; it will feel good to have her back again!

“It’s 100 acres that hunts like 4.”

We did get through most of the work, but I can’t say that I wasn’t completely soaked with sweat when we got back; and the mosquitoes were absolutely horrible; they were everywhere – buzzing your ears, clinging to your back, and landing on your face.  We toughed it out, though, and managed to check on 3 stands – made sure they were still secure, and in good workable shape – and put out two of our trailcams.  We even managed to find a new stand location, and one of the trailcams is set up there and is doing some “scouting” for us before we actually move a stand to that location.

One thing that really struck us last night is how much property can change from one season to the next;  this particular property doesn’t look anything like it does in the fall, and you wouldn’t even recognize it as the same place if you walked through it in the winter months.   Plus the property is so thick – at all points of the year – that it makes it a real challenge to scout and hunt; as Jeff said last night, “it’s 100 acres that hunts like 4″.  The property is so thick that you can only pattern certain parts of it, and can’t watch from afar like you are able to in many hunting locations.  I’ve had properties in the past where you could pick a stand location, hoping it was the right one, and then sit on watch to see where the deer moved through from your perch.  If you were wrong, you simply moved your stand to where you seen the activity; not so on this piece of property.

This year will be the fourth year that we’ve hunted this particular property, and for some reason I have a pretty good feeling about the outcome.  I think we are starting to get a “feel” for the place, and I think it is going to pay big dividends this year.

I hope the possible new stand location pans out, and that the trailcam that is in the area produces some pictures of some heavy-antlered deer.  We will be checking that camera – and another camera that is in an area where Jeff has one of his stands – this weekend; and we will be sure and share the results.

How many days until season?

The picture really shows a stark contrast between compound bows of old, and the compound bows of now.  I was honestly taken aback at how much different the bows really are – in looks, style, and size.  It is truly amazing what modern technology can do.

The funny thing, though,  is that the first thing I thought of when I saw this picture didn’t have anything to do with how the bows looked, or the major differences between them; the first thing that honestly came to my mind was all the great experiences I’ve had with the old bow – from shooting my first buck ever with it, to shooting another buck a few years later, and then another buck – my best one to date – a couple of years after that.  Looking at the picture of the old bow, a High Country Extreme, brought back a flood of memories from my first bowhunting experiences.

That in turn got me wondering about something else,  does modern technology – even though I’m just as guilty of using it as anyone – really turn the odds that much in our favor?  If we look at success rates my old High Country, in its first couple of years, was much more successful then my Black Ice has been, and it sure didn’t cost as much.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I still think the Black Ice is by far a superior bow – with its light-weight, awesome-balance, and smoothness right out of the box – but didn’t the High Country produce the same, if not better, hunting results without all the modern “conveniences”.

I don’t want anyone to think that I am bashing on new gadgets, or modern technology – that would not be very bright considering I’m just as guilty as a lot of people when it comes to buying new hunting things -  but the point I’m trying to make is do those things really increase our hunting success, or help us to appreciate the hunt anymore than if we were pursuing them with weapons of old?  I like to think that isn’t the case.

I think all of us owe it to the animals we pursue, to use the best, most efficient weapon at our disposal; and that does require some upgrades over the years.  But I guess this picture, and the memories that came with viewing it,  just proves, though, that ultimately it is about the experience, and not about the newest or most technologically advanced equipment we use to enjoy those experiences.

Some food for thought!

During the show they have a viewer mail segment of sorts, and during that segment they covered a topic that I thought was pretty interesting.  This particular viewer wanted to know why the Archer’s Choice staff only use one sight pin.  For me, I thought the answer was obvious – so that, in the heat of the moment, you don’t get confused by using the wrong sight pin.

And I was right……..and perplexed.

They do use a single site pin to prevent confusion during the moment of truth, but one thing they eluded to really confused me.  Apparently they have a single site pin system, just like the one I own, that allows for you to readily adjust your single pin to different yardages, and also provides the ability to mark those yardages right next to your site pin (If you’re having trouble picturing that click on the picture).  With this setup you can then, when your target shooting, simply loosen the knob on the right side of your pin, adjust it to your already setup and marked yardages, and be ready to go – using one site pin.

I’m with them so far.

But the next part is what really got me:  they apparently use a range finder to figure out the yardage, and then adjust their site pin accordingly to that yardage in the heat of the moment! Now I’ve been hunting whitetails for quite a few years now, and there is no way that I am going to be moving my site pin right before the moment of truth.  There are times, as we all know, that we might not even have time do this not to mention the added movement doing this would cause.  I can understand adjusting your pin for target shooting, but I for one will never adjust it during the heat of the moment.  And because of that I even target shoot with one pin without moving it at all; in order words I know where that pin needs to be for all yardages.

I suppose I should look at this more in-depth because they have definitely shot more and bigger bucks than I, but I was just a little taken aback by their approach.

What do all of you do?  Do you shoot one pin?  Do you shoot multiple pins?  Or do you shoot one pin and adjust accordingly during the moment of truth?  Let us know in the comments.

I introduce to you….

The Canon XL1, This video camera is something I always dreamed of having to film our hunts with.  I just never thought I would own one! Until an offer came along from a friend of mine that I couldn’t pass up . This Camera is going to take some time to get used to and understand. But it’s something I’m willing to learn so I can add something a little different to Simply Outdoors. I did some videoing of some turkeys this morning while hunting with my son and the footage looks like it came from a TV show! It’s just amazing!

I’ll have it with me the rest of turkey season instead of my gun….And I’m just fine with that! Now I’m gonna have to learn how to edit better..

On Saturday morning the wife and I became proud owners of two quads.  The wife’s is a Yamaha Grizzly 350, and mine is a Polaris Sportsman 500.  The deal turned out much better than we expected, and both of us couldn’t be happier with our new purchase.

To be honest, the original quad I was going to purchase ended up being a bust.  After test driving it, and looking at it further, I was totally convinced that at some point it was rolled.  Yep, and I didn’t want any part of that.  As fate would have it, though, they still had one of the quads I originally went to look at.  On Thursday we thought the quad was gone, but it turned out that it was just in another part of the facility.  Needless to say, that Sportsman went home with me.

We took them out for their first runs on Saturday night and had an absolute blast.  Both of them worked great, and we had one heck of a time.  We could literally see the joy on our face.  Okay, so maybe that was mud spatter, but it still proved we were having a great time.

Now we are in search of a trailer to haul the new purchases.  And we’re looking forward to heading up north, and riding the designated quad trails up there.  My cousin has a cottage up north, and we can literally ride right from the cottage to the trail head.  I can’t wait for those days.  It should be a blast.  I’ve also heard that there are some remote lakes that can only be accessed by using the quads trails.  It sounds like a fishing pole will have to be packed in for our quad rides.

We’re very happy with the new purchases, and we’re looking forward to the times enjoyed on them.

Again, though, any one need to sell their trailer?

I was discouraged at first, but the wife – as always – was not deterred, and promptly found two very nice used quads the next morning at another dealer.  This dealer is a little bit farther away, but the two used quads she found appear to be in decent shape, and most importantly, are decently priced.  We are going to head down there tonight and see what they have to say.  Hopefully it works out.

At first we were focused on a two-person ATV, and that is what we looked at the other night.  But after pricing the two persons models,  it really makes just as much sense to buy two used quads, rather than one real expensive one.  Plus, that way we get to have equal the amount of fun, and not have to share the quad.  If you knew my wife, you’d know that is a much better way to go.  She told me she was fine with sharing, but I knew deep down that she wanted one for her very own.

We’re excited about the prospects of tonight, and hope that everything goes a little better than our first shopping trip.  This dealer appears to be a little larger, and has quite a few more options, so we’re optimistic about the trip.  We’re even hopeful – with the new quad deals we saw them advertising – that we might be able to work two new quads into the deal.

At this point, though, I’d be happy with a couple decent used ones.  Now everyone cross your fingers for us……and let me buy your trailer!!!!

I’m here to tell you, that I was slightly disappointed with my shopping results.  We went to a dealer who is in close proximity to my cousin’s cottage, and started to look around.  The salesman was great:  not to pushy, and very informative.  The problem I had was the sure price of a new boat.

Now I realize that new shiny things cost money, but $10,000 for a pretty plain jane 16ft fishing boat.  In this economy it seemed a little steep to me.  The boat was gorgeous – a nice Smokecraft:  16ft long, Deep V, 25hp outboard, live well, trolling motor, and enclosed rod holder.  But good gracious – 10 g’s is a pretty good chunk of money.

I haven’t quite decided what I’m going to do yet.  I’ve been looking at used boats, and trying to find one that fits my needs.  If I managed to do that, and the price is right, I still might be a boat owner this year.  It’s just really hard to get rid of one payment, and step right back into another.  Of course, after a couple of trips out fishing, I might be able to get over that.

I just have to think about it.

I might have to go a little cheaper, and buy the trailer I need for camping instead.  We will see.

My garage is littered with hunting gear right now.  Jackets, pants, backpacks, safety straps, grunt calls, doe pee, and new boots that are on their way.  Everything is laid out, taken note of, and some of it is even drying.  You can’t go into the woods with smelly clothes can ya?

I love the whole process of getting ready.  I started it yesterday by going through all of my clothes, getting them out of their totes, and washing them for the upcoming season.  Then they go out into the garage to dry, get sprayed down with scent killer or some sort scent reduction spray, and then back into their sealed tote until season arrives.

I don’t know why I like the preparation so much.  Maybe it is because of my slight OCD.  I just love the whole process though; going through everything, taking inventory, seeing what I have and don’t have, making a list of those things, and just plain getting ready for the season.  It’s kind of therapeutic.  And if that makes me weird, then so be it, because I absolutely love it.

I did realize that I am missing a few things as well.  I need to pick up a new headlamp, some scent cover up, and a doe license.  I figure all of those things are pretty important, so I will do that tonight.

I can’t wait to finish getting ready; to know that everything is around, washed, packed, and ready to go for the upcoming season.

Our early doe season starts this Thursday and I am pumped.  I can’t make it out to hunt until Friday night, but that isn’t going to stop me from dreaming about the hunt, and over-zealously packing, washing, and primping all of my hunting stuff.

Hopefully my new boots get here on time.