Up and Adam Adventures

I was super excited to get a pair of Under Armour's new Droptine hunting boots to review before they are available on the market. I was actually in the market for a new pair of hunting boots in the 400 gram insulation range where these boots fall. That seems to be about the perfect insulation level for me for hunting elk and deer in the high country in late September Nd October. My first impression of the boots is they seem well made, and fairly light weight compared to similar hunting boots I have owned and worn. They feature Realtree's new Xtra pattern and 400 grams of Primaloft insulation. The weather is warming quickly here in Georgia but we've still had some cool mornings in the mountains. So I decided to head to the mountains to chase some turkeys and give the new boots a rest drive. Turkey hunting in the Cohutta Wilderness is much like elk hunting the Rockies, with steep mountains, seemingly endless logging roads and cool nights and mornings. After ...

A week ago I read an article in Petersen's Bowhunting magazine titled "Bow & Go Gobblers" that addressed hunting turkeys with archery tackle without a ground blind. Prior to reading the article, that was something that seemed far to difficult to me to even try. But the way the article broke down the tactics it started to seem a lot like archery elk hunting. So two days later while chasing turkeys in the Cohutta Wilderness of North Georgia (which is also much like elk hunting) I decided to give it a try. I had hunted with a shotgun the two days prior and been on a few birds but couldn't get a shot. The evening before, I found a nice clearing about a 30 minute hike from the truck. Sure enough, I spooked a bird off it as I eased into the open. After a quick scout around the edges I knew where to be the next morning. Through the clearing were several good size trees and I started to think about the article I'd read. The real challenge in Bow & Go ...

The perks of hunting in the north Georgia mountains...awesome views!

A while back I traded my Hoyt Maxxis for a 2012 Bowtech Insanity CPX. After setting up the new bow with my trusty Spot Hogg sight, QAD rest and Doinker stabilizer, I took it out to a 3D range for a test drive. It didn’t take long to realize that it’s a shooter. My first bow was a Hoyt ViperTec, a 2004 model. I spent countless hours shooting that thing and it served very well as an introductory tool to the wonderful world of archery. From that first bow, I was a Hoyt “fan boy.” To me, Hoyt bows just felt right, and I saw no reason to change. I shot a few other bows, but none of them impressed me enough to leave my beloved Hoyts. Hoyts aren’t the fastest, but I grouped pretty good, and took a few animals and a 3D trophy plaque with a Hoyt in hand. After shooting a Bowtech Insanity CPXL at an archery shop, I began to feel like I could up my game by shooting a faster bow. Before you think I’ve jumped on the speed bandwagon, I want to clear things up a bit. I have a 27” draw len...

A few weeks ago I had an eye-opening experience. For one thing, I was invited on my first coon hunt by my buddy Nate Greene in North Carolina. As a bonus, we would go to a coon hunting show as well. The first night we were supposed to hunt, we got rained out. A storm moved in a lot sooner than it was supposed to and it foiled our plans. Early the next morning, though, Nate and I met up with a few other guys, Chuck Melton, Austin Andrews and Mitchell Bass, and headed toward the show. The "show" turned out to be the 40th Annual Southeastern Treeing Walker Days in Salisbury, NC. This turned out to be a bigger deal than I initially have it credit for! There were plenty of coon dogs for sale, contests and all sorts of coon hunting gear. And the gear was a lot more specialized than I imagined. Head lamps, briar-proof clothing, dog boxes, GPS tracking collars and hip waders by many brands were available. Later on when we went hunting, the briar-proof gear made perfect sen...

Trail cams have been a real game changer in the area of scouting for deer, turkey and other big game. Over the past few years the market has exploded with new cameras and new technology far superior to cameras of the past. These modern cameras take great quality photos and can really give you a sneak peek at the critters roaming around your hunting land when you're not there. Big Game Treestands debuted their EyeCon camera line last year, and the Black Widow model is garnering lots of attention for it's best-in-class features. The other models are the Storm, which features a built-in viewing screen, and the no-frills QuickShot. Features of the Black Widow: - Thin, low-profile design - Completely undetectable flash - Daytime: 1.3 - 5.0 MP photos; Nighttime: 1.3 MP photos - Flash range: 50" (40' night range) - Color in daytime; monochrome at night - 1.2-second trigger speed - Takes 15, 30, or 300-second videos (30 fps) - Backlit LED screen - Time, date, an...

Last week I attended the National Wild Turkey Federation Convention in Nashville, TN. The event took place at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and it was my first time to visit Nashville since the week before the flood of 2010. The Opryland resort has been rebuilt as good or better than it was before an was an awesome venue for the show. The convention included calling contests, taxidermy contests, drawings, raffles and concerts, providing something for just about everyone. Over the two days I was there I was able to meet several hunting celebrities like Mark and Terry Drury, country singer Chuck Wicks, a host of turkey call and gear makers, outfitters and regular folks alike. Some of my favorite mounts from the taxidermy competition... I was also able to finally meet several people that I had previously only been friends with through Facebook and Twitter and all of them were as genuine as they seemed trough the Internet. There is nothing better than getting ...