Bowhunting with Katydids

I was sitting outside at work last night having a smoke (ya, I know they are bad for me) and I was listening to all the Katydids and it made me think back to when I used to bowhunt. And this is where my early season bowhunting tip comes in to play.



I used to stay on stand until the last possible ounce of shooting light before I climbed down. I know you listened to the video so imagine hundreds of these and besides it being calming to the soul they can also be very useful.

I used to sit and listen and many rimes when something was coming in to shooting range the Katydids would stop singing. It is almost like having a guard dog, they would sing but when something was moving around that I could not see or hear the Katydids would warn me by stopping their song. I think if you tried this you just might get your chance at a last minute of shooting light buck or doe.

Northern Bush Katydid

Description: A relatively skinny-winged katydid of forest edges. Where to look: The Northern Bush Katydid tends to sing from shrubs along forest borders.

What get's you Pumped Up?

What pumps you up?

The meaning to this question is with deer season being so close what get you excited about the thought of getting out there and really enjoying the next few months of chasing america's number one big game animal the Whitetail Deer.

For me it is a number of things. The more frequent sightings of deer will get my heart pumping. The temperature change as the days and especially the nights get cooler and cooler. The outdoor channels on the television start having more hunting shows and less fishing shows ( not that I don't like to fish because I do).

Of course you can't argue the fact that there is some pretty good deer hunting dvd'd out on the market these days, I should know I have a ever growing library of them. Also there is the thought of future memories to come of tagging that very nice buck or doing your part of managing the local herd by taking a few doe's.

Another thing that get's me pumped up is getting pictures like this one from my trail camera. Taking a closer look at this bad boy he has 9 scoreable points, not that scoring has ever interested me.
I never did get him and as far as I know he is still out there some where. Maybe I will run into him this muzzleloader season.






Another thing is the nip on my cheeks of a cool crisp autumn morning. The running around of squirrels gathering nuts for the winter or watching chipmunks running around on stonewalls. I also like to hear flocks of geese flying over head. The smell of corn fields being harvested and brightly colored leaves that gracefully fall to the ground as long as they are not in my yard.

So you see there is a lot of things to get you pumped up and I would like to hear your thoughts so feeel free to leave a comment.

EZ-Aim Camera Mount with Adapter Kit

I received this a couple months ago but as most of you know I was out of commission for a bit so I am finally getting to this, sorry for the delay. I do need to thank Jim Oberling of Slate River LLC. for all his help and for the products themselves, I am sure I will be getting a lot of use out of this.

I was contacted by Jim and he had these camera mounts that he thought I could get some use out of so I said sure send them my way. The first one he sent me was the EZ-AimGame Camera Mount but with the type of camera I have I could not use it so he also sent me a adapter kit that goes with it.

EZ-Aim stick on Adapter

This adapter is for game cameras that do not have a 1/4 - 20 threaded insert on the bottom of the camera. It requires a 3 inch x 1.75 inch flat surface on the back of the camera. Installation is quick and easy:

1. The 3" x 1.75" flat surface must be free of oil and grease
2. The surface is lightly sanded with the sandpaper in the kit
3. The primer is applied and allowed to dry
4. The clear plastic cover on the bottom of the adapter is removed and the adapter is positioned and firm pressure is applied for at least 30 seconds
5. After the adapter is attached the mounting stud can be rotated 90 degrees by loosening the large nut, pushing the stud down, rotating the stud 90 degrees and retightening the nut
6. The adapter is attached to the ball stud on the EZ-Aim Game Camera Mount and you are ready to go

The adapter has a weight of 3 ounces so you will not even notice that it has been added to your camera.

My game camera with the EZ-Aim mount








Here is the adapter kit which includes the adapter, primer and a piece of sandpaper.

The back of the camera case that will be lightly sanded in forground,

 After lightly sanding the area where the adapter will be I had to basically paint it with the primer that was included in the kit.

 After sanding and applying the primer I had to peel off the protective plastic cover on the adapter.

 I had to then place the adapter on the spot and firmly press and hold for at least 30 seconds.

The finished product, one adapter mounted to the back of my camera case.

camera used in this pic is not mine but it is what it would look like.

Your knife deserves a good Sheath

For hunting and any other outdoor activity there is always a use for a good knife, a friend of mine Leon Pantenberg sent me this post that he did and I thought it would be good for most of us to read.

 

Even relatively frail fixed-blade knives are strong compared to folding knives. They are fast to access and tend to have more comfortable handles than folders. They are fast to access, and tend to have more comfortable handles than folders. They can also be lighter weight for their size.
Safety first: Folding knives form their own sheath. Fixed blades do not. Any knife that is to be carried must have a good sheath. Many lives and knives have been lost due to bad sheaths, which is why many experienced woodsmen refuse to carry fixed-blade knives. But, these hazards can be largely eliminated.

http://www.survivalcommonsense.com/2011/08/26/sheathsfeed/

 read complete article:

Interview by Adam Vanderbush

Just an FYI, I just had an interview posted on The Musket if any care to read it.

http://www.musketcreek.com/blog/interview-with-rick-from-whitetail-woods/

Dealing with Power Outages

With the threat of severe weather from hurricane Irene just about knocking on our door I am thinking of what happens if we lose power.

For one thing if you have any food items in your freezer there could be the potential of it going bad if your out of power for an extended period of time and you don't have a backup generator like myself.

A good way to save some of that meat is cooking it, especially if your always hungry like myself. I prefer to cook over charcoal rather than a gas grill, it just seems to add flavor to what your cooking. So with that being said take some of those valuable packages of venison and start grilling.

Grilled Venison Steaks

The marinade is what makes this recipe. Fresh herbs are added to the dressing to give a more intense flavor to the steaks as they marinade.

• 2 pounds of venison steaks, cut about 1/2 inch thick
• 1 bottle Italian salad dressing
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Tenderize the steaks with a mallet, so they're about half their original thickness. Combine the salad dressing with the other ingredients, and pour over the steaks in a glass, stainless steel or plastic container. Stir the Italian dressing marinade into the steaks, making sure it contacts every surface.


For the best flavor, marinate the venison steaks for 24 hours in the refrigerator before grilling. Preheat the grill to medium high, and cook the steaks over direct, medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium rare to medium steaks...longer for well done. Remember that these steaks are thin, so it won't take much time to grill them.

Of course you will need to keep things like milk, juice, water, condiments, marinade for the steaks, ice pops for the kids and beer for the big kids so a big Igloo cooler with some ice will come in handy for that.

Then what you can always do is invite the neighbors over and have a block party if that is what you want to call it. Certainly a good way to not waste food and visits with friends and family while braving the elements.

Knowing your Limitations for Deer Season

I was browsing some other blogs and happened to see a good post about getting physically fit and preparing for what usually is a rigorous hunting season for some of us.

The post "Improving your fitness for Hunting Season" by The SoCal Bowhunter is a good reminder that we need to prepare. I for one should speak because I am not in the best of shape and health but, it never hurts to remind ourselves. I have even had to limit my deer hunting in the past couple of years which is hard for me because I have always lived for deer hunting 24/7/365.

I still enjoy it and love to talk about it but I have come to realize my limitations. After all we want to be around to enjoy our heritage for as long as humanly possible. So please after reading this stop by and check out SoCal's post at your earliest convienance.

Connecticut urged to prepare for Hurricane

This sure seems to be on everyone's mind right now and for good reason. The last time Connecticut saw a major hurricane was back in 1985 and that was called "Gloria". Now it seems like we are going to see "Irene".

Gov. Malloy urges residents to prepare for hurricane

 Posted: Aug 25, 2011 7:07 AM EDT Updated: Aug 25, 2011 12:55 PM EDT

By WFSB Staff

 

MILFORD, CT (WFSB) - Governor Dannel Malloy said his administration is stepping up efforts to prepare for Hurricane Irene.
The National Weather Service said the hurricane could strengthen to a Category 4 storm Thursday.
Malloy said he's taking the threat "very, very seriously" and believes residents, state and municipal officials and nonprofit agencies should prepare now for Irene. In particular, Malloy is urging local governments to clear all drainage systems in an effort to minimize flooding.
While the track and intensity of the storm remains uncertain, he said Connecticut should prepare for the possibility of 10 to 12 inches or more of rain over a 24-hour period.
"Hurricanes are unpredictable," said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Peter Boynton. "This storm has the potential to impact Connecticut and we need to be prepared."

read complete story:
 

 

Just a few Hunting Safety Tip's,

With hunting seasons starting or just about to all of the country I just wanted to take this minute or two to remind everyone to be safe out there.Why I say that is because we tend to get comfortable doing whatever we do and tend to forget some of the basics of being safe and following proper weapon handling.


A tag less day and a safe day is better than a tag filled day and a trip to the local emergency room..

The more safe we are doing what we all love to do makes us look better in the eye's of the few anti's out there that are always looking for a reason to get on the high horse so to speak and make trouble.

Sighting in your favorite Deer rifle

I know I might have touched on this in the past but it never hurts to review. I found this video while watching youtube the other day and thought it might help.



I know what your saying it is archery season or just about but rifle season will be on you before you realize it and you don't want to be doing this at the right minute. It is important to take your time, this is not time to rush. You owe it to you and the animal you are hunting.

I usually like to try to or three different brands of ammunition to see what works best at first. Than I can try fine tuning after that point.

This is the exact procedure I used when I received my new CVA Apex with a .243 barrel and it helped me considerably. I still have some fine tuning to do but I am at least on paper at 100 yards.

This is what I usually find works best for me.

Federal Power * Shok

When hunting the woods and clearings, you need a bullet that handles any situation. Power-Shok provides you with consistent and proven performance without a high-dollar price tag. It’s an great all-around choice for medium to large-game. Find good quality, standard bullets in a variety of calibers, including less popular calibers.

New Email Address

FYI:

New Email Address

rickkratzke@yahoo.com

Back in the Saddle

Well where do I begin?
It seems like is has been a long time since I have been blogging but I am slowly getting back into the groove. It is getting real close to Connecticut's archery season and even though I don't bowhunt anymore I am still getting pumped up.

I have a friend that is giving me permission to rifle hunt on his land this year and I am looking forward to it. I plan on using my new rifle which is a CVA Apex chamber in .243 caliber.

CVA Apex .243 / 50 caliber muzzleloader

I will have plenty of time to zero in this baby and I'm damn sure looking forward to it. He tell's me there is a 12 pointer on his property so maybe I will get lucky. There has been a lot of changes in my life lately and I won't bore you with all the details but I am hoping for some luck lately.

I have so much to do and no money to do it with but I guess that is the same for a lot of people these days. If money only grew on tree's that I would not have to worry.

Coming back soon!

Hey everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that I am coming back real soon.

I am doing this post from work but I should be able to do this at home in a bit. I look forward to getting back into blogging and I have truly have missed all of you.

More to follow!