Willowpine Outdoors Prostaff Spotlight - Mark Spears (Tooter)!

We're excited to spotlight our good friend Mark Spears (Tooter) of the Willowpine Outdoors Prostaff! 

Name: Mark Spears (Tooter)

Location: Cloverdale, IN

Position: Willowpine Outdoors Pro-Staff (Waterfowl, Fishing, Deer, Turkey)
Other Prostaff Positions: Fieldstaff Gumbo Calls, Out Yonder Outdoors (Wildlife Control Specialist)

Organizations You Belong To: Ducks Unlimited & Delta Waterfowl
Favorite Critter to Hunt: DUCKS!

Favorite Fish to Catch: Crappies, Walleye, and Big Cats

Favorite Type of Duck Call: Pure Duck (Double Reed), Duck Commander Diamondwood (Double Reed)

Favorite Goose Call: Tim Grounds (Triple Crown), I also like Lynch Mob Calls 

Favorite Fishing Rod Company: Shakespeare Ugly Stik

Favorite Fishing Reel Company: Shimano

What Brand of Decoy do you Use: GHG, G&H, Real Geese

What Brand of Gun do you Prefer: Benelli SB2, Good ol’ Remington 870 

What Kind of Bow do you Shoot: Bear

What is your favorite thing about hunting and fishing? 

Being one with mother nature, and enjoying all the beauty she has to offer. It also gives my daughter and I some really great bonding time doing what we both love! 

Tell us about your best days in the field for hunting and fishing....

Waterfowl: So many to list! One that sticks out is the day I was hunting solo on white lick creek. It had rained, and the water was too high to even attempt a hunt. Against my better judgement I decided to give it a shot. I tucked up in some flooded timber and put out ol' mojo.  Because the water was so swift, I actually had to tie my few mallard decoys to my mojo pole, the normal decoy weights just wouldn't hold.  

Several ducks had flown over without even giving me a second look, I decided the creek was just too swift for them to land. I told myself five more minutes and I'm outta here. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a beautiful mature drake pintail lands 15 feet from me! I spun around, raised my gun as he flushed, and BOOM.... my first bull sprig hit the water! With the strong current, I had to dive into the swift water after him! My bird and I ended up a good ways down creek before grabbing a log and crawling to safety (crazy...YES, but well worth it!!!) 

Fishing: I'd have to say two years ago when my brother and I got on a hot spot for walleyes, we both caught our limit in less than an hour or two, and all the walleye were in the 7-12 pound range!!!

How'd you get started in the outdoors, and why do you maintain the lifestyle?

Well it all started long ago, I believe I was around the age of 6, I remember tote'n that ol' RED RIDER on my hip while walking down the railroad tracks next to my Grandpa. We were trying to bring home a few rabbits for supper. He'd let me shoot first, and then he'd say "If you miss, I'll back you up." We never said who shot the most when we got home, but Grandpa would always say "WE did pretty good!"
As I got older my interest in the outdoors grew into an obsession. I started really wanting to go hunting and fishing every chance I could get. What started out just being fun and a hobby, turned into a lifestyle for me. It is a passion and way of life that has shown my family and myself that nature has so much to offer. 

These days you can mainly find me in a marsh somewhere, talkin' to the duckies! My soul addiction is truly waterfowl hunting. I just get such a rush when I hear a big ball of greenwings or divers above my head. Just watching as they buzz around with their jet engines on, just screaming over my head, and waiting patiently as they prepare to make their first and LAST turn! There is nothing else like that.

I have been so fortunate to have a daughter that has the same interest as me in the outdoors. It has been a blast teaching her to hunt. The feeling of seeing that first TOM, or that BIG BUCK, or shooting that first pheasant, all things that are great memories for her and I! I enjoy the outdoors more today than I ever have before!

Check out Tooter on  Facebook.

Welcome Josiah Stebbins to Willowpine!

We're excited to announce supporter and friend Josiah Stebbins has joined the Willowpine Outdoors Prostaff! 

Name: Josiah Stebbins

Location: LaSalle County, IL

Position: Willowpine Outdoors Pro-Staff (Deer, Turkey, Trapping)

Favorite Critter to Hunt: The elusive whitetail deer!

Favorite Critter to Trap: Raccoons

Favorite Type of Deer Call: Grunt Call

Favorite Brand of Camo:  Realtree
Favorite Treestand Company: Ol' Man Treestands

What Kind of Bow do you Shoot: Mission Craze

What is your favorite thing about hunting and fishing? 

I enjoy just spending time in the outdoors. I consider every trip into the woods  or onto the water a learning experience.  I am very passionate about getting our youth into the outdoors.  I have begun introducing my daughter to hunting and fishing very early. I began taking her fishing when she was 1 ½.  She now wants to go fishing and hunting any chance she gets. To me that's what it is all about. Without our youth our sport would fade away. Some of the best family traditions have come from spending time in the great outdoors with each other. 

Tell us about your best days in the field for deer and turkey....

Deer: My best day in the field deer hunting has to be the fall of 2012. I had just acquired a new farm in late October. I had no chance to scout the property or run any trail cams, but I went for it. I went in with a climber and set up in an area where I could see just about anything within a 100 yards or so. I saw more deer on that one day than  I had ever seen in my  entire hunting career. I ended up shooting a very mature doe. It’s not the “big buck” story of the century, but it was one of the greatest days I have had in the stand. Since then I have learned how to hunt these woods. I have not harvested a buck on this land as of now, but  they’re in these woods and I have seen plenty, just no shots.

Trapping: I didn't start running trap lines until I began dating my wife in 2008. Her dad has been doing it since he was a young man.  So I decided to give it a shot. Her father and I went out and set 35 traps for a raccoon line. We let the line sit for 24 hours and went back to check it. Little did I know what I was in for. Out of the 35 traps we set, 26 had coons that were just waiting for us to come get them. That year alone we ended up trapping 300 or so coons. I continue to learn everything he knows about trapping to further my knowledge of the sport.

A paragraph or two about how you started in the outdoors, and why you maintain the lifestyle... 

I was introduced into the outdoors when I was around 10 years of age. A family friend was a big bow hunter and I took a trip to the bow shop with him, the rest is history. That Christmas my mother and father bought me my first bow, a Hoyt Magic. The next fall I began hunting behind our house. It wasn’t until I was about 12 or 13 that I harvested my first animal. Ever since then, I have been hooked. 

The reason I maintain the lifestyle of being an outdoors-man is because I live and breathe hunting and fishing.  When I am in the woods or on the water, I feel as though I have become one with nature. I feel like so many people are caught up in the face paced life of America that they forget about the outdoors and what it has to offer. To me hunting and fishing is a way of life. I do it to feed my family, for my own sanity, and because it is a tradition that we continue to pass down generation to generation.  A man who was a giant inspiration to me becoming an outdoorsmen / conservationist had told me “ Teach a kid to hunt  and you’ll never have to hunt for your kid.” I look back now since I have had children of my own and think how true those words are. To me the biggest reason why I maintain the lifestyle is for the future of hunting and fishing, for the future of my kids and their kids.

My goal as an outdoors-man is to harvest any legal game with the old stick and string. I do not gun hunt. Not because I have something against guns, but because I enjoy the challenge of having to get animals in close. I think the closer I can get an animal to me the better job I have done of preparing myself to pursue the animal. There is not an animal that I harvest that I waste. I either eat the meat or skin the animal for its fur. I am going to start documenting my journey and I hope I can share it with anyone who finds it interesting.  

Check out Josiah on  Facebook.

Hunt Fish Journal - Episode 59 - Ronnie Capps Crappie Fishing Know How!

The Hunt Fish Journal is Willowpine Outdoors #1 recommended outdoor podcast. Dan Stapleton, Greg Barnhart, and Jerry Everhart are Ohio natives that have had a lot of success in hunting and fishing. Many of their shows focus on whitetail deer hunting in the Midwest, but they also cover many other types of hunting and fishing including my favorite walleye fishing. Each episode of the Hunt Fish Journal is informative, exciting, and packed full of great tips and tactics for novice or advanced hunters and fisherman. If you want to learn from experienced outdoorsman, then give the Hunt Fish Journal a listen. 

This Weeks Featured Episode:



Hunt Fish Journal - Episode 59 - Ronnie Capps Crappie Fishing Know How!

EPISODE DOWNLOAD

The HFG welcomes 8 time National Crappie Champion Ronnie Capps to the podcast. Listen about how Ronnie has spent a great deal of time on the water, from the time he was kid fishing with Grandpa to becoming one of the best crappie anglers alive. Ronnie grew up in west Tennessee fishing Reelfoot Lake, and other lakes alike. During this episode you'll learn how Ronnie got started on crappie fishing, as well as he will share some proven tactics to catching these southern specs.

"So sit back and grab yourself a hot steaming cup of Hemisphere Coffee Roasters Coffee and listen to Ronnie Capps reveal some great crappie fishing advice."

Click HERE for other great episodes including interviews with Grant Woods, Lee Lakowsky, Al & Ron Linder, Hank Parker, Harold Knight, and many others.

You can also find all the HFJ episodes on Itunes.

Make sure to stop by and give HFJ a like on Facebook!

GrowingDeer.TV - April 21, 2014

Each week Dr. Woods and crew put out a 10-15 minute video called GrowingDeer.TV.  The videos are all about land management, herd management, hunting, predator control, trapping, and all other aspects of managing deer land. Constantly I hear other hunters say that they wish hunting shows would actually teach us something, if that's you, or if you're just as obsessed as I am, then GrowingDeer.TV is for you.

This Weeks Episode - Awesome Weekend Turkey Hunting With the Girls: 2 Gobblers Down!

GrowingDeer.TV - April 16, 2014

Each week Dr. Woods and crew put out a 10-15 minute video called GrowingDeer.TV.  The videos are all about land management, herd management, hunting, predator control, trapping, and all other aspects of managing deer land. Constantly I hear other hunters say that they wish hunting shows would actually teach us something, if that's you, or if you're just as obsessed as I am, then GrowingDeer.TV is for you.

This Weeks Episode - Turkey Hunting in the Pines

Welcome Eli Eccles to Willowpine!

We're excited to announce long time supporter and friend Eli Eccles has joined the Willowpine Outdoors Prostaff! 

Name: Eli Eccles

Location: Ellettsville, IN

Position: Willowpine Outdoors Pro-Staff (Deer, Turkey, Fishing)

Favorite Critter to Hunt: Whitetail Deer (morels are my favorite thing to hunt)

Favorite Fish to Catch: Bluegills/Smallies

Outdoor Organizations You Belong To: Indiana Smallmouth Alliance

Favorite Camo Company: Realtree

Favorite Treestand Company: Summit

What Brand of Gun do you Prefer: Remington

What Kind of Bow do you Shoot: Mathew Heli-m

What Brand of Rod do you Prefer: Ugly Stik

What Brand of Reel do you Prefer: Pflueger

What is your go-to Lure while fishing? Tubes for smallies and live bait for bluegills.

What is your favorite thing about hunting and fishing? 

It is always an adventure.  You never know what you might see in the woods or on the water. It is a chance to get out and enjoy nature.  It is also a chance to learn something new. 

Eli's First Buck

Tell us about your best days in the field for deer and turkey....

Last year my wife joined me on opening day of turkey season.  We went out for the afternoon and within a half an hour we had two jakes come to the decoys.  Normally I would pass on a young bird, but with my wife along I decided to take the shot so we could share the experience together.  

Last November 3^rd I shot my first buck in the woods behind my grandma’s house.  Her property is only about three acres and half of that is wooded.  Being able to take my first buck at my grandma’s was a special moment for me.  It was also the first deer I had shot with my Mathews.

Tell us about your best days in the field while Fishing....

I’ve had a number of good days fishing, but the one that sticks out was March 18, 2012.  My father-in-law and I went to his buddy’s house and had a banner day catching bluegill, crappie and bass.  We took the fish home and had quite the fish fry.  I knew it was a good day for us both when my f-i-l called me out of the blue the next day to say how good the day was. 

A paragraph or two about how you started in the outdoors, and why you maintain the lifestyle... 

I fished here and there growing up, but never took it seriously.  After I met my wife her father got me back into fishing, but mostly farm ponds. I have since branched out to fishing creeks and bigger bodies of water.  My father-in-law is also the one who got me into hunting.  He took me on a turkey hunt, and later deer hunting and my passion grew from there. 

I live the outdoor lifestyle because it allows me to connect with nature and provide food for my family.  I enjoy that I can continually learn in an effort to outsmart the fish, deer, turkeys, ducks, etc.  Each day out is a new adventure and a new chance to learn.  

Check out Eli on  Facebook or follow him on Twitter. 

GrowingDeer.TV - April 7, 2014

Each week Dr. Woods and crew put out a 10-15 minute video called GrowingDeer.TV.  The videos are all about land management, herd management, hunting, predator control, trapping, and all other aspects of managing deer land. Constantly I hear other hunters say that they wish hunting shows would actually teach us something, if that's you, or if you're just as obsessed as I am, then GrowingDeer.TV is for you.

This Weeks Episode - Bow Hunting: Nebraska Early Season Turkey Hunt