Humming, “its the most wonderful time of the year”

I know its November but the recent cold snaps got me humming Chrtistmas carols to myself and I haven’t stopped since. This is a nice routine leading up to that enjoyable treestand nap by the way!

I hope all of you are enjoying your times on the water and in the woods. It is indeed my favorite time of the year as the deer rut and fish bite well during warm spells. I want to encourage all of you to “represent” these next few weeks. This is the only time of the year when guns are fired so frequently and frustrations can build from those who do not enjoy this part. Be courteous and polite and most importantly be safe. As a former anti-hunter, it was far more my lack of understanding of the joy and passion hunting provides that formed my opinions and thoughts. Boy did I discover what its all about these past few seasons! The friendships I have developed from those kind enough to share and help are ones that will last a lifetime and this is how I “saw the light” basically. Lets form some more good friendships and continue to encourage the young guns to join us when they don’t mind getting up early and bearing the cold. I just bought Little Austin some new hunting boots so he’s pumped up now! Keep sharing that extra meat you have, especially in these challenging economic times. I call it bust and bless……just having some fun of course

Lastly, thanks for all the great ideas that you all pass along. Keep ‘em coming and post those buck pictures on the submit photo section. Happy hunting!

Blessings,

Austin

‘FALL’ING BACK INTO THE ROUTINE

Greets gang. My apologies on the delay in posting here. I am apt to neglect remembering to keep this updated….fancy talk for “man I keep forgetting to do that!” I am still sore from hauling in that big muskie Tommy Andrews put me on a few weeks ago in Alleghany County. When I took Kimberly and Nicole back to the same spot he wasn’t interested in chewing.  Probably too busy admiring them! Those 4 boys from Big Brothers/Big Sisters really enjoyed that and so did I being with them.

The summer is now behind us and the fall amongst us. Some impressive hot spells but the leaves are sure pretty this year. This month should end up with some decent cool downs so get on out and enjoy. I am excited over seeing rubs and scrapes in the woods now. I had some nice time with my family and the woods but the deer have been inconsistent for me so far. Here’s hoping the changing weather will work more in our favor come smokepole time! That reminds me that I need to buzz my buddy Kevin at Betty’s to make sure the muzzle loader is primed for action. A new friend Randy Davis helped get my 270 straightened out from last year. Anxious to put some meat in the freezer real soon!

Keep enjoying the segments online. Some schedule shifts have kept us from getting out last few weeks but we’ll be back in biz soon so keep the e-mails coming with your new ideas. That one with Kimberly and I was something else with Marty Shoffner, especially the hungry deer we encountered. Check it out!

Blessings,

Austin

June brings new opportunities

Summer greetings gang. We’ve had a busy stretch to end the Spring and Summer is calling as area thermometers spike. No better reason to head east or west to cash in on this month’s fishing opportunities.

In the mountains I keep hearing excellent reports on the smallie bite. Check out the photos where Kristy Tucker landed quite the New River lunker to show her main man Daryl how its done. That fish is about as pretty as her son Tyler’s free throw stroke (saw him win a contest at Roy Williams camp last summer so its a good one!). Way to go Kristy. Love it when the ladies enjoy themselves! Keep the pics coming……

Kevin Moore is tearing ‘em up as well per my latest escape up to Betty’s Country store earlier this week. As hard as he works its amazing he ever has time to wet a hook. That awesome family of his is a beautiful example of working together to get a job done right. Save some smallmouths for me Kev and don’t let ‘em be so camera shy either!

I’m on vacation trying to find shady spots, both in the surf and under the trees if you know what I mean. My favorite is trying to trick a flattie (flounder) to bite into my mud minow around the pier pilings. Of course if the real estate gurus don’t stop throwing up those high rise condos and teasing our pier owners with their big dollars, pier fishing will be a mere thing of the past. I’ll stop there…….

If you happen to see a bronzed tall weatherman leaning over a pier railing bouncing an open face reel, stop on by and say hello. I’ve made some great friends over the years that way. Manus McMilian is the most obvious example as he claims I stole a keeper flounder from him at the old Iron Steamer pier. Hey, some people know how to lay the steel to ‘em and some have it thrown back in their face. Manus is a jolly fellow and a good friend. He is putting on a great Wheelin’ Sportsmen deal out at Shelton Vineyards June 14th. Come out and volunteer to help or bring someone handicaped or disabled for an awesome time catching big catfish, eating great food and listening to great music.

Blessings gang and be safe as always!

Austin

LOTS OF APRIL SHOWERS

Boy if the old adage about recent rains holds true, its going to be the best flower outbreak we’ve seen in years! The awesome rains are a  big blessing as the drought continues to improve. I like this pattern we are in that brings us decent rains every few days despite the inconvenience it is to outdoor plans. The rain can work in your favor.

A rainy day during turkey season is as good a day as any to locate a bird. They apparently do not like the sound of raindrops hitting leaves in the woods so they like to come out on rainy days right in the middle of large fields. Find a group like this just before evening and you have an awesome spot to hunt the next morning as they will likely roost close by. Break out the crow call just before daybreak and see if you can stir up a shock gobble. I must warn those who try this for the first time. Make sure you are ready to quickly sit  down because you will get a huge adrenaline rush and the turkey may be roosted very close to your location. I have had some great opportunities like this but have yet to bag that first bird. This could be the year!

Water levels are rising in area lakes and streams. Some of the best days crappie fishing happen when the wind is blowing northeast and its cloudy and drizzly. Layer up and head out for some fun when you can!

Thats it for now gang. Enjoy the incredible footage from our recent time with Clay Gitter with the wood ducks. He and the Ducks Unlimited group in Winston Salem have done a great job placing wood duck boxes throughout the area and this video shows their success. Those colors are even prettier in person and my photographer Jeff Amernick produced some stellar pictures of these beauties.

Blessings,

Austin

MARCHING ORDERS

Here’s a few “Marching” orders as we make our way through this fun outdoors month:

1.  Find some time to simply sit in the woods and listen. Birds active, bees buzzing and the sounds of lawn equipment shaping up area lawns and gardens. It always reminds me of my early Burlington years as a kid. The fresh smells in the air and the sights of new life popping out in the trees. Fishing at Amick’s Pond and helping myself to Old Man Amick’s worm box (when he didn’t run us off) added a challenging thrill to the mix!

2. Quick games of 21 with your kids in between NCAA tournament games. You can enjoy alot of the above mentions but also cash in on some quality time with your own future Tyler Hansbrough or Candace Parker. They love the attention we can give them in our busy lives, even if its only for a few minutes.

3.  Make sure you have a plan for early April gobbler season. Ask around with your hunting buddies and compare gobbling trends. Its amazing how that can vary from county to county. I just saw 2 mammoth gobblers dashing through a nice river bottom the other day after picking my son up from school. They always seem to not like it when we stop and drool at them. I am looking forward to a great father-son hunt with my buddy Captain Gary Knight at Polecat Creek Outfitters in Caswell County.

Just a few ideas as we enjoy the best of basketball season and the outdoors. Fishing is picking up everywhere. I’ve had some good times at BassPro shop lately and have some great information on what is hot now. Click and enjoy those segments! Tight lines gang and blessings aplenty for you and your families.

Austin

March Means Madness In Many Ways

March is an awesome month. Basketball tournaments and the excitement they bring. Occasional 70 plus degree weather days, only to be followed by cold winds and maybe even some snow the next?! I love it all but am especially excited over the improved fishing that usually happens this month.

It felt great hooking up with a nice 2.5 pounder in the back of James Marshall’s boat at Belews Lake. Carolina riggin is not my favorite but James felt like it was best approach that day and it only took 4 casts to verify that. Thats what I call accurate fore”casting”…..thanks for that James! He’s becoming one of the best crankbait makers around and I am looking forward to showing you all his approach in an upcoming segment.

The Stokes Mental Health tournament continues to grow each year. I told Ben Rogers that I was gonna clear the calendar next year and hopefully fish it with James! Ben and Doris Hill do a great job co-ordinating that deal. Enjoy the feature we did on that on the webpage.

I especially appreciate the nice feedback on the Trey Jones Gearhead expo. Jan Jones appreciates everyone’s support and if you didn’t get a chance to see Don Wright’s set-up at Village Outdoors, drop in and tell him hello for me and see about making a donation yourself. Future scouts will be most appreciative! That Philmont scout ranch out west looks incredible for a young person to develop great life skills.

Most area bass gurus are agreeing on it being right at pre-spawn time. Keep close tabs on those warm days when they start scouting shallow. I’ll have a few segments coming up that highlight the newest tacklebox additions you might need to have this year so be on the lookout for that. Enjoy the days its nice because we still have our share of cold and maybe even snow to deal with before it turns warm for good. As we have been joking, the best chance for snow comes when we don’t predict it!……..

Blessings gang, Austin

Changing Weather Means Changing Plans

Its heading towards the last of duck season and the way the weather keeps changing, its getting harder to stick to previously made plans. I know alot of you are enjoying the break from the end of deer season and the frustration of seeing nothing in the stand but plenty while riding in the car. I saw 24 just last week after picking my son up from school. Yes, the changing weather is good for that!

Here are a few ideas for you in the days and weeks ahead as we progress through January.

*Try to take  a trip to the coast for a striper bite. Reports continue to be good as they follow the tidelines.

*Plan to maybe try a duck hunt at the coast or even locally if you have the spot available. Ducks Unlimited has done an awesome job putting up several hundred wood duck boxes along the Yadkin river in various spots. Its my feature on this week’s segment so enjoy meeting Jim, Chris, Clay and the DU Artist of the Year Mike Helsabeck. Mike and I were in school together back in the wild days so its nice to see we both have settled down with families and in Mike’s case, an awesome artist has been born. His gallery at Childress Vineyards indeed does “bring the outdoors indoors.” A neat place to pop in as well.

*Work the dogs on either a good quail or squirrel hunt. Take a kid along to see this. Simply seeing dogs chase after rabbits is a treat in itself. The kids get excited when they see the dogs get excited. The rabbit of course gets some good exercise, all the while staying safely well ahead of the barking bunch. Terry Hardy  turned me onto this last year at their nice fenced in spot in Booneville. Those beagles were entertaining for sure!

*Hit the deer stand in Elkin if you can for the  one month archery season. I wish other cities would have participated. Maybe next year we can encourage this to happen as the dealine to apply is the middle of this year for next year according to the NC Wildlife folks.

Enjoy the week ahead. I think we have our best chance of the winter season to experience some wintry precipitation as we go through the next 2 weeks. We’ll keep you up to date!

Blessings,

AC

Cold good for the ducks

If I have another cookie, cake or piece of pie, I just might explode! Hope you all enjoyed the Christmas-New Years season. Another nice time with family and reflection. We have so much to be thankful for and I never want to lose sight of that. 

Duck hunters are loving this cold so take advantage of it while it is here. Heard some positive reports from the snow showers and wind the other day. Weekend numbers gradually rise and it may be 7-10 plus days before we see decent cold again. We might hit 70 by next week.

The promise of a nice thaw should make attending the bass and saltwater expo an easy sell for you all this weekend in Greensboro. Its my wife’s birthday and I have already had to turn down 2 invites for a tower pheasant shoot as well as attending the show so get out there and enjoy yourself!

Thanks for another great year of nice segments and good outdoors t.v.! Lets make this year the best ever.

 Blessings,

A.C.

Tis the season…..or at least it was

I miss my hunting season already! I had a disappointing end to this year as I failed to see brown the last 7 times I sat in the tree stand. Did get to take my 6 year old daughter out for her first time in the trees. She sat well and enjoyed seeing the squirrels (unlike her daddy who had about enough of their rustling sounding just like a wall mounter creeping up my way!).

Ok…..I digress. Hopefully I can slide into one of the eastern counties to squeeze the trigger one last time. Duck hunting is rolling around so we’ll try and forecast some cold, windy and wet for you down east to bust some pintails or such.

Its important that we enjoy this time with our families.  Our wives let us enjoy our outdoors time so take the extra chance to do something special for her. No, I don’t mean let her ride with you to the outdoors store when you cash in those gift cards! My wife likes backrubs so……….uhhh…. is this becoming too much information or what?!! Look out for your lady…..simple as that!

Have a Merry Christmas. I’ve already enjoyed time with my side of the family so its on to the in-laws for me. Wish me luck! Enjoy our weatherplus special as well. I’ve included some of the segments that weather played a part in over the years and also get to mix it up with my weather buddies on the ice!

Blessings to all,

Austin

The Moon Is Right But The Air Is Wrong

Finally we get our new moon and now the weather decides to thaw out and warm up this week! Not the ideal way to end our hunting season but hopefully hunger and the need for exercise will keep the does on the move. It would be even nicer to see Mr. Buck following close by. Would you believe I have yet to see horns while in the stand this season?! I did put manage to put my 2nd deer in the freezer though so my crock pot is about as warm as the weather lately!

I hope everyone is enjoying this year.  I turned 40 back in August but this is only my 3rd season hunting. The friendships and fellowship I continue to develop amaze me. The comradery between fellow hunters is something that you can only experience firsthand and it is one of the many reasons I encourage others to give it a try. I cannot say thank you enough to all of the friends I have made and who have nicely helped me learn and have good places to hunt. My good buddy Robert Spillman doesn’t want me to tell you about the trophy he missed at short range last week so I won’t touch off on that……Oops.  If he wasn’t such an awesome shot anyway I wouldn’t have done that! Another buddy Ron Everhart finally hit one after missing twice before. Big John Eldridge loves hunting in the wind and last week proved he is as accurate as any when he does.  Luke Edelman finally busted that big 8 pointer he thought was “still out there” and Tony Buelin found enough time to trade in the his skinning knife for his rifle to bag a nicey as well.  Its little stories like these that get shared back at the bunkhouse or gathering spot and its truly the best part of the season.

Little Austin and I had an awesome time at Polecat Creek Outfitters in Caswell County this past weekend for a father-son hunt. A buddy of mine Bryan Parker and his son Tate tag-teamed a harvest that made the weekend! Got to pull on my App State Mountaineers on national tv in the cabin and hopefully they three-peat in Chattanooga. Armanti Edwards is as good as they come!

Back to the woods for me this week before the season ends.  Enjoy watching the great time I had getting skunked at a Davie County honey hole with Mitchell and Jonathan. In my next upcoming segment,  I discover I have more craft skills than I thought as I learn how to make a shiny bass candle display with Light My Fire Candles in downtown Mocksville. Enjoy the week gang………………………..

Blessings In The Woods and Out,

Austin