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.

Well, I've been pretty busy. Perhaps that is why my blog last post was ages ago. I wish I could say I've been busy hunting, but the truth is I have been banging away on the computer and have developed a whole new hunting website: http://www.foremosthunting.com

The idea behind the site is kind of a myspace or facebook social network site for hunters. It allows you to join, post pictures, create your own hunting blog and more for free. You can build friends lists share your photos and videos etc. I hope you like it, it is far from done, but it is at least getting to the point were we can show it to the public.

I need to hunt more and type less, but that doesn't pay the bills at this point so here I am.

Happy hunting and happy surfing about hunting!

Jon B.

Pheasant Hunting Season 07 is just around the corner and I am pretty excited.

My dog is 7 years old this year and I think this may be one of my last big years with him.

Has anyone out there heard any pheasant numbers for the Midwest?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 31, 2007
Microsoft Funds the Anti-Hunting Movement

(Columbus) – Microsoft has rejected a U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance request to abandon its partnership with the nation’s leading anti-hunting organization.
Microsoft, the software giant, will make a $100,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and is partnering with the group on a pilot program called the i’m Initiative. Through the new program, whenever a Windows Live Messenger user has a conversation using i’m, Microsoft will give a portion of the program’s advertising revenue to one of ten organizations selected by the user. The HSUS is one of the choices, and there is no limit to the amount of money that can be donated.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, the nation’s leading sportsmen’s advocacy organization, has urged Microsoft to end its support of HSUS, but the company refused. According to Microsoft representative Tara Kriese, Microsoft believes the i’m Initiative is “a great way to enable people to help causes that are important to them.”
“Microsoft is going to pour hundreds of thousands of dollars, probably more, into an organization that recently issued a manifesto that targets hunting for extinction,” said USSA President Bud Pidgeon. “If there was ever a time for sportsmen to take grassroots action, this is it.”
Sportsmen should contact Microsoft and demand that its financial support of HSUS be terminated. Contact Bill Gates, Chairman, Microsoft, 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052. Phone: (425) 882-8080. Fax: (425) 936-7329.
The Humane Society of the United States opposes all animal use, including trapping, hunting and fishing. It was a key player in the campaigns to outlaw dove hunting in Michigan, trapping in California, and black bear hunting in Colorado. The organization has created a hit list of hunting traditions that it hopes to dismantle, including bear hunting and hunting with hounds.
“The HSUS already has a multi-million dollar budget that it invests in legislative and ballot campaigns to ban trapping and hunting,” said Pidgeon. “The partnership that it has formed with Microsoft, the maker of the Xbox, will allow the organization to make money hand over fist, and continue to fund efforts to ban outdoor sports.”
Sportsmen can make a difference in an issue like this. Companies such as Iams, General Mills, Accor Hotels, Pet Safe, Sears, and Ace Hardware ended relationships with HSUS after thousands of sportsmen levied strong protest.
In 2002, Jeep raised the ire of sportsmen when it aired a blatantly, anti-hunting commercial called the “Deer Hunter.” After a flood of sportsmen’s contacts, Jeep pulled the commercial in three days.