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Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew


2011 SC Turkey Competition Winners Receive Prizes

I recently met our 2011 Montana Decoy Turkey Competition winners to give them their prizes.  As you are most likely aware, our site audience voted and Mark and William emerged as our winners.  After the announcement we had to schedule and coordinate a meeting place to deliver the prizes.  Since Mark and William hail from areas distant from each other we had to line it up for different days and it even was raining as Mark received his prizes.  Nevertheless we still got it done, but we didn?t shoot much video? just pictures. It was definitely a good day for William Babb and Mark Cody when we met and they were all smiles as I got the prizes out of my car.

Below are the pictures and videos from the winners receiving their prizes.

 

Below is a video of the winners receiving their prizes

 

Thanks again to our sponsors and to everyone for participating in our 2011 Turkey Competitions! Without our sponsors and participants none of this would have been possible!

Regards,

Clint


2011 SC Turkey Competition Winners

I just returned from a weeklong trip (where I didn?t have much connectivity) and one of the things I was interested in seeing when I returned home were the results from our 2011 SC Turkey Competitions. When I looked at our site metrics and checked the results from the competitions I saw a big surge from one city which correlated with a ton of votes for one of our entries in the Montana Decoy 2011 SC Turkey of the Year Competition!  Then in our Montana Decoy Youth Turkey of the Year Competition we ended up having a pretty close finish.

So without making you read a long entry I?ll get to it!  Our winner of the 2011 Montana Decoy Turkey of the Year Competition is Mark Cody from Chester SC! Mark obviously had some loyal voters because he won by a landslide with 458 votes with the nearest competitor only having 30.  We saw big traffic spikes out of certain cities where Mark received votes.

WeHuntSC.com - Mark Cody - Winner of the 2011 Montana Decoy Turkey Competition

Then in our 2011 Montana Decoy Youth Turkey of the Year Competition William Babb edged out Alex Carnes in a close race.  William received 60 votes and Alex received 42.  William hails from Marlboro County and the bird he won the competition with was the first gobbler he?s called up and harvested by himself.

WeHuntSC.com - William Babb - 2011 Montana Decoy Youth Turkey Competition Winner

Thanks to everyone for entering this year?s competitions. Without your entries and participation we wouldn?t be able to host these competitions on the site.  And congratulations to Mark and William!  

Now we?ve got to deliver the prizes to Mark and William so? when you read this?send me an email (clint.patterson(at)WeHuntSC.com) and we?ll work out the details!

See the results of the competitions

Regards,

 

Clint


Custom WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok?s by Jon Eichorn
     WeHuntSC.com - Custom WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok by Jon EichornWeHuntSC.com - Custom WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok by Jon Eichorn
  Custom WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok by Jon Eichorn
We are excited to announce that we?ve already got a couple of the prizes that some of next year?s deer competition winners will receive!  Jon Eichorn out of Iowa makes Skull-Loks and he?s made 3 custom designs for 3 of our upcoming deer hunting competitions.  As you?ll see below I?ve already had them out looking at them and I can tell you that they are quality and we?re going to have some happy hunters this coming season.
 
What is a ?Skull-lok? you might ask? A ?skull-lok? is exactly what it sounds like it is? it?s a way to lock your deer skulls onto a bracket which can be mounted on the wall.  The bracket just happens to be a custom design cut from metal and polished up with a good, smooth finish.  For our competition winners, the custom design is the outline of the greatest state with the Palmetto tree and crescent moon in it.  It looks really good too!  The end result is going to be the glossy metal, SC state shaped bracket, with a nice deer skull and antlers on top of it on the wall.  The only question is? whose house will these 3 skull-loks be hanging in???
 
WeHuntSC.com - Custom WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok by Jon Eichorn    
WeHuntSC.com Skull-lok  & pieces  
My mom just happen to be walking by when I opened the package and she saw the skull-lok brackets when I pulled them out of the bag and she said ?Oooh?what is that? I want one? can I have one?? lol!  Then I informed her of what they are and how they work and she said, ?Well can we just hang one up without the deer antlers on top?? I had to inform her that this wouldn?t be possible and she seemed saddened by this, but she definitely perked up when she saw the quality of the SC shaped piece.
 
Even with all the ridges on the wall mount everything is very smooth so no worries about cutting anything.  Jon did a really nice job from the concept, to the design, to the cut, to the glossy finish.  We?re pumped about being able to offer this new style of mounting brackets to 3 of our upcoming deer competition winners.  Jon is a creative guy and I?m sure he can do any custom design requested.  If you?d like more information on getting a skull-lok then contact Jon Eichorn on his Skull-lok web site.  
 
 
 
Thanks again to Jon for going the extra mile and donating these to our competition winners!
 
Regards,
 
Clint
 
 

27th Annual Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic Review
 
Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic 2011  

SCDNR would probably have wished for a little nicer weather but my son, Riley, and I didn't let the rain put a damper on our time at the 27th Annual Palmetto Sportsmen's Classic.  If you're like me these events are an adrenaline rush.  I guess it's just being surrounded by things that get me fired up and this year the rain couldn't put out the fire on this event. 

As noted earlier, I had Riley with me so I didn't have too much of a plan for how we would explore the event.  He is 4yrs old, so I figured we would play it by ear.  Just a few minutes into our journey through the vendors we came up on a pop gun that Riley had to have.  I thought this was a good idea because it would keep him occupied.  Well, after a few pops from this thing I was searching the vendors for a silencer!  He was in heaven, so I didn't stop the popping, although we got some evil looks.  Riley made sure he gave those evil eye lookers an extra pop.  Oh boy!

As we made our way down the isles of vendors, I had my eyes peeled for products that not only caught my eye but ones that would make me a more efficient hunter.  A few of these that I noted were as follows:

McNett Camo Form

This protective camouflage wrap caught my eye as I am always looking for ways to conceal my gun, camera, and stand.  This is a stretch fabric wrap that reminded me of an ankle wrap or ace bandage.  It is not tape so it doesn't leave a residue and it can be reused.  I found this product at the Shooter's Choice of West Columbia stand and after the gentleman with them wrapped my arm with it I was sold. 

Hammock Seat

If you've ever hunted on the ground you know that the ground is not so forgiving.  Well, when I sat in the Hammock Seat I was ready for a nap.  This thing was very comfortable and swiveled to allow a shot at any angle.  I've killed a couple deer from the ground and I wish I would've had this seat then. 

Buck Smoke

As I stopped to take a picture with Riley and a wild boar, I caught a whiff of a deer scent that put me in search mode.  Man this stuff was strong.  I finally found the source and it was a scent called Buck Smoke.  It was a wax looking substance contained in what looked like a shoe polish container.  I was intrigued because this was a no liquid and therefore no mess scent.  This scent was being sold at the Big E Outfitters stand.  They had some amazing animals displayed at their stand.

Mckenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag

Scent control is a must in the deer woods and I am definitely going to try this bag out this coming season.  I often find myself searching on the way to the stand for some pine or cedar to rub on my clothes before a hunt.  That is definitely not an efficient way to control my scent.  For me this bag is going to make it much more easy to seal my clothes up and control my scent before a hunt.  Definitely a must have for me.  The Mckenzie Scent Fan Duffle Bag vendor stand also was displaying the Jake Intimidator and Crossover Camo.  A dangerous looking combination. 

F2 Outdoors

Gator hunting has been the new rage in South Carolina the past couple years and this vendor caught my eye with the gator skull mount sitting ready to chomp.  Not that talking gators could get any better but they also were displaying custom truck seat covers.  This was a pretty neat looking set up that I'll have to check out this coming gator season. 

A couple other vendors that caught my eye were Pin Oak Taxidermy with the Camo Skulls and Hunter's Comfort with the Rack Shack hunting houses.  I was also impressed with the versatility of the Hunt Pac and the guarantee made by the X-Factor crew on their bow sound and vibration dampeners.   Riley got a picture with Brad Hoover of the Carolina Panthers at the Buck Yum stand.   I also picked up a Winn Tuck t-shirt and hat.  Winn Tuck had a really neat set up as you will see in my video.   I am also a sucker for things that are handcrafted.  A couple that stood out were the longbows made by Saluda River Bows (Doug Warren (803) 924-4285) and the kayaks made by Pledger's Craft.  These looked like works of art made for the great outdoors. 

Overall, we had a great time.  We closed the day with some cotton candy and a few more pops from the pop gun.  Did anyone else get out in the rain and check out the Classic?  Check out the recap video below.

 


CrossOver Camo

     WeHuntSC.com - CrossOver Camo Logo
  CrossOver Camo

As hunters we?re always looking for new products, ideas, concepts, and gear.  I guess it?s just our nature to want to know what the ?next best thing? is or to be able to see trends just around the corner because we want to better ourselves and be well rounded outdoorsmen.  Having a lot of hunters on one site allows us to learn from each other and to share information.  Through information sharing we make the most out of our time in the field.  And on the information side of things?I?ve got some info on a new camo that is just coming out that I would like to share with you in case you like to try out new products.

CrossOver Camo is a new camo that has a really neat pattern that I think will mesh well in some of the outdoor backdrops of South Carolina. CrossOver Camo is a Christian based organization that aims to take the Gospel around the world and share in its fellowship.  CrossOver Camo is based out of Delaware and is already making a splash in the outdoor industry.

CrossOver Camo?s pattern is based off a design called ?Reactive? Camo.  I took a quote off their web site to explain a little bit about their ?Reactive Camo? pattern? ?Hunters know nothing hides like a deer. The deer?s hair absorbs and reflects light to aid in their ability to blend so well in the environment. Our New Reactive ®Camo pattern evolved from two and a half years of research and field testing. Designed utilizing five different deer hides which provide various colors, sizes and patterns, enabling you to be disguised in the environment like never before, getting close and staying undetected.? One neat thing that I like about the camo is that the cross is integrated into the pattern.  Also, the pattern has some dark, vertical lines in it that are similar to the lines in the bark of a pine tree.

 

I've been checking out CrossOver Camo for a little while and have been testing it to see how it blends in with a couple different backdrops here in SC and its done well. I?m going to wear it turkey hunting this spring and see how it goes and will try to keep you posted via future blog entries. You can decide for yourself after you see the below video.

 

If you?re interested in seeing the pattern up close for yourself then you can find it this coming weekend at the Palmetto Sportsman?s Classic in Columbia at the McKenzie Scent Fan Bag booth.  Be sure to stop by and check it out. If you?re not going to the classic then check out CrossOver Camo?s web site at www.CrossoverCamo.com

Regards,

Clint

 


2011 Turkey Competitions Announced!
    WeHuntSC.com - The Montana Decoy
  Montana Decoy's "Mr. T" turkey decoy
 
The key to winning these competitions is to take a good bird and then to take a good picture!  Be sure to read the ?photo tips? on the competition pages.  To enter the competition you must be a registered member of the site and you must HAVE THE DATE IN THE PHOTO.  Ya?ll know how we do it by now so the same rules will apply.  The competition starts tomorrow (March 15th) and will run through May 1st.  We will narrow the pics down to the top 5 and then the site audience will vote on the winner starting on May 3rd.
 
Whoever wins these competitions will be really pleased with these prize packages because they are nice so go the extra mile to take a good pic! 
 
If you have any more questions, just shoot me an email?
 
Regards,
 
Clint
 

The New Thermacell
    WeHuntSC.com - The New Thermacell
   
  WeHuntSC.com - The new Thermacell Holster
   
  WeHuntSC.com - The new Thermacell Swivel Light

Thermacell
has done it again!  
 
If you?re a hunter (or anyone who spends time outdoors) and you?re reading this and you don?t know what a Thermacell is then you?re definitely missing out.  Thermacell is the #1 insect repellent on the market and, for hunters, it will change the way you hunt.  Very rarely does a product live up to the ?hype? or ?buzz? that we often hear about, but I?m here to tell you that Thermacell is everything that the ?hype? says it is?plus some! Just this past weekend I had a conversation with another hunter and I told him about Thermacell?s updated appliance and he told me that he doesn?t go in the woods without a Thermacell and that if a Thermacell cost $100 that he would still buy one!  And after hunting with a Thermacell in warm weather I feel the same way too!  
 
Believe it or not this is Thermacell?s 10th anniversary and so the updated model comes along at a unique time for the company.  Allegra Lowitt, Vice President of Marketing was quoted saying ?Our customers have made some great suggestions over the years regarding how we can improve the functionality of our products and we take this feedback very seriously?.  Based on feedback the new Thermacell appliance is updated with the following:
  • Ergonomic hang grip ? makes it easier to hold
  • Matte finish ? more aesthetically pleasing
  • Quieter ON/OFF Button ? Reduces amount of noise made when turning appliance on
 
They also updated the appliance holster with the following:
  • Elastic trim design - allowing for easier insertion/removal of the Thermacell appliance
  • Quieter side pockets ? removed buttons and used elastic for refill side pockets reducing sound
  • Swivel Clip ? new swivel clip added on back for easier attaching to gear from any angle
 
A new feature integrated into the new appliance is the All-Purpose Swivel light.  The light attaches to the top of the Thermacell, but also comes with a clip so you can attach it wherever you want.  The light comes with the batteries installed and has a white and green line of LEDS that you can use for lighting and they are bright!  (I almost blinded myself a little while ago).  The new light fits seamlessly into the Thermacell appliance and is a neat new feature.  
 
 
I am a web guy and we have to constantly create, delete, and update images, animations, style-sheets, videos, pages, apps, sites, etc?we?re adjusting and adapting all the time.  Given that everything is in code or a ?digital? format, it?s not too hard to be flexible and adjust, but most importantly the thing to note is that if you don?t listen and innovate?you won?t be around long. Creativity, design, functionality, and implementation rule the online world.  The most impressive thing to me about Thermacell?s updated appliance is that the addition of the new features demonstrates that same principle, but with a manufactured product that you can touch and feel.  Thermacell is listening to their audience and responding with top notch innovation.  And that is why Thermacell is the #1 product on the market and will continue to be!  
 
Regards,

 
Clint 
 

Moultrie?s First Game-Spy Featured Hunter via Twitter
       WeHuntSC.com - Moultrie's Grow the Hunt Blog Site
   Moultrie's Grow the Hunt Blog Site
On Wednesday I was on Twitter when I noticed that Moultrie posted a tweet with something about a ?Grow the Hunt? photo submission to be featured in a blog.  I wasn?t exactly sure of what they were referring to at first, but I know we spend a lot of time in the off-season growing our hunt!  Turns out they were asking for photo submissions and I tweeted back to Moultrie sending them the link to our ?Tecomate Seed Food Plot Journey? where I blogged for a year about the journey of creating food plots.  A few minutes later Moultrie sent me a message saying ?That is very cool, but you would need photos taken by one of our Game Spy cameras to be considered?.  Boom! they threw down the red tape on me with the quickness.  I thought about it for a second and remembered that I did post some game cam pics in the blog series and they were taken with a Moultrie Game Camera.  So I fired back a tweet saying ?Well consider us because we posted pics using your cameras! Check out blog entry #16?.  A few seconds later Moultrie replied saying ?Those are great pics! You just moved to the top of the list!? and that was it for that day.  I didn?t know when the submissions would end or whatever and probably like everyone I thought that nothing would come of it.  
 
 
WeHuntSC.com - Tweet from Moultrie Feeders
 
The next day I got a Twitter notification that someone had mentioned us WeHuntSC.com in their tweet and when I read the message and it said ?Check out our first ever Twitter Featured Hunter, @WeHuntSC , on our blog! More to come, keep submitting your pics!?. We had become the first ever Game-Spy Photo Featured hunter via Twitter.  I was pumped about it and we got some pub in their blog on the Grow the Hunt typepad site.  
 
I hope you are ?growing your hunt? this off-season too!
 
Regards,
 
Clint

Kellytown Baptist Church Wild Game Banquet
  WeHuntSC.com - Kelleytown Baptist Church
  Kelleytown Baptist Church, Hartsville SC

Last night I made a trip to Hartsville, SC to Kellytown Baptist Church. The church put on a ?Wild Game Banquet? that had a little something for everyone!  The event was neat and I wish I would have arrived a little bit earlier than I did.  To start off with they had skeet shooting competitions and as I walked up I could hear the final shots being fired in the tie-breaker rounds of the competition.  I didn?t expect to know many people at this event, but before I even got in the door I saw a couple guys I know and even a guy who played on the state championship team with me back in 1997! The good ol? days just never die I don?t guess.

As I got close to the door I could see a Ducks Unlimited chapter breaking down a booth that they had set up outside of the church.  I made my way into the church?s multi-purpose room and could hear music as and smell food as I entered.  It?s always a good sign to smell some country cooking when you enter a room!  The multipurpose room was big in size and there was a band playing on the stage.  There were a couple of tables and displays set up around the room and I made my way to the back to where the Wrecking Crew & Blake Hodge were set up.  Blake was on schedule to do a calling demonstration as part of the program.  When I got to the back and talked to all the Wrecking Crew I noticed that my local taxidermist Carlyle Sutton had some displays set up and one of the deer looked awful familiar too!  Since I knew a couple of people at the back I hung around there and put some WeHuntSC.com stickers on the Wrecking Crew?s table.

WeHuntSC.com - The food line at Kelleytown Baptist Wild Game Banquet   
And yes we ate some gator!  

Once the skeet shooting competitions were complete and everyone made their way inside the emcee started making some announcements.  He gave information on the door prizes and talked about the schedule for the evening.  The preacher then blessed the food and everyone got in a line to eat the food we had smelled for some time.  The buffet line consisted of catfish stew, catfish, rice, and alligator meat.  It was the first time that I had ever eaten any alligator and I have to say?it wasn?t that bad!  (It all tastes like chicken right?)  I snapped some pics of the food and the line in the kitchen and then made my way back out.  They also had a dessert table too.  The dessert table had a bunch of cookies and cakes on it, but I was able to be self disciplined enough to pass it up this time.

After we ate Blake went up and blew his calls for the audience.  I shot some video of Blake shooting, but I?ll have to say that I did a terrible job of filming it.  I kept bumping the camera and I had the tripod head so tightly screwed into place I couldn?t budge it without being rough with it.  So my apologies for the bad filming on this one! 

  WeHuntSC.com - Guest Speaker Paige Patterson
   
After Blake came the guest speaker for the evening Mr. Paige Patterson  (no he?s not my uncle).  Paige Patterson is the President of SouthWestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth Texas.  I thought his named sounded familiar and I think I remember hearing Paige Patterson speak a couple of times while I was at Liberty University.  What I didn?t know was that he was a big outdoorsman.  He is definitely a good speaker and he kept the audience engaged throughout the duration of his speech.  His presentation was titled ?On Safari? and it showed all the different species of animals he?s shot in Africa.  See the ?On Safari? PowerPoint presentation.  Mixing humor, hunting stories, and real life, Mr. Patterson stressed the importance of the male influence in the home as it relates to the development of young men and the overall family.  He also told a detailed story of how he led a safari hunting guide to salvation!

After Mr. Patterson spoke the emcee gave out the rest of the door prizes to the audience.  It seemed very fitting that a young kid won the shotgun that someone donated to the event since Mr. Patterson mentioned several times in his speech the notion of how it?s important for a boy to have a gun as he grows up.  He always quickly followed that up with how it was also important that the father guide and instruct the kid on how to use the gun.  It seemed like a good ending to a good night.

I was glad to have gone and met some new people, eat some good food, and hear a good speaker.

Below is a quick video I made from the event...sorry for the bumpy footage

 

Regards,

Clint

 


WinnTuck Waterfowl Competition Winner John Shell Receives Prizes

  WeHuntSC.com - John Shell with his prizes
  John Shell decked out with his prizes
A week ago John Shell won the 2010 WinnTuck Waterfowl Competition by a land slide.  John had a great picture of his dog ?Dixie Belle? on a dog stand just over the water with ducks hanging off the tree the stand was on.  Our site audience unanimously voted his picture as the winner.  John?s picture received 140 votes and the next closest entry received 36 votes.  John was the undisputed winner.  
 
One of my favorite things to do with the site is to deliver the winners their prizes.  We were able to catch up with John this past weekend to deliver his prizes to him.  We met John and also were able to meet his dob ?Dixie Belle? as well.  We loaded John down with prizes from WinnTuck, Lodge Creek Calls, & Hobo Calls and shot a video and took pictures of it all.  
 
Check out John loaded down with his winnings below:
 
 
See John's interview below:
 
 
 
Thanks again to WinnTuck, Lodge Creek Calls, & Hobo Calls for making our competition possible!
 
Regards,
 
 
Clint
 

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