Well, hello chilly weather Thursday! I thought we had seen the last of you! Today’s #tbt is in honor of a recipe I created back in early September. Remember these little guys? As it turns out, they have become quite a hit.
Category: in the news
turkey hunting tips for opening day
Happy Opening Day (No. 2), friends! I came across this Field & Stream article for 2014’s turkey hunting season, and thought it was a good one to pass along. Now, these guys are way more hard core than I could ever hope to be {think cross-country conditioning and using 2 mouth calls simultaneously.. How? No idea}, but they offer some great tips for your turkey hunting adventures. Below are the 3 that apply to me the most, and are definitely tips I need to remember once I get out into the woods. Incidentally, two involve being patient once you’re out there. When it comes to still-hunting deer or hogs, I am typically pretty good at hanging tight and being patient. Not turkey hunting. Perhaps its because I have turkey hunted 20-30 times and haven’t taken a shot, but that’s neither here nor there! I really get antsy with anticipation and sometimes it gets the best of me. Definitely check out these tips – There are bound to be a few that work for you, as well!
happy birthday!
I just wanted to give a great big happy birthday to my main squeeze.
From the deep woods to the open water, you’re my favorite partner in crime!
the best weekend of all time. ever.
That sounds dramatic, but it’s really not. I’m not joking – best. weekend. ever. In the history of weekends! Oh, where do I begin? Remember last week when I said I was planning on sitting in the stand some over the weekend? Well… I did. Trusty John knew how anxious I was to bag a deer, so he got me in the stand to start off our weekend in Georgetown. Despite running late, and a rainy front moving in, I entered the woods at 5:30 Friday afternoon/evening to begin my first official deer hunt of the season. I always sit down with too much adrenaline, often finding myself moving around/making far more noise than intended, so I made a point to chill out sit still and just enjoy being in the stand. Aaand 45 minutes later I found myself taking a plethora of photos to pass the time more quickly.
i just couldn’t help it…
So things have been a little slow around here on the hunting front, and I know the bright side of the road has suffered from boredom as of late. I genuinely have not had time to sit in the stand. Meh. Anyone out there want to hire me to hunt and fish and test recipes and pay me for it? Pleeeease?! I promise I’ll be the best you’ve ever seen!
Ahh… Digression aside… I saw this photo a little while back and literally giggled out loud. I just couldn’t help it. Now that the weather is cooling off a bit, I am working to make more time for a few hunts… Hunts that will hopefully lead to something like this.
Have you had some luck this season? Here are a few shooting tips to help you in a variety of situations that every hunter is bound to encounter at some point.
I am planning on sitting in the stand some this weekend. What are you up to?
THANK YOU!
To every one of you who has taken a stroll through this blog of mine, I give you a cyber hug and high-five! Why, you ask? As of about 6:30 this morning, the bright side of the road reached a whopping 10,000 views! Well, 10,012 to be exact! I know that’s a hill o’ beans compared to most of the blogs I follow – which include everything from this to this… Ok, and this. Guilty pleasure… Feel free to mock me, it would not come as a surprise – but it is an amazing feeling nonetheless! So, THANK YOU!
When I started the bright side of the road last year, I really just had it in my mind to share some stories about doing the things I love, from hunting to cooking, and everything in between. I had no idea that it would reach as far as it has, and that I would get so much positive feedback from the most unexpected places. With work and, well, life in general, I don’t spend near as much time as I would like in the outdoors, and therefore don’t blog about such fun as much as I would like, but this little corner of the world is nonetheless mine to enjoy, and I love sharing it with all of you! Believe me, if I could hunt and fish and play outside and test recipes for a full-time job, I would do it in a heartbeat. Ahhh, to dream…
But, until then, I will keep up the work fun over here on the blog, and hopefully keep entertaining y’all for a long time to come. I will leave you with a list of the most popular posts – a little photo enjoyment for the day!
how could i forget?
Snakes. How could I forget about snakes this time of year? I am not a snake person, and I will gladly admit it. A tiny little green snake? Perfectly fine. I am talking about rattlesnakes and copperheads and lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Yesterday, my dad told me that one of his buddies was scouting deer at our property, and while he didn’t see any deer, noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye near his stand as he was climbing down. Ohh, hello 6 ft rattlesnake, how are you today? Thankfully he had a pistol with snake shot in it… Needless to say, the snake is no longer with us and probably feeding some alligator in the river. Hey, circle of life, right?
This morning, I stumbled across this video on Field & Stream, and it hit me that I didn’t even include snake boots on my lists of essentials – deer or dove. If a dead snake will bite his own body, you know your leg is an even tastier treat. They make a good point in the article below the video, too – if you kill a snake, make sure you’re not putting someone else in danger by leaving that venomous head just hanging around! I have these boots, pictured below, but there are plenty of options out there!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8UqgVK4EI?rel=0]
So I know the guy filming isn’t exactly going to win an Academy Award for filming/narration, but you get the idea. Snakes are no joke! While you may not always need to wear them, it is a good idea to rock them when you can. Talk about things that make you say “bbbbbbllllhhhh.” (No? You get what I mean…)
Get some!
PS – do you like the little update to the site? I decided I wanted something a little more exciting, and that pond is one of my favorite places to duck hunt. Where, you ask? It’s a secret. 😉 Happy {and safe} hunting!
bear {smell} attack
Think you’re relatively safe up in a tree stand? Bears are cute and all, but I am not trying to have one scout deer with me. This video is just… I can’t even. If this happened to me while I was sitting in the stand? Please. Let’s not even pretend I would be this calm.
Props to this guy who manages to film the entire event. Be sure to watch until the very end.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jRTrRxamxQ?&rel=0&modestbranding=1&hd=1&autohide=1]
Well said, friend. Well said.
{bad} luck ?
I came across this hilarious article on Field & Stream last night and just had to share. {I am sure you are noticing a trend with these entertaining stories.} A woman and her husband were enjoying a Beach Boys concert when a buck knocked her unconscious. I. Kid. You. Not. The deer cleared a fence, as well as a group of people, and crashed into this woman while she sat in a lawn chair, knocking her out for a minute and giving her a mild concussion. He then jumped back over the fence and ran into the woods. Talk about a quick getaway. My response was the same as Stewie, but you can’t make this stuff up.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqyixwqiCag?rel=0]
“All of a sudden, I looked over and she was lying on her face on the ground,” Larry Leinen said. “She was knocked unconscious just temporarily.”
“They gave her a shot of morphine,” he said. “After about a half-hour, she felt a whole lot better.”
Read the full article here.
46th Annual Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament
I hope everyone had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I spent the weekend in Georgetown, where the main squeeze was fishing in the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament with the Rascal crew. Even though I did not fish with them, it was such a fun tournament, with many reasons to celebrate! On day 2 of fishing, both the Arica and the Sportin’ Life brought blue marlin to the dock, with the Sportin’ Life’s fish weighing in at a whopping 534.2 lbs! What a treat to see not one, but two monster fish landed and brought to the dock.
The best moment, though, was the awards ceremony. Our boys on the Rascal did an incredible job in the tournament, coming in 1st place in the release category and 2nd overall. In addition, they received the Conservation award for the most billfish released, as well as the 2nd place Junior Angler award for a dolphin. We were all smiling ear to ear, and had celebratory drinks on the boat afterwards. I can’t wait for the next tournament!
Lots of fun on the crowded docks
All smiles celebrating 🙂
That’s one big fish!
Junior Angler award!
So proud of these guys!
Looking forward to sharing our recipe for the dolphin, coming your way tomorrow!