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Where Are All the Boogeymen? By Gene Wensel “I have no doubt that Adam fished with a worm after his expulsion from paradise.” Theodore Gordon, 1947 When I was a youngster, suburban boys aggressively rang doorbells searching for lawn mowing or snow shoveling jobs during their free time. Today, one must run classified ads looking for kids who want to earn a few bucks doing physical chores. And if we do find any, they expect $50 an hour to do odd jobs! I can’t remember the last time my door bell rang after a snow storm. Times have definitely changed. Deer hunting too has transformed over the decades to a point where it’s just not the same as it used to be. When was the last time you saw a pipe smoking guy in a red and black checkered shirt hanging out at a deer camp reeking of Hoppe’s #9? Forty years ago, thousands of young hunters could not wait to get to their elder’s deer cabins. Today, many camps are only places to play cards, smoke cigars, or drink alcohol. We have produced a vicious cycle; progressive disinterest in monthly hunting magazines was promptly addressed and all but dissolved by broadcast television. Many of the negative changes I witnessed in outdoor interest and philosophy were brought on by television hunting shows and an accompanying cultural shifting of gears that allowed Nimrod to get to the top of any mountain a whole lot quicker. These short cuts turned out to be the festering root of an aching tooth. Society ultimately decided it was okay to skip any degree of apprenticeship along the trail. The ways and means modern hunters went about our passion took another turn for the worse when commercial interests gave birth to untold numbers of instant experts, all dwelling mostly on ego trips while skipping over amateur skill levels. The goal was to utilize the quickest, easiest ways they could come up with to legally fill tags. Simple yet mysteriously defined differences between love and lust eventually became unclear. What was once pure spring water quickly turned muddy, and certainly not suitable for drinking. More often than not, our outdoor passion swiftly evolved from hunting to shooting, with little or no regard to values actually earned. “Just put me in a good spot” thinking by-passed or avoided basic woodsmanship skills. I like the idea of being a boogeyman. I really do. Not the kind with warts, who hides under the bed or jumps out of a closet to scare little kids, but the type who simply lurks in the shadows to strike at opportune times. I place the primary blame of cultural swing on the invention and acceptance of broadcast television. It was bad enough a half century ago when TV first stole our free time, but things have become even worse in the past decade or so when “hunting shows” established their own niche right along side porn and horror flicks. “Hunting” shows deteriorated even more when they promptly mutated into “reality shows,” building genuine life and death competition among team participants of the blood sports. Then came dozens of sponsored “celebrity hunters,” figuratively crawling out of the woodwork, jockeying not for entertainment or educational value, but for pole positions of recognition among their peers, sponsors, and fans. Who would have predicted that celebrity hunters would travel in gaudy tour buses? Egotistical clowns in camo raced to establish some sort of “professional hunter” identity while tossing things like ethics, common sense, modesty and humility right out of deer camp windows. Pride in achievement was rapidly demonstrated by shameless antics displaying various forms of enthusiasm, both verbal and physical. Respect for wildlife was shadowed by insane degrees of zealotry. These folks eliminated much of the process. In a sense, they tried to make Italian food with no tomatoes. Today, there just isn’t ever much of a story involved in the taking of 90% of the deer shot on television. Sure, a few hunting celebrities attempt to disguise their tales as some sort of romance but most fail miserably. I really don’t have anything against gun hunting if it is done right, using firearms as honorable tools to actually hunt the quarry. I used to do it myself when I was young and I have good friends who still do. But when bows and arrows are quickly cast aside to justify filling a tag or finishing the making of a TV show, firearm use leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Far too often, guns turn hunting into shooting. One can make a campfire by rubbing two sticks together, use of a flint and steel, a wooden match, a butane lighter, or even a flame thrower. I happen to be a wooden match guy. In-line “primitive weapons” with huge scopes, bi-pods and thumbhole stocks do not belong in primitive weapons seasons as far as I’m concerned. I mean, what’s the point? They too have evolved to be nothing but single shot rifles missing only the brass part of the cartridge. My brother and I hunt a farm bordered by property owned by several whitetail nuts. Almost every year during late season, they blast bucks on film for TV that need just one more year to reach full maturity…..bucks that both Barry and I let walk earlier in the season. They mostly do it in cold weather by planting soybean fields, then leaving them unharvested. When hungry deer cross the fence to feed in the beans, they get popped from up to 250 yards with “primitive” weapons during what is nothing but an extended gun season. Yes, if you sense frustration on my part, you would be right. I even had a TV host once tell me that he “hunts 99% of the time with a bow and arrow and prefers bowhunting.” He went on to say the only reason he used guns was because one of his sponsors was giving him free firearms. I was tempted to ask him if he thought it would be okay if his wife did not sleep around 99% of the time. One of these days, a fired or retired hunting show cameraman is going to write a book about some of the things that go on behind the scenes of what we actually see on television. Half the time, a bored, waiting “hunter” has ear phones plugged into their ears! I-pods and cell phones offer music, video games, opportunities to chat with friends, conduct business, “sexting,” and whatnot. And if you think hanky-panky between cameramen and female bowhunters has never happened, I have a bridge to sell you. Pop-up blinds got their name in more than one way! Many hunting show celebrities don’t even get into the woods much anymore except to look for shed antlers or put out trail cameras. They prefer spending their time in elevated shooting houses with sliding glass windows and propane heaters set on the edges of food plots. I really don’t have a problem with food plots or simpler blinds. Other than the fact food plots are essentially planted to attract and kill deer, they are also an important supplemental food source for wildlife trying to make it though harsh winters when competition for available food is intense. And then we come to the canned hunts. If there were some way to count, I’m sure we would discover the fact hundreds of wealthy people have paid well over $10,000 to shoot the “buck of a lifetime” inside a high fenced enclosure. Did they earn these trophies? No, they only earned the money to buy them. The “hunt” may have cost them a small fortune, but in reality they never paid the full price. Can an automobile mechanic also be a good driver? Of course he can. Is everyone who swings a hammer a good carpenter? Not quite. The ironic part of it is that some of these canned hunt trophies are actually killed by people with adequate hunting skills, if only they took the time and effort to apply them. Lack of time and a fat wallet ultimately confirm their decisions. I’m told one can even kill huge bighorn rams inside high fences if you are willing and able to pay the price. “Wildlife” farming has even changed the way deer are photographed. How long has it been since you last saw a magazine front cover photo of a big buck whitetail that wasn’t taken inside a park or high-fenced enclosure? Wisdom, probably brought on with old age, has convinced me that humans can justify almost anything if they try hard enough. I treasure any and all opportunities to study sign, find funnels, decipher wind patterns, and set camera traps to see what is on the menu. I delight picking out fantasy trees to hide in while my imagination conjures up ultra-close range encounters where I can strike with no warning. I am an honorable predator and deer are worthy prey. I love being a boogeyman, or at least I like to think like one when I’m outdoors. So be it. I find great pleasure trying to figure out what’s going on while walking in the woods at my own pace with a simple bow and arrow. While some might see it as a desire to be sneakier, I see it as a way to close my deals with truer dignity. I sleep better like that.

Couple of stories to raise the pucker factor a little when your walking to your stand in the dark, enjoy!! http://www.brothersofthebow.com/PRAY_OR_PREY_Edited.htm

So besides the obvious like a Bear, what do bears taste like? Is it an aquired taste or are they quite tasty? Is there anything special you have to do after you shoot a bear compaired to say a deer? How do you hang them by the neck or by the legs? I hunt some property that is over run with bears and plan on shooting one this yr. But I dont know what to do with it after I shoot it or even if I will like bear meat. Any input is appreciated.

No wonder bullets cost so much with all that wasted copper!! Seems like alot of pollution to, with all that lead. I would say its alot more than whats put into the environment by hunters. Maybe the government should be forced to use non lead bullets!!!

Heres a few of the more interesting pics ive gotten over the last few months. The Bear was in the process of unplugging my battery. He hates his picture taken and if I dont hide it well he unplugges it everytime. The tall racked 6 point and the 8 will both get a pass this yr. Hopefully something bigger shows up. The doe on the other hand are in trouble.

NICE!!!!

Took the words right out of my mouth. I hate it even when the deer tags are brown. Doesnt make sense. I set one down one time while digging through my pack for a pen and the wind blew it when I had my head turned. 1/2 hr later I found it about 20 yrds from where I set it down. I nearly had a heart attack!!!

Better not!!! Thats when I fill most my tags. Couple thousand commies running around the woods scaring my deer off would seriously piss me off!!!!

Wonder if its part of a twin? If her twin was a buck I wonder if she has a twelve point rack growing inside her? Must have been one heck of a delivery!!

atleast it wasnt with broadheads.

Crap im not!!! Then Id call my Dad and put one on his tag!!!! Seriously though both bucks are mature, and if there isnt a road near by or a chance someone else will shoot them then let them walk if you think it will help. If not choootem.

Dont worry about the rubs or the scrapes. Now's the time to pattern the does and find a good funnel they are using preferably on some food next to something thick with alot of rubs abd scrapes. If a hot doe comes by mossy horns or a friend might be in tow.

Trip was a bust got there as the cold front hit and the fish got a sever case of lock jaw. We picked up one 18 in walleye Sat. morning and then a 20 mph wind picked up and the rest of the day was nasty. We ended up with 4 big perch and no more walleye on Sat. All went back in the lake. Sunday morning we got zero walleye and 5 more big perch all went back in the lake also. Pretty disapointing.

Checked my cam in the triangle of white oaks and boy was I suprised. I have two bucks on cam and a bear who decided to unplug my battery from the cam so the last photo I have is from end of last month. One tall racked 6 point and a wide racked 8 point all munching thumb size white acorns. There were a couple of broken branches laying on the ground around them from a few recent storms and they were absolutely loaded with acorns. The trees by my stand are dropping but the deer dont seem to be feeding around there ( mostly red oak ) so Im moving stand back over to these trees since they seem to prefer them ( white oak ). This just got interesting!! Will try to post photos this week in trail cams section. First bucks ive seen all yr besides a scrawny tinny spiker.

Occupy wallstreeters are a bunch of buffoons. And their backers are just as stupid. They complain about the rich but the top 25 celebrity backers of the occupy movement are worth 25 billion. Doesnt make alot of sense thats why socialism is a disease. Wealthy liberal filmmaker Michael Moore (worth $50 million) was further down the list but still had enough money when he paid a million dollars for a luxury car and bought a 10,000 square foot vacation home. On Oct. 25, Moore was brazen enough to deny that he was a member of the 1 percent on CNN's ''Piers Morgan Tonight.'' (He was later forced to admit that he was a member of the 1 percent.) Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/paul-wilson/2011/12/28/99-percent-top-25-occupy-wall-street-backers-worth-over-4-billion#ixzz26KU0pHUT Here is a list of the 25 richest celebrities supporting the Occupy Movement (Source: Celebrity Net Worth) 1. Yoko Ono - $500 million 2. Jay-Z - $450 million 3. David Letterman - $400 million (tie) Stephen King - $400 million 5. Russell Simmons - $325 million 6. Sean Lennon - $200 million 7. Mike Myers - $175 million 8. George Clooney - $160 million 9. Brad Pitt - $150 million (tie) Don King - $150 million 11. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) - $145 million 12. Jane Fonda - $120 million (tie) Miley Cyrus - 120 million 14. Al Gore - $100 million 15. Roseanne Barr - $80 million (tie) Deepak Chopra - $80 million 17. Kanye West - $70 million (tie) Dan Rather - $70 million 19. Alec Baldwin - $65 million (tie) Matt Damon - $65 million 21. Tom Morello - $60 million (tie) Mia Farrow - $60 million 23. Katy Perry - $55 million 24. Michael Moore - $50 million (tie) Susan Sarandon - $50 million Read more: http://newsbusters.o...n#ixzz26KSOwYT7

My area is loaded with Acorns, Beachnuts, and Hickory nuts this yr. I have my stand on a trail about 40 yrds from a white Oak that is absolutelly loaded. Ive never seen so many acorns on a tree before.

Not as fun as watching the mushroom cloud from a gallon of gas though.

Mountains deer arent as prissy as their farmdwelling cousins and will eat anything that they can get their teeth on. Just plant the rye thick and make it a good size plot because once they find it they will mow it till its gone.

Winter rye, winter rye, winter rye!!!! And brassicas. I have a few plots on the mountain and its very rocky. Both do well, just make sure you spray and lime and fertilize.

i can just see Bubba walking through the woods with an aimpoint scope on a caplock.

No were not talking about you. jk

I was standing on my friends porch last summer looking up at the peak of his house where a white faced hornet nest was. It was about 20 ft up. We are standing there looking at it and talking when my other friend comes out and slams the door. Well the big old gaurd hornet as big as my thumb dropped like a rock straight down onto my nose and wrapped his legs in a death grip around the inside of my nose and stung me three times at the base of my nose and lip. It happend so fast no one knew what was going on including me, till it stung me. My whole face swelled up and my eyes swelled shut. But I didnt have problems breathing so I didnt go to the hospital. Just put some ice on it and the swelling went down after a few hrs. But man did my face hurt for about a week.

Dang man you have some bad luck!! I always swell up worse with stings on my lower extremeties. If I get stung on my calf it swells up twice as bad as anywhere else. I still have a hole where I got stung by a hornet a month and a half ago on my calf. Tho I have to say stepping on one with bare feet is ten times worse. I stepped on a honey bee out in the yrd one day and I wanted to saw my leg off it hurt so bad. I find that putting ice on it stops alot of the pain.

Also for those with short memories and the Bush did it crew a few excerps if i may. However, it should be remembered that it was the Democrats who controlled the Senate in the fall of 2002 when the Senate voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq. Majority leader Tom Daschle and assistant majority leader Harry Reid led the majority of their fellow Senate Democrats in voting to launch a war of aggression against a country that, despite their claims to the contrary, was no threat to the security of the United States. Already, leading Democratic senators like Hillary Clinton and Evan Bayh are pushing for another war, this time against Iran, even complaining that President Bush has put too much emphasis on diplomacy and that he was wrong to have allowed the Europeans to take the leadership in resolving the standoff over than country�s nuclear program. http://www.commondreams.org/views06/1104-27.htm And from a Liberal commie web site also. so stuff it. Good article to.

Iraq had nothing to do with Saddam. We needed a place to fight osamas minions other than our shores. We drained an entire generation of extremists from the world and put them in the ground in iraq and afghanistan with very light casualties compaired to wars our grandfathers fought. It was quite clever actually. Oh yeah I just saw on CNN that Bammer has the destinction now of the worse jobs creation record of any President since WWII. And thats saying alot since Carter got fired for a bad economy, It should be a landslide come fall for Romney.