A few days ago the Supreme court struck down the District of Columbia's gun ban reinforceing our Second Amendment rights as law abiding citizens to own and carry guns.

The full text of the Second Amendment says, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

The Supreme Court ruling
IN A 5-4 VOTE, a sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Constitution protects an individual's right to bear arms, while leaving room for governments to regulate gun ownership. The ruling repudiates the long-held notion that the right to bear arms is strictly linked to militia service. Instead, the court concluded that it's an individual right untethered to military or government necessity. This will make it easier for gun-rights advocates to resist new regulations and overturn existing laws.

As a gun owner and avid hunter this is big victory!

Every year I hear about some poor guy who keels over and dies in the field. If you like me that brings two things to mind right away-

1. Lucky SOB. If I go I want to go doing something I love
2. I need to get in shape

I think in our state of Wisconsin (My home state) there are probably more fatalities every year from guys having heart attacks while trying to drag a deer out of the woods then there are from gun shots or falls. So what's a middle age office worker that hunts when he can to do?

Get out and walk! Lets face it most hunting involves a lot of walking anyway. Take your dog and you can both get in shape. I like to walk the areas that I deer hunt or public land when ever I get the chance. The more you are in your hunting grounds the more you get a better idea of the animal patterns.

Walk with your wife. This will build up good will and perhaps a "get out hunting for free pass" once hunting season comes you can remind her of all the time you spent with her in the summer. DON'T TELL HER YOUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS TO GET IN SHAPE FOR HUNTING.

A lot of big game outfitters that I talk to in the Western united states recommend that you spend some time getting in shape for your hunt as well. Besides all the climbing and walking involved in a western big game hunt you are often dealing with higher altitudes and being in shape will make your hunt much more enjoyable.

I hope this motivates you to get out there. This as written as much for me as you so maybe I'll see you on a trail or sidewalk soon! PS- Bring Beer!

I've been surfing You Tube a lot lately looking at many of the different hunting videos out there and one thing that kind of bothers me is all the videos with compilations of kill shots. I love to see a successful hunt just like the next guy but in my opinion these videos really make hunting look bad.

Here is my advice for hunting video makers- "Tell the story- Lets convey the joy of the hunt, the anticipation the failures and the success. Hunting isn't just about killing. It is about the joy of being outdoors, fellowship with friends, the stock, getting close to God's creations...." For the non hunter these videos must appear just barbaric.

Just my 2 cents for today. I'll climb off my soap box now!

Hunt hard and shoot straight and if you video tape your hunt tell a story!

So what do you get when you combine a moose, a buffalo statue and some Marvin Gaye?

Let's Get It On:



Love is in the air!

So I got a call from a friend who apparently thinks I am some sort of farming expert and he wanted to know about putting in a food plot for pheasant hunting. I told him that most of my experience has been in planting food plots for deer but I called my friend Mathew Eastman (A hunting god and food plot expert) and asked a few questions.

Here are my questions and Mathew's responses:

1. What type of plant do you plant for pheasants in a food plot?

Pheasants get the most benefit from food plots in the winter. Plant your food plot close to good cover such as cattails or switch grass. Many pheasants are killed off in the winter traveling from cover to food sources. Plant corn and grains. Sorghum is always a good source of food for pheasants and is a reliable food source. These types of plants are tall enough to stick out of the snow and if planted close enough to heavy cover will help keep your pheasant population high during the winter months.

2. How big should a pheasant food plot be?

Pheasant food plots should be planted in a snow drift-free zone if they will be useful during the winter. Pheasant food plot use increases with food plot acreage so the short answer is plant as much as you can.

3. Is fertilizer and lime important?

Yes, very important. See my article about food plot planting on Foremost Hunting for basic information on fertilizer and lime. In fact, the article is aimed at deer hunters but it has most of the basic info any hunter wanting to put in a food plot can use.

4. Anything else I need to know?

Yes, local chapters of Pheasants Forever often have equipment you can use, labor and seed if you have the land to plant on. Check out your local chapter of PF before you buy all the stuff.

That about sums it up for today!

Recently the Associated press had a report that a Unicorn had been found in Italy. This story was picked up by a bunch of hunting publications. Apparently this deer had a genetic mutation and only had one horn growing out of the center of it's head.

I say so what. I see "Unicorns" every year while bow hunting.

Here is a picture of one I got on file with my trail cam:

Check out this great You Tube Video and find out-

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE A DEMOCRAT TURKEY HUNTING-





Check out even more funny hunting videos at: www.foremosthunting.com

So what do hunting and business have to do with each other? I've taken clients out hunting but that's not what I had in mind when I decided to write this article. The other day I realized that hunting was actually very good for my business. How can going hunting be good for a business you asking- Here it is- I HAVE HAD SOME OF MY BEST IDEAS TO IMPROVE MY BUSINESS OR SOLVE PROBLEMS WHILE SITTING IN A TREE STAND.

In fact last deer season I came up with a email marketing idea that saved one of my bigger customers 1000's of dollars a year. It seems like for me it takes getting away from the office to a nice quite location for me to get the creative juices flowing. And the best part is I'm not alone. When I told another marketing buddy of mine about my hunting for business realization I was surprised to here he had been doing this for years and even brings a note book with him.

NOTE TO SELF- Add a notebook to my hunting pack.

So there you have it. Stop working and go hunting once in a while. You would be amazed what your mind can do when it is quite around you.