I came across an article earlier today that focused on some of the wackiest mustaches in the history of baseball. It reminded my of dad, and his seasonal beard. My dad keeps one on his face year ’round now, but when I was growing up, he would grow a beard for the fall/winter hunting season, and then shave it off when spring arrived. I guess it kept his face warmer, but I haven’t bought into the idea yet. A beard makes my face itch too much, so I will stick to my camo fleece face-mask.

So I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else has seasonal facial hair. Do any of you men grow a beard to keep the mug warm while hunting during the winter, only to shave it when warmer weather returns? Respond away…

P.S. – I also want to mention here that my website is up and running now, so check it out. Copy and paste the link below in your favorites. I just might be of service to you or your family.

http://www.freewebs.com/doodaaproductions/index.htm

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With a couple of strokes of a pen by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, crossbow hunting for all Louisianians is now a legal option, beginning the 2008-2009 hunting seasons. Until Gov. Jindal’s signature earlier this week, only those hunters who were 65 or older, or those who have some sort of handicap that prevented them from effectively using a compound/traditional bow, were allowed to hunt with crossbows in The Bayou State. The debate over whether or not crossbows should be on the books for all hunters has been a hot one in Louisiana.

Many bowhunters say that a crossbow is an unethical choice for the taking of game animals, and makes hunting “too easy”. To those “purists” I say get over it. I’m sure many felt the same way when the first compound bow was designed, and introduced. And don’t forget – the crossbow was around and seeing a lot of use hundreds of years before the first compound was taken into the woods. So to those who make a fuss over a crossbow being considered a primitive weapon, if you’re such a purist then put away your compound bow, and start hunting with a long bow – and make it yourself while you’re at it. That, my friends, is a real challenge.

Jumping on fellow hunters because they are hunting legally, with a weapon you choose not to use, is rediculous. Save your bashing of fellow hunters for those who are poaching, ignoring limits, and violating who knows what other game laws.

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On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United States quickly made the top of my “Oh No You Didn’t!” list. With a 5-to-4 vote, the liberal justices outweighed the conservative judges on the constitutionality of death for child rapists. Today (Thursday) SCOTUS managed to fall further down my list, by ruling in favor of the 2nd Amendment.

Per the Associated Press:
The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices’ first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history. The court’s 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia’s 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

This is a wonderful day for gun owners and gun rights advocates, but it’s not a victory that we should sit back and relish. Those who are anti-gun are surely enraged by the ruling, and are probably already working on their next move – and so should we. This is the time to really hammer our state legislators who want to add more gun laws to the books.

Do you film your own hunts or fishing excursions?

I love taking my video camera with me on all hunting trips because you just never know what you might see outdoors. I have a stack of video tapes with nothing more than some interesting B-Roll that might one day find a spot within one of my projects. But when it comes to filming my fishing trips, I leave the video camera at home (it’s hard to pitch a Baby Brush Hog into some brush and work it back to the boat, much less set the hook and fight a fish, while also operating a video camera). But there are some pretty unique ways out there for a person to film him/herself enjoying a day on the water. One method I’ve thought about trying is to set the primary camera on a tripod, and position it in the front of the boat in such a way that it’s filming me. Then incorporate something like The HuntCam into the mix, by mounting it to my hat to catch all of the action the primary camera can’t see.

So my question is, are any of you already doing something like this, or do you have another method of catching all your angling action on video? Please share any all tactics or ideas…

doodaa

I am an avid duck hunter, and got infected by the sport well after the ban on lead shot for waterfowling. I fully support the ban, and understand lead’s impact on the environment. Well it appears that lead is having a negative impact on the environment once again. A recent study revealed that some California Condors, whose numbers are already threatened thanks to pesticides that have since been banned, were being poisoned by lead, after eating the discarded entrails of deer killed by hunters. The research then led to the question of whether hunters were being poisoned by trace amounts of lead in the venison they are eating. The research revealed that indeed processed venison that you put in your freezer more than likely is tainted by lead. The study showed that deer steaks had less, and that ground venison had the highest levels. Now, this didn’t send me into a panic, since the levels were small, and I’m at an age where small amounts of lead aren’t putting my life in danger. But I do have a daughter who is fast approaching two years of age, and lead – even in trace amounts – can be harmful to her. So, I guess I will be buying copper cartridges, or some alternative, for this coming deer season, just to play it safe for my family.

The articles I gleaned this information from are linked below…
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=3450809
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?id=3450840

I have been away from the blog for quite some time, and must now play catch-up. I am busy working on some projects for Team Hammerdog Outdoors, and the webisodes that will soon start appearing on www.myoutdoortv.com. This will be Team Hammerdog’s first venture into online broadcasting of content, so we want to get this right. I finished up the rough draft of the show open over the weekend, which was a big hurdle to overcome. Here’s a look…

http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x303/doodaaProductions/?action=view&current=TEAMHAMMERDOGOUTDOORSSHOWOPEN.flv

The first webisode will be the complete story of The Three Strike Buck. From the infamous three misses that most folks on the internet have likely seen, to a re-match the very next season. If you aren’t familiar with The Three Strike Buck clip, check it out at www.teamhammerdog.com. I was the poor hunter behind the gun/camera, and you can hear/see the story of why I missed, and why redemption is so sweet, in the next few weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates…

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