OD Hit List – 2015
26 days, 10 hours & 47 minutes ’til the sun rises on October 1. Opening day in Michigan for the long anticipated 2015 bow season. To say we are excited…is a true understatement.
As many of you whitetail addicts may know, roughly 50% of bucks do not summer in the same place they hang out when Fall arrives. With this in mind, we don’t plan our hunts around Summer trail cam pics…we just know these bucks are “around”.
Now the other 50%…..we hope the remaining 50% consists of these guys.
Michigan
Pitchfork – We have 8 pictures of this buck, in two different spots on the farm. Only showing up once at each spot. We think we know where he beds, but it is very hard to get close without being detected. He is a stud!
Pretty Boy – This buck has been very visible all Summer. We have multiple videos and even more pictures. Just a very pretty 8.
Tweener – This is a newer buck and only captured once. He is right between and 9 & 10 point and might end up as a 10. He runs the same farm with Pitchfork, making this a even better area to watch.
12 Pack – We first saw this buck very early, and he had some shorter tines, but 10 of them. The most recent picture of him shows even more. 11…possibly 12. He is highly sought after.
Stubby – A nice 8 point with little stubby brows we have pictures of. We have seen him a couple times and a friend glasses him in velvet. We think this buck is kill-able.
Here are a few more bucks we wouldn’t mind getting a look at from the stand! Excuse the dates on the Moultrie – they are wrong.
Ohio
This year we are doing things different. We have a couple cams out in Southern Ohio, but just put them out. Instead of multiple Summer scouting trips down there to check cams this year, we will be focusing our time on hunting. In the meantime, we received 1 pic from the land owner. A couple studs.
There are also 3 bucks we hope made it through the year at our Ohio farm. You can see them on our Trail Camera Page. http://outdoor-devotion.com/trail-camera-pictures/
The Big 10, Crabby 10 and the Freak we know did not get shot.
Well thanks for checking out the 2015 Hit List for Outdoor Devotion. Follow along this year as we chase these bucks this Fall!
As always, thank you for reading!
Kill Plots & Micro Plots with Hand Tools by Outdoor Devotion
This video shows how we at OD put in “Kill Plots” or “Micro Food Plots” way back in the timber with nothing but hand tools. These kill plots can be dynamite when placed strategically…. to catch a mature buck during shooting hours. All of this is done without any farming equipment. We are no food plot experts, but hope this video helps someone else get a shot at a mature buck!
If you have time – go in ahead of time(1-2 weeks) and spray existing vegetation with Roundup or Gly. Sometimes this step needs repeating.
The seeds I used were from boneyardseed.com – Scott at Boneyard is very helpful in recommending what and where to use each specific blend. He created a custom order of seeds for these shady plots.
Here are a few pictures after 1 week and 2 very minor storms. You can see the oats and turnips already sprouting and showing some growth.
Here are some more shots while standing a little further back.
Any questions? Feel free to post them either here or on our Facebook.
As always, thank you for watching!
Outdoor Devotion Friend Nick Coheley Tags Giant Bear on his Birthday – Self-Filmed with Archery Equipment
Outdoor Devotion’s friend Nick Coheley tagged a giant bear on his birthday this Spring, in Manitoba 2015. The boar weighed roughly 450lbs and was self-filmed by Nick, and taken with archery equipment. We are proud to share it here on OD. Congrats again Nick!! Stud of a bear. #outdoordevotion #pulseoutdoorproduction
Michigan Morel Hunting
Here we are in the beginning of May, and it is just beautiful outside. Along with this long awaited weather, food plot preparation, trout season and Spring turkey hunting, a delectable treat can be found in the woods. The elusive Morel mushroom is starting to show itself.
A few of our friends and team members have started collecting these mushrooms already. These two pictures are from OD team member Dustin Shrum of Grand Haven, who has found over 100 already.
Many of you may know the scoop on Morels, but I wanted to highlight some good information on how to find, and prepare these wild delights.
Where to start:
I always look for dead elms or ash trees to start, but any forest edge where these trees reside can contain morels. Even old Poplar stands and hillsides can contain Morels. I have heard that early morning light can help them stick out when you are searching. Once you find one, slowly scan the surrounding 5-10 foot area for more. Often enough there will be more close by. When you go to pick them, pinch them off at bottom of the stem, leaving the root system in tact. An onion bag works great to carry and collect the Morels.
How to prepare:
There are so many ways you can prepare Morels, but a few good tips will help:
– Cut them in half(optional) and soak them in water or rinse to ensure vacating any bugs and dirt that could be there. Be careful how long you soak/rinse, and you could lose flavor by doing this too long. There are differing opinions on this…
– I like to add a light coat of flour to give just a little breading to the outside of the mushrooms.
– Then fry in butter, garlic or olive/canola oil to taste!
Ed Wutke found the above Morels this week!
Below are some great articles/videos we found to dive further into Morels! If you would like to share any other tips or pictures, you can comment below, or reach out of Facebook. Enjoy and good hunting!
As always, thank you for reading!
http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/hunting/2013/04/finding-cooking-morel-mushrooms
http://www.michiganmorels.com/
http://www.michigan.org/blog/guest-blogger/the-secret-to-morel-mushroom-hunting-in-pure-michigan/