Deer Corn Breaking The Bank

There is some bad news with CNN reporting every fifteen minutes a severe drought across the U.S. is killing corn crops.

This Means:
Little Ethanol is being produced
Food Prices are going up
Deer Corn is going up..up..up

According to BusinessInsider.com a bushel of corn is at an all time high of $8.10 a bushel. 

Do the math 1 bushel = 56 Pounds @.14 a pound

That fifty pound bag cost the supplier roughly $7.20, so throw a minimum 20% mark up (If your lucky)
1 bag = 8.64 (most likely to round to $9)

My prediction is that deer corn will be sold at an average of $10 a bag or higher. 

That means that deer hunters especially in North Carolina will be hit in the wallet. This will leave you to debate is corn really worth it? 

What To Do Without Corn?

1. Hunt over natural food plots (oak/apple/pear trees, old peanut fields, etc.)

2. Hunt over built food plots 

3. Sweet potatoes 

- If you have a local sweet potato farm they have discard bins usually, ask and most likely they will let you go digging. This is a dirty and smelly process however you get free feed material. 

J.Jones 

Simple Sustainability : Save Bristol Bay

http://www.savebristolbay.org/takeaction/petition

How To Put A Band-Aid On A Deer...

Once again I hope everyone is staying out of the heat and hydrated. As the high heat has sucked all the ambition from me to go out and fish. So I have been working on things that involve using the A/C which includes:
- Studying for my EMT-B state certification test
- Getting things ready for school early this year
- Hanging out with some good friends
- Talking about how nice it would be to sit in a freezing deer stand

So who has the medical training?

I have spent the last few days studying for my EMT basic test, and I wondered how many people who enjoy the outdoors actually have medical training? The variety of friends I hunt, fish, and paddle with sometimes medically speaking I am on the low part of the totem pole, other times I am the only one with even basic first aid knowledge. Being with someone who is qualified give me a more secure feeling as I go on trip with friends who are emt's, nurses, firefighters, and some that serve in the armed forces.  Then there are times I am the only one past the band-aid administration part which makes the trip more stressful. So even though this emt class has been a long process as it was a one night a week deal I am glad that I took it, I now feel better about medical training when I go outdoors. 

    Are you the one without the training?
Be Proactive:

1. Take a CPR/First Aid class (http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.d8aaecf214c576bf971e4cfe43181aa0/?vgnextoid=aea70c45f663b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD)
2. Grab a first aid book:                                                                                 http://www.amazon.com/sie=UTF8&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Asurvival%20First%20aid&page=1
3. Take a Wilderness survival/ first aid course                                                           http://www.ecu.edu/cs-studentaffairs/crw/programs/adventure/WildernessFirstAid.cfm

Go out-get the training so your not a newspaper story, First aid is an essential skill just as casting or shooting. 

Deer season planning already

You have to understand I have not been excited for deer season in four years, quite frankly in two years I have hunted twice. 

You lose a lease, get your stands stolen, someone kills your big buck, friends go separate ways and soon your burnt out on deer hunting. That has been my story but the stage is set to change.

My friend Kevin has recently moved to Greenville and found out this is no sportsman paradise, and most folks aren't interested in you hunting with them. Kevin is just back from Iraq where he served in the Army during all of deer season last year. This year we are teaming up as he has 60 acres that he hunts about 1.5 hrs away and my 100 acre property is 1hr away. 

For the first time in along time I am looking forward to deer season as I have someone to enjoy it with.

On Sunday afternoon we got together and talked deer hunting while the girlfriends talked about whatever they talk about. We have plans for work that needs to be done, travel arrangements (driving together), deer stands, feeders, and all the other stuff that will go into this season. Including filming a few hunts in hopes to bring you all a cool hunting video by the end of the year. 

So for now I sit, study, watch the offshore forecast, plan for deer season, and sweat every time I walk outside. 

Stay Cool My Friends,

J.Jones 

Keep Your Dogs Water Cold @ 107F

This weekend was hectic as I spent it dog sitting, working, and helping others after the bad streak of storms that came trough on Sunday. I stayed busy with a lack of time for photos so I have grabbed a few from friends and the web but you will get the idea.





Keeping your dogs water Cold:
My parent have a yellow lab Buddy that stays outside in the backyard, coming in occasionally during bad weather to enjoy A/C during the heat. I was responsible for keeping his water drinkable as it was 107F this weekend. So rather than throwing ice in the water bowl only to watch it melt in less than a minute. I recycled an idea I learn while working landscaping in high school: The Frozen 2 liter bottle.

Find a two liter Bottle fill with water till the top of the label leaving room for expansion. Throw it in the freezer for a couple of hours.

The you have two options
1: Throw the bottle in the bowl and let it act as a ice block
2: Cut the bottle off and have a lick able ice block

-Either way your outside (Or Inside) dog can enjoy cold water for hours, leaving you with the feeling of being a responsible dog parent.

The fish even felt the weather:
In the dog days of summer you can go fishing, leaving you with a loss of water weight, mosquito bites, and sunburn. I spent the latter part of the days fishing only to find a few yellowbellys deep on a beadhead stonefly and a few bass on a deer hair frog moving it slowly with little pops. Even days when the fishing isn't so great it can always turn into a good time to work on you casting.

Sunday storms came fast, left fast and a mess behind.

Sunday afternoon the storm system from Virginia came into North Carolina with solid red showing on the radar. Still at my parents house where I am a volunteer firefighter the fire calls where numerous as trees where down and houses had been struck by lighting. I spent Sunday behind a chainsaw for a couple of hours. Only to spend Monday behind a chainsaw at a friends house in Greenville helping his family clean up as they lost a few trees. I was graciously paid with a great dinner and good conversation.

Overall it was a good weekend I kept buddy's water cold, caught a few fish, and helped some people in need as I hope one day when I need help someone will return the favor. 

J.Jones