A Healthy Stand of Frigid Forage - Wild Game Buffet
Planting food plots on your land has numerous benefits for wildlife and can be used strategically to help increase your chances of success when hunting. There are many different ideas on the best times to plant food plots and what varieties of wildlife foods to plant to maximize the effectiveness of the food plot. One of the strategies that I am employing on one of our whitetail properties is to use a perennial food plot in a new area of the property to help modify travel patterns and provide a safe food source near thick cover for when hunting pressure builds.
This spring we spent a significant amount of time reclaiming a piece of land between a big swamp and a 50 acre field that is used for agriculture. The swamp is a traditional bedding area for Whitetails and is a place of refuge for them during hunting season. However, after the crops come off the field they have to expose themselves in an open field in order to access their food source. We have designated the first 60 yards into the field as a ‘buffer’ strip and the 30 yards closest to the agriculture is planted with a Pheasants Forever grass mix that is mixed with Russian Olives and provides excellent cover. The 30 yards closest to the fencerow and swamp we have designated as another buffer strip where we can plant food plots. In addition, we cleared ¾ of an acre on the inside of the fencerow even closer to the swamp for another food plot.
The 60 yard ‘buffer’ strip was planted 7 years ago and has proved invaluable as a tool for helping make the property more huntable. This spring we tilled up and the 30 yard ‘food zone’ and replanted it with a premium Trophy Clover mixture from Frigid Forage. The deer use this area as a staging area in the morning and evening as they move from bedding to the agriculture field. It provides them a good food source late into the year and they feel safe because of the tall grass between them and the field. Because they see this as a safe area they move into it well before dark and provide me an opportunity to hunt them.
Bucks Utilizing the Protected Interior Food Plot
The ¾ acre food plot on the interior of the woodline also provides a protected food source for the deer but it also serves another purpose as well. This small food plot is located in the southwest corner of the property and is furthest away from neighboring properties and deer hunters. It is also in a location that is easy to get in and out of without being detected by the deer. This spring we planted this food plot with Frigid Forage’s Wild Game Buffet which includes Mammoth Red Clover, Medium Red Clover, Alsike Clover, White Dutch Clover, Ladino Clover, Dwarf Essex Rapeseed, Perennial Ryegrass, Creeping Red Fescue, and Vernal Alfalfa. So in addition to providing a good food source closer to cover the deer are now establishing travel routes to get to this food source and becoming accustomed to spending more time in this area of the property. By creating a new and desirable food source we are encouraging the deer to develop patterns and habits that keep them safe from hunters and direct them to locations where we can selectively harvest them.
These are only two of many ways that food plots can be used and we will show more strategies for late summer and early fall food plots as we get closer to planting them.
In my last blog, I explained that I was very new to the sport of catfishing. Things are progressing right along now and I’ve captured some of my first attempts on video for your enjoyment. I am starting to learn what the different species of catfish like to eat, where they like to hang out, and what kind of water they like.
Since this latest video, I’ve started paying more attention to water depth, water temperature and what kind of bottom I am fishing. The blues and flatheads seem to hang out in that 12 to 18 foot range in the lazy water next to a good, fast moving current. I’ve hooked and landed more fish in water temps between 72 and 76 degrees. I’ve also learned that most catfish species like muddy bottom better then a flat hard bottom so I’ve been using my sonar to strategically place my bait in these areas. Usually when I can put all this together, I am very successful at catching some nice blues and flatheads.
Thank you for watching and reading and please stay tuned for more catfishing action from First Light Gear. Don’t forget to stop by our website and sign up here for the best deals on outdoor gear PERIOD!!!
Before I moved to Oklahoma, the extent of my catfishing experience was pulling in mass amounts of bullheads on some local lakes when I was younger. Although those are some very good memories, it is nothing like my experiences have been since I’ve been on the waters catching cats here in Oklahoma.
I have always thought catfish were just bottom feeders, not predators. Oh, how wrong I was. Before coming here, I really didn’t know there were so many different species of catfish. If my memory serves me right, I had only caught bullheads and channel cats in my younger years. Here in Oklahoma, the two species targeted the most are Blues and Flatheads although channel cats do come up on the hook at times.
Just wanted to stop in and say hello from Oklahoma. What an eventful week it has been for me and my family. It’s kind of a blur but I will try to recap as best as I can. As the rain started coming down heavily this past Sunday, I spent my day clearing driveway culverts up and down the street to keep the water moving. Our pool also had to be pumped down a couple times on Sunday. We were getting BUCKETS of rain. Our backyard was filling up quickly and by the end of the day, water was flowing over the street. Throughout the night as I tried to sleep, the rain kept coming. I was definitely nervous about whether the town’s inferior water management could handle all this rain water. As I left for work the next morning, things seemed to be maintaining levels around our house. On Monday morning, the rain just kept pouring down. I went home to check on things around 1pm and the water was rising again. There was just no place for it to go. When I was home, I changed clothes, got some knee high rubber boots on and my rain coat. I knew I would need them soon. I went back to the office and instructed my employees to start putting computers and paperwork up as high as they could get them and prepare to leave the office. At that point, I got a call from my wife saying she had come home from work with the kids and couldn’t get to the house. I told everyone at work to shut down and go home. I left hastily and when I got to the house, I found a literal river running across my front yard. I could not even see the driveway. As I pulled in, my wife was trying to bring the kids to the house, Connor in arm and hanging onto Aidan’s hand as he kept falling down from the rushing water. As the boys and I moved some items to a higher level in the house, the wife took the dogs out to the vehicles. I carried the boys to my truck and hooked up the boat. The wife was helping the neighbor girl (home alone) gather up her cats and puppy. As traffic was piling up trying to go north up the mountain, I decided we were going to risk going down river in order to get away from the traffic. It worked out just fine. We found the neighbor girl’s parents and dropped her off and then headed to a friend’s house on the mountain. The rain had stopped and I was getting messages from friends saying the water had receded. We ended up going home that night and found very little damage. Only some wet boxes in the lower level of the house.
Of course, all this time, in the back of my mind, I was thinking how all this water was filling up the sloughs and ponds in the area. It has been so dry around here that it made for a difficult waterfowl season in 2010. Even though it’s early, I hope the precipitation is steady enough throughout this summer to maintain the water levels needed to sustain good habitat and food supply for the local and migratory birds.
Things are Runing a Little Wild at The Dam
I finally got a chance to go look around today. Went to the dam and the water is 3 ft from the top. They have all 10 gates open right now. Called the Corp of Engineers today and they expect the water level to rise another 2 – 3 ft in the next couple days. This will cause the low lying areas to the east of us to continue to flood. I pray that it does not affect too many people in the area although I think it will. For now, we’re doing well and thanks for reading.
Well, to say that bow season for me was horrible would be the understatement of the year. I scouted, and planned and hunted hard. I saw big bucks, nothing ever close enough for a shot and then had all the deer that I was seeing, harvested on the neighbor’s farm. The biggest deer they shot was 180 inches, with two others in the mid 140′s. How could there be that many nice deer around and them not be on our farm? Two words, food and cover. Our big piece of land butts up to a very large swamp. We own some of it, however the majority of it we don’t. The deer would pass through our farm but didn’t really ever stay, so after I swore off deer hunting forever last fall, I decided to create an environment that the deer would use and be inclined to stay on our land…
The New Food Plot After Initial Clearing
The border of the swamp was very overgrown and while it was good cover provided minimal food resources. So this February I decided to clear the brush back and make a small clearing between the fence row and the edge of the swamp, well I may have gotten a little carried away and ended up with almost an acre inside the woods, this area has now been cleared and worked up and is awaiting seed, what is being planted has not yet been decided. We also worked up the buffer strip that borders the woods and swamp, this is almost 4 acres of land that will soon be planted in Trophy Clover mix.
Since good things take time, we also decided to plant more trees, this piece of land has almost 1000 pines and spruces already planted and growing tall, but each year I like to plant a few more, so there are 50 more pines ready to go in as soon as this snow disappears. The 6 new apple trees went in before this snow hit, it will take them a few years to start producing fruit, but when they do Opie and Tex will be fighting over who gets to hunt “holy crap that is a big deer” corner!
The moral is that if you do not like the type of deer you land is holding, get out there and change it. There are many resources out there that will help you improve the quality of deer on your land. The main things that they need are food, cover and water. If you have these the deer will have no reason to leave your land, unless they are in the back of a Ford.
Well I hit the woods with Chef Dave and his young daughter Emma for the Michigan Spring Turkey Opener. The forecast for opening morning was calling for cold temperatures and heavy snowfall. The weather was very nasty and the birds were holding tight and not vocalizing much at all.
We did get one nice tom turkey to come in close to us but soon after he noticed the decoys, he turned and ran off the other way scared. Chef Dave’s 10 year old daughter Emma was really excited for this hunt as she was doing all the calling, she did a great job and impressed the heck out of me. We had a really cool encounter with a coyote at about 30 yards first thing in the morning, that kinda made up for not having much good action the rest of the day!
Check out the video below from opening morning and stay tuned for more hard hitting turkey hunting action coming soon! We are hunting long and hard this turkey season because “That’s What We Do!”
Well the Michigan Spring turkey season is about ready to kick off and us guys here at First Light Gear are getting excited. We have all been able to get out to several of our properties and locate some amazing birds this Spring.
The weather for opening week here in Michigan is looking like it’s going to be in the 50′s with a slight chance of rain on several of the days. This inclement weather isn’t going to stop us from venturing out into the woods after some monster thunder chickens. Turkey hunting season is one of my favorite times of year with the woods waking up after a long winter and all the amazing birds singing their tunes.
Check out the video below as I hit the woods for a scouting trip with the master Chef Dave. Stay tuned for some amazing turkey hunting action and as always, thanks for joining us on all of our adventures.
Well the flowers are popping up between clumps of snow and air is warmer, it can only mean one thing. Spring is here! We all know what that means, turkey time. This spring thousands of hunters will dust off their shotguns and head out into the woods in search of an old long beard. As you gather your calls and camo may I make one suggestion? Forget the shotgun and grab your bow case. I know all the guys at FLG have all been shooting in leagues and basements all winter to be ready for this very moment. I agree going after a turkey with archery tackle is a challenge, but thats what makes getting a bird all the more rewarding.
Several tips when taking a bow out after turkeys.
1. Shot placement is critical, shooting turkeys with a bow is made difficult by their small vitals and body shape pulling your shots away from where they should be. Turkey’s vital organs are higher on their back then they should be, if the bird is broadside a line drawn horizontally from the top of the beard should intersect a line drawn vertically from the legs right at the vitals. This can be made more difficult when a Tom is in full strut. Here are some good shot placement diagrams. As you can see the vitals are higher in the body then what feels correct.
Vital Areas on Silhouetted Turkeys
2. Unlike with deer it is beneficial to have the arrow stay in the bird. A pass through is not a good thing, turkeys are taken down with shock as much as they are with hemorrhaging. Couple of reasons, one, turkeys are difficult to blood trail so the wound channel doesn’t really matter. Two, if the arrow stays in the bird it is much more difficult for the bird to run away if the hit isn’t ideal. There are several tactics you can use to slow the arrow quickly in the bird. Several companies make turkey specific broadheads, NAP, American Broadhead Company, and Trophy Ridge Rocket Heads to name a few. The Magnus bullhead and Gobbler Guillotine are made specifically for head and neck shots. They are known to cut the heads of turkey clean off but can be difficult to use. Pictured below is the American Broadhead Company’s Turkey Tearror. You can also add a claw behind your broadhead made by Neet Archery.
American Broadhead Company's Turkey Tearror
3. A ground blind isn’t essential but it can increase your chances of being succesful by ten fold. Drawing your bow while a tom wanders into range can be almost impossible. Turkeys see so well and pick up moment in ways we could only dream of. While in the darkness of your ground blind you can draw completely hidden from the view of the turkey.
Using these tips in combination with your current turkey knowledge and skills will give you a good chance of harvesting a big old tom turkey this spring with archery tackle.
Well we are in the peak of Steelhead season here in Michigan and things have been rockin. We’ve been slammed with a few good spring rainstorms and a lot of the rivers here in Michigan are blown out.
So the other day PT and I headed to the Rouge River in Rockford to chase some spring steelhead on a river that was still under flood level. We had an amazing morning and connected with some nice steelhead. It was so great to be on the river as the birds were singing their spring songs and the steelhead were doing their annual dance on the gravel.
We had a great time on the stream and were able to shoot some good footage. Check out the video below and thanks for following us on all of our adventures.
Well as you all probably know by now us boys here at First Light Gear like to hunt and fish for just about any species whenever the opportunity arises. Last week we got the call that the Coho Salmon were in at the pier in St. Joseph, Mi. So we met up with our good buddy and pier fishing expert Sam for an awesome afternoon on the pier catching Coho Salmon.
It was a beautiful spring day, the fish were biting and we made a few new friends to boot. Check out the video below for some great action and tips for catching Coho Salmon from piers in the great lakes.
