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.
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:
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.
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.
On Friday I packed my bags grabed my new music from Sara who battled Itunes complications for hours just to make me a new cd for my trip. Pulling into Radio Island 2hrs later to find the boat fixed and ready to go. So I spent the afternoon getting the outriggers out, checking all the systems, fueling up the Triumph and hanging out with the guys at the docks. The staff at Radio Island Marina are legit fisherman and all around good guys I enjoyed the conversations about boats, life, and fishing.
This trip was a special one as we had a special angler with us, Jeff's Dad.
On Friday night we did the regular routine hit up the ruddy duck, dropped by Lowes food, and checked in at the Quality Inn. Its starting to feel like we are regulars every trip seems to get easier in the sense of getting things prepped and ready.
The wind was forecast at SW but in reality it really blew straight west, making my side of the boat wet. We made it out to the 14 buoy where we found other fisherman trolling in the area along side of some semi formed weed lines but nothing trollable. So we drove on, and on, and on passing non fish-able weed lines. Then the God sent bright glowing weed patch was seen on the horizon.
We set lines and trolled once the lines crossed beside the big patch a reel went screaming and we where hooked up. Me and Jeff start clearing lines and hand the rod to his dad to start the fight. I picked up the left side rod pulled it out of the clip switch to second gear to hurry up the process. I felt no tension looked out and a dolphin jumped and Pop-pop said it wasn't his, a good 10 seconds of confusion set in. Then my drag started to peel off and we had a double!
Jeff gaffed Pop-pop's dolphin and threw out a bailing line and hooked up again. We put three dolphin in the boat in fifteen minutes. We then proceeded to chum and bail more dolphin near the mat, perhaps the strangest thing of the day was the attack of the birds.
It all started out with one bird feasting on our chum then they where diving at our spinning lines. Once hooked up these birds have no fear of attacking a dolphin and ripping the bait out of their mouths. Ok we can deal with a little bird action then the gang showed up and made trolling impossible. These dumb birds where picking up the plugs and eating the baits! So we picked up our lures headed in and trolled a few more spot with no success.
Overall it was one heck of a trip, good dolphin, decent weather, and great company.
Last week the North Carolina house voted to allow fracking for natural gas in the state with approval from the governor. This sounds like a great idea, you know using our own "natural resources right here at home". I mean Exxon commercials provide reassurance or at least I think. Offshore drilling was suppose to be safe but ask the gulf coast how that went.
So I have taken up the interest in educating myself about the process of fracking of natural gas. The more I read the frustration built. The facts are disturbing with the process itself we are essentially poisoning the earth with no repair. Fracking has taken away peoples basic rights of clean safe drinking water along with contributing to health problems. The sad part is it seems like the majority of people don't want fracking so why have our elected officials let down the people again.
Find It On Nextflix
Your sink could become flammable
You could get the chance to hunt, fish, or hike near one of these retention ponds
Or get to view these beautiful brine tanks
They even come in "emerica" paint
I kinda have a soft spot for these new indie style documentaries and thanks to Netflix I have a few of them to watch, so Sara ordered Gasland (Not available for streaming). This was the other side of fracking, people with sinks on fire, fracking near national parks and more disturbing stories of fracking gone wrong.
Here is the trailer:
(If you don't read the post at least watch the video)
Fracking is on the verge of destroying our outdoors and the most important resource...water. I have sent my representatives emails not sure if they will do any good but hey I did what I could. This fracking business will not stop until it ruins drinking water for a major metropolitan area.
So my challenge is to educate yourself about fracking, choose your side and if your against it do something blog about it, talk to your friends, relatives, and elected political representatives. Depending on your location fracking may take your favorite fishing stream, national park water, or even your homes drinking water.
This weekend I found sometime in between working to cast a few flies. I had the luxury of fishing my home turf as I like to call the ponds around my house. There are a few disadvantages to being from a small community, most of them to do with everyone knowing what you have done wrong such as speeding down the road, or missing church on Sunday. However everyone knowing you, your folks, all your relatives and yes even your dog has its perks. Mostly in the form of fishing or hunting permission on various farms.
In the console of my truck holds a wrinkled coffee stained index card with a list that features name the nicknames of all the ponds I have access to fish. Some that include "The lighthouse", " Mr.Rossie's", "Angus Acres", "The waterholes", and a few more.
They are not all fly fishing friendly, some require a boat others spinning outfits, but there are a few that are fit for a backcast. These few spots are where I spend most of my time trying to find that six pound or above lunker on the fly. I didn't find the one this weekend but I did find a couple of good ones and a lot of small ones. The majority fell for a black and red closer minnow fresh of my vise, and a few others on a deer hair frog.
