Information is still coming in but this could potentially be the new typical Wisconsin state record archery kill.  Jeff Weber of Johnsburg WI arrowed this dandy on Wednesday night near Pipe, WI.  The cool thing about this deer is that Pipe, is a mere 3 minute drive from our Team Member Jason Lisowe's land!!  Some of the preliminary measurments include an inside spread of 22 3/8" with 15 scoreable points.  The deer could go 200" which would break the current state record of 187 3/8".  I think with deductions it will wind up just short but only time will tell.  Congrats Jeff on a once in a lifetime buck!  

The great part of this story is that Jeff, a long time gun hunter just picked up bowhunting in August.  

Wisconsin has a new deer czar: Dr. James Kroll aka Dr. Deer.  In an article recently released by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Paul Smith, states how Dr. Kroll was hired by Governor Scott Walker to better manage the Wisconsin deer herd, something that’s been a hot topic for as long as I’ve been hunting. He will be receiving a salary of $125,000.  Dr. Kroll is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to managing white-tailed deer. I think that a fresh set of eyes will be key to successfully managing the current deer heard.  

Ever since I can remember the Wisconsin DNR has taken a lot of heat for not doing their job; mainly because their job, as mandated by state law, is to manage the herds to goal. They failed by letting the herd get as large as it got. Then, when they got within a sniff of actually getting herds to goal, everyone screamed because they finally realized what 35 deer per square mile really is, not a deer under every tree. 

I hope the new “deer czar” will help the Wisconsin deer population become a healthier heard. However no matter what Dr. Kroll or the DNR do or don’t do in the future, hunters will always point fingers at the DNR for their inability to harvest a deer. Did you ever think that it could be the lack of skill, time and effort you put in as a hunter that limits your success?

I’d love to here what you think. Leave a comment, or let us know on our Facebook page.

Here’s a link to the original article:

 http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/130983078.html

With the recent opening of the 2011 Wisconsin Early Goose Season the BMGOutdoors crew has spent some serious time in our layout blinds or as we like to call it our homes away from home.  With the goose count this season for our team hovering around 35, I thought I’d let you in on some great recipes that make that sometimes not so pleasant goose meat taste like Grade A  stuff! 


Pulled Goose Sandwiches:
Directions:
1)      Take 3-4 goose breasts
2)      Put them in a crock pot on low with a cup or two of water for 8 hours
3)      Once it’s done (easy to peel apart) I take it out shred it
4)      Lastly add a BBQ sauce or buffalo sauce to you flavor

Place the goose on a roll.  Enjoy with an ice cold Blatz Beer, potatoe chips or a side of your choosing.

Spicy Goose Fajitas:
Another good recipe courtesy of Delta Waterfowl member Scott Doheny

Directions:
1)      Marinade two goose or four duck breasts overnight in:
2)      1 1/2 cups your preferred marinade
3)      3/4 cups Italian dressing
4)      1 tablespoon Red pepper flakes
5)      1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6)      1 tablespoon black pepper


Use a meat mallet or fork to tenderize the breast meat. Make sure meat is dry and grill until medium rare. Wrap meat in tinfoil and let rest for five to ten minutes. Sauté onions and green peppers while you wait. Apply salt and pepper (and/or other spices) to taste. Cut breasts thinly on the bias and serve with veggies on a Tortilla (see homemade recipe below). Sour cream and salsa are optional.

Duck Parmesan:

Here’s a dandy recipe from the kitchen of Dr. Thomas and Katie Hutchens of Bismarck, ND.

In a shallow dish or pie plate, combine:
1)      1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
2)      1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
3)      1 tablespoon flour
4)      Dip the duck breasts in an egg wash, then into the Parmesan-breadcrumb mixture.
5)      In a heavy skillet, heat a small amount of olive oil and sear the duck until golden brown on both sides.
6)      Place the breasts in a 9X13 glass baking dish and top each with a slice of Mozzarella cheese.
7)      Add a small amount of olive oil to skillet and add:
8)      1/2 cup chopped onions
9)      Sauté the onion until soft, then add:
10)  2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
11)  A splash of red wine
12)  Stir until heated, then pour over the duck breasts and bake at 350 degrees, uncovered, until the mixture is bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Serve with spaghetti and top with more grated Parmesan.

Concealed Carry (CCW) – Is It For You?

Well, The Wisconsin Concealed Carry Law (CCW) will be going into effect on November 1, 2011. I won’t get into politics or personal opinions, but this is a law that quite a few people have been fighting to get passed for a long time with Illinois currently being the only state without a CCW provision.
Deciding “to carry” is a huge decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It is a decision that is more than just getting a permit and holster and becoming another armed citizen albeit, a legally armed citizen. I’m not an expert nor am I a lawyer, but I know that if a weapon is drawn or heaven forbid ever needed to be fired, there will probably be legal and psychological issues to deal with. I read that for every bullet fired, there will be a lawyer attached to it. Given that you do everything by the book and are legally justified in protecting yourself or a family member, you will most likely spend many months or even years tied up in the courts and/or in therapy because you took another human’s life.

We as hunters, especially the younger hunters will have already taken and passed a Wisconsin Hunter’s Safety Course and are pretty good at handling guns and pointing them in a safe direction checking to be sure a gun is unloaded and safe to handle. These traits have become second nature to all of us. Having a photo ID, a clean record about $50.00 and a Hunter’s Safety Certificate and being 21 years or older will be enough to apply for and probably receive a CCW license. I highly recommend going the extra mile and enrolling in a Concealed Carry Class where you will not only learn safe gun handling skills, but more importantly the legal aspects of CCW. You’ll learn among other things where you can carry, what to do when approached by the police, when and if you’ll be allowed to defend yourself or a family member and how to avoid conflict or a confrontation so you won’t be put into a situation requiring the use of deadly force.

Finally, and I may get some flack for this, when you make the decision to carry a weapon, you must have already made the commitment that given the right/or wrong circumstances depending how you look at things, you will be prepared to use the weapon with the likelihood of taking another’s life. You do not use the weapon to “scare the bad guy” and if the threat to you or your family member is real, you will not shoot to wound. If you draw a weapon to bluff or scare a perpetrator, there is always the chance that you could be over-powered and your weapon could be stolen from you or even worse yet, used against you or the family member you are trying to protect. The advantage that you have with a CCW permit and carrying a concealed firearm will be lost if you hesitate or have second thoughts about using the weapon because the element of surprise will have already passed.

Please consider all the legal, moral and psychological responsibilities before you carry a weapon with the proper CCW permit. The consequences could be life altering for you and your family and the families of others and shouldn’t be taken lightly. 

Let us know how you feel about CCW whether its here or on our facebook page...

Most hunters spend the summer months preparing their food plots, improving their land and improving their marksmanship for the long grueling season.  What about preparing your body? 

Hunting despite what some may think, is a grueling hobby.  I’m willing to bet a lot of people can’t walk a mile through a mucky marsh in waders hulling two dozen duck decoys, shells, and a shotgun! My Team Members and I are fairly fit individuals, having run cross country and track at the collegiate level, and there are days in the field when we find ourselves hunched over, hands on our knees, with the old ticker pumping! Here are some exercises we do to make sure we are ready for the season. I’ll keep them simple; things you can do with little or no equipment.

Exercise One: Chair Dips
The chair dip works the triceps, traps, deltoids and pectoralis minors.  Place a chair behind you and place your hands on the seat part, extend your legs straight in front of you.  Bending at the elbows lower and raise your body 10-15 times, rest, and repeat.

Exercise Two: Push-Ups
Push ups are a great exercise to strengthen your lats, chest and shoulders and can be performed in a variety of ways.

• Push-Up 1 Normal Stance: Arms shoulder width apart, toes the same and pointed toward the ground; perform 10-15 pushups once
• Push-Up 2 Wide Stance: Arms a bit wider than shoulder width. Same protocol as Push-Up One.
• Push-Up 3 Tight Stance: Arms noticeably closer than shoulder width apart. Same Protocol as Push-Up One.

Exercise Three: Squats
Squats are another exercise that can help you strengthen your legs, back and core. Keeping your back straight, bend your knees lowering your Torso closer to the ground.  Make sure that your knees don’t go to far in front of your toes since this is know to put added stress on the knees. Perform 10-15 repetitions, rest and repeat.

Exercise Four: Lunges
Lunges are great way to work the legs and lower back muscles.  Start in the standing position legs shoulder with apart.  I like to keep my hands on my head to force me to balance a bit.  Start by taking a step forward with your leg bending at the knee. Do the same with the opposite leg.  Repeat this exercise for 10-15 times on each side then rest and repeat. In order to increase the level of difficulty, place dumbbells in each hand with arms at the sides. 

Exercise Five: Planks
Planks are a great exercise to strengthen your arms but more importantly your core muscles.  Strong core muscles will help stabilize your entire body improving your balance in the tree-stand as well as giving you a sturdy base when shooting.

• Plank 1: Facing the Ground forearms underneath your body, and toes towards the floor in the push up position, hold your body up for a minimum of 45 seconds. Increase if your feel its too easy
• Plank 2: Put your right foot and right forearm on the floor, hold yourself up facing sideways for 45 seconds. 
• Plank 3: Repeat Plank 2 but on the left side.

Exercise Six: Bent over Rows
Bent over rows is an exercise that stimulates the muscles most similar to shooting your bow.  I like to bend over with one knee on a bench or chair. Personally I use a resistance band for this exercise because it forces you to use your stabilizing muscles as a bow would, but a dumbbell would suffice.  Pull the dumbbell or band in the upward motion as if you are starting a lawnmower 10-15 repetitions per side, rest, then repeat

Don't forget the Cardiovascular Exercises...
I recommend doing some sort of activity that will raise your heart rate for an extended period of time, 30 minutes at a time at least 3 days per week.  Watching hunting videos doesn’t count!  Depending on your age and ability level this could mean running, biking, swimming, elliptical machines, stair steppers (especially beneficial if you hunt hilly terrain) or just plain old walking at a brisk pace. 

It doesn’t matter what you pursue in the fall, exercise is essential.  I guarantee if you follow these tips you will be able to pull your bow back smoother, quieter, and hold it longer improving your chances at harvesting that big buck! These exercises will also help make hauling your gear, climbing your stand or pulling that trophy out a whole lot easier.  Did I mention that exercise, both strength and cardiovascular varieties, is proven to decrease your risk for heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, relieve stress and help you sleep better?  

2011 Wisconsin Waterfowl Season's Set

MADISON, Wis.  – The Natural Resources Board set 2011 waterfowl season dates and bag limits and approved creation of a third waterfowl hunting zone at its August meeting in Spring Green.

“Waterfowl hunters can look forward to a full 60-day duck season with a six-duck daily bag, and an 85-day exterior goose zone season,” said Kent Van Horn, Department of Natural Resources waterfowl ecologist. “It was a good year for duck production in Wisconsin and across the continent. Overall conditions were very good for breeding ducks. The continental breeding duck estimates hit a record level at 45.6 million ducks making 2011 good year to be a duck hunter.

“As always, the most successful hunters will be the ones doing the early season scouting, locating the smaller isolated potholes that can attract waterfowl when hunting pressure is high in other areas and securing permissions from landowners well in advance,” added Van Horn. “I’d like to thank the thousands of hunters who participated in the development of our new duck hunting zones and wish all waterfowl hunters a successful and safe season.”

2011 waterfowl season structure
During the 60-day season duck season, the daily bag limit is six ducks in total. The six-duck total may include no more than four mallards, of which only one can be a hen, three wood ducks, two redheads, one black duck, two pintail, two scaup and one canvasback. In addition, five mergansers to include not more than two hooded mergansers. Coot daily bag of 15. (For duck species not listed such as teal and ring-necked ducks, the combined total with all other species may not exceed six ducks).

•Northern Zone-Sept. 24 at 9 a.m.-Nov. 22.
•Southern Zone-Oct. 1 at 9 a.m.-Oct. 9, and Oct. 15 –Dec. 4.
•Mississippi River Zone-Sept. 24 at 9 a.m. – Oct. 2, Oct. 15-Dec. 4 (12 day split Oct 3-14),
 

Youth Waterfowl Hunt
The youth waterfowl hunt will be Sept. 17-18. Youth may harvest Canada geese in all zones during these 2 days. All bag limits and tag requirements apply for the zone hunted. These days overlap with open goose seasons in most areas so adults will also be able to harvest geese but not ducks during the youth hunt.

“The youth waterfowl hunt is important to the future of waterfowl hunting and I encourage all waterfowl hunters to take a son, daughter, niece, nephew or family friend out for this weekend,” said Van Horn. “It’s a great time to share your experience with a new or prospective waterfowler, outside of the regular duck seasons, when there are fewer hunters competing for spots and when warmer weather can be anticipated.”

Canada geese
The state is apportioned into two goose hunting zones: Horicon and Exterior. Other goose management subzones within the Exterior Zone include Brown County and the Mississippi River.

•Early Canada goose: Sept. 1-15.
•Exterior Zone: 85 days. Daily bag of two Canada geese.
•North Zone: Sept. 16-23 and Sept. 24, (9a.m.)-Dec. 9.
•South Zone: September 16-30, October 1 (9 a.m.)-Oct. 9 and Oct. 15-Dec. 14.
•Mississippi River Subzone: Sept. 24 (9a.m.)-Oct. 2, Oct. 15-Dec. 29.
Horicon Time Periods: Hunters with Horicon zone permits will be issued six tags for the time period that they are awarded. The daily bag limit will be two geese with a possession limit of six.

Horicon : 92 days Period 1 Sept. 16-Oct. 30, Period 2 Oct. 31 –Dec. 16

Other Geese: Brant and Light geese Seasons will be the same as for the Canada goose zones/subzones. The daily bag limit will be one brant and 20 snow, blue or Ross' geese. White fronted geese season will be the same as Canada geese for the Exterior zone and within the Horicon zone the season will be from Sept. 20-Dec. 16. The daily bag limit will be one.

Third Waterfowl hunting zone added
The new three-zone season structure adds a third waterfowl zone to the existing northern and southern duck zones. The new third zone consists of the Mississippi River from roughly Prescott to the Wisconsin – Illinois border, west of the railroad, and is identical to the current Mississippi River Canada goose subzone. What is now identified as the Mississippi River Zone for duck hunters will open Sept. 24 – Oct. 2; reopening Oct 15 through Dec. 4. Goose seasons in this zone will continue through Dec. 29.

Mentored Hunting
Wisconsin’s mentored hunting law allows any registered hunter age 18 and older to introduce anyone age 10 and older to hunting without the mentee first passing a hunter safety education course. It’s a great way to generate excitement and interest in adding hunting to a lifestyle. Interested hunters can learn more at the Mentored Hunting Law page of the DNR website.

Article courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR for more info on the upcoming waterfowl season!  http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/hunt/waterfow/