July 2012 - Big Red Outdoors

Vol 1, Issue 3 - July 23rd, 2012
Big Red Outdoors
Giving outdoorsman access to private land in Nebraska & Iowa
BIG
RED
BANTER
Off Season Preparation
For hunters, there is just something about this time of year. We’re all ready for the temperatures to drop, the days to get a
little shorter, and those first hours in a tree stand. I’ve been reading, and re-reading hunting magazines, setting the DVR for
all my favorite hunting shows, and laying awake at night thinking through my pre-season checklists and priorities as I prepare
for the upcoming season. Now it is time to put some of this reading, watching, thinking, and dreaming into action. Here are a
few items that might help you with your pre-season preparations.
Property Management
Hopefully, you’ve been able to spend some time outdoors, and in your hunting area during the off season. If not, now is the
time to get back out there. This is a great time to get some scouting in, and place your game cameras if they haven’t been
deployed all year. Keep in mind that the deer on your property are still in their summer routines and travel patterns; so there
is no need for alarm if you’re not seeing activity in your mid-rut hot spot.
Early Tree Stand Check
Since you will be spending some time on your hunting property, go ahead and inspect your tree stands, steps, ladders, and
harnesses. Depending on their condition at the end of last season and your storage arrangement, the equipment may require
repair or replacement. You are much better off discovering problems now (in the pre-season and while you have both feet on
the ground) rather than later. If everything checks out and you use some hang-on style stands, go ahead and get a few
placed in your “old standby” locations. Getting those stands in a tree will put you ahead of the game, and allow the area to
cool off from the activity associated with getting the stand in position (noise, scent, lane cutting, etc.). Having these stands
set up in proven locations will give you a good starting point for early season hunts.
Equipment and Technique
I bow hunt throughout the year, so some of my preparation work is archery-specific. However, the same principles apply
regardless of your weapon(s) of choice. I also participate in 3-D tournaments throughout the summer to keep my archery
muscles in shape, and because it’s a lot of fun. If you haven’t been shooting, get the bow (or crossbow, muzzleloader, shotgun, rifle) out today! Taking the time to inspect your equipment well in advance can prevent lots of scrambling and headaches around opening day, when pro shops are full of other guys who waited till the last minute. Make sure your equipment
is functioning properly, and quietly. Check for arrow straightness and broadhead sharpness. Go ahead and sort through your
secondary equipment (rangefinder, binoculars, flashlight, compass, knife, scent eliminating spray, lures, calls, decoys, etc.) to
be sure that everything is accounted for and in good operating condition. Make a list of this equipment to keep track of items
that need attention or replacement (and items for the wish list). Now is a great time to get all of that equipment organized for
the upcoming season so you aren’t stumbling around the house at 3am on opening morning searching for your lucky knife.
Once you make sure everything is in order, start practicing. Even a few shots a day, 3 or 4 days a week can make a big
difference come opening morning. Aside from increasing your chances for success, we owe it to our quarry to make the most
ethical shot possible, so proper preparation is a must. Try to really focus on every shot, and simulate real hunting situations. Be sure to practice with your broadheads, and while wearing your hunting gear. If you hunt from a tree stand, get
some practice shooting from an elevated platform (use your safety harness). Things change once you climb that tree, so get
up there and figure it out now. If you hunt from the ground, practice shots from kneeling, leaning, and off-balance scenarios. In all of these out-of-the-ordinary positions, focus on maintaining your upper body position and anchor point to be consistent and accurate.
Don't Stink
“You’re better off
finding a dry-rotten
sole in your living
room in August than in
a creek in October”
This is also a good time to inventory your hunting clothes to be sure that everything
is in decent shape, and still fits (another good reason to get outside for some scouting). Hopefully you were able to store your hunting clothes in a dry, relatively scent
-free environment. During the pre-season, I wash all my clothes in scent-free
detergent to remove any residual odor, or “stale” smell from storage. Once everything is clean, dry, and scent free, I return my clothes to their sealed container. I
use giant sized Ziploc bags (like 24 x 32”) inside Rubbermaid containers. This
combination has proven to be an effective, low cost, portable solution to clothing
storage, and a big part of my scent control strategy. This is also a good time to
inspect your boots. Things can change through a few months of storage, and
you’re better off finding a dry-rotten sole in your living room in August than in a
creek in October, trust me.
Stay Out of Jail
A final tip that is often overlooked but can help you avoid serious trouble later is to pick
up your hunting license early and grab the latest available version of your state’s
hunting regulations. States routinely change these regulations, and it is in your best
interest to familiarize yourself with the current rules. You can also find this information
through your state’s game and fisheries website. Keep in mind that some game regulations even apply to activities outside of hunting season (often regarding baiting/
feeding game animals). Don’t put yourself at risk when a few minutes reviewing new
regulations can keep you informed, and on the right side of the law.
Hopefully some of these tips will help to focus your pre-season preparation. If nothing
else, these tasks can occupy time between episodes of your favorite hunting show,
and make you somewhat productive while daydreaming about all the potential held in
the upcoming season. A little work and forethought now can make a huge difference
come opening day, so get to it!
Find all the current regulations or
purchase your permits on the
Nebraska Game & Parks website.
BRO Member Earns FREE Lifetime Membership
How do you earn a FREE Lifetime Membership into Big Red Outdoors you ask?
Thomas Bouche who is a Charter Member of Big Red Outdoors can answer that
questions for you! He has been a member since June 2010 and in July 2012
referred his 10th member to the club. With this achievement Thomas will
never pay dues again!
There are several recognition levels for member referrals. Once you refer 3
new members you receive one year’s worth of dues for FREE. Refer an additional 3 members for a totol of 6 new members and receive another year FREE.
But wait, refer another 3 members for a total of 9 and receive another year
FREE. And the grand finale is the 10th referral at which time you earn your
FREE Lifetime Membership! That’s right - you never pay dues again!
Again, we would like to CONGRATULATE Thomas Bouche for all his hard work
and dedication to the growth of Big Red Outdoors! We would not be where we
are at today without the help of all of our terrific members!
Thomas Bouche
PARTNERS
Hunters Helping the Hungry
On April 11th, LB928 passed final reading on a 49-0 vote. This bill creates
the Hunters Helping the Hungry fund and provides hunters the chance to
donate deer and cash to fund this program through a series of processors in
the state. The meat will then be given to the shelters and groups that on a
daily basis provide a quality meal to the hungry and the homeless. We here at
Big Red Outdoors are very proud of the Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation
and this bill. We are equally proud of our fellow sportsmen for their desires
to continue, as we have for generations, to help those who are in a time of
need, this will provide a wonderful system of doing this. Thank You to Senators Langemeier, Krist, Fulton and Schilz for their efforts and unwillingness
to give this bill up. We would also like to thank the Nebraska Game & Parks
leaders for their hard work on this bill.
Hunters can donate money when filling out a Nebraska Big Game Application
form (look for the shaded box in the upper left corner of the form) or when
purchasing online. Anyone will soon be able to make a tax-deductible donation
through the Nebraska Game & Parks Commission’s website, outdoornebraska..ne.gov.
The program got a boost May 16 when the following Omaha businesses donated a combined $30,000: the Metropolitan Utilities District, Northern
Natural Gas, Tenaska Marketing Ventures, CBSHome, Woods Brothers Realty, HomeServices of America, Inc., and HOME Real Estate, as well as the
David Scott Foundation.
A special THANKS goes out to Scott Smathers, Executive Director of the
Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation, for his tireless effort in making this program a reality! A true friend of the Nebraska Sportsmen!
DONATE HERE
New Club Members
It has been awhile since we published a newsletter and have many new members since then. Big Red
Outdoors would like to welcome our newest club members! We have been growing faster than we
imagined and look forward to providing you and your families with quality private land for years to
come.
I would like to Thank You for giving us the opportunity to serve you and your families.
Please note that the members highlighted in red type are now or have served our country. We would
like to THANK them for their sacrifices and ask you to please do the same. Please let me know if I
have missed anyone!
Also, those in Bold type were referred by current members.
Due to the amount of new members we will list their name, where they live and the month they joined:
October:
John Robinson – Custer, MI
Michael Alberti - Bellevue
February:
John Pochinski - Papillion
Darin Ochsner - Loveland, CO
November:
Brian Branigan - Omaha
March:
Chris Kappius - Omaha
December:
Josh Bickford - Ashalnd
Timothy Bryson - Fremont
Ralph Kerkemeyer - Omaha
Matt Novak - Papillion
May:
Shawn Juhl - North Bend
Steve Cash - Papillion
Clay Landis - Omaha
Ted Saunders - Lincoln
Jim Ahl - Fremont
June:
James Schwartz - Bellevue
Randy Thompson - Glenwood,
IA
April:
Dan Marcum - Bellevue
Neil Hoebelheinrich - Gretna
Greg McCubbins - Papillion
Thomas Beck - Waterloo
July:
Rick Langstraat - Papillion
Brian Brown - Papillion
Rick Lawson - Brunswick, GA
Bill Hamill - Plattsmouth
Tim Weeda - Plattsmouth
Jacob Chandler - Gretna
Tim Blackmon - North Bend
January:
Scott Collins - Omaha
Don’t forget to refer your friends to Big Red Outdoors. A
member referral does not have to pay the Initial Membership
Fee and you get credit for a referral. A win, win situation!
3 Referrals—One year free membership dues
6 referrals—Another year free membership dues
9 referrals—Another year free membership dues
10 referrals—Lifetime of free dues!
Welcome to Big Red Outdoors, Nebraska’s Premier Sportsmen’s Club! My wife and I started this club
to provide access to quality private land for hunting, fishing, and camping opportunities that would
otherwise be unavailable. I’m a lifelong outdoor sportsman, and I long ago realized that the best
hunting and fishing is found on private land. With that in mind, I set out to start a club that could
provide access to private ground at an affordable price. We now lease over 8,000 acres across
Nebraska and will continue to add new properties as membership grows. We still have 200 acres
leased in Harrison County and will lease more as Iowa membership grows. Come be a part of the Big
Red Outdoors Family!
Member Photos
Send us your photos so we can share them with the rest of the club!
Marty Weverka with his November Rifle
buck. Congrats!
13 yr old Brandon Brion
with his 1st deer harvest.
It’s a nice one, Congrats!
Anderson Graham with his first
ever deer harvest. Congrats!
11 yr old Parker Lange
with his 1st deer harvest. Another nice one,
Congrats!
Suzanne Lange (wife of BRO Member, Jeremy
Lange) showing off her first deer harvest with
the boys Aden & Max. Congratulations!
14 yr old Jonathan Thow Jr with his first
deer harvest ever! Congrats!
Randy Thompson with a monster
Iowa bird! Congrats!
10 yr old Ethon Moore with his 1st
deer harvest. Congrats!
Max & Aden Lange with their 5 lb bass.
Good Job!
John Pochinski, with his first turkey.
Congratulations!
Jonathan Thow with a successful Muzzleloader hunt.
Congrats!
Dalton McCubbins with his first
turkey ever! Congratulations!
Greg McCubbins with one
of his spring gobblers!
Jeremy Lange’s boys helping him carry
Jonathon Thow harvested this 21lb,
9.5” beard spring gobbler.
Colby Coash Fundraiser & Ted Nugent Meet & Greet
In May 2012, several Big Red Outdoors members had the opportunity to meet the man, the myth, the
legend - TED NUGENT! This was made possible in large part due to our continued relationship and
support of the Nebraska Sportsmen’s Foundation. I urge everyone to become a member today and
support the mission of NSF!
This event was a fundraiser for Senator Colby Coash who is a true friend of the Nebraska Sportsmen. Support him and all of the pro outdoors Senators due for reelection this November.
Big Red Outdoors
437 N Ash Street
Dodge, NE 68633
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Questions or comments? E-mail us at bigredoutdoors@gpcom.net or call 877 -738-4915.