Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew
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
A few weeks ago I shot that 8 pointer and then I mentioned that I was taking it to Chris Melvin of Pin Oak Taxidermy in Great Falls, SC to have the skull done in this new ?camo skull? design. I was anxious to see what the final product would look like and I recently got the mount back from Chris and have to say that I?m very pleased with it. The end product is very nice with a shiny finish and a very detailed design.
When I spoke with Chris he mentioned to me that he?s got some more new designs coming in and that, due to the technique used, no two camo skulls ever look the same so every one?s is unique. If you've shot a deer and don't want to do a full mount then you may want to give the camo-skull some thought. It's a unique design that isn't as expensive, but is still pretty neat.
Again, the price is $165 and the normal turn-around time is 2 - 3 months (given normal workload). Give Chris a call and/or email and tell him that we sent you!
Below is a video of my camo skull in good light to give you an up-close idea of the final product.
If you?re interested in a camo skull, Chris? information is below:
Chris Melvin [email protected] Pin Oak Taxidermy Great Falls, South Carolina 803.519.6203
Regards, Clint
One day while I was at Hickory Hills Smoked Products in Van Wyck, SC I saw something that caught my eye. One of the tables off to the side had some taxidermy displays and I saw something I?d never seen before among the displays. There was a skull mount with the skull painted in a really neat looking camo design. I walked over and looked at some of the samples, felt how slick they were, took some pics with my phone, and looked at the info about the guy who was doing it. The business card in front said ?Chris Melvin, Pin Oak Taxidermy, Great Falls, SC?. I was pretty impressed as I looked at the designs available and the samples that were on display. I made a mental note to myself about it and went on about my business.
The next day was when I shot the 8 pointer right at daylight. This deer was a nice deer, but he wasn?t big enough for me to mount in the style of a normal mount and since it was fresh in my mind I figured I?d give this camo skull mount a whirl?after all it looked pretty neat. I called back up to Hickory Hills and got the phone number for Pin Oak taxidermy and gave Chris Melvin a call. I told Chris that not only did I want my skull mounted with this neat new camo design, but that I also wanted to meet with him and talk to him about it and post something about it here on the site.
A couple of days ago I did just that? I went down and met Chris and got some more information from him about the camo skull mounts and saw some more examples. Chris was a real nice, easy going guy and I have to tell you that this camo skull stuff is pretty neat! I asked Chris some questions about the camo skull mounts and he told me a little about the process etc.
One thing I found interesting was the Chris has a very unique way of getting the skulls clean. He mentioned that many people boil a skull to get it clean, but that boiling it makes it brittle and more likely to crack. In order to get the skulls clean and let them maintain their strength, Chris uses something very unique. He uses a specific type of beetles and they eat everything, but the skull! Yes, you may find that rare, but I have to tell you that these things really get the job done. They also get the job done fast. Chris said that in a matter of days the beetles will have the skull as clean as a whistle. (If you want to see a pic of the beetles cleaning a skull, click here). After the skulls are clean he lets them air dry out for a while and then he prepares the skulls for painting.
While I was at Angelus Deer Processing getting my deer processed I showed some of the camo skull pics on my phone to the guys down there and they really liked this style of skull mount too. I?m writing this blog entry because you may be like me (and the guys down at Angelus Deer Processing) and have never heard or seen this style before. Hopefully I can help spread the word about this new technique in skull mounts and give Chris a little publicity!
Chris said that with all things normal the turn-around time with a camo skull is around 3 months. If he gets really busy then that can affect the turn-around time, but generally that?s about how long it takes. The camo skull mounts go for $165 and you can choose from a wide variety of designs and man I?m telling you they look good. I saw several designs on different skulls and they all looked different and were shining from the glossiness of the finish. I?d definitely recommend this style at least for one of your mounts and I?m going to post the pic of mine here on the site when I get it back.
Another note that is worth mentioning is that Chris can still give you a camo skull mount if you have the horns from a deer you harvested many years ago. Chris can get a fake skull and attach your horns to it. He showed me a camo skull mount that had real horns, but with a fake skull on it and it wasn?t easy to tell so they still look good.
Below is a quick video I made with a few different variations of the camo mounts
So if you have an old set of horns or if you want a neat new type of mount then give Chris Melvin at Pin Oak Taxidermy a call or email. Chris?s info is below:
You may ask why I went to Inman to the True Timber headquarters earlier today? well it was for a reason? and we?re excited to announce that True Timber has gotten on board with WeHuntSC.com to sponsor not 1, but 2 competitions this year! True Timber Camo will be the title sponsor for the ?Youth Buck of the Year Competition? as well as a newly created ?Best Doe Competition". That?s right, the ?Best Doe? competition. We?ll have more details about that coming soon on the competition pages.
We?re excited about getting True Timber Camo involved and also excited about a newly created competition that we?ll have this year on the site. We?re interested to see how it will go and what kind of does will be getting harvested this coming year.
So not only did I learn a great deal about True Timber Camo, but I went and got some prizes for the upcoming competition winners. Looks like the winners of the Youth and Doe competitions will be bringing home a mixed bag of goodies, but True Timber is throwing in a very nice, True Timber camo patterned ground blind!
Again, we?re excited about getting True Timber involved and we look forward to delivering the prizes to the 2010 winners in the near future! Until then? Hunt Hard :)
And since I like this video so much, I?ve embedded it again below.
I woke up early this morning and headed over to Inman, South Carolina to visit True Timber?s headquarters and I was surprised at what I saw. Maybe I?m not in the loop, but I was completely clueless that we had such a large camo company based right here in our own back yard. I mean these guys have a nice sized operation going on right in the Spartanburg area. True Timber sits just north of 85 and is located literally right off I-26. It was an easy drive and the plant can be plainly seen from the road. If you?ve ever been up that road, then you?ve probably seen it before.
Since I was there early I took the opportunity to take some photos and videos of the outside of the facility. This place is a large plant and one can understand the vast size of the operation from only seeing the exterior of the building. Not too long after I took the pics and videos, Devin Sweeney arrived and showed me the way in.
Entering the place it?s very evident what the showroom is about as some mounted turkeys and seats with True Timber logos greeted us at the first entrance. On the inside of the front exhibition room all kinds of mounted animals were scattered everywhere throughout the open-aired space. I mean from deer, to alligators, to lions, to bears, to turkeys, different kinds of fish, and on and on. It was literally full of mounted heads. If you?re in to taxidermy, you should give the place a visit just to see all the creatures and good taxidermy work on display.
Once I was able to quit looking at the taxidermy, Devin started talking to me about True Timber Camo and gave me the history of the company and some facts about what they do. I took more pics and videos as we walked and talked. I?m sure it was aggravating for Devin because I stopped every few feet for another pic and/or video. I also asked him several questions just trying to get a feel for what they have going on at True Timber.
We left the front display room and headed to the back where the camo is actually made and where the products get pieced together. I was surprised to see that the manufacturing part of the company was also located right there in the building. So if you?re looking for home-grown American made products, then True Timber is definitely where you need to go! The back room was stocked with material, machines, printing presses, storage racks, fabric, and all the necessary items for creating products from scratch. It was really neat to see (and to hear Devin explain to me) how the whole process goes from the actual designing of the graphics to the printing and then to the creation of products. I learned some things about how the products are manufactured from the tour.
After touring the back of the facility, we returned to the front and looked at the product lines. I took a few more pics and videos. While looking at the products, Devin told me something that I found unique about True Timber?s product line. These guys make products for everybody?and by everybody I mean they include the big boys. Yeah yeah, you say?so they carry XXXL? that?s what I thought?think again my friend. They carry all the way up to XXXXXXXXL <--- (that?s 8X?s) ? so if you are a big boy, or if you know a big boy who has trouble finding camo, then send him on over to True Timber and they?ll get you/him fixed right up. The picture is of Devin standing inside of just one leg of a pair of 8X camo over alls!
In total I spent about an hour and a half at True Timber. It was a good experience and Devin was a first class guy who knows True Timber?s products and organization from top to bottom. He was able to give good answers for any questions I threw at him. My whole experience at the plant was a positive one and I was surprised to see that such a top-notch outdoor organization was located right here in our back door and yet I had no clue.
I?m sure you have your favorite hunting gear, shirt, jacket, or set-up, but at some point in time you?ll have to get some new gear and I encourage you to give True Timber?s product line a look. Not only are their products just as good as any of the competitors, but they are made right here in SC, and they aren?t nearly as expensive! Supporting home-grown business will only affect the economy in a positive way and will help promote an organization based out of South Carolina. Yes, I am a fan!
If you aren?t up for a trip to the Spartanburg area, True Timber?s camo patterns can be found in many well-known hunting gear outlets. Devin told me all the different organizations that carry True Timber products and there were/are so many that I couldn?t remember them all. Luckily, there is a link on True Timber?s web site that has this on hand for those of you who are interested. Check out the list of stores and companies that carry products featuring the True Timber camo design.
Also, I created a video to give you a feel for True Timber, their products, and facility.
I hope to see you in some True Timber camo in pics on the site in the upcoming season!