They're also running a special on their other products. You get $10 off orders over $99. Not a bad deal if I do say so. Anymore, this is about the only way I shop. I look for coupons and I sign up for their newsletters so I get notices when they're running specials. Sportsmans Warehouse is great. I've bought truck loads of stuff off of them over the years. This Sale ends Sept. 2nd, so don't be late! Use Special Promo Code SG1040

I can remember when Whitetail Institute started promoting their clover blend. At that time, planting high dollar food plots of clover was unheard of, or at least it was in my neck of the woods. The second year after hearing about this Super Clover Seed Blend that attracted Whitetail Deer from afar, I decided to give it a try. Early September found me pushing and pulling a push mower through the woods to a small opening I had permission to hunt. The tall weeds and grass in that little clearing nearly killed me and the mower before I had it all mowed down.

Next, I raked up all the grass and put it in a pile. Then the next day (I was pretty much whooped after using a push mower for a brush hog!), I pushed and pulled a tiller down to the small clearing. When I say small, I mean it was a place of about 20 feet wide by about 100 feet long. I tilled that ground over several times and it was much more difficult than the mowing was!

The next weekend I took a rake, several bags of lime and a bag of fertilizer through the woods to my "food plot". I worked this all in, which took me about a half a day. Rain was in the forecast so I wanted to wait for it to "wash in" the lime and fertilizer. A few days later after the rain I went back and I raked the soil again preparing the seed bed. Hmmm, this is a lot of work. "Poor men have poor men ways" came to mind as I was reraking this little plot. Once finished, I planted the Whitetail clover with visions of big bucks falling over one another to get to my tiny little plot back in the woods. After the seed was cast, I then reraked the area once again covering the seed up.

Unfortunately no one told the big bucks about my little plot! I did kill a Doe and 7 point buck out of that little meadow, but chances were good they used the place anyway since it had produced for me in the past.

From that little plot to ones I've planted that measured an acre or two, I've learned a few things about planting food plots for deer.

Here are some food plot tips to keep in mind before you start trying out your green thumb.

1. Get a soil test. I can't stress how important this is. A soil test will tell you the condition of the soil, along with what you need to do to improve it for the type of seed you'll be planting. It will also tell you how much lime and fertilizer to use. Lime and fertilizer is very important for a great food plot. It may mean the difference between you pulling deer from your neighbors land or them pulling deer from your land.
2. Match the type of seed to your local area. Some areas grow certain types of plants better than others. I mentioned using Whitetail Institute's clover when it first came out. That was all there was available at the time. It's my opinion that this clover is hard for me to grow in my area. I've had more failures than successes with this type of seed in remote plots. Now there is a whole category of seed that will grow with little soil preparation. From what I've seen, most of these seeds are rye.
3. Prepare the soil properly. This is where I see a lot of people goof up. You'd be surprised at how many people will lay down hard earned cash for a bag of seed and then just go out and throw the seed on the ground and expect it to grow. Rye will grow thrown on top of the ground as will winter wheat and oats. But they both will do better if you can at least rake the soil and turn it up a bit. Clover and Alfalfa need covered to be successful. If you're going to spend the money on good seed, then put forth the effort to get the most out of it.
4. I prefer to plant in long and narrow strips. Deer love to walk while eating. That's why they're called browsers. A nip here, a bite there. You'll seldom see a deer stand in one place very long. Make it comfortable for them to feed at your food plot.
5. Make sure your spot gets at least 50% of sun per day. You may have to hunt out a small opening, but game seeds don't grow well in the shade!
6. Plant a variety of seed to prolong the benefits of your plot. I like to plant seeds that will be beneficial to deer as soon as they come up in the early fall. At the same time, I usually include winter wheat or oats along with brassica (greens) so the plot will be beneficial to the deer and other wildlife up into the Winter. Your plot should be more than just a place to kill deer, it should be a place that helps deer and other Wildlife through the Winter into the Spring. By helping your deer make it through Winter in good shape, the Bucks will have a head start growing their antlers and the Does will give birth to healthier fawns.

Food plots do not have to be massive fields of exotic seeds to benefit Deer and wildlife. We don't all have huge John Deere tractors with all the implements along with seed companies throwing tons of seed at us so we'll advertise them. Even if you're not a so called deer hunting celebrity, you can help the animals in your area by planting your own food plot. These food plot tips should help you get started.

I don't intend to start another debate about crossbow vs compound vs traditional archery as it pertains to hunting deer. I've been down that road many times. I own all types of bows and intend to continue to use them as I want to.

I just bought a new Excalibur Axiom and I have to say, it's a real pleasure to shoot. I've been shooting bows since 1978 and I'm just as happy to add this weapon to my arsenal as any I have bought before.

At one time in the late 80's and early 90's, I was dead set against crossbows being used in archery seasons. At the time I lived in Arkansas where crossbows were legal to use in the Archery season. I, like a lot of other anti-crossbow people, spewed the same mis information that had been spewed for many years. I called them "crossguns" and all the other nonsense jargon. It wasn't until about 1992, when I finally bought a crossbow, that my views changed. I quickly learned that a crossbow has a lot of the same limitations that any other bow has.

That crossbow was stolen a year later after I had moved back to Oklahoma and I never replaced it, even though I continued to hunt in Arkansas.

I'm glad to see that technology has helped make Crossbows somewhat quieter and with less vibration than my old PSE crossbow had! Still, they can be nosier than most compounds but the speed of the bolt is about that from a compound. That's the primary reason a crossbows effective range is usually around 40 yards. Even though my crossbow is accurate out to 40 plus yards, I limit my shots to no more than 30 yards under most conditions.

So what do I see for the future of archery hunting in Oklahoma? The reason I say that is because some doomsayers predict that Archery season will be abolished in Oklahoma because crossbow hunters will decimate the deer herd. Yeah, sounds silly once you read it doesn't it?

I suppose crossbows will affect Oklahoma deer hunting just as they have in places like Arkansas, Ohio, Alaska, Alabama and other places. Which means there will be little, if any difference in the number of deer taken but more hunters who would not otherwise hunt will be taking to the field, mainly Women, younger hunters and elderly hunters. This can only be a good thing as in most States the numbers of hunters are declining.

And maybe, just maybe they'll actually EXTEND hunting season like they have in some of those other states! I think Oklahoma legalizing crossbows for archery hunting will help our sport, just like allowing inline muzzleloaders and compound bows with sights and releases helped. (although I was against the inline muzzleloaders with scopes at one time also)

What finally made me realize that all these modern forms of hunting are actually good for our sport were the numbers of new hunters that entered our sport. If it wasn't for new technology, just think of how many fewer hunters would be afield if only longbows and recurve bows were legal in archery season and only muzzleloading rifles with size hammers using flintlocks were legal in Primitive weapon season? Simply put, greater number of hunters means more security when it comes to fighting anti hunters trying to reduce or eliminate our hunting seasons.

Besides, once I came down of my high horse, I found shooting inline muzzleloaders with scopes and shooting crossbows were a lot of fun! So yeah, I'm one happy camper that an archer can use crossbows in Oklahoma for deer hunting.

Buy hey, don't take my word for it, see what Uncle Ted thinks about it!

1. They fail to scout. Now when I say scout, that's exactly what I mean. I don't mean lollygagging around the woods taking potshots with a .22 a few days before season. I mean getting out weeks before the season opens and scouring your hunting area real good. Even if you're familiar with the lay of the land, you'll be surprised from time to time by what you find. Lots of things can change from season to season, that's why it's important to get out and scout!

2. They fail to become proficient with the weapon they're using. The funny thing is, the definition of 'proficient' changes from hunter to hunter. Some may believe it's being able to shoot a 2" group at 100 yards. Others think if they can hit a 12"x12" piece of paper at 50 yards, that is all they need. When I was a kid, my dad use to hang a one gallon paint bucket on a limb at about 50 yards. If he could hit it with his open sighted 30-30 Marlin, then his gun was "sighted in" and he was perfectly happy. And he killed a lot of deer with that gun, few were rarely shot past 50 yards though.

I think most of us would agree that a scoped modern rifle should be able to put at least 3 rounds inside 3 inches at any range up to 100 yards. If the gun can do that, then the shooter should practice proper breath control and trigger sqeeze.

For bow hunters, I believe they should be able to keep all their arrows inside a 5 or even 6 inch group out to 40 yards. Obviously I'd like to see them also keep at least 3 arrows in a 3 inch circle out to 40, but I had trouble doing that at 40 yards with my old compound. Only when I started shooting instinctively did my accuracy improve greatly. I just could never develop the form to shoot accurately with sights out to 40 yards.

3. Lack of Patience. Over the years I've learned that many times I found that a lack of patience was really a lack of confidence in most cases. Funny that you have no trouble sitting in a blind until Noon if you're seeing deer, or if you think you'll be seeing them. But a lot of people have a problem sitting still even an hour or so before they get up and start walking around. Which by the way, is another mistake beginners make!

I can't tell you how many deer I've watched impatient hunters spook because they were out of their blind or treestand by 8 or 9 and started walking around. If you've done your scouting properly, there should be no reason for you to be out plopping around the freakin' woods at 8 or 9 a.m. You're better off going back to camp and making coffee for everyone else who will be filing in in a few hours.

4. They call too much. I think beginners and even some veterans should have their deer calls taken away. I'd bet that the majority of deer hunters have never heard a real deer in the woods. And of those hunters, the majority of them have never listened to a pro on a CD or DVD call deer. They may have seen one of the TV show cowboys do it, but few have taken the time to hear real deer call in the woods.

Even if you're using an excellent grunt call like the MAD Grunt/Snort/Wheez call, you can easily over call and spook deer!

Usually one of two things happen. The Hunters will go out and call long and hard for a few days and when nothing shows up, the proclaim to everyone they meet from here on out that deer calls are jokes and do not work. Or, they use the call a few times and when a big buck doesn't magically show up, the lose interest and leave the call at home or back in camp.

I've been deer hunting for nearly 30 years now and I've hear deer vocalize only a few dozen times over the years. Of course, I probably spend a lot more time scouting and deer hunting than the average Joe as well. Deer make soft subtle sounds, even a buck trailing a hot doe doesn't grunt near as loud as many commercial call sound. Plus, deer don't make continuous sound every step they make!

5. They use too much scent. Like over calling, a lot of deer hunters are relying on that magical deer in a bottle to produce a buck for them. Many deer hunters subscribe to the theory that more is better. That just isn't true!

I dearly loved to watch the late Ben Rogers Lee. I use to have nearly all of his deer hunting videos and I learned a lot from watching them. However I cringed when he would pour a whole bottle of his deer scent on a tarsal gland or rag and say something like "Now you can't get to much of this scent on the ground, use plenty so the Buck can really smell it". I know he was just selling deer scent, but then again the guy didn't have a problem killing deer. He knew them just as well as he knew the habits of Turkey. But beginners thought his 'secret to success' was all that deer scent he was pouring out!

Deer can put Bloodhounds to shame. If you're going to use scent, use only a few drops. I think the majority of deer hunters would do far better without scents than with them. Most don't know how to use them properly or when to use them. I personally don't want a deer to know I'm anywhere around when he comes by my stand. Sure, I've had scents work and I've had them spook deer, especially when using a Doe in Estrous scent during the rut. Many small bucks that have had their butts whipped will spook. So will Does. They know that if a Buck is present, it'll be cold nosing them and pestering them for a long time. So they will avoid another Doe who smells like she is 'in'. That's why most of the time you'll find me using a deer scent like Wildlife Research's Trails End #307. I've used it for many years and it doesn't seem to spook deer in my area during the rut. I've also seen it attract several deer that I know of, including a few bucks.

6. Fail to plan. There's a saying in the business world that goes something like "If you fail to plan, then you're planning to fail". The same could be said about deer hunting. Do you have backup stand locations for different wind directions? What if there are hunters in your area, do you have an alternate plan? Have you ever went hunting and forgot your weapon at camp or home? Have you ever forgot your release or shells?

You should have alternate hunting stand locations mapped out and know which wind directions they are good for. Plus, a simple checklist that you check before heading out will keep you from forgetting an important part of your gear. Over the years I've heard of more than one story about a deer hunter who went ahead and sit in their stand even though they had forgotten their weapon or ammo only to have a Buck walk by within range. I bet you've heard one or two stories about unprepared hunters.

7. The use cheap equipment. When I say 'cheap', I mean poor quality equipment. I can't tell you how many people just want the cheapest piece of equipment they can find. Whether it's the cheapest bow, treestand, game camera or rifle, it seems their only requirement is that they equipment is cheap. How many times have you seen someone ask a question in the forums like "What's the best and cheapest bow?" or "What's the best and cheapest cold weather hunting clothes?"

It's okay to save a buck (no pun intended), but simply being a cheap scape because you're tight is a whole different matter. Poor quality hunting equipment can come back to bite you when you need it the most. Like scopes, rifles, bows, clothes, boots and other deer hunting products, sometimes it's better to save up a little while longer and buy the good stuff.

Don't get me wrong. Although I see beginners make most of these mistakes, making these mistakes doesn't seem to know the difference between a beginning deer hunter and someone who's been hunting for decades. The only thing I can see is that serious deer hunters make fewer of these mistakes than the weekend warriors. I believe it comes down to how serious you are about deer hunting. The more serious you are, the more you're likely to learn from your mistakes and not repeat them.

First and foremost, I think the decision to shoot a small buck, or any deer for that matter, should be left up to the individual hunter as long as the deer is legal (* with an exception as stated below). Whether you agree with the game laws or not. But if a spike buck with 3 1/2 inches of hard antler above the hairline is legal in your state and you want to put a tag on him and take him home, you should have that right if you purchased a deer tag or hunting license.

*And since I mentioned the law, I think having laws restricting hunters to harvesting deer with a minimum antler count is plain wrong. Arkansas comes to mind with its 3 point rule (or is it 4 points per side?). Whatever it is, I believe it's wrong. A hunter should be able to put their tag on any buck they can see the antler on. These types of laws also rob our young and elderly hunters of chances of enjoying the harvest of a buck deer. Which may be the greatest tragedy of all.

The State and other Hunters should not be the ones making the rules telling me whether or not I can shoot a buck with hard antler above the hairline. There have been years where I went home empty handed and happy because I was chasing a few select Trophy bucks. There have been other years when I killed 4 or 5 deer and everyone was a 6 point or less. I was a happy camper both times.

It's the individual hunters enjoyment that spells success. If that means taking a Spike buck, so be it. If that means putting 20 hours a week in going after a Trophy buck only to go home at the end of the season empty handed, so bit it. It's the Hunters choice and that's the way it should be.

I once knew a fairly famous bowhunter in our State who also owned an Archer shop. They guy was always nice to me even when I was a wet behind the ears teenager in his store only spending a few bucks. He was what I considered your average archery owner. Pics of his trophy's all over the place. Which I'm totally fine with.

But one year he'd went most of the year without killing a deer. Even went through the rut and rifle season without killing a buck. Then toward Christmas he shot a small buck with 2 points on one side and 3 points on the other. Nothing real special as far as the head gear went. But this guy's story was he shot the deer because the side with 3 points was rare and he'd never killed a buck like this.

Personally, I thought a little less of him after that. I didn't get the feeling he was being totally honest with anyone. I did get the feeling he killed it because it was getting near the end of the deer hunting season and he wanted to shoot a buck. Which I've done the same thing and I believe it's certainly within the rights of a deer hunter to do so. But be honest about the reason you put a tag on a deer! Heck, there should be no shame saying the season is coming to an end and you wanted to put a tag on a deer!

Okay, another rant here. You guys who go around saying "you can't eat horns" are correct. But don't spout that crap off then when you get a wall hanger in front of you blast the crap out of him. Then proceed to tell everyone what a trophy he is. There's no shame in saying you're a meat hunter or that you wanted to shoot the first thing that comes by. I know a lot of hunters who wished they could kill a buck, any buck, each and every year like some of you do. Be proud of the fact that you're good enough to kill any deer consistently!

I'd also like to call out the guys who hunt high dollar leases or go on nothing but guided hunts and then look down your nose at people who kill small to average bucks. I've often said, and still stand behind this statement, that anyone who can kill a legal buck on Public Land consistently is a far better deer hunter than someone who only hunts exclusive leases or pays to hire a guide. Just because you have the money to hire a guide our lease up half a county in Illinois does not make you a better hunter!

Finally, no one should have the right to tell me, or you, which buck I can shoot. Study after Study have shown that taking spike bucks does not affect the quality of the deer heard. No one should have to ask if it's wrong to shoot a small buck!

To be honest, in the last few years my requirements for a treestand have went from 'light, strong and portable' to 'comfortable to sit long hours in with some room to move around'. And that's about it. I guess it has something with me getting fatter and older   A few months prior, I had bought a tri-pod stand to watch over a bottomland pecan orchard. It was a real pain to get assembled and moved into place, but it was far worth the effort!

The place where I was going to place this new Big Game Titan Ladder Stand was too brushy to put up a trip pod stand. This was my second Big Game Ladder stand (the first was the Big Game Skybox Ladder Stand). I loved the first one, which was also a ladder stand, but it was somewhat narrow for my big behind and it was 20 ft tall. I didn't need one that tall which was another reason I chose the Titan, which is 16 ft to the shooting rail.

Since I live close to a Bass Pro, that's where I bought it. I got it home and put it together. The included instructions were easy to follow and all the nuts and bolts were there! In fact, I was pleased to see that all the little pieces seemed to be of high quality. Sometimes when you by something like this, those little pieces are just cheap as they can be. This wasn't the case here. As with my first ladder stand from Big Game, this one was all quality.

I also used some Olive Drab, dark Grey and Brown spray paint to paint my own personal camo job on this treestand. It's a beautiful black color, but the trees in my area aren't all black with Big Game Treestand logo's on them. Yep, the logo got covered up as well. The treestand now has a nifty 4 color paint job that blends into the surroundings really well.

The Big Game Titan Ladder Stand weighs 79 pounds so it's not one you're going to carry in and out of the woods every time you go hunting! But where we hunt, we put them and use them like a permanent treestand. They stay there unless we feel we need to move them.

As my hunting  buddy had to work, it was me, myself and I putting this stand up. I think the instructions said that three people needed to put it up. I figured much of that was due to liability reasons. Besides, I don't like having my buddy help me because he'll be wanting to log the surrounding area of all trees and limbs! I have to take the limb saw away from him!

What I did was to put the sections on my game cart. The treestand along with the limb saw, pull up rope and other necessities were lashed to the cart. The walk in would be about 1/4 mile across a muddy field and a small branch. I finally made it and picked the tree where I wanted to put the stand.

The way I put up a ladder stand is to assemble it and lay it on the ground with the back of the stand pointing up. I put the bottom of the legs about where I think they need to go when the stand is in place. Next, I lifted the stand at the top and started walking the stand up. While it wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, it wasn't as hard as I had imagined. Once the stand was against the tree, I attached the stabilizer bar. I then climbed up and finished attaching the Titan treestand to the tree.

I wouldn't recommend anyone install a ladder stand this way. It would have been great to have help, but I just didn't have it that day. Follow the instructions and get a few of your buddies to come along and help...just make sure they're not Paul Bunyan!

First Impressions of the Big Game Titan Ladder Stand

I have to tell ya, when I was assembling this tree stand, I had my doubts about whether or not this Flex Cor seat would be comfortable on my big butt! So I was amazed when I sit down in it and discovered that this thing is very comfortable! This seat looks like it's a cushion on top of bungee cords that crisscross the bottom of the metal frame that makes the seat. This seat also flips up which is nice when you want to stand up.

The platform of the stand is 23 inches across and 30 inches deep. When I stood up, I felt like I could do so comfortably and didn't feel like I would lose my balance and tumble out of the stand. (which is why you should wear a safety belt)

I sit there on the stand for the first time and mentally made notes of which limbs had to be cut. I was enjoying sitting there, just taking the warm Fall afternoon in. I stood up and moved around a bit to see if there were any squeaks or anything else that needed to be attended to before I left. There was.

I must have tightened one of the bolts that run through the back of the seat too tight. It rubbed the side of the stand when lowering and raising. Plus, the seat would make a small metal 'clank' whenever the seat frame contacted the stand where the seat rested.

The rubbing part didn't concern me too much. I was more put out with myself for not testing this when I had the stand at home. The small clank was remedied my next trip with some glue backed felt I use on my bow.

I have mixed emotions about the fold down rest. I wish there was some way it could be made to have the arm rest separated from the fold down rest. When I'm sitting down and have the rest down, I have to stand to shoot my bow. The rest is a little low (at least for me) to be used as a really good rifle rest. But with a little bit of ingenuity, I can make it work. (well, I actually brought along my Primos shooting stick!)

Overall, I am very pleased with this treestand. It's one of the most comfortable treestands I've ever used. During the hunting season,  I sit in this stand from 4 to 6 hours at a stretch. When my buddy sit in it, he actually called me while in the stand to tell my how comfortable it was. I never did kill a deer from that stand, but it wasn't because I didn't see 'em. I had several deer below my stand and they never knew I was anywhere around. The right one just didn't come along while I was in the stand.

If you're looking for a rock solid ladder stand that is easy to assemble and one that you can sit in comfortable for long hours, then try the Big Game Titan ladder stand. I think you'll find that it fits the bill very well.

Click here to see the Big Game Treestands Titan Ladder Stand at Bass Pro.

Cedar Glen is located near the town of Warsaw Illinois. Warsaw lies along the Mississippi River and is in the North West part of Illinois. Access is good and you shouldn't have a problem finding a place to stay if you choose to visit the area.

As of this writing, this years Illinois deer hunting regulations haven't been published so I'm not sure what changes may have taken place in Illinois or to the Cedar Glen area. Last year, you could buy a Statewide bowhunting permit and have access to this area. Illinois Muzzleloading and Shotgun deer hunters had to have a special quota permit. Again, not sure about this year as it's a little early yet, so make sure you check the current Illinois deer hunting regulations before heading out.

The topography of Cedar Glen consist of about half and half of hardwood uplands and bottomland. If you prefer to hunt forest with openings, then the uplands will not disappoint you. On the other hand, if you like a little muck and mud mixed with your hunting, the bottomland area will please you to no end!

You'll have about 1100 acres to roam and hunt at Cedar Glen. There are some off limit areas, so be sure to get a good map of the area before heading out. Being along the Mississippi River, you know there just hast to be some bruiser bucks in there and I'm betting that if you can access the area around the rut, you just might see a few!

Cedar Glen would certainly be on my list of Illinois Public Land Hunting spots to check out if I was heading to Illinois this year. And I just might do that!

Here's fact sheet as well as a link to a map of the area.

Cedar Glen State Natural Area

I've had these bibs for about 4 years. I believe I bought them from Cabela's and to be honest, I loved them. They were great for late season bowhunting or catfishing.

I tried taking them to several alteration places, but they said they could not get the metal zippers. Finally, after thinking about it, I Googled Arctic Shield and found they were located in Tulsa. So I gave them a call and talked to a woman (I believe her name was Bridgett).

I told Bridgett what my problem was. I had a pair of Arctic Shield Bibs with a broken leg zipper.

I was a little more than surprised that she wasn't as helpful as I thought she should have been. In fact, I felt she was only be "nice" because she had to be (I could here a man's voice in the background). In all honestly, I did call right before closing, but that shouldn't have mattered. I also didn't tell her that I own a Deer Hunting blog that gets visited by 20 to 30 thousands Sportsmen every month, but again, that shouldn't have mattered.

Basically she told me that there wasn't nothing they would do. I thought perhaps she didn't understand me, so I made 3 attempts to get her to help me. I even offered to pay for the fix to my bibs.

Still no help from Bridgett. About all she could say is "Sorry, we don't do that". I asked if she knew an alteration company locally who could fix them. "No, I'm sorry, that's not something we do".

So finally I said, "So I have a pair of Arctic Shield Bibs with a busted zipper and you can't help me get them fixed?"

"Sorry, we just can't help with that" she said

If these had been some cheap old bibs I found at a flea market or bought at a discount store, I wouldn't be so upset.

If you've bought Arctic Shield clothes lately, you know they're not cheap. Obviously I don't mind paying for good equipment.

My problem is that if I buy supposedly top of the line equipment, I expect the company to stand behind their products. It seems from my experience that Arctic Shield feels their commitment ends when the warranty ends. I have a feeling that if I'd called Cabela's, they would have bent over backwards to help me. That's just the kind of folks they are. Cabela's has always stood behind what they sell.

So just be aware that they probably will not fix or help you get your Arctic Shield clothing fixed if it breaks after the warranty runs out (and I honestly don't remember how long the warrnty is, if any, so you'd probably better check that also).  I personally will not buy another piece. This just really sucks because I have some other Arctic Shield clothes and now I know that if something happens to my jacket or or other piece of their clothing, they're not going to help me. Even if I offer to pay for the repairs! Fortunately, there are other companies that make excellent cold weather hunting gear.

Last weekend I had a cookout for family members. My cousin and I got to talking about the new Oklahoma Black Bear hunting season. He caught me off guard when he said that he wouldn't be going Black Bear hunting. I asked why and he said he wasn't going to pay the $101 for a Bear Tag.

"But you have a Lifetime License, you don't have to pay those fees" I said

"Better go read the regs, Lifetime license holders are not exempt" he said

So I went into the house and grabbed my regulations. I couldn't believe it! He was right!

I simply could not believe that the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation was going to make Lifetime License holders pay to hunt Bear. Hell, some of the same public land that is open to Bear hunting was bought with money from the Lifetime Hunting funds! How dare them!

Needless to say, my plans for a Camping/Deer/Bear hunting trip quickly vanished. It's not that I can't afford the $101, it's that I'm not going to pay it!

What Is Happening At The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife?

My Dad bought my Combination Lifetime Hunting & Fishing license for my 16th birthday. I can honestly say they've paid for their self many times over. He paid $225 back then. A bargain by any stretch of the imagination.

Over the years, I've been a supporter of the Wildlife Department. I use to buy the WMA Atlases and still buy the Habitat patches. Each year I stop by their booth at the Tulsa Boat and Travel show and buy cookbooks and other items for gifts for friends and family. I've made many donations over the years as well.

I think they've done an outstanding job in managing our State's resources. But for the last 10 years or so, I've noticed a change in policies and the mindset of the Department. It seems more and more that they're worried about revenue generation. It seems all they've been doing in Oklahoma City for a while is sitting back and dreaming of ways to increase their revenue off the backs of Oklahoma Sportsmen.

I understand times are tough. But increasing the revenues off of people who got you where you are today is not the way to do it! The funds from the Lifetime Hunting and Fishing license is suppose to go into a pool to help buy more land. So every lifetime license holder can say they helped the ODWC purchase many of the State's public lands. In return, we get these Lifetime license where we do not have to buy a hunting or fishing license and tags. Or at least that's the way it was originally set up and the way it has been for many, many years.

My cousin wrote the Department stating that he thought making Lifetime license holders have to buy a Black Bear license was unfair. Their reply in a nutshell was that "We told you when you bought the lifetime license what they would be good for. We've even upped the bag limits and added other game animals to the license making these license more valuable" Yeah, you may have stated what would be covered, but 25 years ago, hell, just 10 years ago you were still saying there were no appreciable populations of Black Bears in Oklahoma! For that matter, the Department said the same thing about Mountain Lions!

If you ask me, the letter had some major attitude with it.

Still, Lifetime means Lifetime doesn't it? Apparently not to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

As I said earlier, I believe that the ODWC has been taken over by Bureaucrats and Bean Counters. It hasn't happened overnight, but gradually over a period of time as to not raise suspicion.

Time was when our Lifetime license covered trapping, but now they have an additional "Trapping License". We now have a host of permits and fees we have to pay that we were excluded from at one time or another or that simply didn't exist in the past. This year they started licensing guides and hit them with a big license fee as well as require them to carry liability insurance (thank your insurance lobby for this). Now we have to buy an outrageously priced Bear hunting license. And the kicker is the Season will close after 20 bears have been harvested.

If the Oklahoma Bear Season is closed after a week because the 20 bear quota being met, do those who've bought a bear license get a refund because the season was closed early?

I didn't think so!

It's time we started putting people back in the ODWC that has our best interest at stake, not the bottom line or the special interest groups. It's time to get rid of the Bean Counters and pencil pushers and get some people who know what the hell they're doing. If the ODWC needs revenue, then raise the price of the Lifetime License! It's still only $775 for a Combination. Most of the surrounding states that I'm aware of, Texas, Arkansas and I believe Kansas, start at $1000 for their Lifetime License.

Don't make your revenue off the backs of the people who brought you to the dance!

If even one cent of the Lifetime Hunting funds were used to buy or manage property and habitat for Black Bear, then Oklahoma Lifetime License holders should be exempt from the Bear hunting license fees!

I'd recommend that noone buy these overpriced Bear license. If you really want to have a decent chance at killing a Bear, go to Arkansas. This way you don't have to worry about the season being closed on you, leaving your holding a piece of paper you paid $101 for if you're a Resident or $506 for if you're a non-resident, even if you're a Lifetime License holder!

In my opinion, post season scouting is some of the best scouting you can do. In the post season, you can find out if your Buck is still alive and more important, where he's hanging out. Many places either have snow on the ground or will have snow. This can be the best time to follow a Buck and see where he's holing up. In most cases, he'll still be in his hiding/evading mode due to Small Game hunters in his area.

The places he likes to hide, his travel routes and his escape routes will be much easier to find this time of year than when your scouting in the Pre-season. It's also a great time to snoop around your public hunting land and see where he likes to hide or where other hunters are setting up.

I've found more Big Buck escape routes and Sanctuary's by scouting when there was snow on the ground than any other time of the year. Snow almost makes it too easy...almost! And you don't have to worry about things like Mosquitoes, Snakes and Chiggers like you do when you're scouting for deer in the Summertime.

While snow on the ground is my favorite time to scout for Bucks, I've also found good areas for the upcoming Deer season when I was scouting and hunting for Turkeys. Many of the movement habits of Deer are the same ones Turkeys use in their day to day life.

Bottlenecks, feeding areas and loafing areas that Turkeys use can be the same areas Deer use. I've also located new Deer hunting areas when out Turkey hunting. It's amazing to me how much Deer sign you can find in the Spring. The Deer will normally be in their Fall and Winter patterns before greenup and it's just an excellent time to find new areas and to tweak your existing hunting areas and treestand sites.

Post season is also an excellent time to find sheds. With the exception of actually sighting a Big Buck after Deer Season has ended, nothing says that the Big Boy is still alive like finding fresh sheds. You'll typically find sheds in bedding areas and travel corridors.

So take a few days off from fishing or just get out in the snowy woods for a romp of your deer hunting area. I'm betting you'll be surprised at what you find.