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Blog Entries from the WeHuntSC.com blogging crew


Introducing the Tech Turkey & Internet Controlled Decoys
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In June of 2010 I wrote a blog titled “The Convergence of Technology & Hunting” that elaborated on the emergence of technology in the hunting industry and discussed how technology can give hunters advantages. A lot has happened in the technology world since I posted that blog and the evolution of technology continues to advance. Though, the one thing I didn’t anticipate is that I would be participating in the evolution in a way related to physical products. 

WeHuntSC.com Tech-Turkey - Internet Controlled Decoys

Introducing the Tech-Turkey & Internet Controlled Decoys 

The “Tech-Turkey” is a project I’ve been working on for a little while now. If you’ve noticed that it’s been kind of quiet around WeHuntSC.com lately, a large part of that is due to me investing so much time learning and building what you see in this blog post, an automated, internet controlled turkey decoy.  The process has been both fun and challenging!

This decoy system gives you the ability to control your decoy from your cell phone, tablet, computer, or anything connected to the internet. This project is a work in progress and currently in prototype phase as I continue to enhance the solution. The roadmap for the project has some slick enhancements already lined up as well. 

You may be reading this and wonder “Why would I want to control my decoy from a cell phone?” Well there are a few advantages to having your decoy be controlled through the internet ie: your smart phone:

  • Distance: You don’t have to be in close proximity to the decoy. No matter how far away you are, as long as there is cell phone service, you can control the decoy. This frees you up as a hunter to set up in any way you would like without the concern of distance or proximity to your decoy. 
  • No Remote Controls: You no longer have to carry yet another controller (such as a remote control) into the woods with you. I always lost those extra controllers! Usually we carry our phones with us everywhere we go so there is an added convenience to being able to control the decoy from your connected device. 
  • Complete Control: By having this level of control you can get as granular as you want with the movements of the decoy. You can twist the head, raise & lower the neck, and spin the entire decoy with the push of a button. If you don’t want that granular level of control you can simply start a feeding cycle and the decoy will move until you tell it to stop. This frees you up to hunt in the scenarios where you’re hunting by yourself.
  • Battery Efficiency: Since you have control, you don’t waste battery power and thus are more efficient with energy.

To best communicate what the turkey can do, check out this video that we made of the decoy in action

I am excited about this project and am indeed looking for a few field testers for the upcoming spring. I want to get the technology out in the field on some live hunts and get feedback from actual hunting scenarios. I definitely won’t be able to give everyone a decoy to test with, but I would like to work with a few of you to get your thoughts and opinions of the decoy. It is definitely helpful if you can provide me with a YouTube link of some of your hunting videos as I will want to get some quality footage of the decoy in action in live hunting scenarios.

If you’re interested in field testing the Tech-Turkey just submit the form on the “Tech Turkey” page. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

WeHuntSC.com Updated
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If you’ve been a member of WeHuntSC.com for any amount of time then you know that change is somewhat constant. As technology evolves and new functionality becomes available I’m constantly working on and tweaking something with the site. Well the time came again where the site needed to be upgraded, updated, and leverage some new functionality.

WeHuntSC.com Updated

What’s New?
This update brings some enhancements that you will see and some that you won’t. I’m going to list these out for easy consumption:

  • Upgraded Software Platform
  • Spam User Blocking
  • Brought Back Photo & Video Galleries
  • Enhanced Blog Functionality
  • Fixed Corrupted Data Affecting Search

Updated Platform
In order to stay current the software that runs the site needs to be updated. I’ve updated the software to the latest version which should give us some speed & security improvements.

Spam User Blocking
We were getting hit with some spam account creation towards the end of last year. I’ve taken some steps to block the spam users from creating accounts. If you ever get friend requested from a spam user, please let me know. 

Photo & Video Galleries
Upload Pics on WeHuntSC.comUsers like the “Activity Stream” on the home page + Photo Galleries so I’ve updated the site with a photo gallery that will update the Activity Stream whenever images are posted. Going forward, whenever you want to post a picture you will no longer do it in the home page activity stream, but rather in the Pics section. When you post a picture in the Pics section it will automatically update the Activity Stream with a reference to your photo. Pictures can also be rated and each picture has comments available too. I also added a few “Recent” pics areas to the right of the home page activity stream to make it easy & quick to see recent visuals uploaded by users. Also, video continues to become popular among hunters. Each year more and more hunters carry video cameras into the woods. Once posted to YouTube the videos can easily be added to the site on the “Videos” page. I look forward to seeing some of your videos from this year.

Updated Blog Functionality

With this update I’ve migrated all blog data to a new integrated blogging system. This system provides more flexibility for authors and previous blog entries should be a little easier to find within the blogging section of the site. 

Fixed Data Corruption Affecting Search
WeHuntSC.com Search returning all resultsUntil I started the upgrade process I didn’t know there was any data corruption within the site. Soon though it became apparent that several blog entries and other site content was not being returned in the site search. I dug around the database and found the issues and have corrected them in this release of the site. Now all site content should be accurately returned in search.

All hunting resources and competitions still remain as well.

So What Was Removed?
In the last update both Group functionality and Gaming Mechanics were provided but neither were widely adopted and leveraged by site members. So I’ve removed those to reduce clutter and focus on the things that site members really like such as the visual aspects of the site – Photos, Videos, & Blogs and of course the competitions. 

Still to Come
There are still some things that need to be updated and I’ll continue to work on that. I’m still working on a Q/A or Message Board functionality, but at this point I needed to turn the new site on. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks/months. In the meantime, hope you enjoy the new functionality.

Regards,

Clint


 


2013 WeHuntSC.com Turkey Competition Winners Announced
This past turkey hunting season was not a good one for me because I didn’t get to go out much due to work and travel. Even though I was unable to get it done there were some who did! I’m excited to announce our winners of the 2013 CRKT Turkey Competition!

Coming in first place was Jimmy Bradley of Pageland, SC with a nice 4-bearded gobbler

Jimmy Bradley's Winning Gobbler

2nd place went to Bruce Puett of Marlboro County

Bruce Puett and his Marlboro County Gobbler

And 3rd place went to Tony Pope of Kershaw County

Tony Pope's gobbler

Thanks again to the sponsors of our 2013 Turkey Competition. We would not be able to host a competition here on the site without their contributions. 

If you were a winner please contact me here through the site and we'll get you your prizes shortly!

Thanks again everyone..

Regards,

Clint



2013 CRKT Turkey Competition

CRKTTurkey hunting season is just about here for most of the state. I, and many of you, are itching for Spring to turn the corner and to get out there and chase some gobblers. And with turkey season comes our turkey competition! We're excited to be hosting our 2013 Turkey Competition this year courtesy Columbia River Knife & Tool

We'll continue to add sponsors throughout the month so the prize packages should get better in time. Be sure to take some good pics of your turkeys and BE SURE TO HAVE THE DATE IN THE PICTURE!

You need to be registered to the site to post pictures in the competition. 


2013 Kelleytown Baptist Church Wild Game Dinner
Kellytown Baptist Church

Last year I attended the Kelleytown Baptist Church Wild Game Dinner and it was a real treat. You may remember the blog I posted about the event. If you’ve never been you should check it out. There were several activities that were fun for the youth and competitions for everyone. I’m talking about archery competitions, skeet-shooting competitions, a BB gun range and even competitions for kids.  The guys at Kelleytown do a real good job at putting this event on and the attendance of the event is a reflection of the quality of the event.

When the afternoon activities get over then everyone goes inside for a great meal (last year they had some good alligator on hand). Next up will be a duck calling demo by fellow WeHuntSC.com blogger Blake Hodge and then Hank Parker Jr. will be the featured guest speaker. So if you’re in the Hartsville area this coming weekend and want to attend a quality outdoor event then be sure to check it out. 

I've attached the flyer for the event here in case you want to download it.



Event at a glance:

Booths:  
  • Fishers of Men
  • Christian Bowhunters Association
  • Ironman Outdoors with youth archery
  • Ducks Unlimited with retriever demonstration
  • NWTF with BB gun shooting range
  • Sutton Taxidermy 
  • Wrecking Crew Guide Service


Activities:

  • 3D Archery (Bring your own bow)
  • Skeet Shoot (Bring your own gun and shells)
  • BB gun range
  • Youth archery and casting kid’s


Event Schedule:

  • 2pm-5pm: Activities | Booths | Live Music 
  • 5pm-6pm: Dinner | “Scoot’s” Duck Calling Demonstration | CBA 
  • 6pm-8pm: Guest Speaker | Door Prize Drawings 


Tickets

  • Tickets: (Limited to 500)
  • Ticket required to attend
  • FREE FOR EVERYONE
  • Donations accepted


Location


Regards,

Clint


2013 Predator Challenge Results
A pic from the 2013 WeHuntSC.com Predator Challenge Check-InThis year we had more teams and hunters participating than in any previous year of the competition. The competition keeps getting bigger and bigger each year. So thanks to everyone who participated, to all the sponsors who made it possible, and a big thanks to Gavin Jackson, Robbie Boone, & Adam Smith for managing this year’s event. I should also mention Chip Humphries & Terry Williams who originally helped get the competition created and managed it for the past 2 years. We all owe these guys a big thank you because without them the competition wouldn’t have happened. They worked for months getting things ready. All the sponsor’s donations, rules, organization, and communications around the event stemmed from their efforts.

If anybody ever told you that predator hunting was easy… they were lying. Anybody who hunted in this year’s Predator Competition will tell you the same. We looked forward to the competition and planned for several months and when it finally got here the rain and fog made things tough on everyone. From talking to everyone at the check-in it seemed that the coyotes just hunkered down for the majority of the weekend due to the weather. Many of the hunters I spoke with said they saved their “best spots”, “honey holes”, and “go-to locations” for the weekend of the competition and still came out empty handed.  The more I chase coyotes the more I respect the guys who are successful… and we did have some hunters who got it done rain or shine so let’s talk about the guys who came through no matter the conditions.

 

 

Help us make the competition better by giving us your feedback


1st Place & Big Dog

This year our 1st place team was “Team  Warner” out of Aynor, SC. Adam Davis, Josh Allen, & Dustin Paananen of Team Warner not only won 1st place, but they also won the “Big Dog” award. These guys brought in 2 coyotes totaling 68lbs. The big dog was 38lbs and it was a big one. Congrats to the guys for getting it done all weekend. Having the double-win they did not leave empty handed.

1st Place Winners - Team Warner 





2nd Place

Our second place team was the “Carolina Hawgmasters” out of Chesnee, SC. Todd Davis  and Paul St. Cyr arrived to the check-in with just minutes to spare and claimed 2nd place. They also brought in 2 coyotes with the total weight of 63lbs.

 

2nd Place Winners - Carolina Hawgmasters 





3rd Place

Our 3rd place team was the “Fur Takers” out of Clover, SC.  Andrew Love, Hunter McCarter, Woody Neely, & Chris McCall brought in 2 coyotes that totaled 58lbs.

 

3rd Place - Team Furtakers




  Click the below image to see a gallery of pics from the event

2013 Predator Challenge Check-in Pics 

 

On behalf of the WeHuntSC.com team we’d like to say thanks again to the Sportsman’s Warehouse of Columbia, SC for letting us hold the check-in at their facility, to our gracious sponsors, and to all hunters that participated. We look forward to next year’s competition… see you at the check-in!

Regards,

Clint




2012/13 Waterfowl Season - Team WC Making it Rain.

We started off with a slow to good
early goose season with most of our corn fields being cut late due to being to wet.  Once, they were dry enough to cut, so were everyone's. This gave the geese
too many areas to go.

Thanksgiving season, I spent in Arkansas with friends Eric McKinney & Taylor Sweetin of Cuttin Outdoors and mentor Butch Richenback, founder of RNT calls in Stuttgart.
We had a great Timber hiunt with the Cuttin Outdoors boys, which are part of our Team Wrecking Crew.  Butch worked with me in the RNT shop, along with several other
RNT team members.

Friday after Thanksgiving, was the "Super Bowl" of all contests, the Intermediate World Duck Calling Championship.  In 2011, I finished 5th and had really high hopes going into this year. After blowing in the 1st round, I was tied for 3rd place, only 2 pts behind the leader.  Note:  Callers do not see there scores until afterwards.  I did realize I blew a solid 1st round and was pumped and ready for the 2nd round.  Traditionally, the 2nd round is where I really show out, but this year I over blew the call and made a distinct bad note.  With this being the World Contest, and my first two scores combined, I wasn't fortunate enough to make the 3rd and final round of the top 5.

I was disappointed for sure, for Butch, Clay of Xpress Boats, who came to watch, and everyone here in SC who support me.  I kept my head high, and congratulated the winners, and drove back 13 long hours. Moving forward in 2013, I will be competing as an adult, and I only have one thing to say, look out the kid is coming!

When the 2nd split of duck season came in, it was our best "opening day" in SC in the last 10 years.  We had some good friends of ours, Brandon & Daryl McCants from Georgetown, SC hunting with us that day.  We were blessed to harvest 15 mallards, 1 woodie, 1 teal, 1 mergie and 3 geese. And yes, all wild birds!!

As the season went on, it went from super to good, to slow to awful, with  several weeks of mild to hot temperatures for December and January. Our team kept on "Grinding" and making the best of it.  

Attached is a video of our season and I hope you enjoy it, because "it's who we are" and "what we live for"!

Click Here for the Video


Good Hunting ~ Blake


2012 Big Buck Competition Winners Receive their Prizes

One of my favorite parts about running the website is meeting our competition winners and giving out their prizes to them. Over the course of last weekend and this past week I met all 3 of our competition winners. I traveled to the Cheraw, SC area and the Rock Hill, SC area to meet our winners. These upstate guys are really harvesting some nice bucks and running the gamut on our competitions. Low-country boys where are ya’ll at?

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s competitions and especially our sponsors. Without the sponsors our competitions wouldn’t be possible. The winners walked away with some great prizes courtesy of some very generous sponsors.

Next up… the 2013 Predator Competition – SIGN UP HERE

Our top 3 winners were

  1. Ben Holiday, Chesterfield
  2. Rick Currence, McConnells
  3. Bryant Rivers, Cheraw

Below are some pictures of the guys receiving their prizes.


Regards,

Clint


2012 Buck of the Year Competition Winners

I’m always excited to announce the winners and give out the prizes for our Buck of the Year Competition. This year we had some really good entries and we also adjusted the voting rules so that voters had to be site members and could only vote once a day. This reduced any possible “gaming” of the voting system which was a request from many site members.

So let’s cut to the chase… this year’s winners were:

1st Place: BHolliday’s “The Buck That Wouldn’t Give Up” – Chesterfield County

 

 

2nd Place: Rick Currence’s “Muzzleloader Buck” – York County

 

 

 

3rd Place:  BRiv89’S  “8 Point” – Chesterfield County

 


Congratulations to our winners and thanks for participating in this year’s competition! Now, we have some prizes to get delivered. So winners… contact me at [email protected] and we’ll line up some logistics.


Regards,

Clint

 


WeHuntSC.com October Referral Competition

Could you use $50 extra dollars right around Thanksgiving? If so, then get as many of your friends and fellow hunters to register to WeHuntSC.com in the month of October and you could win. Here are the competition rules:

  • Competition Start Date: Monday, October 1st
  • Competition End Date: Wednesday, October 31st 
  • Winner Announced: Thursday, November 1st 
  • Eligibility: You must be registered to the site to win
  • Minimum Referral: 10

How do you refer somebody or what does that mean?
A “referral” means that you tell someone about the site and as a result they register to the site. When someone registers to the site they see a “Welcome Screen” and on this welcome screen they can indicate the person who referred them to the site. This is where they would put your name.



It doesn't take much to share the link on Facebook or Twitter or to get some of your hunting club members to register to the site. Spread the word and be rewarded!

Regards,

Clint



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