Hey guys!  Met Lee and Tiffany Lakosky for the first time EVER last night here in Iowa for the Classic!  Also met T-Bone who is a DOLL!  Lee and Tiff were great!  Got some pics and had a chance to chat with Tiff for a while, which was a dream come true for myself, being a BOWGIRL!  LOL!  Pics to come when we return home! 

We found two sheds on our 40 acres west of here.  One was a small spike.  Here are a couple of pics of the largest shed.  It was pretty tall.  If it helps, I have one pic of it lined up with my foot.  This particular running shoe is a size 7 women's!  HA HA!  On the close up pic, I think you can get a pretty good feel for how thick this shed was by comparing it to my finger that you can see in the pic as well.

Also found a heck of a rub we missed seeing last fall.  Think that buck must have been trying to rub his way thru the whole dang tree!  HA HA! 

Ok, I know this isn't exactly hunting-related, but I'm passing time until there are more sheds on the ground and Spring Turkey Season opens!  HA HA!  Can I just say I am sooo hooked on this song by Dierks Bentley???!!!  Especially when KBGuy sings it to me when we are ridin' down the road!  Here's the lyrics...The title is "Feel That Fire". 

She wants her nails painted black
She wants the toy in the crackerjack
She wants to ride the bull at the rodeo

She wants to wear my shirt to bed
She wants to make every stray a pet
N' Drive around in my truck with no place to go

But she needs to feel that fire
The one that lets her know for sure
She's everything I want and more
A real desire, Does she know I'd walk alone out on the wire
To make her feel that fire

She wants a cabin in the woods
She wants to stand where nobody stood
And someday she wants a couple kids of her own
She wants to make love on a train
And somedays she only wants a break
Hey but she wants what she wants, but man I know I know I know

She needs to feel that fire
The one that lets her know for sure
She's everything I want and more
A real desire, Does she know I'd walk alone out on the wire
To make her feel that fire
Yeah, feel that fire

So as long as there's a breath to take
A smile to share, a prayer to pray
A chance to hold her hand to fan the flame

She's gonna feel that fire
The one that lets her know for sure
She's everything I want and more
A real desire, Does she know I'd walk alone out on the wire
To make her feel that fire

Any of you ladies out there enjoy this song as much as I do?  I can completely relate to it...I couldn't have written it any better myself...obviously!  HA HA!  But just between you and I...KBGuy sings it WAY better than even Dierks Bentley!  WOW! 

Someone needs to show me how to put songs up on my blog! And, while I'm at it, since we are huge fans of Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton, who are avid bowhunters as well, here's a little article I found on CMT.com about them!  Aren't they just GREAT? 

"Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton's recent concert in Tishomingo, Okla., raised $70,000 to help build an animal shelter for the community. The couple performed during a Feb. 12 event at Murray State College to benefit the Texoma Animal Improved Living Society, an animal welfare agency. After purchasing a farm in the area in 2008, Lambert learned there was a need for an animal shelter. "I am so happy that, in this economy, people would spend their hard earned dollars to come together for one night to support one cause," Lambert said. "The support from the community and volunteers made this possible, and we are so grateful that this facility for abused and abandoned animals is now a reality." Lambert has set May 17 as the date for her second annual Cause for the Paws dinner and concert in Tyler, Texas, to raise money for the Humane Society of East Texas. Last year's event raised more than $113,000 to help abused and neglected animals." 

Woo Hoo!  Miranda and Blake ROCK! And how cute are they BOTH???!!!  Especially Blake!  Sorry, Miranda, nothing personal!  HA HA! 

Wow!  The buffalo blog post got my inbox jammed with messages.  I won't have time to get to them all today...actually, it might take me more like a week!  Be patient and bear with me!  Thanks!

Some pics of John and the beast he recently shot...and a little something about the hunt that he wrote up...

"It was a little chilly for my leather loin cloth and mocassins so I put some warmer clothes, I still had my head dress on but somehow didn't get a piture of it.

It was actually a very cool experience. It couldn't have went any better. After a little game of cat and mouse, I ended up shooting him at 50 yds broadside and hit just where I was aiming. I had him at 34 yds at one time. He wasn't going to let me get any closer unless it was him charging at me. He definitely had me concerned. I buried the arrow to the fletch and we could see where it hit the opposite side of him when we were cutting him up.

After the shot, he kicked a bit and ran about 100 yds, went in a circle and piled up hard.

Seeing him go down and walking up on an animal like that is just amazing to see how big they are. Humbling. He was atleast 5.5' at the top of his hump, maybe even 6'. They est. his weight at one ton. He was just so huge laying there on the ground. Brought down by one arrow, which really surprised some people; which I must admit, I was quite relieved myself.

I've worked on his cape for about 15 hours and have it ready for the form already and have the rear half of his hide in the tanning solution now. I will try and make a rug out of his back half of hide. Its been quite the task just moving the hides around, especially when they are wet. Wow!, what a task."

Congrats to John!  Must have been quite a rush!  And thanks for letting me share it with everyone here.

 So I have this AMAZING black lab named Jasper.  He's around 4 years old, and the most loyal, loving, protective dog I've ever had the opportunity to own.  Over the years, he's become my running buddy.  Living out in the Sandhills in SE Kansas, he would always go out with me, which I enjoyed.  I not only enjoyed his company, but I always felt a little safer with him right beside me.  Out there, we had bobcats, coyotes, rattlesnakes...even the occasional mountain lion sighting.  And, of course, the occasional strange guy driving around out in the middle of nowhere, checking things out.  That always gave me a creepy feeling.  He and I have walked, jogged and ran countless miles out there together.  And he NEVER tires!  These runs were special to me, and I believe it's how he and I formed much of our bond over time. 

Jasper and I have an amazing connection.  An understanding.  It's all in the eyes.  And I just melt when he puts his head on my shoulder...it feels like a hug.  And sometimes he will still try and curl up in my lap.  All seventy pounds of him!  Like he's still a pup or something.  Crazy dog.  

Jasper, for the past few years, has been allowed to roam several acres around our place near the Sandhills.  He is accostomed to coming and going as he pleases, exploring and running and chasing rabbits to his heart's content!  

Recently, however, Jasper's life has changed dramatically.  We moved back into our home in town, temporarily.  Now that our two oldest daughters are developing "social lives", it just became quite obvious that we needed to be a little closer to town...and not have to drive 50 miles to town and 50 miles back each day.  So, we are sadly putting our place in the country up for sale, and living in the home we still own in town until we find land and a place a little closer to town.  

So, Jasper's days of running free came to a screetching halt.  During the day when we are gone, he is confined to our back yard until I can get home and take him for a walk or run.  

Here's where the trouble starts... 

Typically, out in the country, whenever Jasper and I would walk or run, he was right beside me, every step of the way.  Now, being in town, with all the new and different smells and animals and people and cars...well, he is also having to get used to being confined to the dreaded LEASH! 

Jasper has never been on a leash, except for vet visits.  He has no real "leash training".  So what would normally be a nice, enjoyable outing for the both of us, sometimes ends up in a sort of tug-o-war between the two of us.  He's a big boy, and STRONG!  When he wants to go after something or check something out, he's gonna do it.  Or at least TRY.  

He's doing better these days.  Either that, or my arms are getting stronger at holding him back when he gets a wild hair. He's learned to sit when we come to a crossing, which really gives me hope that he's going to submit to this whole leash thing completely at some point.  HA HA! 

Here's a pic of my handsome boy...

Those caramel eyes just melt my heart!  =)

So a really cool guy KBGuy and I know came up with the most AWESOME t-shirt design for my Susan G. Komen 3-Day Cancer Walk Team!  Our team name is "Healthy Hooters"!  LOL!

Here it is!  And a big THANK YOU, Ryan!  Hope to see you in Iowa!!!

KBGuy and a buddy went fishin' yesterday afternoon and brought home two stringers of fish!  Guess it's fish for dinner tonight!  YUMO!

David in Georgia, a fellow blogger said I could share this message on my blog.  A big thanks to you, David!  I appreciate it!

From: David in Georgia

Subject: Turkey Calls

Hey KBG,

I have hunted turkeys since 1980 and I know the box call has fooled more turkeys than any other call.  Most people make the mistake of lifting the top piece off the box.  Don't do that.  Leave it on the box when you slide it back.  Apply pressure on the down stoke and less pressure on the return.  I use a friction call, my favorite is an aluminum slate.  I use different strikers to get different sounds.  Finally, I would suggest some of these little button calls, where you just push on the stick and it rubs a slate to make a pretty little yelp.   A mouth call is the hardest to learn, but it helps to use when you don't want movement.  I locate most of our birds with the Aluminator and finess them with the mouth call.  Good luck and be sure to post pictures when you get one.  I will too!  Take care, hunt safe!

So I talked to a buddy of ours during lunch today, and I think he's gonna get to drive up to the Iowa Deer Classic with us in March!  So looks like KBGuy and I will have two going along with us if all works out!  Man, I think I'm more pumped up about it than the guys are!  HA HA!  I cannot WAIT!  Anyone been up there before?