Take time now to check all your gear such as bows, arrows, guns, and even scopes for your rifle. Now is also a good time to practice shooting weather it may be a gun or bow. Shooting at a target now will get you set for when that first game pokes it’s head out. Check all food sources now and scout to see what deer maybe eating. There will be a chance that some of this food source will still be available for opening day in the southern regions such as Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia.

Go into the woods now and start by trimming some shooting lanes for your bow setup. We all hate the times that when a deer steps into shooting range and then we don’t have the shot due to a tree limb blocking the shot. These shots for a trophy buck only come once in a lifetime for most average hunter’s. I have had great success in the past at harvesting a doe for some early season deer meat.

Most of the hunters in Alabama will be on the road to their hunting grounds around Labor Day weekend. They use this time to plant fall food plots, or at least start preparing the ground works of bush-hogging and plowing of the dirt. I think that a lot of hunters mess up here by planting to early. I good idea would be to wait until just a few weekends later maybe in September some time. This will allow your deer to finish off any summer time forge they may be able to find.

Once you have taken the time plan what you are going to plant, make sure that you can allow 10 to 15 days for a spraying process such as round-up on and around the food plots. This will allow you plenty of time to plant things such as chicory and clover and you will not have other late summer grasses competing for fertilizer or lime that you lay out. Keeping unwanted grasses out will allow you with a more beautiful food plot for your deer.

If you have planted corn and still have it standing then leave it this way. Standing beans and corn will allow deer and turkey cover in the fall and also will help you see more in the winter as they come in to search for these foods. Based on your corn field size try mowing strips into it 10 to 25 yards wide and plow and spread winter foods where you have mowed. Most people like to mow the entire field down and when they do this deer and turkey loose this food in the extreme cold days of winter.

I hope these few steps will help you on opening day like they have done for me and my friends in the past. Stay on the right road and you can’t go wrong for being on the wrong road to success. Planting to early can cost you mainly because the deer and turkey eat them up to fast. I have heard people say my food plots look like crap. What these food plots look like are as if someone has took a lawn mower to it. So start getting ready now for opening day.

Have a plan ready when all of hunting seasons have come to an end. In the South people seem to be tired a lot more in February than they were back in September of the previous year. There was the planting that took place for the fall and winter. Making sure that you had a special food plot to hunt over. Cold months rolled around and we hunted for deer, fall turkey, and even got our tails wet trying to shoot ducks. Which of course th duck thing is nothing that I have ever done but wouldn’t mind giving it a try one of these days. So after my deer season ends in January I get very tired of dragging and cleaning deer. So at this point it’s resting first while sitting on the sofa tuning in one of my favorite box calls getting ready for spring time turkey.

In Alabama I look forward to the spring for a mature gobbler. Then I also look forward to all the spring time planting that will need to be done. I would like to say that I’m a farmer but just not cows and horses but for my turkey and deer. So now I will carry you through a few steps to get yourself into farming shape for you too can be a farmer for wildlife of your choice.

Step 1. Look for land if you don’t already have any for the next season. Not only do I turkey hunt and plant in the spring but always on the lookout for new land to hunt for the next deer season.

Step 2. Plowing for the spring and getting ready is a must in my book. This is the time i will take to turn over old soil and create new. My existing food plots will require fertilizer, and lime if needed. A prescribed burn will also help before the plowing process in order to kill and wipe away dead grasses so the plowing will become more easy. Plus a burning stage will bring forth turkeys to feed on any roasted dead bugs that may be in the area.

Step 3. Building new stands for the new season and placing them out well ahead of time will also help you in more ways than one. I also will build and place in new feeding stations for deer. This will keep the deer around longer in order for you to hopefully find sheds or see new born fawns in the earl summer months. Feeding grains to deer and turkey is against the law in some states but in Alabama you can feed as long as you don’t hunt over it. By me feeding things like corn or deer pellets this will allow me to find and see what bucks have survived the last season.

Step 4. By step 4 it’s spring time and most of the plowing and planting has already been done. This is the scouting process and watching it grow process. With those of you that don’t have tons of land I suggest that you get yourself a game camera and place it out over a feeding station. Also at this point if you have not already put out minerals this would be a great time to do it for the bucks have already lost their antlers. I can also get in some last minute turkey hunting at this time as well.

So the next time all of your seasons come to an end get back out there and start over. The farming for wildlife  trends never end. It is like a cattle ranch and just keep growing. Great rewards will come with time and effort if you the hunter or outdoorsman just keep at it. Good luck this upcoming year with your own wildlife farm no matter how big or small it may be.

As  I  sit here on my back porch, looking out at the pond, beautiful sky, and just nature itself, i can’t help but wonder do other people see the earth the way I see it?  Do they appreciate it the way I do?

When I look out at the world, I see nothing other than an amazing creation. Creation so perfect so unique in its’ on way. If we see it why do we abuse it? Why do harm our earth with trash and/or pollution?  Nature is such an amazing thing. If you think about it, it holds so many memories, precious memories.

As I look out across the water it brings back many memories. I love nature. I find it very interesting and special.  I wonder how God could create such a masterpiece, but who am I to say he is amazing, unique, and awesome himself.

I challenge you all to look around you, around your neighborhood,  small town, or big city and see what God has blessed you with through nature. Appreciate it. It is truly amazing.

I can still remember my first fishing trip with my dad. Oh boy was it fun to be around water and be fishing. Kids today would much rather sit inside playing a xbox or a playstation. So get them up and way from the TV and place a fishing pole in their hands. You want be making a mistake by doing it.

You may even make yourself a new fishing buddy. What are you afraid of ? I think you may be afraid that they may out fish you. You will never know until you take that first trip with them to a pond or a river.

Start off with something easy for them to really get them into it. Crappie fishing is a way to do it and trust me they will have the time of their life doing it. This is a way to keep your kids enjoying the outdoors and off the streets. Let’s take a trip with Darian Brown from 5  Degrees of Fishing ” The Hunt for Trophy Fish” as he takes his kids out for a day of fishing for crappie. Remember that when you take a kid fishing it’s your way of giving back to a new generation. Our kids are our future.

Let’s take a look at the video now. “Crappie 101″

When you have love for the Outdoors as much as I do there can be many things go on in a day-to-day life. I have said this on may occasions that mother nature has given so much to us. We may never be able to repay her but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t at least try. There are the little things we do in the outdoors that we repay her back.

Planting a flower or a tree is a way of doing so. We live on a day-to-day basis of life and we enjoy what we have to enjoy. The days grow long and then they grow short. Life is something that has been given to us by the Lord up above.

If you don’t enjoy life in the outdoors then you will never make it out alive. It’s the family and friends that we may enjoy a cookout with. Maybe even a camping trip to a lake,river,or even state park. Falling for the outdoors is like falling for someone so special in our lives.

The words that I write all come from the heart and not someone else. I was on the phone earlier with a friend and the things that were said meant a lot to me in many ways. This friend told me that she was at work and she was so tired and sleepy. Even for her and her son they have their own ways of enjoying the outdoors. I know we all have to work cause it’s what we do to make our living in life in order to survive.

Without the outdoors you would have nothing. Yes I hate to say the word nothing but it is true. There are so many people who stay cooped up in an office or a home all day that would give anything in the world to have better. If they say they wouldn’t they would have told a lie deep down inside. There is no better place than the outdoors. We should except that for that’s the way it is.

When you get dirt under your finger nails don’t hate it just fall in love with it. It takes years to wash out the love we have for the outdoors so savor it and take care of it. It is our obsession for the outdoors that keep us going. If you like to hunt and fish then you love the outdoors. With a fistful of dirt we can do many things. We are obsessed with the notion of getting closer to deer,turkey,elk,and all kinds of critters that we take care of the outdoors in many ways.

Technology today has placed the outdoors on many things. Camo patterns that match our surroundings from Bill Jordan’s Realtree in Georgia across the farm lands of Alabama to the Mississippi bottoms of Toxey Haas’s Mossy Oak pattern. These camo patterns all started in one place and that was the Outdoors. So the next time you step even into your own yard thank God for all that has been to us in the great outdoors. Take your kids in the outdoors cause once you, do you will never regret it.

In the long run, kids will probably teach us more about nature than we can teach them. But they still must be exposed to the outdoors. Teaching them will bring back some of that natural curiosity that we had long ago. Remember when you could focus all your attention on one solitary bug. We have grown up, got a job, got married, and had kids. Other things have filled our world.

The world of a child is still a mysterious place. When the mysterious world of a child and the mysterious world of nature come together, mysterious things happen. You can see it in their eyes, and see it in their face.

One thing they must learn is to keep the universe clean. A misplaced soda cup could one day end up on Mars. We know it won’t, but if they still believe in Santa Claus they might buy it. Keep the wild animals wild. Dogs and cats love to be cared for by humans. But human intervention should stop there. Whenever you make a wild animal dependent upon you, their survival is at risk.

The wild animals have the stars at night. Take the kids out at dusk and see who can pick out the first star. Find the Big Dipper and the north star. A full moon is beautiful, too bad we waste most of them.

Have you ever seen a child place all of their attention on a flower? Or an ant? Or a butterfly? They have no need for gold or silver. They would quickly glance from it if offered. They will always go for the bug. Take the kids to the door when there is lightning. It is a free show, with sound effects and all. On a clear, sunny day take the kids outside and put down a blanket. Let them lay there and watch the clouds roll by. You will like it too. The sky is full of wonder.

Plant a small garden. Watch it grow. Visit it often and let them wander through it. The vegetables we like to eat are the ones that the kids like to watch grow. Always be prepared for questions. If you don’t know all the answers you can fake it until later. At a young age kids are more visual than mental. Monkey see, monkey do. Make sure that you are their favorite monkey.

He worked hard to keep a roof over my head.  He bought my books and sent me to school.  He took me hunting and fishing every chance he had.  He believed in the adage “Take your kids hunting and you won’t be hunting your kids.”  That was years ago and now it’s my turn.

We may be talking about dad, but we could be talking about anyone who has mentored and provided us with an opportunity to enjoy hunting and other outdoor pursuits. There are plenty of granddads and moms who have introduced youngsters to hunting, but most children begin to hunt under the guidance of their father. We owe our Fathers everything for that. Hunting with your dad keeps you involved in each others lives and allows you to spend quality time together. Life is way too short to let that opportunity pass.

Take in all the joy and reverence of the moment. It may be a fleeting moment in time for both of you but you can be sure it will be a moment not soon forgotten by either. Sharing it is a rare gift of life not to be taken lightly. Taking dad hunting is an opportunity that will not always be there. The more you take advantage of those opportunities the more stories you will be able to share with your kids when they come to you years from now and say “Hey dad, let’s go hunting.

Savor the time you spend hunting with your Father. You will never get to go back and re-live those days, and there will come a time when they are gone forever, with a finality that will stun you and break your heart, no matter how many warning signs you had.

If you have a father like mine, hug your daddy. Tell him you love him. Help him no matter what, without begrudging the time and effort it takes. Help him drag his deer, and let him kick back and tell how he got it while you shuck that critter out for him. And enjoy every last second of it, as best you can. Because before you know it, it’s over. Done. A thing of the past. And suddenly, there is no “next season”.

I am proud to say that I have a son that enjoys the outdoors as much as me when he get’s the chance. The enjoyment on a child’s face as they take their first deer,turkey,or even that first fish from a pond or a creek. That first gobble they hear from a mature turkey early one spring morning. Just you and them walking side by side through the dark before sunup going to a special shooting house.

Think about life and the way you can change it for someone else other than yourself. Taking a kid fishing or hunting could be a reward for you as much as it would be to them. Me and my son have had a lot of chances to go out on an evening hunt.

There are a few things you may have to do different when taking a kid to the wood’s or on the water. Make sure that when you take them make it the best fun that you can make it for them.Take a book for them to read or even something like a small hand held game. I’m a grown adult and even with me I get bored sometimes when sitting in a stand so I carry me a game boy or a small pocket game.

I suggest that you try to make the child as comfortable as possible so they will want to sit there longer. When deer hunting take them to a comfortable shooting house and put a good chair in it so they will be able to sit high enough up to see the green field. I suggest taking some type of cover in case they get cold and maybe even a pillow if they get tired. By doing these things they will enjoy it more often than none.

I take a video camera and binoculars with my son so that he may look through them or even want to try hand at filming. A grunt call will always keep their mind in order if you just let them blow on it from time to time. Always tell them that they stand a very good chance of seeing a deer or other wildlife when they go. Let them know that by sitting in front of an Xbox or a playstation will not allow them to see deer from in front of a TV.

Another way that I can keep my son from wanting to leave to early is I carry a compact DVD player with a built in screen and have a few Monster bucks or Truth DVD’s on hand. He really enjoys watching the hunting video’s at home so why not let him watch them in a shooting house.

Make sure of one thing that they are always warm if it is cold and cool if it’s a little warm. Always remember that the kids of today are our future of tomorrow and they will be the deciding factor of our future hunting and fishing generation to come. So the next time you take a trip to the field,wood’s or even on water take a kid along with you and change the way they look at life.