Here and Gone

To say that turkey season went fast was an understatement! everyone at S&F worked their tails off to put birds on the ground and we are excited to begin working on the submitted footage. For some it was a great year and for some, things just didnt work out the way they would have liked. personally for me. with over 500 hours in the woods and no birds to show for it….it was a bit frustrating. But hey, I got to see a whole ton of beautiful sunrises, hang out with old friends and meet some new ones along the way!

Longbeards and Limbhangers

Its time to put everything on hold (not really, theres actually a lot to do)and hit the woods for some of those lovesick thunder chickens. S&F pro-staffer Brian smith spilled first blood as he harvested a beautiful tom opening weekend of Iowas first shotgun season.  pro-staffer parker freiborg made the trip down to film for a week and must have brought good luck with him as this bird was harvested on parkers first evening in the woods.

Spring Practice

Spring is here, the snow is gone, and it was time for a few members of team S&F to hit up the Riceville Iowa 3d archery shoot. Pro-Staffer Jon Clinton brought his wife Dana, and their kids up for the afternoon to join Pro-staffer Brian Smith and myself for a little afternoon of shooting.  A perfect opportunity to hang out, have some fun, and get ready for spring gobblers.

Shed Hunting Iowa style

As the snow begins to melt their is one thing that consumes the majority of our time- shed hunting. Its an opportunity to get together with friends, get out in the woods, and find those deer that we let walk the previous fall.

Ripcord Giveaway Announced

Just wanted to give everybody a heads up on a giveaway that we will be having thanks to our great sponsors at Ripcord Arrow Rests.

One lucky member of the S&F Outdoors Field Staff will be winning a prize package containing the following:

1 Ripcord Fall Away Arrow Rest

1 Ripcord Logo Hat

1 Ripcord License Holder

1 Ripcord Truck Decal

There is a reason that the Ripcord arrow rest is the #1 selling Rest in the industry and this is your chance to win one.

For more info on how to become a part of team S&F check it our HERE

Good Luck!

Dakota Decoy Company Trailer

We have been blessed to have some great sponsors supporting us at S&F Outdoors. One of those is Dakota Decoy Company. From beaks to bases these decoys stand above the rest in quality, realism, and motion. We chase birds that are pressured on a daily basis and have seen every trick in the book and the slightest imperfection can make or break a days hunt. With Dakotas their is no worrying, their realism, attention to detail, and motion bring the birds right down the gun barrel.

Check out Dakota Decoys for yourself and keep your eyes out for S&F’s new video on their site!

www.dakotadecoy.com

The End

Another season here in Iowa has come and gone. As the sun set I found myself reflecting on what has been. It definitely was a year of first’s and every new step was a learning experience. Being the first year in production for S&F Outdoors, it was a process of seeking sponsorships, arranging and managing a pro-staff, field staff, and new business. It was a learning curve for everyone dealing with the filming, editing, and production of a show. It was constant; it was hitting the woods at 4 a.m getting down at 10 so I could make my calls to sponsors, edit film, and every once in a while squeeze in lunch. Then it was back in the field by 2. To say it was a juggling act would be an understatement. I have always heard the expression “its like peeling an onion” every time you peel off a layer there is another layer hidden beneath. I had a whole bag of onions that needed to be peeled. It was hard work, but every single step was worth it!

1 year ago S&F Outdoors was an idea and a dream. Today the idea has evolved and the dream is becoming a reality. The foundation has been laid and it is time to build on what has started. It may be the end of a season but it is the beginning of a journey. There are plenty of onions left to peel and plenty of lessons left to learn. But We will keep at it and eventually get there.

It is the end of hunting for the fall but with a ton of videos stacked up ready to be edited, and spring turkey season on its way- There is Tons of footage coming your way on www.sfoutdoors.com and “The Life”

This is a lifestyle, and the day it ends- it also starts all over again.

-Joseph Sir

Late Season Honkers

This past week once again found a few of us hunkered down in the pits outside Rochester,Mn with “Big Mike” and the guys at Run N Gun Outfitters. With a fresh layer of snow, expectations were high and we were not disappointed. Hunting is hunting (brilliant) and this late in the season we were working birds that had seen every trick in the book. Many of the geese knew where they wanted to feed and there was no convincing them otherwise. But there was a good number of geese who ventured a little to close and found their last meal of 3 1/2 in. B.B.’s.

as always the camera was running- keep your eyes open for the video only on www.sfoutdoors.com

As always with the crew at Run N Gun, the morning was packed with great action, great shooting, and a ton of fun.

check out to book your hunt today!

The Dakota's Once again did the trick

Birds in Iowa?

The winters have been tough and the springs wet. Needless to say, Iowa’s pheasant population has been hurting. If you ask anyone about the bird numbers you get the same shrugged shoulders, crinkled frown, and a “Just aint the birds there used to be”. You talk to farmers about the numbers and you get countless stories about the old days when the last few rows of corn combined held an abundance of these beautiful birds. Now most farmers will tell you they hardly see a bird. With more CRP coming out everyday, the situation is not getting better.

Having been raised in Iowa, Pheasant hunting is something I have always done. It started when i was old enough to walk along with my dad holding nothing but a B.B gun, and grew to be one of my greatest passions. There are few things that get my heart racing like the eruption of a pheasant wings as he busts under a good dog’s nose.

With all the bowhunting we’ve been doing lately my dog has been rather down. Every morning when I leave in the dark, camo, bow in hand, he looks up as if to say “honestly, again?”.

With Iowa’s Gun season in full swing, Bowhunting temporarily closed, and my gun tag filled, It was time for a little pheasant hunting….If we could find um.

I hooked up with Pro-staffer Kyle Balik and we headed out to see if we couldn’t throw some lead. I firmly believe that the harder you have to work for something the more rewarding it is. This couldn’t have been more true today.

There are still a few birds in Iowa!

2 birds, 1 happy dog

“big time”

Mistaken Identity

I guess it happens to everyone….You find yourself at the top of the hunting roller coaster, then you come crashing back to reality.  This happened to me on the 2nd evening of Iowa’s first shotgun season.  It could have been worse, it could’ve been a missed shot or a poorly placed shot, a sleepless night waiting for a deer to expire.  For me it was a case of mistaken identity.  I made a split second decision to harvest what i thought was our #1 shooter buck on the property.  1 hour later as I walked up on what i thought was the monster we call “Crabclaw” My roller coaster began its decent.

keep your eyes open for the whole story on an upcoming episode of “The Life” only on www.sfoutdoors.com