Though the past few weeks have been more than crazy as far as travel goes, the final stop made me forget about the fact that I hadn’t slept in nearly two weeks. What a sweet feeling it was for the Bone Collector Crew to take home Best Big Game and Best New Series at the 2009 Golden Moose Awards.

From the entire Bone Collector family, I just want to say thanks for all your support in 2009. We can’t say how much it means to us for you to watch the show and believe in the hunting culture. We love what we do and look forward to rockin’ again in 2010!

This past spring I had a chance to hunt with rocker Aaron Lewis from the mega hit making band Staind. It was a pleasant surprise to hear that Aaron was a hard-core hunter, but seeing is believing.

It didn’t take Aaron long to convince me he was indeed used to playing string music on a bow and not always the guitar. With the cameras rolling, Aaron put on a bow-hunting clinic in Albany, TX where we hunted hogs at the Vinson Ranch.

The camp was filled with family and friends as well as Nick and T-bone. Even Gonzo Rocker, Ted Nugent himself, even showed up before the killing was done. My boy Mason Waddell scored on his first porker too! Also joining us in camp was my wife Ashley and good friend from Illinois, Jim Schiefielbien, and his boy, Matt, who is around the same age of by son Mason. Jim has been a guest on several episodes of the Bone Collector TV show and is always a blast to have around to help lay the smack down on some skillet meat.

Needless to say this hunt was full of blood trails laid down by a variety of guest and equipment. I will say the youngsters Matt and Mason topped the entertainment by breaking in the new R-15, on some hogs. The R-15 is Remington’s brand new gun to just come out.

I’m pumped about sharing this episode of Bone Collector in 2010. Lots of rock n roll and the other white meat here! Pork Chops!

By the way, Aaron was the first rocker outside of Nuge to be sworn into the brotherhood. Thanks for standing up and celebrating the hunt Aaron.

All my life I have dreamed of owning a farm or some land. I think it is fair to say that is most all country boys and girls dream.

Well finally, I bit the bullet a jumped in and bought me my first track of land! I chose KS for so many reasons to buy me a place, but to keep it simple, giants live there and I’m not talking about Eli Manning and Flexico Burres, I’m talking about huge whitetails, not counting the off the hook amount of waterfowl and turkey that inhabit this state.

I wanted to share my joy in this blog and admit to being in debt, but at least I know where I’ll be hunting next fall unless the bank tells me otherwise. T-bone has already has broke this piece of ground in by anchoring a nice 145 this November on Bone Collector and some of you guys might remember Blake Shelton putting the molly hock of super nice deer on Bone Collectors first ever episode from this track of land.

It was only my second time to hunt MX and I can say it definitely won’t be my last! This trip had been on the books for over a year. Jackie Bushman had invited me and the Bone Collector production crew to be part of a sweepstakes hunt he had been doing annually, where a lucky hunter would have a chance to hunt MX with MX outfitters unlimited by entering at buckmasters.com.

There has been a lot of controversy on the news about crossing the border and a lot of press on the hassle with hunting MX. I can say that this was not the case. We flew into Del Rio, TX and Clay Young and his crew escorted us across the border in Acuna, MX without any problems what so ever, as a matter of fact we stopped and did a quick tour of Acuna which is where the movie Desperado was shot.

The Ranch we hunted had great accommodations and the deer were high in numbers and every sit we saw at least 10 to 15. Due to the drought this past spring the antler growth was off a little but we were seeing plenty of 140 to 150 class deer and mature deer every hunt.

When it was all said and done the whole hunting party filled their tags, Jackie, myself and the sweepstakes hunters went home with trophies!

I used my Hoyt to anchor my management buck, which was an 130 inch 8 pt and I broke out my Remington 300 ultra mag to smoke down a really nice 155 inch 12 pt.

MX was laid back and had plenty of blood trails! I can’t wait to go back!

For more info on hunting Mexico call Clay Young at 830-778-1531

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! And Michael thinks he knows just how to catch him doing his thing.

Man, it has been a blast this year using the new Bushnell Trophy cams. No doubt the little guy is the best trail camera I have ever used for scouting. It so little it’s easy to take several of them into the woods and get them out. Also, it runs of AA batteries and they will last forever getting hundreds of pictures on one set.

These cameras have help seal the deal on several nice bucks this year, and I wanted to share some of the photos I have got with them in my home state of GA this year. Notice how all of the shots of these decent bucks are all at night, highlighting why it is so tough to feel our tags on bigger deer.

Be sure to check ‘em out at Bushnell.com

Its a magical time of the year for us hunters. Cool crisp mornings have helped loosen the hold of the leaves in the trees and gentle breezes drift them all over the rut happy stomping grounds of freaknasty bucks. There are so many emotions that come with this time of year, but on the fore front of my thinking is giving thanks to the so many things life has to offer and has given.

Life in general is precious and I'm helped reminded of this as I watch my kids play in the yard that hard work and the american dream that my wife Ashley and I are focused on living. Their innocent laughs and smiles make me look up ward and say Thanks!

Sitting down to a Sunday dinner after church with my wife and family and hearing stories from my Daddy and catching some Sunday football before I take my oldest boy Mason hunting on a whiteoak acorn ridge in search of a nice buck or even a Boone and Crockett sally. Again, I give thanks!

Standing in an airport watching soldiers deploy and come home, helps remind me of the sacrafices Americans have made to make our homeland the best turf on earth to live on. Again, Thanks!

Going on the road to a retail show or on a hunt and running into the many hunters that make up the brotherhood and sharing camp tales as we make plans to hopefully document another TV show to put on Outdoor Channel. I once again give thanks for us to be able to celebrate the hunting culture around the nation!

Life has so many ups and downs, but in the end it up to us to make the best of it for their is no promise that tomorrow will come.

As a kid, I was always told, please and Thank you were magic words and now that I'm older I believe this to be true.

So this blog is committed to saying thank you to everyone around me that has been there for me and supported me through lifes journey thus for and mostly to God for given me so many blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael

Michael sheds his Scent Blocker boots to stalk an 8-pointer in Indiana. Killed with his brand new Maxxis bow.