It’s Trail Camera Time

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I am out enjoying this beautiful summer afternoon at the cabin getting my trail cameras positioned around the property to hopefully get some deer porn rolling in! Whitetail season is just around the corner and its setting up to be a killer season if this cooling trend continues into fall here in Michigan.

Tex

Connor finds a shed!

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It didn’t take much to get Connor away from Saturday morning cartoons after telling him I was going to our property to check my newly planted food plot and set another trailcam

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After checking our newly planted Frigid Forage Wildgame Buffet and seeing that it was sprouting nicely after the rain we got last night, we headed to the other side of the property to set another trailcam

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As I was setting the camera and testing the positioning, Connor found his first shed. What a great morning to be in the woods

Representing FLG – Warrior Dash Oklahoma 2013

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Several years ago I got interested in lifting weights and overall fitness partially due to my job as a police officer, being a “little guy” and good stress relief. As I’ve become increasingly obsessed with every type of hunting I can do, I’ve learned that the fitness side of me has helped tremendously. Carrying decoys through mud, walking long distances through tough terrain, carrying gear, dragging deer, and the list goes on. The two combined make me just a little bit better in the outdoors.

Which brings me to Warrior Dash Oklahoma 2013. A month or so before the event I was talked into doing it by a close friend, and all the way up to the event I was dreading it. Warrior Dash isn’t your ordinary 5k, it’s a 5k on steroids with obstacles, mud, climbing, jumping, swimming, crawling, running, ropes, heights, up and down hill runs through rocks. All in all, a tax on your body! And you get a Viking hat, beer bottle opener/medal, and a free beer at the end of the race!

Once we arrived, got signed in, lined up, and on the track, I felt great!! And by the end of the race I had a complete blast with it and intend on doing it every year it is in Oklahoma and others like it. I have to give a shout to my friend that talked me into it, Deanne Randolph, we had a blast! We finished in the top 50% of over 4000 people! And it keeps me outdoors and having fun in the off season.

Lincoln “Angry Andy” Anderson

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Mowing Clover Food Plots

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Fall is in the air here in Michigan! Today was a fabulous day for mowing some of my food plots and enjoying the nice cool fall like weather.

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I like to mow my clover plots about 4-5 times a season to reduce weed competition and grass encroachment. We have found that deer prefer the tender young shoots that the clover plants produce after a low mowing of about 4-8″, basically cut on a hay schedule here in Michigan.

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Whitetail season is right around the corner so get out and make sure your plots are happy!

Shoot Straight!

Tex

New 3D Archery Targets

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I Just purchased a couple new 3D archery targets this past week to begin setting up my course here at the cabin. I have done a fair bit of research online trying to find the best 3D targets at the most reasonable price ($80 – $200). I have run into many mixed reviews on most all 3D targets on the market today, with a couple potential standouts. There are a few targets out there with some pretty “good” reviews in my research, so I decided to start with them and I hope to add more in the future so I can review them as well.

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This target is the GlenDel 5X Buck ($149). The GlenDel Buck has a body size of a 200lb. live weight deer and offers 5 times the insert-shooting surface of comparable 3-D deer targets. I have shot about 25 arrows into this target so far and it’s performed absolutely perfectly up to this point!

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Rinehart Woodland Buck ($149). Ultra durable and rugged FX foam with Rinehart signature self healing foam insert. This target is proof that good things come in small packages! I have been very pleased with the performance of this target so far, and I can see why Rinehart makes one of the best.

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I hope to add a couple more bucks here yet this summer and continue my quest on finding the best 3D archery target and completing my course here at the cabin! Stay turned for a more in depth formal review on each target as the year progresses and the targets age.

Happy shooting

Tex

Summertime is Smallmouth time!

Today in Michigan it was 93 degrees, and the heat index was over 100 degrees. Instead of staying indoors like most normal people. Opie, Kory, and myself headed out to see if the smallmouth like the heat. We also wanted to explore a new section of river, of course we pick the hottest day of the year to do it.

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The river was a little high, an while we caught fish it was not gang busters. We caught fish on top water but the best bite was deep. I guess the fish thought it was too hot as well.

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We had a great evening! Getting outside and exploring is always better then being inside and comfortable. We determined this section should be fished more, and had a couple good laughs, that were mostly at my expense! Most of all we were outside enjoying this beautiful state we live in.

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Get outside and explore,

PT

Alaska Preview!

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Well, we just back from Alaska! I think I can speak for all of the guys, and say we did not want to come home. The fishing was everything that Alaska should be! We caught fresh Sockeyes one day, and chased Silver Salmon the next day. We were able to explore six different river systems, caught some nice trout and Dollys.

Best of all we had a blast just like every FLG trip. We shot almost 300 minutes of video, so get ready for a kick butt show. I think this footage is some of the best we have ever shot!

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We are holding out with some of our best shots, but I thought I would post a bit of a preview for you all! I hope you enjoy!

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Watch for some great content coming from FLG headquarters over the next few weeks, and if you are getting impatient do not be afraid to let Opie know that you need to see some film!

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Tight lines,

PT

Review: Hawke Varmint SF RifleScope 4-16X44

I had the pleasure of trying a Hawke Optics Varmint SF scope in the 4-16X44 model. After a long career of predator hunting I have been through a lot of different scopes and I was looking forward to seeing how the Hawke Optics performed.

Since I was planning to put the scope through some serious testing I mounted the varmint 4-16×44 on my 220 Swift because I already knew the rifle was accurate and knew exactly how my hand loads performed through it. With an accurate base gun to go off I knew that the tests I would perform would be all about the optic.

Glass Clarity and Focus
For my initial test I put a predator magazine at 50yards and got behind the scope. Reading the print on the front cover was no problem at all, i could see it all nice and clear from the biggest print to the smallest. The glass is very clear and looking side by side with some of my more expensive scopes i considered the Hawke very close if not equal with most on glass clarity and focus. One of the things I really like is that the magnification ring turned nice and smooth without much force.

½ Mil-Dot Reticle Performance
Adjustments on the scope are easy to hear and the clicks are also easily felt, although there is a little slop in the adjustment knob. At 100 yards the scope tracked excellent and accurately. For my tracking test I adjusted the windage and elevation and between shots and then reverted back to original adjustments. The Varmint SF tracked perfectly, 8 clicks left moved the shot 2 inches, 8 clicks right moved it back to where the first shot was, 12 clicks up moved shot placement 3 inches up and 12 clicks down put it back to starting hole. The ability for a scope to accurately and reliably track through reticle adjustments is key and the Hawke reticle certainly surpassed my expectations. It has the 1/2 mil reticle which may be a little thin for some people but I found it nice to hold exactly on aiming point with it.

Conclusion
I am no master of optics but I have a lot of scopes and like when I can save some money. With the Hawke scope I feel you get more quality than you pay for. The clarity of the glass used by Hawke Optics is fantastic and at $219.99 the Varmint SF is holding its own with it’s competetors in the $450.00 – $500.00 price range. Overall the Hawke Varmint SF is a high quality scope that performs way above its price point and delivers a great value to the customer.

View This Product at Hawke Optics by Clicking Here.

Ed “Yotehead”
FLG Pro Staff

Review: Hawke Panorama EV RifleScope 4-12X40

I have been hearing about Hawke Optics for the last year and I have been looking forward to the opportunity to get my hands on a Hawke Riflescope and see what they are all about. The opportunity came at the perfect time when I picked up a .17 Remington in January that needed optics.

I had decided already that I wanted to try a Hawke riflescope but had a hard time settling on the best option. The gun will be primarily used for coyote hunting mostly in Michigan so there are a lot of requirements for my optics. After speaking with a Hawke representative I ordered the Panorama EV in 4-12×40. This scope has a very reasonable price point of $239.99 and I was looking forward to testing it on the points that matter most to me as a predator caller; low light performance, field of view, reticle performance and durability.

Looking through the scope for the first time I was immediately impressed with the clarity of the glass and really liked the new reticle system. Although I had been previously unimpressed with illuminated reticles on other scopes, the dual color illumination of the ½ mil-dot reticle on the Panorama EV was something I could see myself really enjoying. The scope is built extremely solid and the construction is quality.

Low Light Performance
As a predator hunter I spend a lot of time hunting in the dawn and dusk hours and need an optic that provides clarity and light gathering capability and exceeds in these conditions. The Panorama EV did not let me down in this test. The scope captures more than enough light to provide a clear picture from well before to well after legal shooting light. Even after I was unable to see clearly with the naked eye I could look through the scope and still see a clear picture with an exceptional amount of detail. Add in the variable settings for the illuminated reticle and this scope is a force to be reckoned with during low light conditions. I also tested this scope after dark with snow on the ground to see how it would perform for night hunting applications and was once again impressed. With a full moon on snow cover the Panorama performed just as well as during daylight hours and would make a great scope for night hunters.

Field of View / Target Acquisition
Here in Michigan predator hunting means that you are often hunting thick swamps and wood lots instead of open expanses. This is where FOV is most important as it allows you to quickly acquire the target. The Panorama EV on the base magnification has a field of view of 33ft at 100yds and provides one of the widest fields of view on the market for similar power scopes. This large viewing area combined with the clean ½ mil-dot reticle makes target acquisition quick and easy which is imperative when hunting predators.

Reticle Performance / Magnification
The reticle on the Panorama EV is really responsive and made sighting in a breeze. Reticle adjustments for windage and elevation were immediate and accurate every time and allowed me to “walk” the bullets right into the bullseye. The adjustments are high quality and it is easy to feel and hear the clicks when adjusting. While hunting I found that the 4-12×40 magnification was more than ample to suit my needs. The scope maintained its focus and clarity even when dialed up to 12 power and is about perfect for hunting applications. I do wish they offered the Panorama in a 4-16×40 model for longer range shooting and target shooting but that is just personal preference.

Durability
When i’m predator hunting my rifle and optics go through a lot of abuse. Driving and walking through tough terrain means they are bounced around a lot and it’s paramount that the rifles accuracy is not compromised. To test the durability of the scope I brought it along on my spring turkey hunt to Wyoming. I was very pleased when after the 4 flights and over 2 hours in the bed of a truck on washboard gravel roads that the rifle was still on zero. I shot the rifle in Wyoming and again when I returned home and the scope and reticle where exactly where they were after sighting in. This is exactly what i’m looking for in quality and durability.

Conclusion
I am a huge proponent of the rule that you get what you pay for in terms of quality, especially when it comes to optics. The Hawke Panorama EV 4-12×40 blows this theory out of the water and delivers a stellar riflescope that performs well above its price point. Hawke delivers above and beyond my expectations with the Panorama EV and is poised to revolutionize the scope market with high quality riflescopes at reasonable prices. Next time you need a quality riflescope that performs at a higher standard without breaking the bank give Hawke a call and see what all the buzz is about.

View This Product at Hawke Optics by Clicking Here

Adam “Opie” Kujacznski
FLG Pro Staff

Sandy Run

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It was mid-April and the sandies (sand bass; aka white bass) were running. I had a day off from work right after a hard rain so I headed to a known spot, the mouth of a running creek dumping into the lake. Throwing a three inch white grub, it only took a little under two hours to land 18 sandies. The family and I had a nice fish fry

Tight lines

Hoss