It's a Bear Hunt

So you want to go on a bear hunt.  First thing to decide is how much do you want to spend.  Second is where do you want to go, and third who is a reputable outfitter.  You will want a guide that will get you where you can at least get a shot and possibly a trophy rug for the family room.  If you are like me, you want to get the most "bang for the buck."  My recommendation is to stay in the lower 48 and not go chasing all over the continent as the bear population in many areas has boomed.  Most of these states want them thinned as they have moved into populated areas or the population has moved out to their stomping grounds. 

The Teton areas have a lot of black bears and the outfitter I recommend is Bob Barlow owner of Barlow Outfitting. (http://www.barlowoutfitting.com/)  Bob is a native of Wyoming and having grown up in the area, knows the back country like the back of his hand.  Bob does it all from horseback trips into the mountains. Fishing trips and big game hunting trips are all professionally managed by Bob.  He uses only experienced guides with a deep knowledge of the area. 

Bob Barlow

With all this in mind, I made a phone call to Bob and then an e-mail to provide him with available dates.  He got right back to me and we are set for a bear hunt in September.  Keep in mind, if you try to contact Bob, he may be out in the mountains on a guiding trip and it will take several days for him to get back to you.  You are working with a person who is living the experience.

That is a big bear.

An example of results.

My trip is confirmed for September right before going to Africa on a camera safari.  Check back weekly for a report on the success.

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck.  Hank

These fine outdoor suppliers are starting to thin summer inventory in preparation for fall.  It is  great time to get great buy.  You cannot own enough gear.

 

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Hunting and Fishing for Customers



Laying the plans for a hunting a fishing website was the easy part.  Building and implementing was the hard part and we were presented with good fortune being introduced to Greg and Jill Jameson owners of Webstores Ltd.  Upon presenting the concept, they knew exactly how to proceed and how to set it up.  Continuing support is phenominal and this has lead to a successful site and program.  It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Greg Jameson and Webstores Ltd.

Hunting and Fishing for Customers

By Greg Jameson

When Hank Huntington asked me to do a guest blog, my initial reaction was, “What does Internet Marketing and Website Design have to do with hunting and fishing?” Of course, there are the obvious metaphors of hunting for a sale or fishing for leads, so let’s take a quick look at these.

We live in a world of computers. Even sportsmen (and women) who enjoy being outdoors are often sitting in front of their computers. Since that is our environment, we naturally gravitate towards the things we like, such as sites like OutdoorsWithHank.com. We enjoy reading what others have done, imagine ourselves in their experiences, and try to gain from their knowledge. If you are the person running a website, you understand who your visitors are and create content that interests them. In other words, we must learn to think like our customers in order to attract them. You are attracted to Outdoors With Hank, because he thinks like you do and likes the things you like.

The same is true with hunting of course. If we think like the game we are after, we stand a better chance of being able find our prey. Fishing is a little different, in that we must experiment with different bait to attract the fish. Internet marketing has some similarities to fishing, in that the website owner must look for what “bait” best attracts his or her customers. Sometimes the bait is a free white paper or ebook. Sometimes it is free product or free shipping. But it must be something that attracts the customer. Information in the form of product recommendations from an expert in the subject, such as that provided by Hank Huntington, benefits his users by sharing his expertise.

Unlike fishing or hunting however, this sharing of information is more like farming – planting seeds that can be harvested at a later point in time. My book, “Grow Your Online Sales” describes the process of getting seen in lots of places – be it Facebook, YouTube, websites, or even a guest blog for someone else. This continual planting of seeds can eventually be harvested in terms of more customers. If you are interested in learning more about Internet marketing or selling online, I encourage you to visit my blog at www.TheEcommerceEntrepreneur.com or my Facebook page at Facebook.com/WebStoresLtd. To paraphrase Hank, “Good Luck and Good Online Selling!”

Greg Jameson is the chief visionary officer at WebStores Ltd. He is an Internet consultant, author, and speaker. To contact Greg about getting your own website, please visit www.WebStoresLtd.com or call 877.924.1414.

 





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A Beautiful Morning Turns Nasty



Starvation had set in.  There are no restaurants in Stockton that are open for breakfast, so I was up at 4 AM and drove south to Plainview Kansas.  It was only 14 miles.  If you live on the high plains that is nothing.  The motel owner suggested I go south in the morning for breakfast. 

After I arrived in Plainview, I could see that this was a really nice rural Kansas farming community.  The people at an all night quick stop told me the sale barn offered an early morning breakfast.  Sure enough, there it was, the Plainview Sale Barn.  The resturant was open.  Grain trucks, bull haulers, and other ag equipment was parked everywhere.  This was the spot and the service and food was outstanding.  They spotted me as an outsider, but everyone spoke when I walked to my table by saying, "Good morning."  They all noticed that a fisherman had come in.  There was plenty of advice offered on where to go on Webster and what to use.  You cannot find nicer people than those in the high plains of central America.  When the check was paid, the waitress said "Thank You," not, " Have a nice day," or "There you go." 

Here it is.  This is Baxter's Bait Shop in Stockton Kansas.  Walking in, I was met with an amazing site.  This is no ordinary local bait shop.  It is like a mini Bass Pro store.  They have a little of everything and they are long on good suggestions and advice.  I was really made to feel welcome when I came in.  They wanted to visit for a while and help me out with my experience at Webster.

As the boat was launched on the lake, the absence of any wind was noticable.  Arriving at the spot where the fish had been pounded, a slight breeze from the south created some ripple.  The sky was just getting light, but the sun was not up yet.  As I moved in next to the standing timber, Wham! a nice walleye was picked up.  As I continued to back troll south and then drifted back over the spot where the first one was picked up, Wham! another one was boated.  These fish were a little bigger than the previous ones caught.  Crawlers, better known in some circles as worms, were being used with a spinner.  Each one was coated with some scent attractant.  I am a big believer in using scent on bait. 

Kick'n Walleye Scent Fish Attractant - Terminal Tackle

This is one of the products used on this trip.  Click on the link above or the picture and check it out at Bass Pro.

As I drifted further from the spot to the north, the water got deeper and both graphs showed little returns.  It was fully light, but the sun had not crested the dam to the east.  I back trolled the boat to the standing timber and another fish was nailed.  Now the wind began to blow.  It was not just a little breeze, but a steady blast of air.  Two more fish were needed, but boat control became really tough.  To motor over the spot and drift back was not a good idea because depth of the spinner was tough to determine. 

Here is the spot.  From previous articles, the big tree is the point to focus on.  Then go 150 yard east southeast and start catching walleye.  It can't get any better than this.

Three fish were boated in a total time of 45 minutes.  After I moved to the east along the channel, another fish was picked up, but the size and quality was going down.  The sun was fully up over the dam and more boats were coming into my area.  One went right to the standing timber and tied up.  He began to vertical jig and the glasses showed him picking up a walleye.  Leaving that spot was a bad idea, but there was a 300 mile drive ahead for me.  Also with the wind picking up, it would be tough on me getting the boat on the trailor.

Notice the big tree in the lake.  That is the rally point to begin the fishing extravaganza.  Go east southeast and slaughter the walleye.  You will really enjoy catch and release in this area as it will take some time to catch the minimum length.

I have no idea what is special about this picture.  It just shows the beauty of the lake. 

I stayed with it for another hour and then the lake really began to rock and roll.  When big waves and white caps rolled across the lake, it was time to give it up.  The total catch for the morning was four nice size walleye and a couple of crappies.  Those kind of results are not bad for three hours.  I headed for home.

Click on a banner and explore the great deals being offered.  You cannot own enough gear.

 

Good hunting, good fishing, and good luck. Hank

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Wind from the East, Fishing is Least



 After my great night's sleep in the Midwest Motel, Stockton, Kansas, I found the morning was absolutely magnificent.  When you are out in the great plains, the humidity is low and that makes the sky a brilliant blue.  Restaurants were in limited supply in Stockton.  There was no place for breakfast, and only three places for something to eat besides the quick shops.  You can check out the town on their website.  I went to the quick shop and loaded up on Gator Aid, water, power bars, breakfast sandwiches and coffee.  The night before I had dinner at Cune's Corner.

Here it is.  Some of the best ice cream in the world and it is right in the middle of Kansas.  Sandwiches and a dinner special are available.  The shop is within walking distance of the Midwest Motel.

A better shot of Cune's corner.

I headed for the lake.  The wind was dead calm.  That was not what a walleye fisherman needed.  A little ripple on the water helps break the light penetration and can bring the fish off the bottom.  With the water clarity it was very important to have some ripple. 

Many years ago, when fishing Lac Lacroix in southern Ontario, an ardent walleye fisherman and good friend wanted all the waves he could get.  The more the lake rocked and rolled the better.  Boat control was a problem and we needed to wear rain suits, but in the right spot and close to shore the walleye would stack up.

After spending about an hour fishing, absolutely nothing happened.  Then the wind came up, and it really began to blow.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that it was right out of the east.  Fishing this location was not the right thing to do. 

Here is the landmark to key off of.  It is the lone black tree with no branches.  In the morning, it is a little hard to find as it appears somewhat gray.  It is right in the middle of the lake at the west end.  Head right toward it and fish out as far as 200+ yards.  Also fish to the south (facing the picture, that would be to the left). 

Moving back along the tree line the water shallowed up to about five to eight feet.  Still, the surface temperature was not above 70 degrees.  The thought was the current from the wind would push the fish off the spot from yesterday into the tree line.  The belief was the bait fish would be carried with the current from the wind and the walleye would follow.  Boat control was a problem.  Still, my plan was to move and fish just above the snags.  With the lake giving plenty of big ripples, the walleye would move up.  It was not happening.  I used my field glasses and saw that the locals were fishing out of the wind and were anchored.  That meant they were jig fishing in one spot or using a bobber.

This is the spot where all the keeper fish were caught the day before.  It is about a 20 degree angle out from the big tree.  Head to the tree first then out to the top of the tree sticking up.  There is a line of trees that move north and south with the water moving up from 15 feet to 8 to 10 feet.  This might be an old road bed.  Fish this spot.  On the second day, with the east wind, nothing was caught at this locatiion.

I moved out of the gale to find a good spot to fish and maintain a reasonable drift.  Going into the backside of the timber was the next choice.  The graphs both showed about eight to ten feet of water.  A few walleye were picked up, but it was one here, fish for an hour, catch another, fish for 30 min, catch another, and so on.  Periodically, a crappie was caught in the ten to twelve inch range.  Those were really nice fish.  Also, a few white bass were picked up.  By the end of the day, there were four of them in the boat.  They were nice size bass and would fillet nicely.  Still, walleye were hard to come by. 

In addition, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was really hot. I drank plenty of the Gator Aid and water  to avoid dehydration.  

Finally, by 5 PM I moved the boat to the north shore right along a tree line.  Ten yards out from the trees the water was five to eight feet deep, then it dropped right down to twenty feet.  This must have been the original river channel. The waves were 50% less along this bank.  The boat was maneuvered so that it drifted with the wind along the drop off.  In this fashion, the sun was behind me, and both graphs were easily visible. 

The north shore.  The water drops down very quickly indicating the original river channel.  The fish were right along the drop off.  They did not hit well and it took a little time to set the hook.

Finally two more keeper walleyes were picked up.  Total time on the water was in excess of eleven hours and this had turned into work.  Plus, the sun had done it's damage on my face, arms and neck. 

Notice the boats tied up to the trees.  They had moved out of the wind as much as possible and must have been vertical jigging. 

Was it worth it?  A bad day fishing is always better than a great day at work.  The fast action yesterday had spoiled me.  Now it was time to clean fish.  The iron in my blood had turned to lead in my backside.

I own one of these hats.  If I had worn it, I would not have suffered the sunburn I expeienced.  This is the hat I wore in Egypt which helped keep me cool and the sun off my face and neck.  Click on the picture or the link below to price and buy from Orvis.  I highly recommend this hat.

                                                     

Orvis Packable Fedora - Natural

                                  

 

Good hunting, good fishing, good luck.  Hank.