You may or may not know that Bo Jackson - the Nike icon who knows football, baseball, and everything in between - knows his way around the woods. What you may not know is that he’s the feature of the current ESPN.com E-Ticket. Check it out for an inside scoop on one of the world’s greatest athletes!

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We live in a very complex world. A world in which everything isn’t so black-and-white; a world where there are domino effects among so many different things. In this world, answers to problems are very complex, though we often think they are so simple. I will admit that this post may seem to oversimplify everything, but there might be a point to it all.

“Creation will follows us.” This quote is by a man I truly admire, though you probably never heard of him. His name is Ted, and Ted’s a great friend. Ted let me live in his basement for 6 months while I tried to save money for my wedding. Instead of trading in his car when he purchased a new one, Ted gave it to some people who needed it more than he needed the trade-in value. Those are just snippets of the real Ted - If you knew him, you’d write about him too.

But, this post isn’t about Ted…it’s about what Ted said: “Creation will follow us.” To be honest, I can’t really remember the full context within which Ted made this statement, but the sentence stuck in my mind. I tucked it away, and every now and then I think of it again, “Creation will follow us”. What does that mean? “Creation will follow us.” Can I wrap my mind around this? “Creation will follow us.” It’s starting to come… “Creation will follow us” Could it be true?

If you think creation doesn’t follow us, I encourage you to explore an awesome Atlas called, One Planet, Many People: Atlas of our Changing Environment. In this Atlas, ‘before’ and ‘after’ satellite images are provided of more than 80 sites across the globe. These satellite images give us big eyes to see a big picture - our world follows the steps we take.

I want to say more…I want to explain more…I want to share more…but I’m not going to - at least not yet. I truly hope that anyone who finds their way to this humble blog sitting in a very small corner of the world wide web reads this and thinks about the path they lead this world on. Where will you lead creation?

Oh yeah…if you like the sound of my friend Ted, you can hear him speak here (I recommend the series called Life’s Toughest Questions).

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CNN.com has a video story about a boy who was injured by a deer antler shed. The boy found the shed while camping with his family, and it penetrated his eye and went into his brain.

Here’s the link for the full story.

We should all remind our friend over at The Shed Antler to stay safe with his finds…

antler, boy, cnn, deer, injury, shed

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Monday after Thanksgiving! To me, these words will always bring memories of the first day of gun season in PA (and OH too). When I started hunting in PA, this day was the opener of “Buck Season” - rifle hunters could only take a buck, and there was a separate season for doe hunting. The past few years in PA, however, the season has been opened to does, but limited to bucks with 3 points or more on one side (or 4 points in the county I hunt). That aside, PA really knows how to do a gun season. THE WHOLE STATE SHUTS DOWN! Schools and state-run agencies are closed, so anyone who wants to can participate in the festivities!

First time in a long time: While I’ll be at work today,  Big K (dad) will be on stand in PA. This is the first year in I can’t remember how long that he didn’t harvest a buck in archery. It will be hard for me to do work, as I’ll be thinking of him and hoping I get that phone call. I wish I could be there. If things don’t work out for him this week, I may travel hope to drive this weekend. I owe him miles and miles worth of driving for deer!

Cold and Rainy: In both PA and OH, it will be quite cold (low to mid 40’s) with steady rain. Fortunately, wind will be low most of the day. Personally, I’d rather have it 10-15 degrees colder with snow! There’s somethign about rain that just makes it rought out there…snow isn’t quite as bad.

Best of luck: Here’s a good luck wish to all hunters heading out this week or in the near future for gun season.

I’ll keep you all posted on the outcomes of Big K and the rest of the OH/PA hunting world.

buck, doe, gun, hunting, rifle, season

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It’s been a while since a good WATG post, so I thought one was due with it being Holiday season and all…

Have you ever been in a old hunter’s basement? He (or she) usually has tons of clothes and gear laying around.  Today, bows are an item that depreciate in value faster than almost anything else we buy (I would guess faster than cars and computers). Yet, oftentimes our “old” gear is still fully functional…just not “cool” or “current”. What’s a hunter to do with all of this “stuff”?

CROSS TRAIL OUTFITTERS (CTO): It’s a Christian ministry that specializes in getting youth involved in the outdoors and teaching them Biblical truths along the way. They hold summer camps and various parent-child or child only trips, and these trips are often organized for as little as $10.

Of course, they can’t do it alone. They need your gear, or at least the gear that’s taking up space in your basement. Don’t let that gear die before it’s been used to the extreme — donate it to CTO!

They have a list of wanted items,  and contact information can be found on the organization’s website. Donations are even tax-deductible!

Check-out CTO today…and let them know the deerPhD sent ya’! (not that they know who I am)

Bible, CTO, donation, Fishing, gear, hunting, ministry, used

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I don’t know the exact year, because it happened years before I was born…back when my maternal grandfather (Charlie) was dating my grandmother (Francis). Francis invited Charlie to her family’s house for Thanksgiving. He was courting her, so he gladly accepted…but then his brothers called:

“Hey Charlie, we’re going after some grouse today. We’ll be over in a half hour.”

Charlie replied, “Guys, I can’t today…I’m going to Francy’s.”

Brothers: “Chuck (nickname for Charlie), you’ve got the rest of your life to court her…we’re picking you up.”

Chuck: “I guess you’re right, I’ll grab my gun.”

Back and Francy’s house, the anxious young woman helper her mother prepare the Thanksgiving feast. They had worked long hours, making sure every detail was perfect. Francy was dressed in her finest, trying to impress Chuck. Further, her family was looking forward to learning more about Chuck over a nice meal. Excitement and anticipation was in the air, and then there was a knock on the front door:

Francy: “I think it’s him…I’ll get it.”

Man at the door: “Hello, ma’am. I have a delivery for a Francis.”

Francy: “Yeah, that’s me.”

It was a bouquet of flowers. She was so excited…such a gentlemanly gesture! But then she read the card:

Dear Francy,

Thank you for inviting me to your family’s thanksgiving feast. I am so very sorry to inform that I will not be attending. My brothers and I are going hunting - I don’t have much of a choice. Please send my regards to your family. I am looking forward to seeing you again…

With Love,

Charlie

What was Francy’s response? She threw the flowers away and invited another guy friend over for dinner!

However, Charlie must have played his cards right, because I’m here today!

Happy Thanksgiving from the deerPhD!

classic, grouse, hunting, story, Thanksgiving

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I’ve been known to send a few thank-you’s from time to time. The problem with formal thank-you’s is that I run the risk of alienating people that I fail to mention. I definitely owe a more thank just a few Thanks-You’s because this week is a big week for this little blog!

Why some more thank-yous? DeerPhD.com just passed 100 in Technorati’s Authority Ranking! As of this writing, the authority ranking is 106!

How did it get there? This is where all of the Thank-You’s come in. Technorati’s authority rankings are based on the number of sites that link to this site. So, I have to send lots of Thank-Yous to everyone who ever linked to deerPhD.com! Obviously, I don’t think I can run down them all, but a few networks/individuals/sites have offered tremendous support for this little sector of the blogosphere. Here are some thank-yous in no particular order. If you are not mentioned explicitly, please know that I am very grateful for the support of every reader that has ever visited this site.:

• Skinny Moose Media: My blog is part of the Skinny Moose Media Network. Being in this network has been an awesome experience. Owner, Steve Remington, does everything he can to keep us bloggers going by covering all of the behind-the-scenes work. I’ve had a great experience here, and I look forward to continued blogging in this network.
• Outdoor Bloggers Summit: OBS got me up and running during my first week of blogging. The founding members are extremely supportive to new bloggers. They promise to give you a link if you reciprocate. OBS is a great networking tool, and I can honestly say that OBS makes my blogging experience much more enjoyable. Be sure to check-out their site for information on the first annual Outdoor Bloggers Summit in 2008!
• Kristine: Most of you probably know Kristine. She blogs for the Hunt Smart, Think Safety Blog, which is hosted by the parent company, Gun Safety Innovations. Kristine deserves an award for “Most Active Commenter”. Anywhere I go, I see comments from Kristine. She has been a continual supporter of deerPhD.com, and she is a founding member of OBS.
• Arthur: Arthur blogs at Simply Outdoors. He has a huge and innocent passion for hunting. He shares great stories and photos on the site, which is run by himself, and his brother, Jeff.
• Matt: Matt is the host of the Bright Idea Outdoors Blog. He often shares stories of his adventures with his children, and he offered what I believe is one of the most important works by a blogger: Does blogging put our families at risk?
• Rick: Rick is a fellow Skinny Moose Blogger. He doesn’t know it, but I often think of him as my blogging uncle. He is very supportive of deerPhD.com, and he is a frequent and talented blogger.
• Othmar: I think we all know Othmar. He runs several sites/blogs. He’s an outdoor speaker, and he was extremely supportive of my blogging pursuits from day 1. I’ll never forget the first time I received an e-mail from Othmar. Just knowing I was on his radar made me think that I had “made it”! This guys is an extremely talented writer with a huge heart.
• Mike Hanback: Mike runs what very well may be the most frequented outdoor blog. A true professional hunter, he write and blogs for Outdoor Life. I am very grateful to Mike for linking to my site a few weeks back when he did a post about Buck Fever. This one link drove hundreds of readers to my site.

Bug Buck Zone, deer, deerPhD, Hanback, Othmar, Outdoor Bloggers Summit, Skinny Moose, Thank you

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Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! For many families that means lots of turkey and stuffing, and for many hunters that means some time off of work to venture into the woods for the opener of gun season. In OH and PA, the gun opener is always the Monday after Thanksgiving. In fact, almost the whole state of PA shuts down (all public schools) for opening day.

You’ve probably read tip after tip about hunting, but there is 1 thing that I think is absolutely crucial to gun hunting during the season opener — GET TO YOUR STAND EARLY!!!!

WHY? Gun season is different than archery season in many ways, but most notably is the sheer number of hunters who show-up. What once may have been a private archery stand can become a field dotted with orange hunting vests. In many ways this scenario can be frustrating, but you can use it to your advantage by arriving early.

For several reasons (mostly because I either tagged out in archery or because I was in college), I haven’t always made it out on opening day. In my 15 years of hunting, I think I’ve hunted a total of 6 openers of gun season. However, 2 of these seasons I harvested a buck with 15 minutes of daylight (that’s 33%).

How Does It Work? If it’s opening day, I usually get to my stand at least 30 minutes before I would normally arrive. This gives the woods around me time to settle-down. Then, as other hunters venture to their stands, deer will be more likely to be pushed in my direction.

Case in Point: It was opening day of PA’s 1995 buck season (I was 14). Dad tagged out in archery, so only I had a gun in our stand. We were hunting a hillside that has a huge cornfield on top. About 15 minutes after we sat down (still 25 minutes before shooting hours), I noticed a silhouette of a deer walking through the recently cut corn field. Much to my excitement, I noticed a silhouette of a rack, too! The buck had been pushed out of a nearby pine field, likely while other hunters were heading to their stands. Dad and I were able to keep tabs on the buck until legal shooting hours. No kidding aside, I delivered a 140-gr.  ballistic tip bullet from my Remington 7mm-08 within the first minute of legal hours. If we weren’t there early, we would have pushed this nice 8-point (one of my best bucks to this day) out of the field and into someone else’s stand.

In Closing: I know it can be hard to get up that early, but it just might be worth it. Pack some leftover turkey and stay on stand all day…and get there a little early. You might be glad you did!

Happy Hunting…

deer, gun, hunting, opening day, Remington, rifle, season opener, tips

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This story hits home for me, given my background in Psychology. I think many of you will find this of interest as well. Animal rights terrorists attack much more than the hunting industry.

Background: Dr. Edythe London is a neuroscientist at UCLA who has studied chemical dependency for more than 30 years. Her work is dedicated to providing insight into the development of clinically useful medications for chemically dependent users of nicotine and other substances.

The Events: In a recent article in the Deseret Morning News, Dr. London documented how Animal Rights Terrorists vandalized her home in recent months. See full article here.

When I teach Introductory Psychology, I spend some time discussing the fact that animals are used in many psychological laboratories. The number of scientific discoveries that come from work with laboratory animals is beyond comparison. So many aspects of our daily lives are influenced by such research in some way, shape, or form. My guess is that is someone opposed to anything and everything that has some animal research behind it to the point that they abstained from any such product…it would be quite difficult to get through a day.

What really frustrates me is that there is good that lies behind the evil actions of these terrorists. While this good is twisted and mutated, there is a shred of light. I fear it’s only a shred, however, as those who seemingly oppose torture and violence become slaves to such methods of opposition.

Just like most hunters, I’m not proposing that animals be tortured or treated inhumanely. I understand that there are some problems out there. However, the scientific world is under a close watch by the watchdogs of the scientific world. By rule, the benefit of any research must outweigh the cost. Procedures are chosen and executed carefully, and as I mentioned, nothing happens without being watched by ‘big brother’.

So, my fellow hunters, we’re not alone as victims of animal terrorist groups.

animal rights, Edythe London, terrorist, terrorists

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I was gone,  now I’m back. I promise to get to e-mails and previous comments sometime today/tonight. In the meantime, thanks for your patience.

As some of you may know, I call this blog deerPhD because I’m pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology. One of my missions is to provide hunters with psychological tools they can use to prevent/confront Buck Fever. However, it seems that all of this has been on hold for a little because of school. This month has been very busy with respect to school. So, in the event that anyone is interested, I thought I’d shed some light into what exactly I am trying to do in school:

1. TEACH: I have a huge passion for teaching. My life has been shaped, in part, by extraordinary teachers, and I want to be a similar influence in the lives of others. I believe teaching happens both in and out of the classroom, and I want to excel in both arenas!
2. RESEARCH: I’m currently developing 2 lines of research that fall under the umbrella of child development. One area concerns children’s injuries, which, believe it or not, are the leading cause of death in the United States. I am studying factors that influence children’s risk for injuries. The second area concerns exercise and dieting. I am interested in factors that predict healthy versus unhealthy eating/exercise behaviors. My current studies are with college males, and I’m hoping to study this area in young children as my career continues.

Will I ever get a job? Great question! As part of my degree, I have to complete a one-year clinical internship. I am currently emersed in the application process. After interviews, all of our information goes into a computer, and out pops our “match” (where we will be going on internship). Basically, I could end-up anywhere in the US. It’s a fairly exciting/nerve racking/stressful experience.

At the completion of the internship year, I’ll venture onto the job market and see what happens. My dream job is to be a faculty member at a college/university, where I can share the wonders of psychology with aspiring students.

Wherever I end up, you can be sure that I’ll find my way into the wilderness…

In the event that anyone is interested, I am studying children’s injuries for my dissertation. Did you know that injuries are the leading cause of death to children in the United States? More children die each year due to injuries than the next ten causes combined!!! Also, virtually all injuries can be prevented one way or another. So, I’m hoping my dissertation will help us do just that.

More specifically, I received a grant from the CDC to study how parents can protect their children from injuries. Hopefully, someday I will bridge my love of hunting with this ongoing research. I’d love to explore questions such as: what factors predict hunting injuries? How best can injuries be prevented (like using a Gunslinger!!!)? What are the best methods for teaching children safe hunting skills?

I’m so immersed in this research at the moment that I just had to share. One of my last hurdles to that PhD…

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