I thought of something really neat the other day as I was going through some photos of recent hunting trips. The idea is to explain what is going on “behind the scenes” of a particular picture.

For example, the above was a fantastic photo opportunity last May while we were in South Dakota hunting/videoing turkeys with our buddy Al Kraus (pictured in the white shirt).

Al is the owner of Black Hills Archery in Rapid City, SD and has become a dear friend and is someone you’ll see much more of. Al arrowed a 203” whitetail while hunting with a Realtree camera this past fall in Iowa. And he and his massive buck will be front and center on the cover of Monster Bucks XVI (more on that later).

Anyway, Realtree’s John Tate and I, along with Nick Mundt (grey undershorts) and freelance cameraman, Chuck Sumner had driven over from Wyoming that day and really wanted to get in a quick afternoon turkey hunt before dark. Well, we didn’t have time to go to Al’s house and change clothes so we met Al in our Chevy rental and followed him out to the hunting property.

It’s obvious in the picture that for us to get ready for a turkey hunt requires much, much more than slipping on our Realtree, taking our shotgun out of the case and slipping on our turkey vest. We have to unpack all the camera equipment (including tripod, audio packages, microphones, etc.), the mounted full-size strutter AND all the hunting gear!

It may look like a battlefield in this picture, but it really only took about 10 minutes for everyone to get completely ready! Anything to get a hunt in before dark!

So, what do you think? Would you like for me to periodically run some unique, “behind the scenes” photos and an interesting stories to go along with them? Let me know by posting a comment!

PS-Realtree will be at the 2008 SHOT Show for the next week. Make sure to tune in to Realtree.com for daily updates in Today's News. Hopefully I can get a post in while at SHOT. But if not, I'll be back soon. Thanks for reading.

Well, I owe you an apology. The blog has not been updated and refreshed like it should have been, but such is life when you have a unexpected family crisis occur.

Last Monday, while sitting in a meeting with about 25 other employees recapping our meetings, appointments, etc. at the recently completed ATA or Archery Trade Association Convention that was held in Indianapolis, my phone buzzed and I noticed it was a call from Home.

No problem, I’d call Ginger back. I hit Ignore.

Two minutes later, my phone buzzes again. (My phone is supposed to be turned off also.)

Once again it is from home. No big deal. I hit Ignore.

Two minutes later, same thing. I hit Ignore this time but now I’m wondering if something has happened to one of the boys at school.

I excused myself from the meeting, called Ginger and the instant she answered the phone, I knew it was not good. She was fighting back the tears and said that something had gone terribly wrong in her back and the pain going down her leg was unbearable. (Having had a few back surgeries in the past, Ginger knew what “bad pain” was. And this was one of those times.)

She had stood up from her chair at her computer while working at home. That’s it.

After hanging up with her, I knew something had to be done quick. I only knew to call my friend and huntin’ buddy, Chris Robinson, an orthopedic surgeon. Thank God for friends.

The next morning at 8 a.m. Ginger was having an MRI. At 10 a.m., we were sitting in Chris’ office going over the results, which showed a major rupture of the disc at the L4-L5 level. It had to go.

At 10:30, Chris calls in his partner, Dr. Haley, who is a spine specialist, to confer.
At 11:00, Dr. Haley agrees to work Ginger into his surgery schedule that afternoon! At 11:30, we’re at the hospital prepping Ginger for surgery. At 2:00pm, Dr. Haley informs me that the rupture was significant but that the surgery went very well.

After spending one night in the hospital, Ginger and I got to go home!

She continued to get better throughout the remainder of the week and over the weekend.

While I did my best impression of Mr. Mom! Wow! What a job! I didn’t know you actually had to fold every piece of laundry. And I strongly recommend that the boys wear their clothes for several days before washing!

Okay, maybe not underwear. But you can turn it inside out once.

So now you know where my priorities have been the past several days!

Ginger is doing much better and she is slowly getting back up to speed.

Brian Doughman is a buddy of mine who helps plant some of our food plots and is an avid hunter to say the least. Well, I didn’t realize that he enjoyed writing poetry. (He didn’t strike me as the type.) But how wrong I was!

This is pretty good! Enjoy!

REALTREE
FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND THE OUTDOORS


A COMPANY BUILT FROM THE MOTTO THEY LIVE,
IDOLS TO MANY,,, WHAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD GIVE.

FAMILIES GATHER TOGETHER IN THEIR DEN,
TO SEE WHAT BILL AND TYLER WILL DO AT THE CIRCLE N

DAVID TEACHING HIS BOYS IS ALWAYS A BLAST,
THE PASSING OUR HERITAGE SEEMS TO BE A THING OF THE PAST.

THERE’S MICHAEL AND T-BONE THAT GIVE US THE LAUGHS,
JUST GOOD OLE BOYS WHO STAYED ON THE RIGHT PATHS.

FRIENDS OF US ALL HAVE APPEARED ON THEIR SHOWS,
THERES BEEN EARNHARDT, YOST, AND WHO COULD FORGET THE CIANCIARULOS.

PASSIONATE HUNTERS HIDDEN AWAY IN THEIR AP SUITS,
BROUGHT TOGETHER CARRYING ON THEIR FAMILY ROOTS.

FRIENDS WILL MEET AT THEIR CAMPS AND YEARS OF PATTERNS YOU WILL SEE,
FROM ADVANTAGE TO MAX 1, TO THE ELITE AP.

AND THE OUTDOORS IS A SANCTUARY WHERE WE WANT TO BE
HIDDEN AWAY IN OUR HARDWOODS…HD.

FROM THE BLACK HILLS TO THE GEORGIA PINES,
REALTREE IS ALWAYS IN PURSUIT OF OLE TALL TINES.

SO NEXT TIME YOU LEAVE HUNTING CAMP WISHING YOU COULD STAY MORE,
BE THANKFUL FOR TIME WITH FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND THE OUTDOORS!

I’d like to introduce you to my nephew, William Floyd, affectionately called “buddy” by his older brother Sam. William and his twin sister, Lily, were born almost four years ago to my wife’s younger sister, Julie, and her husband, Floyd, who live just north of Atlanta.

William is so special, with a spot reserved so deep in my heart that not many are allowed to go there. You see, William has been diagnosed with Barth Syndrome. Never heard of it have you? Don’t feel alone. This deal is so rare that my doctor buddies haven’t even heard of it.

What is it? Barth is a very, very rare genetic disorder that affects only boys. To date only 100 boys worldwide have been diagnosed with it. Little boys with Barth have decreased heart function, are very susceptible to infection, display muscle weakness, experience growth delays and battle extreme fatigue after performing the simplest of everyday tasks.

Ever since the day William was born, he and I have lived a close bond. I’ll never forget walking outside with William when he was little so we both could escape the hustle and bustle of our home, enjoying the holidays so he could rest. I believe that even the excitement of Christmas wore him out.

William has always looked at my deer, elk, bear and other mounts throughout the house with wonder and wants to know how I killed them all. He has always been especially drawn to my bear mounts and how they were hunted.

Naturally, William and I started planning a “hunt” together when they came to celebrate Christmas a couple weeks ago; I couldn’t wait. To make it even better, he was given a toy gun complete with flashers, sirens, lights and machine gun audio!

Almost four years old and weighing only 30 pounds, even walking wears William out, so I knew that he would only be able to sit in my lap for a very short time. The plan was to go sit in a shooting house on a food plot about an hour before dark and hopefully see some “deers”!

As a matter of fact, William was so excited when he got to our house to open gifts, he asked what time we were going hunting and he let me know that we could skip the presents... he wanted to go to the woods!

After we had been situated only 10 minutes in the blind, God answered my prayer and four does came out to feed on the far side of the food plot. Not sure that William could see them I decided to go for broke.

With his “gun” in hand, I begin walking across the plot while carrying William straight towards the feeding deer. Miraculously the does didn’t lift their heads. We managed to get within 50-60 yards of the does before they looked up and saw us.

I set William on the ground and he started shooting his gun at the deer. I can honestly say that I’m sure these deer have NEVER been shot at quite like this!

Well, after the sirens and missles and flashers did their job, the does lifted their tails and disappeared. William looked at me with a big smile and said, “I shot those deers!” This was my greatest Christmas gift of the year.

But don’t tell Ginger. The checkered socks were kind of nice. Sort of. If you want to learn more about Barth Syndrome go to www.barthsyndrome.org

One of my most important goals at the beginning of this hunting season was to kill a good buck with the new Icon rifle from TC. Neil Sanders had sent me the .308 version of the Icon and I couldn’t wait to put it to use.

I’d never shot a .308 caliber before, but everyone that I’d talked to that had went on and on about how much they loved that cartridge for shooting whitetails. I would soon find out for myself.

On December 12, cameraman Phillip Culpepper and I headed to Texas where we would be hunting with Steve Goldsmith. Steve is the fellow that guided me and Lucas last year on two really cool hunts, including Lucas’ first buck.

I must admit that I left Georgia with a weird feeling in my gut. This was the first gun hunt that I would be going on in years and years without my trusted TC Encore or ProHunter.

I sighted in the Icon dead on at 100 yards with Federal ammo and was ready and comfortable with any opportunity out to 250 yards.

The very first morning, Steve, Phillip and I sat in a ground blind looking down a scendero. It was cold! 25 degrees to be exact, and believe me, in Texas, 25 feels like 15 with the high humidity levels!

At 8:15 we had a really good looking buck come out for just a moment and retreat to the brush. I could see the buck’s head and rack, but nothing to take a shot at. He looked pretty good but he soon left without offering a shot.

We hunted hard the next two days from different blinds without seeing a shooter. Finally, we were down to the last morning and I decided to gamble and return to the scendero where the good buck had given me the slip.

The last morning was cold and windy, very windy. After sitting for a couple hours I got pretty cold. There was a plane to catch, and with only little bucks and does moving, I was on the verge of throwing in the towel. But something told me to give it another 30 minutes.

It wasn’t 15 minutes later a small buck threw his head in the air and begin staring nervously into the mesquite. I knew what that could mean. It was him!

The 10 pointer walked out into the clearing like he owned the joint and after waiting patiently for a broadside shot and the wind to die down (one out of two ain’t bad, I think the wind actually picked up). I steadied the crosshairs on the Nikon scope and the Icon barked!

A perfect hit at 170 yards! The buck scored 143” gross and, get this, had an inside spread of 12 7/8”! A really, really cool buck. I do love Texas!

Well, you’ve probably eaten as much as I have. Watched some football. DEFINITELY took the time to do a little hunting. I hope your Christmas was very special. With lots of Blessings. Merry Christmas again.

I’d like to list some things that I’m thankful for:

Friends that refuse to allow a buck to ruin their relationship. There seems to be an epidemic in our industry (and I’m sure not only with “professional hunters”) of people who have come to believe that killing a buck or even hunting a buck is more important than friendships. My oh my. If you only knew.

Hunters on television and DVDs who are thankful for their kill and don’t feel like they’ve got to apologize for shooting a smaller buck on the last day of the hunt.
“Well, he’s not what I was hoping for…”.

People who can genuinely laugh at themselves and their mistakes.

A cool breeze in my face that doesn’t swirl.

A snooze button.

Hunters who leave their photos at home because they’re more interested in looking at others’ photos and hearing others’ stories.

The people I work with everyday that make me laugh.

Dropping my son, Lucas, off at school and hearing an “I love you Dad” before he closes the door.

A physical game of “One on One” basketball in the driveway with Harman or Alex.

Being able to sit and watch them battle it out...in the loser’s bracket!

A hug from Ginger when I get home from work.

The Weather Channel.

What are you thankful for?