Paul's Hunting Blog: September 2014

HE IS HERE.

Me and Nolan's first pic.

Most importantly, the greatest hunter and fisherman to ever live was born August 31st at 9:53pm. Nolan Robert Dionne came into the world 19.5" and 8lbs. 11.5oz. He is amazing and awesome everyday. It should be obvious but he may make a great impact on this blog. Hopefully he grows quickly and my time in the field will double as I can't wait to teach him everything I know.

HUNTING BUDDIES.

3 LEGENDS.

I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to meet and hang out with 3 of the greatest outdoor legends. First, I met Larry Weishuhn aka Mr. Whitetail! He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He treats everybody with respect and is always up to trade hunting stories.

Larry Weishuhn!

Next, I met Tom Miranda! His show on ESPN2 in the 90's was a huge influence on me. Recently, before I knew I was even going to meet him, I broke down and bought his North American Slam DVD as I noted in a past blog. I had just finished it when I found out I was going to meet him. He is definitely an outdoor icon in multiple fields and it was a pleasure to shake his hand.

Tom Miranda!

In between those guys I met the "Pig Man" Brian Quaca. I never really watched his show as I have little interest in pig hunting but he is a funny guy. He MCed a hot dog eating contest I was in. Eight dogs in five minutes and I should have been the winner but its a long sad (and gross) story. I didn't take a picture with him but he did sign a picture for Nolan as did all the guys I met. Lastly, I got to be Aaron Lewis' body guard for a day. I loved Drury's Dream Season Celebrity back in college. I may have bought a Team Wainwright shirt but I enjoyed Aaron Lewis on the show. I have always liked his music and his more recent stuff is pretty awesome as it includes the outdoors in the songs. He is an awesome guy and everybody who came to see him did not leave disappointed.

Aaron frickin' Lewis!

Meeting Lee and Tiffany and now these three guys has been a dream come true. I love my job!

FISHING.

Fishing has been phenomenal when I have the opportunity to get out. I have caught close to 100 snapper bluefish (under a foot long) and one dandy striper. I have been fishing the smallest Daddy Mac jig for the bluefish. The lure has taken a real beating as these fish have crazy teeth but it still looks good. I don't think another lure would hold up as well. I ran into a pretty big bluefish blitz one day and caught a ton of them on that lure. After a while there was a short lull in the action and I soon saw why. A larger tale broke the surface which meant a larger fish and come in to feed on the blues. All I had was my beater rig with me; the Shimano AX 4000 reel on a Shimano Sojourn 6'6" after being broken as a 7' rod. Not ideal big fish gear. I had 20# high-vis power pro on with a 14" 14# Berkley vanish fluorocarbon leader on. I casted to the spot the tail surfaced at and was hooked up as soon as the Daddy Mac jig hit the water. It took me 10 minutes to land the 27" striper as he took me for a ride under the dock twice. It was a real testament to the Daddy Mac lures as the hook held up and didn't bend.

Bluefish.

Bluefish boil with one on the line.

Daddy Mac Lure action.

Striper.

Daddy Mac matching the hatch.

I caught him. I don't know how.

The ol' Beater Combo.

I took 3 bluefish home one night to try them. They were delicious!

These dudes do not sit still.

GEAR.

I have a ton of new gear I haven't posted about that I'm really excited about.

Rusty broke his old harness at the beach one day leaving me to rig what was left of it enough to take him the mile back to the car. Its not that I couldn't walk him without it I just get nervous in the parking lot without him tethered and he also likes to swim out too far into very shark infested waters so its better to keep close tabs on him. Anyway, I picked up a nice Ruff Wear harness for him and its working out very well. It seems more comfortable for him and it has a lot of adjustments making the fit perfect. It has a handle on the top so I can move him around while swimming very easily. So far it is holding up very well.

Rusty's new Ruff Wear harness.

Wildlife Research Centers sent the bowhunters at work a gift pack including some of their new products for 2014. I can't wait to try out the new stuff. I took my very first deer using the original Scent Killer years ago. Since then, I have tried some other products but have been ultimately loyal to Wildlife Research as it worked for me when I thought I would never kill a deer.

Thank you Wildlife Research Center, you may have just made my season!

I change up the knives I use and carry very often. Right now I have been using the Buck Redpoint. It has a lock on it and a swiveling gear-looking opener on the back of the blade that swings it open. Its a very cool design and I love Buck Knives anyway. Its been a fun and useful carry knife.

Definitely a man's knife, good for drinkin' and pokin'.

I have been doing a lot of bartering at work for goods as I have a large stock of stuff I don't use. I now have the perfect walleye rig for when I get back to the Great Lakes. Its the Quantam Smoke 25 loaded with 8# Power Pro on a Shimano Clarus 7' Medium Fast rod. This thing is going to be money for jigging walleye. I dare anyone to try to build a better walleye combo. It can't be done.

One of my biggest upgrades lately has been a new rifle. I posted a while back about building the ultimate .30-06 with the Interarms rifle I had and the Nikon Prostaff BDC scope. Well, I had a buddy at work try to sight that gun in for me and the barrel heated up so bad after a few shots it was impossible. I ended up trading it in for a Ruger M77 .30-06. It is in mint condition and looks awesome. Its overall a better quality gun and I will feel more confident and safer with it. I put the Nikon on it and it even came with the original box and rings!

Speaking of Buck and Ruger; I bought Nolan his first knife and gun only days after he came home. The Ruger 10/22 and Buck 110 knife are both having their 50th anniversary this year. I thought it would be awesome to get Nolan both items from his birth year. To make things even sweeter, two awesome guys I work with came up with the genius idea of a combo deal and my store is the only place that sells them making the combo even more special. I just have to store these things for a decade or so.

Finally, my bow is perfect! I have the bow I want; Hoyt Faktor. I have the rest I want; QAD. I have the quiver I have wanted for years; Fuse Ventera. I have the best sight out there; G5 Optix. I have to get out and shoot it very soon as the season is approaching in days. I can't wait to unleash this beast on some mammals.