Road Trippin' for the Raxx

Sorry that it's been awhile since my last post. While I'm working to keep my head above water with an increased work load this fall, I've gotten behind in other areas of life. So let's hit rewind for a second.

Just before Labor Day, Jody Reinen and I hit the road to shoot a commercial with fellow Monster Raxx pro-staffers Bruce Severson and Mike Earp. We made our way from Wisconsin to Albia, Iowa, and began by visiting the Midwest Whitetail headquarters. From there, we hooked up with Bruce, shot his lines, and immediately hit the road heading south into Missouri. We landed at the Muddy Outdoors headquarters in Camdenton, MO sometime around 11 pm, where a gung-ho Wyatt greeted us and hammered out his lines before we zonked out.

We were up and on the road again early the next morning, and were back in the badger state by evening. It was a whirlwind 18 hours, covering 3 states and 1232 miles. Here are some images from the trip:

Midwest Whitetail's Bill Winke and Jody Reinen

Hangin' with Bruce in his trophy room.

Pro-staffer Mike Earp in front of the lens.

Cutting-up long after midnight!

Fueling up for the long ride home!

Here is the fruit of our labor:

My Minerals commercial

Look for the commercial on Midwest Whitetail TV this fall on the Sportsman Channel.

Setting Goals

Season is well under way with the weather finally breaking here in South central IA. I was beginning to think that summer was never going to end. With that being said, our bow season has been going since Oct 1. Every year I set goals for my self of what I want to accomplish. Some times I meet them, some times I do not. Last year for instance the goal was set to shoot a monster buck. Due to the size of deer I had on video and on trail cams I set my gaols very high. I wanted one of the BIG boys I had been seeing. Last year brought many deer past me in my stand. some of which were very impressive by anyones standards. One deer I had 3 opportunities at I could have killed. This deer was actually bigger than anything I have previously shot. However, I was holding out for a true GIANT. Well by some standards I ate a tag sandwich that season. For me I knew I gave it my all and could not have enjoyed my season more. There are other years I set my goal on harvesting a particular deer which I was successful in pulling off.

This year is new season and with it I have set a new goal. This year I have the goal of harvesting a deer for the first time with traditional tackle. A Fred Bear Grizzly recurve bow, shooting arrows made by my best friend who got me in to traditional archery. The arrows have fletching made with real turkey feathers from a bird I harvested a couple years back tipped with an actual stone point made by another friend of mine whom is a flint napper. Now I am not out to kill any particular deer. In fact, I am shooting what ever I can get close enough to make a comfortable shot as I have antlerless tags to fill as well and there are too many does on my farm. If this goal can be reached, I would rank it as one of my highest personal accomplishments in bow hunting. Maybe not for some, but it would be for me. Now on the flip side I will still hunt during the rut with my new Destroyer for a BIG boy, but for now I am content hunting for the antlerless deer or right buck that comes with in my acceptable range of Fred Bear Bow.

Regardless of what your goal would be, I challenge you to set goals to shoot for this season. You may find it will add to your hunt and make the overall experience more rewarding.

PS: notice the pic of the doe coming to the Monster Raxx Magnet. This stuff is unbelievable!

Hunt Hard & Hunt Safe

Unfortunately every year you hear of some one who had a hunting accident in their tree stand. I for one have been very lucky, I never used to wear a saftey harness. Even after I had a couple of mishaps in stands I was still foolish enough not to wear one. It does not matter if you are in a climber, a hang on or even a ladder stand make sure you wear your saftey harness.

There are many different types of saftey harness's on the market today, for any budget. Plus the fact that every stand comes with a harness now, there is no reason not to wear one. If not for your self do it for your friends and family who care for you. I am married now and have two children and I put my harness on every time I climb in a tree stand.

I have tried a number of different ones from multiple tree stand companies and have even purchased a few. I have had a couple of Hunter Saftey Systems saftey vests and really liked them. They are very easy to use and buckle like a car seat. The pockets give an added bonus for storage and keeps items such as your range finder close by.

This year I am using a saftey harness from Muddy Outrdoors and so far I love it. It is light weight and very quiet. It is very simple to put on and take off, even in the dark. I am going to spend a lot of time in a tree stand this year and hope I do not have to put it to the test, but from everything that I have read and saw it looks like it will do the job.

So for everyone who will be climbing in a stand this year make sure you wear your saftey harness. Remember Hunt Hard & Hunt Safe and good luck harvesting a Monster this year!

Tom Lester
President Monster Raxx LLC
tom@monsterraxx.com

NFL picks week 4

Three weeks in a row with 10 correct picks. With the byes this week I would be happy to make it 4.

Atlanta over San Fransico
New York Jets over Buffalo
Cincinatti over Cleveland
Green Bay over Detroit
Tennessee over Denver
Seattle over Saint Louis
New Orleans over Carolina
Baltimore over Pittsburgh
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
Houston over Oakland
San Diego over Arizona
Philadelphia over Washington
New England over Miami
New York Giants over Chicago