Getting ready for Dakota Trip and Bow Season.

I've been doing quite a bit to get ready for the North Dakota Mule Deer trip and for bow season here in Michigan. Only one month before Dakota!
I've been shooting the Bow Madness. Its pretty accurate, but noisy. I am going tomorrow to get some Limbsaver String Leeches put on to hopefully quiet it down. I am hitting 5" pie plates at 40 yards regularly but not super tight groups yet.
I have been taking inventory of everything I am taking as well. I layed out everything on my parents' pool table to take full inventory.

I had two game cameras out but only one worked. I had a stump licker block out in front of one but it doesn't seem like the deer like it at all. Its been really hot out and it looks weird now like a block of ashes with no molasses left. I got two pics by the stump licker but I think the deer just happened to be walking by. One doe and one probably two year old six point.

I set up my new tent to get acquainted with it. It went up fast and seemed to be pretty roomy for a one man tent. I couldn't be happier with it. I tried to sleep in it but it was just too hot.

The deer should be nice and fat this year. The wheat just got taken off the fields around where I hunt in Croswell. There is still corn and beans up. Not to mention the raspberries, blackberries, pears and apples on our property. Most of the apple trees are so full they can hardly support their own branches.

I saw these weird little apples with orange things attached. Must be some kind of insect eggs. Kind of cool looking.

Probably going out for some St. Clair River walleye this weekend I will report back with any success.

One last thing. Lost my best friend about a week ago. RIP Slim. I will miss you every time I hit the woods or walk a field.

Gander Mountain Update

Well, I put in a survey about my experience at the Novi Gander Mountain store. The store manager personally called me to apologize. This was huge to me, I was amazed. He wanted to do whatever it took to fix it. I went back to the store to get my arrows cut to see if the place was any different and it was. I had a great experience so I let the guy know it wasn't all bad every time I was in there. The manager really impressed me! He said my opinion was important and would use my experience in the morning meetings in the store to better his staff. I appreciate how he handled the situation and he won me back as a customer.

I'm Ready!

I got my bow set up at Spot Shooter in Holly, Mi today. Those guys are awesome. They can do anything with a bow and explain every step of the process. I had my Apache rest put on, my G5 peep tied in and a kisser button tied in. Not to mention they checked my draw length. The bow looks sweet and I got to shoot it for the first time. All I need to do is get my Carbon Express Pile Driver arrows cut tomorrow after work and I'm ready to shoot.

I feel like I would be doing everyone a disservice by not reporting my last experience in the Novi Gander Mountain store. I went in to buy two 6 packs of arrows that were on sale and my Apache rest. I could not find anyone to help me. Mind you I was one of three people shopping in the store at 2pm on a weekday. I found a man sweeping who was the ONLY helpful employee but he could not help me but went to find someone who could. After 15 minutes a guy walks up and says "Yeah?" I asked if they had camo Apache rests and he said no and began to walk away. I told him to wait I'll just take the black one. He opened the case and gave me one and left the area. I then went to get the arrows and they only had one box. I wanted two. I looked for someone again and every associate I saw and made eye contact with looked straight to the floor and seriously ran from me. The cashier sent someone back because she did not want to write a rain check and saw that the store should have two boxes in stock. Some guy came back to assure me of what I already knew; they had no more. He then said the company frowns on rain checks and I was out of luck. I would be embarrassed to be the manager of this store. I will not ever be back.
 Anyway, I was unsuccessful as expected for Michigan Bear and Elk. Got my preference points though.