Duck season and turning the page

Although we’ve been quite busy with preparations for the arrival of our 2nd child I have made several quality duck hunts on Brookville Lake and the Ohio River.  I’ve posted a lot of photos on my Facebook page.

The weather down south has been so warm that we’ve had a lot more ducks than usual here in the Midwest.  The late season hunts have been much better than in the past few years.  The ducks are smart so you have to use the best equipment to fool them.  The new Storm Front and Master Series decoys from Flambeau are 150% worth the investment.

As we turn the page to fishing and Bassmaster Classic preparation I am getting excited.  A lot of the new gear is arriving in the mail and I am busy filling my Flambeau tackle boxes.  I picked up my new Skeeter last week, which is always an exciting experience.

The season is almost here!

Near miss and decoys

Last year was a very successful hunt in Kansas.  I was fortunate to take a great buck with my bow.  Take a look at www.BillLowen.com for pictures.  This year thanks to TightLines UV I was able to get another shot at another nice deer.

In bow hunting there is obviously little room for error.  I was in a great stand and had marked off the area so I knew my yardage, or so I thought.  30 yards is a very comfortable distance for me and a really nice buck came into my area.  He was on a steep embankment that I thought was 30 yards away, so I shot for that distance.  Turns out he was about 39 feet when I stepped it off – after shooting and missing!

That has to be the worst feeling in the world.  It is similar to the scenario of seeing a really big bass on a beg, flipping in a bait and having the fish eat it, only to miss it or break the line.

Since my return home I have been waterfowling a lot.  Flambeau sent their newest Storm Front decoys and they are the deal.  With these decoys and my Feather Flage camo I feel real good about my chances hunting on the river.

Looking at Deer and All Pro Rods

It is cloudy and rainy here in Indiana today.  That is perfect weather for blog writing!  I’m not a professional writer so trying to describe the last couple weeks of hunting trips where I have seen some decent deer but no “shooters” is a challenge.  That being the case, stay tuned for some hunting stories.  I am headed to Kansas to hunt with Tight Lines again this year so that should be fun.

Last Friday I went down to Tennessee on Old Hickory Lake.  I own fond memories of that fishery.  In 2008 I nearly won an Elite Series event there.  It was the first of two runner-up finishes in my career.

On Friday I fished with Mel Burton, who had bid on a charity package from Buck Knives.  We caught 8 keepers on a 3/16 oz D&L jig, Tight Lines UV Hogs, and an Ima Square Bill in Silver Lining or Bluegill Foil colors.  Our best 5 would have gone 14+.  Old Hickory is very healthy right now.

Friday night was the All Pro Rods annual pro staff meeting.  Bill Merrick and Don Jarvis, the owners, introduced the 2012 line of rods and have hit a home run in my opinion.  They are preparing to introduce a line of rods that will retail for $99 and $109, but you would swear they would cost $200.  They are solid rods.  I had the opportunity to fish with them on Saturday and caught all of my keepers on them.  I am very excited about the future prospects for All Pro Rods.

As for the pro staff tournament on Saturday, they didn’t bite like they did on Friday.  However, I got to spend time with great guys at the lake and that is what it is all about!

Turkey hunting and shows

I’m been fortunate to take advantage of some Fall turkey hunting here in Indiana.  One of my goals as a hunter is to be well-rounded and one that sets and meets goals.  A lot of the goals surround my bow.

A turkey is not an easy kill with a bow, but Fall is as good a time as any to accomplish the task.  I had 2-3 days in the field between fishing business trips for IMA and Tight Lines, but wasn’t able to stick a tom.  It was a blast though.

On the fishing business front, I just returned from a dealer show in Somerset, KY.  I was there for IMA Lures helping promote their great line of baits and especially the Square Bill.  It is such a great bait, and it sells very well.

This Saturday night I am speaking to a local bass club and am looking forward to it.  Bass Club guys are awesome.  Sharing information and helping each other get better is what makes this a great sport.

If you ever want my advice on getting better at the sport of fishing it is to join a club.  You can find your local club by calling the Bass Federation Nation at 877.227.7872, Option 4.  Give them a call and tell them I sent you.

Dream hunting trip

I just returned from a hunting trip out west that I’ve been on in my dreams for years.  Hunting an elk with a bow is something I’ve always wanted to do.  A few buddies and I recently drove out to Sulphur Springs, Colorado to do just this.

We hiked into where we would set up base camp (no guides, all public land) on the first day out there.  The weather was nice and cool and we heard bulls bugling.  It was an awesome sound!  Amazing.  One of my buddies actually got close enough to let an arrow fly and bring down a 5×5 bull.  What a sight!  We figured we were all in for a great hunt.  Feather Flage “Ducks in a Row” camo works very well in Colorado!

Elk like it to stay cold once it gets cold.  We hit a warm spell in Colorado.  Just our luck.  The weather was too warm the rest of the hunt and we never heard or saw another bull.  We did see a bear finishing up the carcass of our field-dressed elk.  That was a little dicey.

I guess after this experience hunting an elk with a bow will continue to be in my dreams, until it works out to hunt them again.  One thing that fishing as a pro has taught me, which hunting reinforces, is that things don’t always go as planned.

Canada geese and getting beat

Hunting season is here.  Some buddies and I took advantage of the early goose season and had a great time shooting.  The birds weren’t flying like we would have liked but after a long time of non-hunting it was great to get out.

And yes, the Beat Bill Lowen event went off and someone did beat me.  The best part was that they got 2 Buck 110′s to remember it.

It is hard to believe it has been 1 year since this blog started.  Looking back over the year I have been busy.  This has been new for me and I’ve learned a lot.  Please feel free to comment on here or Facebook about any questions you have.

Can you beat me?

I love to fish local tournaments.  There is not much better than meeting up with a group of guys and seeing who can catch more fish.  3 hours, 5 hours, 8 hours, even 12 hours sometimes at night.  On the Ohio River there is a group called the 100% Club.  All the $ that goes in goes back out.

Last year the 100% Club decided to do a contest where the guys went out to beat me and my partner one weekend.  We did plaques and stuff for the winner.  Well I had a great day on the river and caught like 12 pounds, which is really big.  So we shelved the plaques and will bring them out again this year.  This Saturday is “Beat Bill Lowen” day again.

Buck Knives, the best sponsor any guy could have, called and committed two Buck 110 knives to the team that wins….I hope we put those back on the shelf with the plaques again this year…Haha.  Call Dennis at (513) 256-0040 for more information.  See you out there.