Jesse's 10

Well if you have ever tried filming hunt you will find out that it's not easy, not at all, but as soon as you leave the camera at home the deer come out of the wood work. We have been hunting hard all through the rut trying to get some kills on film its been slow. The first time I go out with no camera man it happens. A big 10pt comes out trailing a doe and I put him down would have been great film! That's how it goes still a great hunt, the cool thing about it was I was hunting in the swamp and the water was very high so I was able to float him out.

Brents best bow kill

Other than one distant encounter early in bow season; and a few trail cam pictures, this buck that i had nicknamed "The one eyed monster" had been a virtual ghost. He had earned that name due to the fact that only his left eye would glow on all night time pictures. Well, needless to say that he was placed at the top of my hit list and i was determined to dedicate my entire season to his pursuit.
However as luck would have it, Ole One Eye cruised by my stand on his way to check some does feeding in a wheat field. It was only November 5th, and my sixth hunt on the farm and my buck was at 20yds broadside. I made a great shot and watched him fall at about 75 yards. I'm very proud and very fortunate to have targeted a specific deer and got it done so early in the season.

Early Muzz

Chris and Jesse took off work on Friday and didn't waste any time putting a deer on the ground. Deer movement was slow at first light but around 7:55am Chris shook the tree signaling my attention to the left. When I looked there was a doe crossing a creek,following her was a nice buck. Chris took the shot. He then looked up at Jesse telling him that the deer had a nice drop tine.



The Swann boys are on a roll,Jesse was up next. He had been thinking about his encounter with the big 8 earlier this year.The wind was just right for the tree he wanted to hunt so they went in after the buck. At 5:30pm deer movement began and things were beginning to look good. Around 6:00 Jesse spotted some smaller bucks feeding his way. Then Jesse saw that something was chasing a 16in. 8pt- it was the deer he was after! They fed within 50yds for a perfect broad side shot. The deer went 40yds and was down.

Opening Day Wood Duck Hunting in Southern Maryland

Saturday was the start of duck season in Maryland and this day was very special since it was Zayna's first hunt.

We set up on the main run of Lee Gootee's marsh. The excitement cranked up before legal light as we watched a few teal flying at mach-1 over the marsh grass. At sunrise, the crack of my Benelli echoed across the marsh and a drake wood duck folded near the decoys. Bella, a seasoned yellow lab veteran, showed little Zayna how to mark a bird and retrieve it like an old pro.

Just a minute later a pair of wood ducks dipped in over the tree line and Lee graciously let me shoot my limit. I dropped both wood ducks and Zayna launched into the run to pick up the lead bird. She returned with a special drake wood duck. It was a banded duck!!! ...what are the chances of retrieving a banded duck on a first hunt?

Zayna's first duck was my first banded wood duck. We registered the band with the USGS and found out that the bird was banded in Pennsylvania and was over three years old. This woody must have made a wrong turn into Whackfactor country...which is never a good idea :)

A special thanks goes out to Lee, Jimbo, Bella, Ottie, and of course Zayna. It was an awesome opening day with good friends and great gun dogs. I also want to thank Ralph Yates for introducing me to Mitch and the team at Clark Brothers Guns in Warrenton VA. They did an excellent job tuning my Bennelli for the season opener!

Have a great waterfowl season.

-Austin

Water Hole Buck

Saturday September 25th, it's hot! The WFO boys have been putting the time into the woods, but it's very hard to get motivated when it is 95 degrees outside. Deer movement has been minimal during daylight hours. We haven't had rain for 3 weeks, so we knew the deer would be coming to the water hole.

We walked in, spooking 10 deer in the moonlight... bummer. I still had high hopes of seeing deer coming to drink from the water hole. At day break we had a fawn come in for a drink, encouraging us to stick out the heat. At 7:15 a.m., cameraman Doug shook the tree, signaling my attention towards the thicket to our right. I pulled up the binoculars to see the tall 8 pointer that I have been trying to get an arrow into for the last 2 years. My attention quickly went to the 12 pointer that was leading the way to the water hole. He stopped at 20 yards for a perfect broadside shot, and I let it fly.

The A Team Gets It Done

The 2010 hunting season has started off great. Doug Hancock drew the first blood with camera man Frankie Burch filming over his shoulder, making an awesome hunt to kickoff bow season. We were setup under a white oak that was raining acorns. The bucks literally came running in. It was clear which buck was in charge, as he was pushing the other smaller bucks around. Doug made a great shot and he only went 80 yards.



Frankie was up to bat next and he wasn't wasting any time getting it done. Great job boys!

Three More Days!!!

Three more days, the WFO boys are itching to get in the woods. We are starting to see some good bucks.

Labor Day Bonanza

It is really nice when a plan comes together and today was that day. Whackfactor's Trevor Michaels, Jesse Swann, and their retrievers headed to Newburg, MD to hunt Resident Geese. The day started off great with Woodducks flying around and Turkeys gobbling. After things settled down at about 6:45 we heard the first honk of a goose. As we looked to our left, a small group of about 15 geese were clipping the treetops with wings set headed in our direction. It made for a fun morning!

Ninja posing in front of his future stomping grounds, dreaming of the doves to come.


Ninja's dreams came true! Trevor and Jesse got their legal limit of dove....and dinner!

2010 Bear Hunt

Our bags are packed and our bows are in the truck. We headed North to Quebec for our second annual bear hunt. The WFO team had high hopes to score on some good bears and we have the film to prove it. The week started off great,we were greeted with cool clean air, and few bugs. We drew straws to see who would be hunting what stand. On the first night bears were on the move Jesse,Trevor, and Doug had encounters, but no blood was drawn. Jesse had a shot but decided to pass,the bear was a bit small to shoot on the first night.Day two was very slow with few sightings.Day three it was time to draw blood everyone in camp was ready to let the arrows fly.Jesse drew first and put the Whackfactor on this nice bear. He is small but not bad for his first bear.

Jesse- "It was sweet. I drove that arrow through him and he didn't go 5 feet."



Brian was able to get the job done an this awesome 350lb monster on day four.

Brian- "It was crazy the bear came in at 8:30 and walked under my stand rubbing his side on the ladder as he went by."






Brent had hunted hard all week and had yet to see anything. On day six Brian decided that he would give Brent some company and hoped to bring him some luck. Well just ask anyone and they will tell you that Brian is full of luck. Brent and Brian climbed into the stand at 4:30 at 5:30 they had killed a great bear,the film was sweet.

Robert Fey's Windy Morning Gobbler

As Saturday morning, May 8th, rolled around, the wind was clipping through the farm but the gobblers were still sounding off on the roost. It took a while to get them in but Robert put the nasty on 'em and they simply couldn't resist! After a very busy spring with minimal hunting time, Robert was pumped to be able to take a gobbler on one of his few days out.

Trevor Michaels Public Land Jake Kill

After a tough all-morning hunt on public land on the eastern shore of Maryland, Prostaffer Trevor Michaels was able to seal the deal on this nice jake at 11:45 am. It was delicious in the smoker!

Whackfactor Outdoors Turkey Time

The day started off a bit shaky with the neighbor deciding to bush hog the field at 6:30, but this bird didn't seem to care.He flew down into the field we were set up on. He was strutting his stuff. We watched him come in from 200 yards in full strut the whole way. This bird got the Whackfactor.

Youth day in Charles County

The 2010 youth day started off very slow for hunter Adam Hancock, accompanied by caller Trevor Michaels, and camera man Jesse Swann. It was a cool and windy morning, but we had high hopes.Our first set up was pretty dead, not even hearing a bird on the roost makes it tough for a kid to stay focused. We packed up our gear and moved to a new spot, we wanted to try to locate a bird and that's what we did, lots of them. Within an hour we had a bird on the ground! Great job Adam.





However the day did not start out slow for Hunter and Holden, accompanied by their father Sonny Goldie, and camera man Brian Rawlings. Brian had done his homework and knew where the birds would be roosting. He set up two ground blinds the day before the hunt in a small field that the birds were using. The plan came together great, the birds came off the roost and into the setup. Sonny put the old one-two-three count on them, and then both of the boys put the Whackfactor on a gobbler. This will be one of those hunts that wont be forgotten,especially since dad is going to mount the birds.

Really Big deer stands

These deer stands may look like a bit much but on a rainy day everyone will want to be in one. They are also great for first time hunters and kids.





After adding some brush and a bit of paint these stands will be ready for the hunt.

Shed hunting with dogs

This can be a great way to find deer antlers and is also very rewarding for a dog owner.First, you must establish a command, such as "find the horn" or "fetch the antler". After you have established a command, you must show the dog what it is looking for. You can do this by playing fetch with an old horn. When you are playing fetch, you want to make sure your scent does not get on the horn. We used latex gloves. Next, hide the antlers throughout the woods and fields, leaving them for a few days. After a few days, go back with your dog and let him find them. Once you are in the general area, use the command that was established earlier. If the dog finds the sheds, give them alot of praise and you will soon be on the right track.