Western Virginia Sports Show & The Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show

Two great events coming up at the end of this month! The Western Virginia Sports Show and The Greater Virginia Sports and Big Game Show, click on links for more information!

Snow, Snow, Snow

There has been no small game hunting for me. All I seem to do is shovel snow. Oh well, life is good! I'm just trying to enjoy the white beauty that's outside! I should have some show announcements up soon!

Looking Forward

My last minute attempts at bagging a deer this year did not work out. I became ill this weekend and didn’t have the strength to hunt very hard. I did enjoy my time in the woods though, except for the extreme cold! It was beautiful in the mountains with all of the snow and it made getting a read on where the deer were moving easier as well but I couldn’t close the deal.

Now that deer season is probably over, unless I do some late season doe hunting further North, my focus will now move toward small game hunting, post-season scouting, indoor archery, and eventually turkey season! There is always something to look forward to! Stay warm!
PS – I forgot to mention that show season is coming up for the Mossy Oak ProStaff. There are some great shows coming up and I’ll have more on them soon!

Starting Over

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. I don’t want to turn this in to a sob story but I’ve been going through a lot of personal changes and I just haven’t had much time to hunt or blog. My long time girlfriend and I split up and I’ve been trying to find a new home and get my life back on track. It is a positive thing for both of us in the long-term but the short term was very time consuming. My financial situation also took a downturn as well and it’s just taken me a while to get everything back on track. The good news is we are all happier now and Harry has two loving parents and two houses to run around a play in! I’ve done a lot of soul searching the past few months and a lot of prioritizing as well. In the short term hunting and Mossy Oak had to take a step back on that list but both mean a lot to me and will slowly be heading back up that list as my life is coming back together! I really hope to get in a few days of deer hunting this week before the season closes and will definitely be doing some small game hunting in January! I’m really excited about getting back in to the woods with a whole new appreciation for the sport we all love. I did manage to get in a few hunts this year and even had a shot at a doe on Thanksgiving Day. Unfortunately I missed, but I was thankful for the opportunity. Having a chance at a shot is all I ask for while hunting and I got it. My new band has also taken up quite a bit of time. It’s been a necessary sacrifice for my personal life but the main portion of the work will be wrapped up soon and then the fun will begin.

I thank all of you for your love and support and you’re going to be seeing a lot more of me again now that everything is moving in the right direction in my life.

Again, this was not meant to be a sad story. My life is great and I’ve been so very blessed. I just wanted to be honest and upfront about what’s been going on in my life and why I haven’t been posting. We all go through set backs in life but the important thing is to pick yourself up and keep moving forward, things will always get better! May God bless you all as he has blessed me!

Magnus Stinger Buzzcut Broadheads Review

I’ve agonized for a while now about what to write for this review. I always feel like I need to write and in depth review of the product I’m talking about but to be honest the Buzzcuts are so great I just felt a long review would be completely unnecessary. So after thinking debating it out in my head here is my review.

The Magnus Stinger Buzzcut 2 and 4 blade editions are incredible! I received in a pack of 2 blade and 4 blade 100 grain broadheads and tested them both. They are exactly what you want for a cut on contact broadhead. They are RAZOR sharp and fly exactly with field points. I shot both sets of broadheads through my target several times and they would still shave you when I was finished. The penetration was also amazing. Both penetrated completely through my target and in to my backup behind it, the two blades going just a little bit further in. I can’t speak to the durability of the broadheads yet but they are well made and everything I’ve read about them says they are tough as nails. However if one fails you Magnus has a lifetime guarantee on these heads and will replace them no questions asked.

If you have any questions about the broadheads feel free to contact me at tnunley@gmail.com or of course through this blog. Magnus has a complete line of great products to check out at www.magnusbroadheads.com. I hope to soon be able to post the videos of my testing but I don’t have them ready just yet.

Abingdon, VA Hunting and Fishing Expo

It’s that time of year again! Deer hunting is almost upon us and the Hunting and Fishing Expo in Abingdon Virginia is next weekend. Several of us Mossy Oak ProStaffers worked at this event last year and we had an absolute blast! This years event looks to easily top last years so you should definitely come out and join us! I’ll be working at the archery range so be sure to come by and say hello!

Don’t forget to be out shooting and prepping your bows as archery season begins on October 3rd here in Virginia unless you’re in one of the early opening areas. Check out the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for more information.

Remington's The Buck Stops Here with Mike Hanback

Mike Hanback's new show premiers tomorrow on the VS. Network. Mike is a great guy, a fellow blogger, user of Twitter and Facebook, and of course a great hunter and TV host. Check out his new show tomorrow and let him know what you think!

Free NRA Memberships!

From Michael Waddell's blog...
The NRA is giving FREE 1-yr memberships to everyone who wants to join.

They are trying to build up their membership to fight pending legislation that impacts our right to keep and bear arms.
It is very important that anti-gun congressmen see how many people they will have to fight to get their legislation through.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!

This can include spouses and children also
https://www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp

SIGN UP TODAY!! It only takes 2 minutes.

I have already done this and it is legit! Please take the time to register, it is quick and easy!

Nags Head, NC

Had a blast at the beach for this years vacation! Here are a few pictures!

Elk Hunting in Virginia

According to HuntingLife.com we will soon have Elk on their way back in VA! The VDGIF has decided to let Elk reestablish their population in South Western VA. Read the article at HuntingLife.com. It's a great site with a wealth of information!

Archery Crow Season

I'm excited! Saturday kicks off crow season on private lands! The season is open on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays on private lands from August 15-March 20 and on public and department lands from September 1-March 10 "M, W, F, & S only". This will be my first year trying to take out some crows and I'm going to use my bow! I'm probably a little crazy but I've always wanted to shoot one with a bow but somehow I'm just now getting around to actually trying it! I have an area to hunt that they often frequent so hopefully I'll have a chance. Since squirrel season doesn't open until next month this is my best chance to fling some arrows. I'm also going to try to film this so it should either make some funny or some cool footage! I won't have long on Saturday as I also have some fishing planned for the evening and a scouting trip planned for the morning but I'll do all I can to make it count.

Keep on shootin'!

Bass Pro Shops Fall Hunting Classic - Wrap-up

Josh and I headed to Charlotte North Carolina after work Friday. . It was a beautiful day and we rolled the windows down and enjoyed the ride! We arrived just as Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland was starting his presentation. We enjoyed Cuz' emphasis on people enjoying the hunt and his emphasizing of the fact that the enjoyment and not the size of the antlers was what this sport is all about! Cuz, Hal Schaefer, and Brenda Valentine were there as well and they came in and watched Cuz's presentation and hung out with fans afterwards. After the presentation we hung out and chatted for a while, got checked in to our hotel and then took in a little of Charlotte's night life. We had a good time and met some great people before turning in for the night.

Saturday we actually got to sleep in a little before heading over to the BPS at 9AM. Charlotte never ceases to amaze me at the quality of people that we meet when attending events there. I always end up in great conversations and always find myself learning something. Several other ProStaffers were there including our Regional Director Bucky Hauser. Bucky and the rest of the guys are friendly and knowledgeable and I always enjoy seeing them! Bass Pro Shops had all of the newest goodies and it was all I could do to walk out with any money in my pocket. I did buy myself some Treestand pattern gloves and a Treestand Scentblocker face mask but that was it... oh, I almost forgot about my Mossy Oak car air freshener!

Despite a big traffic jam we made it bag safe and sound and I managed to hang with Harry for a few minutes and get some arrows in to the target before dark. All in all it was a great couple of days.

Sunday Jessica, Harry and I hung out at home for a while and then headed to Christiansburg to do a little shopping. Jessica needed some new clothes and I wanted to check out the new hunting gear at Dick's. Jessica was successful on her meeting but much to my dismay Dick's didn't have their fall gear out yet. That was disappointing but we had a great time and a great weekend anyway!

Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland

For anyone interested Ronnie "Cuz" Strickland will be at the Charlotte, NC Bass Pro Shops on August 7, 2009! There will be various other speakers as well so check out the link and join us this weekend!

Outdoor Classic in Roanoke Virginia,

Josh Blevins and I worked at the Outdoor Classic in Roanoke Virginia this weekend and we had a great time! We started off helping the Boone & Crockett scorer check-in and score deer and then I was asked to become the door greeter as whoever was scheduled to do so never arrived. I was slightly nervous at first but it ended up being the best job there as I got to see everyone come and go! Everyone seemed to enjoy the show and there were some very large bucks brought in. It was nice practice myself and the other prostaffers present as we would guess what the deer would score and then have our guesses professionally approved. I did fair but I consistently scored the big daddies low.

After the show was wrapped up Josh and I headed to Gander Mountain to check out the newest hunting gear. I have to say the new Scentlok/Mossy Oak vertigo looks pretty cool! There wasn't much on sale that I wanted so this poor boy had to leave without filling up the shopping cart. We headed to Christiansburg and had a good meal before heading home though and that wrapped up a great day!

Sunday was spent relaxing at home with Jessica and Harry. Next weekend starts the Fall Classic at your local Bass Pro Shops, be sure to go out and check out the seminars and sales! Josh and I will be out at the Charlotte North Carolina show so if you're in the neighborhood stop by and say hello!

Archery Groundhog Hunting and Other New Things!

Try Something New Day 21 Day 22, and Day 23

I have to admit that I've fallen behind on my 30 day challenge and I'm having to step down from it. I'm not normally a quitter but I probably shouldn't have jumped in to 30 days all at once. However, in my defense I've had several unforeseen things come up that take priority over this challenge including some private family issues. Things are going well over all and I will try the "try something new" challenge again soon! I've enjoyed it and tried some new things that I probably wouldn't have. Here is an update on where I was before I had to stop...

Last Friday I tried Kentucky Grilled Chicken for the first time! I didn't have much money on me so I tried the two piece dinner and I have to say it was pretty dang good! If you like KFC give it a try!

Saturday morning I woke up early to give my first "non-mountain" running a try. The allure of the trails had pulled me out of bed early on a Saturday before but I wasn't sure if I could do it for a "regular" jog. The alarm clock went off and with a little inner debate I managed to get up, get dressed, and get out the door! I took off at a good comfortable pace and felt great for about a mile. Then for some reason after that I just could not convince myself to run. I normally use running to clear my head but I had so much on my mind that I really just wanted to walk. After much debate I decided that if my mind wanted a change of pace then that's what I would give it! I ended up taking a nice relaxing 4 mile walk and I used the time to solidify some plans. I got pretty much the same health benefits but mentally it was a great new thing!

Later that day Harry and I went archery groundhog hunting! We didn't see anything but we ended up playing and having a great time!

Sunday Jessica and I took Harry to a Japanese restaurant in town. It wasn't Harry's first time at their hibachi grill but it was mine. A friend of ours was having a birthday gathering and we all had a blast talking, eating great food, and watching the kids be amazed by the chef's!

I've been shooting my bow a lot lately and giving total concentration to my shooting. I have a hard time doing that and I normally rush through things. The hard work I've been putting in is really helping my shooting take on a new level! I'm very excited about that and the upcoming hunting seasons! I hope things are great for you all as well!