Adventurebound Outdoors Blog

I’ve been enjoying a few outings on the water with some of our Veterans here in South Texas recently. However, last Friday I was privileged to take out one of our Army Chaplains, Kyle Welch. We have been fishing before, but we’ve never quite hooked into much of a fish to remember….until last Friday! We ended up catching three largemouth that weighed near 5 pounds each! What a great time we had…but it reminded me of something. I’ve fished alone on the water as well. I’ve caught some big fish by myself during some of those times. Its hard to celebrate openly when nobody is there to join in with you, though. I find that true friends and companions are what spending time in the outdoors is really all about. However, not every friend will stick with you when you want to head to the lake or to the woods…but there is one who will always go with you if you’ll let him! There is no closer friend than Christ and during this upcoming hunting season, I pray he’s a partner on your adventures as well!

It is that time of year when waterfowlers can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Dove seasons and early waterfowl seasons will be open in most states within a few weeks which will bring much needed relief to waterfowlers suffering from seasonal withdrawals.

Along with the excitement of getting in some much needed wing shooting, comes a sense of urgency to finish all preparations for the upcoming waterfowl season. The “to do” list grows each day as blinds must be brushed, decoys must be refurbished, dogs must be worked, guns must be dusted off, and gear must be checked and rechecked. With so much work to do before season, many hunters become overwhelmed and the excitement of the upcoming season is dulled by all the preparations. As this year’s waterfowl season draws closer, let me encourage you to focus on the reason you are making preparations instead of on the preparations themselves. This simple strategy will keep you motivated and make your preseason more enjoyable.

In closing, this simple strategy is applicable in most areas of our lives. When you begin to become discouraged or overwhelmed, take a moment to refocus on the end goal and you will find sufficient motivation to finish the job at hand.

God Bless,
Matt Sturdivant

Man, we had a great time last week at the 5th anniversary of Professional Outdoor Media Association at LaPorte, In on Lake Michigan. Phillip Vanderpool, Tron Peterson, John O’Dell & myself made the 11 hour drive up last week. It was the best conference for hands on seminars that we have ever had at POMA. Gained such great tips and knowledge. They’re were so many Corporate Sponsors there that showed their new products at the field day out by the lake. If you are a Outdoor Writer, or Photographer, or Videographer. you need to join Poma and attend the yearly conferences. The Conference next year is in the Salt Lake, Ut area, looking forward to it!! Hope everyone is getting the dust off their archery equipment right now, cause it won’t be long till the season’s open in a lot of states. I drew my Iowa tag this year; it has been three years since I drew it!!! I will be going up to S.W. Iowa to hunt with my good friend and Pro Staffer Ty Green, he says the big bucks are everywhere right now in the soy beans!! Looking forward mostly to the Christian fellowship with Ty and his beautiful family!! I’m sure Christy will be cooking some awesome meals too!!!! Hope everyone has a great fall season, and send pictures!!!! Good Luck!!!!

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go back up to central Missouri to do some scouting and to hand a few stands.  I love this part of deer hunting, you get to go into their world and try to figure out what they are doing now, what they will be doing a month from now, and what they will be doing during the rut.  To figure this all out we use the sign that is fresh, sightings that we had during turkey season, and hunts from the last few falls to help us get a plan together. 

My friend that I hunt with has two farms that we hunt, and we gained permission on another farm that we had turkey hunted on this past spring.  On one of his farms last fall he had been seeing several bucks in the corner of a field.  We decided to check this spot out as we hadn’t hunted there in the past.  We entered the woods on a dim trail 40 yards from the corner of this field, there is a  strip of thick timber about 50 yards wide, a small creek branch, and then a steep hill leading up to the hardwoods on top.  This place looked perfect! 

We found many trails that intersected in the strip of timber, and found a great tree to hang our stands in.  It had plenty of cover beside it and behind it, plus we would be able to shoot into the field and to two different trails in the woods!  This strip of timber is very thick, with lots of brush so we knew getting a shot would be tough.  We decided to take a machete to open the trails up a little, which would serve two purposes.  First we would be able to get a shot without worrying about the arrow getting deflected by the brush, and second in thick timber if you will open the trails up the deer will walk them more.  Deer like to take the path of least resistance.

I left Missouri beaming with confidence of our new stands that we had hung.  Monday evening I received a phone call from my friend.  He was really excited as he had just watched a mid 140′s 10 point and a 120′s 8 point out in the field that afternoon!  When they got ready to head to the woods, you guessed it, they took the trail that we had cleared!

This reminds me of my daily life, people have lots of path they can take.  Not all paths that we could take will lead us where we really want to go though.  If we will just look to Jesus, and follow the path that he has cleared for us, we will make it to our final destination that he has in store for us.  We will still have some creeks to cross and hills to climb but we will make it! 

A last thought.  As Christians we need to make the path to Jesus clear for our friends and family by living as a good example in everything we do so they too will be able to find Jesus and the path he has cleared for us all.

In Christ,

Stephan

If you are anything like me, the long wait between the last day of spring turkey season and the first day of bow season is almost long enough to make you go nutty.  In fact right now I am sitting at my desk literally counting the days on my calendar until September 15th.  Just in case you are wondering the same thing, I have fifty-six days remaining until I can once again come to full draw, settle the pin, and release another carbon shaft into the first deer of the 2010 archery season.  The question now is this, what do we as die-hard bow hunters do until our primal need to be in a tree stand if fulfilled?  I wanted to share a few of the things that I do in order to keep my sanity during the “summer lull” between hunting seasons.  I practice, prepare and have fun. 

Practice: Although my summer schedule is very busy with constant travel doing ministry, I always make the most of my practice time when I am home.  While at home during the summer months I will try to shoot two or three times a week.  I am not saying that I go outside and blaze 100 shots a night.  But I do go out in the cool of the evening around 8:00 or 8:30 p.m. and shoot until my shooting light fades into the summer night.  That will usually allow me the opportunity to shoot anywhere from 35 to 60 shots and for me that is more than enough during the middle of the summer.  I also go in to my local archery pro-shop and take advantage of the air conditioned shooting lanes.  

Prepare: When I am not able to bow hunt I enjoy making preparations for when I will be bow hunting.  For me this includes getting together with my hunting buddies and hanging new stand sets, checking old stands, clearing shooting lanes, and planting food plots.  I am a firm believer that preparation opens the door for success.  It is a very rewarding feeling seeing deer come to the food plot that you have sown with sweat and labor. The payoff usually comes  in the form of grilled or fried backstraps served with a baked potato and green beans. 

Have Fun:  When practicing and preparing, it is important to always have fun doing it.  Make things interesting, do things that will help pass those slow months by.  For instance, not only do I practice shooting a lot, but I will get creative while practicing.  A couple of the things I do is Techno Hunt, which is a simulated live hunt scenario projected onto a large screen that I actually shoot.  Many pro-shops have these.   It is a lot of fun especially if you have some friends there to shoot with you adding a little competition into the mix.  Secondly, I’ll keep the thrill of the hunt alive by taking my bow out “bull froggin.” I’ll place small game tips on my arrows and wait until dusk and me and a friend of mine will go around to different ponds with flashlights and bows gigging bull frogs using archery tackle.  It is a hoot.  If you have the chance do some bow fishing, talk about some serious fun with a stick and string.  Even while your outdoors preparing stands, food plots, and clearing shooting lanes, by all means have fun. Take advantage of the opportunity you have at the moment to enjoy the creation our wonderful Lord made for us. 

By the time all your food plots are in the ground, and a couple of rains have set the seed deep into the disked up soil, it will be almost time to climb into your stand for the first hunt of the 2010 bow season.  The wait between spring and fall hunting season can be long and drawn out, but that does not mean that you cannot actively pass the time by.  Remember, practice, prepare, and most of all have fun.  God has created so many amazing things for us to enjoy, so take the time and enjoy them. 

Until next time,

God Strength

TW

Well, for all of you who doubt whether South Texas can hold Florida-sized Gators….I happen to make my own discovery! I took a Veteran and his son out on a bass fishing trip to Choke Canyon Reservoir about 2 hours south of San Antonio. While we had caught several nice sized bass that morning, we were still without a sighting of one of these gators. Rumors had stated that this lake was filled with Gators, but nothing of this size. What’s more incredible…it surfaced less than 10 feet off the bow and remained at that distance most of the time it was on the surface. It was quite a sight and we’re glad he decided to stay away from the boat. Bottom line, my goal of sharing God’s great outdoors with another one of our Veterans was achieved…safely!

Jeremiah Catlin

Georgie And I had a great vacation in Colorado last week! What a feeling to wake up out in Ouray, Co in July with the temp. in the lower forty’s in the a.m. & seventies in the p.m. with the humidity at 20% & look up at the clouds off the end of you finger tips just almost touching them!!! Heaven looks so close!!! What a great feeling!!!!!

These two Rios were the end result of a trip that Mike Miller (Buck Commander),  Kendall Sanders (KHFAC), and myself went on in Kansas.  As the cool spring air gives way to the hot humid days of summer, there are times when I can still hear a gobble or two early in the morning.  I must admit those occasional summer gobbles are more than enough to keep me longing for my next encounter with a turkey.  Spiritually speaking I go through seasons (we all do), but these seasons of wait should not cause us to despair, rather, they should keep us longing for our next great encounter with our Holy God.  Psalms 130:5 “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope.”

Summer is  a time of year that I truly love!  Summer is a time that I can unwind a little at home (catching up on honey-do’s), do a little fishing, and start getting ready for bow season!  I like to get all of my fall gear ready like checking my bow, stands, saftey harness, and everything that I keep in my backpack.  I like to replace the battery in my laser rangefinder so I don’t have to worry about it going out when on a hunt.

I also shoot my bow regularly all year, but really ramp up my efforts in the summer.  I want to have total confidence in my equipment, and my shooting ability when season rolls around.  Shooting a bow is much like my christian life, if I don’t practice it I will not be nearly as effective.  I spend a few mintes each morning in prayer and reading God’s word, the Holy Bible.  By doing so, I can feel confident that whatever the day may bring, I will perform much better after having spent time with the Lord!  Take time to pray and read his word daily it will make a difference in your ability to deal with everyday life.  

Enjoy this summer, and good luck this fall!

What a blessed summer we have had!! My family and I went to Mille Lacs lake in Minnesota and caught our first walleyes. We caught Northerns and perch as well.  It was an awesome sight to see the lakes of Minnesota. Everywhere you look you can see Gods work!!!!

          As our summer starts to wind down we start looking for the Giant Whitetails of Iowa. It is time for the hard work of hanging stands and clearing shooting lanes to start. Stay Tuned For Pics of what we catch on our cameras!!!

A quick prayer request for everyone.

Please pray for the Tim and Wendy Jackson family. Tim and Wendy are a young couple in their 30′s that are friends of ours. Wendy has been diagnosed with a form of cervical cancer that is inoperable. They have started Chemo and radiation treatments. They have three young sons who are giving their all to make their mommy comfortable through the treatments. There is a benefit scheduled for this family July 24th. I just ask for your prayers for Financial support and Healing of Wendy through this time. Times like thses make me understand how small our daily problems are!! I know we have a God with HUGE POWER and that with our faith and prayers he can heal this young lady!!! Thank you all and God Bless

This past week has been an absolute blast.  My family and I have been at Maranatha Bible Camp.  I was asked to be the camp speaker this week.  We are enjoying ourselves so much. 

The camp is out in the country, surrounded by the rolling hills and hollers of Southwest Missouri.  Hayfields and cattle farms border the camp property and nature trails wind their way through the camps 120 acres of hardwoods. 

My boy’s are taking full advantage of the playground and swimming pool.  Especially Titus, being twenty-two months old this place is like an amusement park to him.  

We are very thankful to have been asked to come and share the love of Jesus with the kids that are here this week.  It is a blast.  We have a full schedule the rest of the summer and into early fall.  I’ll keep you all updated. 

God bless,  and happy camping!

Hello everyone! This will hopefully be the first of many posts for me as I’m trying this out. I was able to spend 10 days in May on a 4 day hunt with our Wounded Warriors in Pennsylvania. Most of the time was spent in travel from San Antonio, TX! The hunt was incredible with two turkeys harvested in the majestic northern mountains of PA. We seen a lot of deer, several bear, and other wildlife. The L.E.E.K. Hunting and Mountain preserve began their trips for our Warriors back in 2008. They have provided some excellent trips and true hospitality for our Veterans. I was the only cameraman on the trip for six different Veterans. So, unfortunately I didn’t “pick” the right ones to film at the right times, but the privilege to film any single one of these heroes is still quite an honor. Each morning we held an encouraging “message” for these Warriors to give them something to ponder in the woods. The result was an equal amount of satisfaction from those harvesting birds and those who were not as fortunate to do so. I look forward to future trips as well…thanks to the entire Fisher family, the Martins, landowners, and guides! Let’s support these truly deserving heroes again soon!

Jeremiah Catlin