"HAPPY HALLOWEEN" ... Good morning all , early morning at that . I awoke early and took a ride through the country just to observe any movement . Alot of deer roaming the countryside before daybreak . Hopefully alot of young guns will fill there tags this weekend while hunting the youth portion of firearms season here in Missouri . Our rifle season runs November 13th thru November 23rd here . I will be hunting with my father and my children on our property here in Christian county Missouri . During that week , some of my friends from Hunters Helping Soldiers ( www.huntershelpingsoldiers.org ) will be hunting at Weaubleau Creek Outfitters ( www.weaubleaucreekoutfitters.com ) here in Missouri . Be sure to check the websites for updates and info on the hunts .

Good afternoon all , had a pretty uneventful morning in the woods . Seen a few moving before daybreak , as well as a doe and her fawn roaming the ridgeline while I was on foot . I did find some fresh sign , a fw rubs and a couple scrapes . With the cooler temps , hings are really starting to get into the swing . It was chilly this morning . Cold enough that I dawned my Arctic Shield camo in Mossy Oak Treestand pattern . It did the trick early on , then as the temps rose , it was time to shed the thick stuff . Winds have picked up here this afternoon . Im thinkin Ill stay out of the woods for a bit and let them settle down . With the Halloween holiday tomorrow , I probably wont get out again until Monday . I heard a few scattered gun shots this morning . Im sure there are several happy kids who got there first deer today , opening day of youth season . I wish everybody the best of luck in the woods , and a Happy Halloween .

Getting short on time folks , the rut is already in swing in some areas of the country and working its way south/southwest . Im gettin my gear ready and will be heading out early in the a.m. . Im glad Ive got my Under Armour , lol . Temps have been dropping fast here in the midwest and continue to plummit at night . I wish you all god luck in the woods this weekend .
Here in Missouri this is our youth weekend for firearms . Should prove to be alot of memories made for fathers and there kids this weekend .
Dont forget to check out No Mercy Hunting ( www.nomercyhunting.com ) on the web . They were nice enough to donate a 2 day hog hunt with me for a charity being run by The Arc of The Ozarks , out of Springfield , Missouri ( www.thearcoftheozarks.org ). The Arc will be raffleing off the hunt for there February expo . You can find more info on there website .

Good afternoon , a short update before the weekend begins . I spent a few hours on the property today scouting . Didnt see a whole lot of movement . Several 2+ year old does roaming the woods . Didnt see any pushing goin on yet and no real fresh sign of the rut other than last observed . I did pull the card on the camera again . I just pulled it 2 days ago so these are fresh/rescent pics . I cant tell the size of this buck , he's got his head down in the brush and is quartering away . I like the pic though . If you look and pay attention , notice how thick his neck is ... also , notice how dark in color his hocks are . Sure signs the rut is starting to get into swing here in the midwest . Along with the rubs and scrapes Ive found lately , things are looking up . Hopefully with this cold front that is moving through , things will pick up . Good luck to all heading out this weekend . Ill be spending some time in my Gorilla Greyback climber the next few days . I also got a pic of a bobcat strolling by at 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday . Ill post it in the next couple days .

Good evening all , just returned from the woods and wanted to post a short update . Starting to see a bit of sign leading to the rut . Few rubs here and there , along with scattered scrapes . Alot of tracks along the lanes and throughout the woods . The camera is still showing alot of movement through the night . I haven't seen alot the last couple afternoons that I have been out . Going to try a morning or two here the end of the week . Still getting some good pics though . Alot of turkey moving throughout the day . Rifle season is fast approaching as is the rut . Ill post more as I see sign and get pictures . Good luck ...

Monday Monday Monday , a new week is upon us . Spent some time in the tree stand this weekend . Battled with the wind and rain some . Seen a bit of movement but no shooters in range . All that will change soon , with the weather forecast of cooler temps , the rut approaching , and in 19 days rifle season . I'm hoping to at least put a doe down with my bow before gun season starts here in Missouri . Opening weekend I will be hunting with my son and my father . Should make for some good memories for all of us . Ive loaded my climber in the truck for an afternoon hunt today . The wind has changed and I am going to try to relocate a bit to better situate myself along another travel lane . I hope everybody had a good weekend . Make the best of your new week .

Its FRIDAY .... Have a happy and safe weekend . Make it as productive as possible . I spent the morning in the woods today . With the full moon upon us the deer are moving alot through the nite . I was early in about an hour and a half before shooting light and I was spooking deer . Seen alot of movement after day break . Never had a good shot window on anything . I'm hoping for better results tomorrow morning . We have a storm front coming in this afternoon through the night . Rain is do to taper off in the morning . Im hoping to get some ground time in tomorrow with the ground being wet . It has been too dry lately to move around in the woods with all the fresh leaves falling do to the fall weather . I wish everyone luck headin' to the woods .

Howdy and Happy Hump Day ,
I spent the majority of the day Tuesday in the woods . I didnt see alot of movement in the morning , however , after the rain shower that afternoon the deer were out in full force . I had a shot on a smaller 6 point buck , however when I came to full-draw , I hit a branch with my bow and spooked him . He hung around for awhile but never presented another shot for me . Several smaller deer came in to within bow range but they were not what I was looking for . I did have 2 older does just inside the treeline that I would like to thin out of the herd . I ran out of shooting light before they presented a shot . Im letting the deer and the woods rest today . As I had a meeting this morning with the rest of the committee from Arc of the Ozarks . We are planning a hunting/fishing swap meet / expo for late February . I will post more info and updates as available and closer to the event . Good luck to everyone in the woods and have a good week . Hope to see you in the woods , just not mine ... lol

Good afternoon , hopefully everybody had a wonderful weekend and has started the week off right . If you missed the show lastnite , be sure to log into blogtalk radio and listen the the archived radio show from Hunters Helping Soldiers . Alot of new and exciting news came out on the show . New sponsors , spokesman , event info . I was on the property this morning scouting and pulled a card while I was there . Some descent deer and alot of turkeys . Good luck to those heading to the woods anytime soon .

Good morning all , I hope everybody had a wonderful weekend . I still haven't heard of alot of deer falling yet from those that have been in the woods . A few nice bucks have been taken as well as a handful of does . The weather is cooling off and the leaves are starting to turn . Movement should be picking up and soon we should start to see signs of the Rut coming on . Rifle season here in Missouri is only several weeks away . We've seen alot of tracks on the property and have some nice pics of quality deer with good numbers . I'm hoping to get out this week to do some hunting . Hopefully Ill have pics to post soon . Good luck to those already there .

Good day , I have to apologize in the lack of posts lately . Ive felt a little under the weather and have been trying to get myself better . On with the news , Big Hunting / Fishing Expo in Branson this weekend with a buddy tournament , 3-d archery shoot , seminars , and lots of exhibits for grown ups and kids alike . Event runs Friday thru Sunday . I hope to see you there .
The fall issue of the Heartland Hunters newsletter is now online . You can find it at www.heartlandhunters.com . Alot of good stories , articles , tips , recounts for your enjoyment . Take a look .
Also , be sure to check out www.theoutdoorwarrior.us . another online e-zine dedicated to helping through healing of our American soldiers .

Happy Friday , hoping everybody has a safe and enjoyable weekend . I spent a couple hours in the woods this morning , and several this evening . Seen alot of deer just no shooters in bow range . Ill be in Springfield at the Farm Fest over the weekend with my kids . We will be stopping by the Commando Hunting booth to say Hello . Be sure to stop by if your in the area . Have a good weekend and 'Good luck' to those headin to the woods .