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!

The buck in this particular picture was taken a few years back.  You can definitely tell that by taking a look at my nephew in the picture.  He is ten now, so, by taking a look at him, you can get an idea that a little time has passed.  I shot this buck on a property we used to hunt and the story is actually a pretty good one.

I was setup – on this particular evening – in a stand that is still one of my favorites of all time.  It was situated on a strip of woods that acted as a natural funnel for the deer.  And directly next to this strip of woods was a huge cornfield that butted up to some incredibly tall grass that the deer liked to filter through as well.

I had just spoken to Jeff on the radio – told him how incredibly bored I was – and that I didn’t think it was ever going to get dark.  I slipped the radio into my pocket, and it wasn’t 30 seconds and I heard a large twig snap to my left.  Knowing that something was headed my way, I instinctively grabbed my bow and got ready.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a shot happen this fast in my life.  I went from being bored one second to having a deer 10yds in front of me the next.  The buck was walking just inside the first corn row, and although he was only 10yds away, he had no clue I was anywhere around.  I let him pass by the stand until he offered the perfect quartering away shot, and I let the arrow fly.  The buck actually whirled around, and headed back in the direction he came.  He only ran about 50 yards, and then stopped in the tall grass.  Of course the grass was so tall, that I could only see his rack.  I watched intently, waiting to see which way the buck would head, when his rack disappeared.

I started to fear the worst.  I had visions of him belly crawling through the tall grass, and the feelings of doubt were overwhelming me.  I knew if he did make it much farther in the grass that the chances of us finding him where slim to none.  I wanted to get down right away and check my arrow, but my cousin, who managed the property at the time, instructed me that I better not move until dark.  He was still a little miffed about a buck that was lost a few days earlier, and wanted to be extra cautious before we started tracking this deer.

I waited until my brother, and the rest of guys arrived at dark, and then we started tracking.  We worked out a plan that they would start on the blood trail, and I managed to convince them to let me look where I last saw the deer standing in the tall grass.  Imagine my relief, when as I approached the location where I last saw him, I could make out his form tucked up in the tall grass.

It was the perfect ending to a great night of hunting, and it just goes to show, that a deer can show up at anytime.  I’m glad I was ready and that  it all worked out.

The photo is actually from a few years ago.  At the time, my brother and I were on a lease together (it is actually a piece of property that he is leasing again with some other family members).  He had this decoy and told me that I should give it a try one night.  I took his advice, and I’m here to tell you that it is probably one of the best nights hunting I’ve ever had.

I had this little four or six point come into the decoy.  I knew I wasn’t going to shoot him, so I figured I might as well play with him a little.   With the help of this decoy I brought this young back back into my setup 5 times.  I’m not even kidding.  I would bring him in, and then he would walk away.  I’d grunt, and he would come back into the decoy again.  It was a riot and a night I will definitely never forget.

If any of you reading this have never tried using a decoy, you should try one this year.  You will definitely not be disappointed.

This picture was taken 10 yrs ago.  I can’t believe that it has been that long already.

Jeff’s son, Tyler,  was only a few months old in this picture.  And, as you can tell, we already had him in the camouflage clothing.

The outfit was actually my doing.  I can’t remember why, but I was on my way home from a trip up north, and stopped by a local outdoor store on my way home.  This outfit was sitting there, just begging for me to buy it.  I wish I would have taken a little more time, realized how expensive it was, and how short of time there would be that he would be able to wear it, and moved on.  But, me being me, I just couldn’t resist the temptation to get him his first camo outfit.

Tyler has been hunting with us for years now, and has seen Jeff shoot at least a couple of deer.  This is his first year that he will be able to bowhunt, and he is stoked.

I’m glad I bought the outfit, and I’m glad I have the picture for a keepsake.  That, in and of itself, was worth the twenty bucks.

We drove the hour and half it took to get to the convention center, arrived early to get in line, and waited.  It actually took quite awhile to get through the line, because Ted was taking so much time with each person that he talked to.  It was very cool.

The best part about the whole evening was the absolute class that Mr. Nugent showed.  His meet and greet hours were actually over, and the time for his speech had arrived with people still waiting in line.  Instead of moving on and doing his speech, and letting people leave empty handed, ole Uncle Ted told everyone to stay where they were in line, arranged for people to have chairs to sit in in line, and then once he was done with his seminar, proceeded to finish signing autographs.  He didn’t leave until every single person had went through the line.  If that didn’t say “class act”, I don’t know what does.

Ted was great to meet, and I was very impressed with his willingness to stay and meet everyone who had given up their time to try and talk with him.  I also thought it was pretty cool that he took so much time with every person he met.

It was a great day and one we will remember for a long time.

Why I didn’t get a picture with him I will never know.  I do have an autographed copy of his Hunt Music cd though.  I guess that will just have to do.

We were sighting in guns that day, and Jeff with all of his stuff on, kind of looked like a sighting-in thug.  I’m not sure if he was trying to go range ghetto or what, but it sure made for a good photo op.

I know this Inside the Frame post is probably my shortest one to date, but I think that the picture is worth all the words in the world.  What a great pose Jeff.

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This particular picture was taken on my front porch a little over 3 years ago.  Jeff called and told me that he was stopping by and that I really had to see what he had just caught.  I don’t think words could prepare me for what he was about to show me.

Jeff, and my sister’s boyfriend Justin, were fishing at one of our local fisheries.  We don’t frequent this particular lake that much, but for some reason, and I can’t remember why, Justin and Jeff decided to fish this local lake.  They were struggling a little bit at catching fish, and Jeff decided to try the old live warm on jig trick.  He know sooner let the worm hit the bottom, and was explaining to Justin how this particular method worked, when BOOM, this beast hit the bait.

I don’t think we ever officially weighed it, but you can see just from its appearance how big this largemouth was.  It is Jeff’s biggest to date.  We could put our fist in it’s mouth.

I’m sure this is a night that Jeff will never forget.  And that is one big fish.

The picture you see is my wife with her Mickey Mouse boots on.  The boots she has on are actually my cousins snowmobiling boots.  He wears a men’s size 12, and she wears a women’s size 8-81/2, but when you have to keep your feet warm you do what you have to do. 

For a couple of years she wore these boots with pride.   And honestly they did a really good job.  Since then we have figured out a slightly better way for her to keep her feet warm, and the Mickey Mouse boots and thus been retired.  For a couple of years though they sure made her look pretty funny.

If you think the pictures are funny, you should have been there and witnessed her trying to walk in them.  That was priceless. 

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This picture is from quite a few years back.  If you look close you can tell it was before I even decided to purchase some nice breathable waders for our river fishing excursions.  Those rubber waders are way overrated I can tell you that.  I hate those things, and I’m glad, that by the next year, I discovered breathable waders.

This picture was taken during the steelhead run one year.  We were on the Pere Marquette river, and I was enjoying one of my first times fishing the river. 

As you can tell, during the steelhead run, we tend to have a lot of snow on the ground and that also sets the stage for ice to accumulate as well.  These steps were completely covered, and I had to crawl from the bottom of the steps to the top.  It was no easy task either, because those awesome rubber waders have boots with absolutely no tread on them.  I believe I remember slipping back down the hill a couple of times, and honestly thinking at one point, that I was never going to make it.

This picture truly brought a smile to my face and took me back to when we first started to try our luck at steelhead fishing.  It definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, and I’m glad we wised up, bought new equipment (and waders), and really started to appreciate the local resource we had.

Man, those were the days!  I look awesome don’t I?

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This is my wife’s mom and step-dad a few years back.  As you can tell, the mother-in-law was having an absolute great time.  This particular picture brought back a lot of memories for me, and it is one fishing trip that I will never forget.

My wife’s Uncle decided he wanted to go camping in May of 2006.  I’m all for camping, as long as it isn’t the middle of winter, so we planned the trip, and off we went.  We staying in a state park down in Ohio, that is right on the shores of Lake Erie.  To be honest the name of park escapes me, but it was very nice, and despite the cold, we had a great time.

Jenn’s Uncle also asked if we wanted to go walleye fishing.  The fish were running during this time of year, and he knew that I couldn’t say no to a fishing adventure, so when the opportunity arose, of course I told him I would go.  In fact, not only I would go, but that all of us would go.  We thought a family fishing trip would be cool.

We drive to a local charter service and board the boat.  I had never fished like this before, so it took us a little while to buy the gear we needed and board the boat.  Now, this isn’t a privately chartered boat-it is the type that about 20 or so people get on and they take you out.  So no matter what, you are stuck on the boat for the entire 6 hour trip.  They even give you instructions, that if you get sick, to just puke over the side, because the boat will not be heading back until the time is up.  After all, other people paid money to go, and they aren’t going to ruin their trip for just you.

The weather was very uncooperative, and we even had to call the charter service before we left to make sure that the boats were actually going out that day.  They informed us at that time, that despite 6ft waves, they would still more than likely be heading out.  That is all I needed to hear.  Jenn’s Uncle was still all for it too, and everyone else, not wanting to bow out, followed suit as well.

We motor on out to our fishing spot, and then we drift, and drift, and drift.  That is basically the way this fishing works.  The captain gets to a certain spot that he was marked out, puts the boat with the waves, and you drift with the waves and the current for awhile.  This would soon be the end of my wife having any fun.

Despite just having surgery a few weeks earlier, I was having a great time.  The fishing wasn’t great at all, in fact I didn’t even land one, but between all of us we caught a few and were happy with that.  We learned that a week earlier the fishing was just spectacular, but of course, on the day we go,  everything is starting to slow down.

I am fishing away, rocking and rolling with the waves, and having a good time, when I notice my brother-in-law motioning to look behind me.  Then I hear him ask Jenn if she is okay.  Uh oh.  This isn’t sounding good.  I turn around and notice that Jenn is a dark shade of green.  Despite taking a motion sickness pill before we left, she was not having a very good time in the 6ft waves.  Needless to say, Jenn’s fishing for the day was done.

Now, remember, we can’t leave.  If you are going to throw up, you’re doing it over the side of the boat.  And no matter how miserable you feel, you are still stuck on the boat until its time to leave.

I have to say that Jenn was a trooper and hung in there until the end.  I’m sure she won’t be heading back out fishing on the big lake anytime soon, but she did have a good time overall…..once the boat was moving!!!  It was the drifting that really did her in.

The picture was actually taken on the way back from our trip, and as you can see, it was a touch wet and a touch chilly.  I looked over, saw the mom-in-law all bundled up, and just couldn’t resist taking that picture for our archives.

I will always look at this picture and remember the day when Jenn almost threw up in public.  If only I could have caught some fish to make it worth her while.