Jason Cruise...On a "Mission"

Many of you have told me how much you enjoy the "Man Minute" that I re-post from my friend Jason Cruise. Jason had taken some time off from writing while working hard chasing turkeys and finalizing a project for a well know publisher in the Nashville area. Please see his announcement below and take the time to check out his website: www.themissionvision.net

I have enjoyed the break from writing, yet I am eager to get back to sharing the journey of biblical manhood with you my brothers.

In the mean time, I wanted to let you know I am honored to announce my latest publishing efforts with Zondervan in the release of the NIV Outdoorsman Bible and Close Encounters DVD Bible Study.

You can watch a short video and order any of these latest resources by clicking  HERE!.

As always, 70% of your purchase profits from MISSION go to Justice and Mercy International as we work together to bring an end to human trafficking - Jason Cruise

Dad and Me

Phillip Crady from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, relives one of those moments in the spring woods that make our sport like no other. Thanks for sharing Phillip!!!

Dad taught me how to be a man, how to take care of a family, the difference between right and wrong and how to fish and hunt everything but turkey. Kentucky has not had a state wide turkey season for that many years. I started turkey hunting in the late eighties and it took me several attempts to convince dad, who was in his sixties, to go turkey hunting with me. Dad had explained to me several times he did not know anything about hunting turkeys and he certainly did not know how to call them. I told dad not to worry he could hunt with me and I would call for him and teach him everything I knew about the elusive wild turkey, he agreed, and we set out before dawn the next morning.
As we were driving I explained to Dad what the plan for the morning would be. I would try to locate a turkey on the roost and we would set up and try to entice him into shooting range. Concurrently, I explained to dad that sometimes more than one turkey would come in and that he was not to shoot until all birds were within range. I explained to him we both may get a shot and maybe a chance for a double. He said he understood however I don’t think he expected much his first time out. We arrived at our destination on a perfect Kentucky spring morning. Approximately thirty minutes before daylight and after a few owl calls I got a bird to respond and we moved in for what I had hoped was the perfect setup. Needless to say dad was surprised at the quality of my owl call and even more surprised we had received a response and he was beginning to get excited. When we reached an old logging road close to the area of the response I placed the decoys out, got dad set up to my right and whispered to him if two come in I would make them gobble and he could then shoot. I told him to shoot the bird he wanted and I would shoot another one if there were multiple birds. He nodded yes.  I set up to his left and I started with a low pitched tree call and immediately received a response about 75 to 100 yards away. At first light I performed a fly down cackle and then a soft yelp and it was not long until I heard the sound of birds leaving the roost. My first thought was the sound of multiple birds meant hens, the worst case scenario. However, after another soft yelp from me a tom responded with a strong gobble immediately followed by two more gobbles nearby. Three Toms had hit the ground and they were headed our way. What seemed like an eternity was really only thirty minutes or so, I spotted three toms walking down the logging road. Only a dry creek bed and a small rise stood between dad and his first turkey and even better a chance at a double.
The small rise was about 20 yards in front of us. When the turkeys dropped down into the creek bed they were out of our sight. As I watched the rise I saw the head of the first tom and the other two were sure to be following close behind. My mind raced at the thought of dad getting his first turkey and an added bonus we were going to get a double. As I was silently congratulating myself on my calling and hunting skills when the first bird stepped over the rise and the deafening sound of a 12 gauge shotgun rang out. As the first bird thrashed around on the ground our chances at a double were airborne in the opposite direction. After getting up and hugging my dad and congratulating him on his first bird I asked what happened with letting all the birds come in and giving me a chance also. Dad looked at me with the excitement of a child at Christmas and said he couldn’t help it, he got excited and forgot. A new turkey hunter was born!
Fast forward to 2012 - Dad has since harvested many birds on his own; however, he likes to field hunt with decoys I am a run and gun guy who prefers to hunt the woods without decoys. Although we hunt together, we are normally in separate locations.
Dad has had some serious health problems over the last few years and does not get to hunt much anymore. He has hunted a little this season and did not have any luck. He wanted to hunt another farm that is predominately fields and I decided to go with him. I had harvested a bird opening morning so my goal was to try and help him get a bird. We set up beside a field that was planted in corn last year. I placed the decoys out while dad got set up in a small thicket. I set up behind him to call. This has been a tough season for us with spring a month early this year and responses are practically nonexistent. I sat down about 10 feet directly behind dad got out my calls, collected my thoughts and cut very hard on my slate call to try to get a shock gobble. Much to my surprise, I got an immediate response about 100 yards! I quickly gathered my thoughts and gave a series of soft yelps followed by some soft purrs. He gobbled again! In no time, he appeared and was heading our way. After a series of yelps and purrs, he walked into gun range and once again I heard the deafening sound of a 12 gauge. My mind raced back in time to the first bird I called in for dad as a smile grew on my face and a tear ran down my cheek. I jumped up and congratulated him and saw that excitement I saw all those many years ago in his face again and I walked out and collected his bird. I have harvested many birds over the years however my two proudest are the first one my dad shot and the one he shot on this day. bird. I have harvested many birds over the years however my two proudest are the first one my Dad shot and the one he shot today.

I love you Dad - Let’s do it again in the morning!!!

The "Love/Hate" Relationship of Turkey Hunting!

Here is a great story told by a great guy, Shaun Mayatte.

The vegetation and turkeys seem to be acting like it is the second week of April already. Before I get too much into the hunting story there are two things I want to mention in regards to the Buff Pad:
First, every morning that I get to go the spring turkey woods, I can't help but think as the day begins to break, when the birds, owls, and turkeys start doing their thing....about the blog entry from last year "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." It is such a gift from God to be able to enjoy all the things He created. Spring is a time for renewal and things are coming back to life....there is just something special about it that I assume most of us who enjoy the outdoors can feel in our spirits.
Secondly, I saw a post on your blog a few years back about a trail camera survey you were doing on a Durano clover plot you had. It was interesting how they (deer/turkeys) seemed to use it year around. So, I decided to experiment with it. The plot I planted runs north and south next to mature hardwoods on its east side. These hardwoods provide a shade from the sun in the late morning and into the early afternoon. I have kept it fertilized and it is beautiful.

I have had a love/hate relationship with the wild turkey from the very beginning. Just when I think I have figured out how to hunt them effectively, I get humbled again. Last year I had several chances to kill birds and I just couldn't close the deal....it was like I was playing the game right and just couldn't finish it. I had four turkeys in shotgun range and only wound up with one harvested.
The first morning I hunted this year I set up on several gobbling birds. They flew down about 100 yards through the woods with hens and proceeded to strut and gobble until almost 9 o'clock. When they finally went silent and moved on I went back to the camp for a cup of coffee and breakfast. I decided to go out and try to locate one mid-morning. I was able to do get one to answer me and soon found myself with a two year old bird on my shoulder walking back to the camp. It was quick and he came in on a string. I was really glad to start the year off with a bird on my first hunt.
Day #2 of the turkey season began much like the previous. Owls hooting and turkeys gobbling. I heard several different birds, more than one to my east, one to the south, and one west of me. All of the gobbling birds went silent or weren't on the property I had permission to hunt. Again, I went back to the camp for breakfast. I also decided to check the clover patch mid-morning. At first glance, I saw a hen dusting in a bear spot and further looking I spotted a gobbler blown up in the shadows. Over the next hour, I moved slowly through the woods to get in a good position...shedding my vest and anything else that might unintentionally cause movement on my way. Several times during my stalk, I heard a turkey gobble. It sounded like the turkey was much further away than where I originally saw this tom.
I finally got into a position that I thought I may have a chance at getting a shot at the turkey if everything came together. Finally with my mouth call, I purred...then purred followed by two yelps. In just a few seconds I saw two hens begin to walk in my direction...followed by the strutting bird. I could hear him drumming as he came that way. I had picked a bear spot in the clover patch and told myself if he made it that far I would shoot him. He made it to that spot momentarily but there were a couple of limbs that kept me from having a clean shot...so I waited. From the far south end of the clover patch I heard a gobble and looked up only to see two more long-beards coming. The two gobblers came in and commenced to fighting with the original strutting bird. After they quit fighting, one of the hens had began to act like she was getting nervous and I felt like she saw something she didn't like. She began to work her way back to the edge of the patch and putted a time or two. The two new gobblers started following her. They were coming right into range. I had decided to shoot the strutter. When they got to 30 yards, I decided it was time. I drew a tight bead on the turkey and squeezed the trigger. To my horror, the only noise I heard was a click of the firing pin releasing. I had failed to chamber a round in my excitement to stalk this turkey.
At that point, the turkeys became alert and as I chambered a shell...they quickly left the clover patch into the woods. I sat there shaking and wondering how I could have managed to let that happen to me. Wondering why I cared about a turkey...wanting that hour of my life back. Then, I just figured I would yelp to them and just see what happened. When I did, they both gobbled...really close to me. So, I called again a little more agressively....they gobbled again. Then I began to hear leaves crunching and when I looked up- there stood one of thos long-beards at 20 yards looking in my direction. His head was as red as an apple and it didn't take me long to put some heavy shot in him.
This turkey had an 11 inch beard with 1 1/8 and 1 3/16 spurs. I didn't weigh him. I was very happy to have the rare second chance with this bird. Too many times I have had to live for a long time with a turkey hunting miscue. It is really hard to beat this time of year chasing the Kings of Spring in Mississippi.

Let Everything that has breath!

Youth season is underway and just in case you haven't noticed, so is spring! The woods are coming alive and will be in full foliage in no time at all. Some of you may remember this post from last spring. Of all the Buff Pad posts (and there's been over 200 now), this is my favorite. This is my view of the spring woods....I'd love to hear yours!

For those of you who pursue The Longbeard, standing in the spring woods at first light is similar to listening to an orchestra warm up...in the beginning you distinctly hear each instrument tuning up. However, once they begin playing in unison they all blend together to make a sound so beautiful its hard to tell any one instrument apart from the other...with exception to the cymbals. No one "warms up" on the cymbals. They are simply crashed together with a fury and in perfect timing.

So goes it in the spring woods as dark gives way to light. Whippoorwills, Cardinals, Thrushes, Owls, Crows and a host of God's perfect creation begins "tuning up" and its seems at some predetermined time they all begin singing in unison. No one is easily discernible from the other until the "cymbal" crashes!
That gobble is unlike any other sound in the woods. The Longbeard demands to be heard above all else and most often times, he is!

This spring, when you're standing in the pre-dawn darkness and begin hearing creation's orchestra warming up, remember the scripture below:

Psalm 148
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens!
Praise him from the skies!
2 Praise him, all his angels!
Praise him, all the armies of heaven!
3 Praise him, sun and moon!
Praise him, all you twinkling stars!
4 Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
5 Let every created thing give praise to the Lord,
for he issued his command, and they came into being.
6 He set them in place forever and ever.
His decree will never be revoked.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
8 fire and hail, snow and clouds,[a]
wind and weather that obey him,
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all livestock,
small scurrying animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all people,
rulers and judges of the earth,
12 young men and young women,
old men and children.
13 Let them all praise the name of the Lord.
For his name is very great;
his glory towers over the earth and heaven!
14 He has made his people strong,
honoring his faithful ones—
the people of Israel who are close to him.

Praise the Lord!

That's right, the "orchestra" you hear warming up is doing what Jesus created them to do...Praise Him! Why don't you do the same? Praise Him with your words and with your actions too. Don't fall prey to the enemy schemes and tactics that would have you praise the creation instead of the Creator. His name is Jesus. His name is very great. His name is greatly to be praised. Let everything that has breath praise Him!!!

Pursuing Him this Spring,

Polky

No Greater Adventure

I can't recall the year, maybe it was '86 or '87, but what I can recall was the adventure! My buddy Justin invited several of us home with him for a campout. Now a campout in and of itself is quite an adventure but on this campout Justin had arranged for us to hunt with Mr. N.J. Booth's coon dogs!

None of us, except Justin, had ever been on a coon hunt. So, at the age of around 12-13 a group of boys set out on a night of great adventure.

Seems that alot has changed since then...I can't fathom handing a .22 rifle to any 12-13 year old kids I know much less send them off with a couple of buddies chasing a coon hound. Be that as it may, the one thing that hasn't changed is their desire for great adventure! With that in mind and with alot of help from other folks, we loaded 21 kids (ages 9-14) from Crossgates Baptist Church up last Friday evening and headed down to Carpenter, MS for some coon hunting action. Kallum Herringon, game warden and lifelong buddy, opened a door for us to hunt Mr. Jimmy Strong's place. Mr. Jimmy has a facility that's made for this type of outing. The boys have their own sleeping quarters and the adults have their own too. Doug Garver, who brought the dogs last year, was unable to attend this year, but put me in touch with Mr. Randy and Mr. Lee. These two guys were first class! Randy and I talked on the phone twice before hunt but as we hunted that night I felt like I had known him for years. I can't say enough about he and Lee.

Our hunt began around 7:30 p.m. Friday night. Within 10 minutes of casting the dogs, they had tree'd. Watching 31 folks plow through the woods is quite a sight. The boys did great. No one complained...too much, and all seemed to be having a blast. Mr. Randy brought the only gun and loaded it at the tree only when it was time to dispatch the coon. In all, we tree'd 8 times, shot 6 coons and passed on another one. Trust me when I say, the dogs worked close, fast and accurately.

It's a night I won't soon forget and I'm pretty sure its an adventure that the boys will remember as well.

Oh and for the record - if you're thinking about taking 21 young men on such an outing in the near future, here's a food list for you to consider:

80 hamburger patties, 10-12lbs of sausage, 48 snack size bags of chips, 3 cases of soda, 1 case of water, 1 case of gatorade, 32 PopTarts, and 1 Sam's size box of granola bars...

All consumed in a little more than 12 hours!!!!

Hope. Realized.

The Man Minute - sixty second investments in Christ-like manhood.

At the moment it is 4:14 am on February 21, 2012. I'm in Chisinau, Moldova, the poorest country in Europe.

Yesterday was a day I'll never forget as long as I live. I saw with my own eyes the power of hope once it's born into the life of someone who has never had it.

"and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." - Romans 5:5

The girl in the picture is Mihaela, or "Michelle" in English. Six months ago, when I took this picture, I met this tall, skinny, 11 year old girl who owned the saddest eyes I'd ever seen.

The odd thing was that she was not gloomy, and she didn't pout. No, in fact, she had perfect posture, and walked with a purposeful step, as if it were by keeping her head held high she was refusing to quit, though the possibilities certainly seemed bleak. The orphanage director told me that Mihaela is smart, in fact, very smart. So it then made sense to me as to why she had sad eyes when I met her on a playground at a former Soviet summer camp in July 2011.

You see, Mihaela, even at the age of 11, had already done the math. She had nowhere to go when her time at the orphanage was up ... and she knew it. It's hard to feel loved when the idea of what we call a family is something she could only read about in a book. So, six months ago through Justice and Mercy International, my wife and I began sponsoring this incredibly beautiful girl who rarely, if ever, smiled.

Today, as I walked down a hallway of the school on the campus of the orphanage, I was stopped by some orphan boys who I'd recognized from trips past. As we swapped hugs and hellos, a fellow student must have gone ahead of us and evidently had told Mihaela that I was on the campus.

I looked up and what I saw was breathtaking.

It's true, no angels sung. No bright light ran through the snow covered window. Even still, what stopped my heart was that this girl with sad eyes was now walking quickly toward me not only smiling, but with her smile came a new countenance. Her face had literally changed since I last looked upon it six months ago.

You can fake a smile. We've all done it. What you can't fake is joy, especially when it's sprung forth from a heart which has a new song in it. Why? Because our great God, the perfect Father to the fatherless, promises that hope does not disappoint.

For the next fifteen minutes I sat on her bed gathering every word I could find to try and explain to her how much she was loved by my family. For the next fifteen minutes, as I spoke, she smiled and she never stopped smiling. No not once did she stop smiling.

I sat on Mihaela's bed giving her clothes, shoes, and other gifts from my wife and our boys. I told her that because the love of God was alive in us, we wanted to love her, and that as long as I was alive on this earth, she'd never again have to worry about her future, nor was she going to have to worry about whether or not she was going to make it. I told her that my family was her family, and we were going to make sure that her future was secure.

She smiled. And so did her eyes.

With Gladness

The Man Minute - sixty second investments in Christ-like manhood.

No doubt we all, every single one, go through times of incredible angst. Like acid reflux of the attitude, we have those days where things start out bad only to get worse. Sometimes those bad days turn into weeks, and even sometimes more, they can turn into a season where a reason to smile is all but impossible to invent.

Serve the Lord with gladness ... Psalm 100:2

No person is exempt from a dry season, but friend do understand this: a dry season in the life of a follower of Jesus the Christ should be but an exception in your life and not the norm. As a believer in the risen Christ, you of all persons should know of the deep riches of His grace, His benefits for those ransomed by His own blood, and of the tangible power that is reserved only for those grafted into His family tree.

There is nothing mortal about the Giver of your salvation, therefore no mortal can take it from you. If no mortal can steal your eternal security, then why give mortals the ability to feed upon your daily bread which is not theirs to feast?

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Why? Because you can.