In the south, winter takes different forms. Sometimes its bitterly cold and wet. Other times its pretty mild and wet. Wet seems to be the norm though and by January, it’s supposed to be cold.
This weekend started out in the upper 50s – low 60s. Quiet warm for January. That was before the front moved through. With in a few hours, an over night storm system would bring High winds and a deep chill. The temps dropped in to the 20s and deer season is almost over. Bill Petrus with T.P. Outdoors called and we setup another hunt. Surely this would get the deer up on their feet.
Bill Petrus hauling a deer blind we primarily use for special needs hunters.
Bill is a good friend and client. We work on a lot of stuff together but our favorite is the T.P. Outdoors Adventures show. We both love getting to take military veterans and special needs kids outdoors. Bill does a lot to help other people and has a lot of fun doing it along the way. He had a couple of kids lined up and one more hunt this year.
Bryce Buchanan has hunted with us many times. He’s taken a few deer on our show and even gone catfish noodling with us in the past. He’s a really cool kid and always fun to hunt with.
We also had Tylar and his dad Kevin Kelly with us. Now Kevin was on our show earlier this year but this time it was Tylar’s turn.
I hunted with Tylar and Kevin. Tylar got to harvest a doe earlier this year with bill but this time we were after his first buck.
Right at daylight, we had a nice mainframe 8pt and it was tough getting Tylar to wait till there was enough camera light available to shoot his deer but as soon as I gave him the go ahead, he let it rip. Made a great, ethical shot with his dad’s Ruger 270. His deer didn’t run far. As we soon discovered, it actually had a split brow tine and another kicker making it 10 scoreable points.
Although I didn’t get to watch Bryce harvest his deer, he was also successful. It came down to the last few minutes of available shooting light but they made it happen so both kids were able to harvest deer.
This was a great hunt to end deer season with. I’m sure we’ll be filming lots of other turkey hunts, frogging alligators and all kinds of other crazy antics for the next season of T.P. Outdoors Adventures. You can watch for the full story behind this hunt around July when our new season of the show kicks off.
A few things caught my attention last week as I attened the annual Archery Trade Association show where companies in the outdoor industry come together to show off their latest and greatest products and to network with other industry partners.
There were a lot of great new products there as well as some tried and true gear that those in the outdoors know and love. Everyone from the smallest of mom and pop sporting goods store or bow shop to the biggest stars from all of the outdoor networks. It’s a great gathering opportunity for professionals in the outdoor industry.
Products
Convergent Hunting Solutions
I’ve worked with several outdoor companies and non profit organizations over the years on a variety of projects. This time, I attended the ATA Show with Convergent Hunting. They are the manufacturers of a line of electronic game calls that are deadly in all types of predator hunting as well as feral hog management.
Most hunters are not familiar with the effectiveness of calling hogs other than the Arkansas Razorbacks. (woo pig sooie) However with the help of Prostaffer Glenn Guess, Convergent has really locked on to a new technique for using their game calls to help thin out the nations hog problems.
The Bullet HP game call has been the go to product for electronic game calls for the last few years. Its Bluetooth receiver connects to your Apple or Android phone which allows you to control the speaker as well as the decoy via a downloadable app. The Predator Pro app is available for free and other apps are available depending on what sounds you want to use.
A new product offering from Convergent is the sidewinder. This weapon mounted game call is small, but packs a punch in the sound department. When mounted to your weapons picatiny rail, the sidewinder connects directly to your phone. A final prototype was on display at the show, but you can Look for the final version later this spring.
SpyHigh Mounting System
One of the cool new products that I particularly liked was the SpyHigh Mounting system. To me, this is one of those why didn’t I think of that things.
The SpyHigh Mounting System is an ingenious trail camera mount that uses a painters pole to install your trail camera in a tree without needing to carry a ladder into the woods with you. It installs in minutes using a unique screw in or a clamp mount and allows you to position your camera high in a tree for the best angle.
To me, the SpyHigh Mounting systems does two things.
By elevating the camera, you get a larger coverage area in each photo. That means more deer can fit in each photo. Even though trail cameras aren’t really artistic in nature, the photographer in me says it means you’ll get a different perspective then the standard tree mounted camera photos that we’ve all gotten use to.
Have you ever lost a camera to theft? Its a terrible feeling knowing your good camera is gone. When you walk through the woods, you are looking down or at eye level. Raise your camera up into a tree and get it out of sight and out of mind of thieves. Plus, with the ability to reach up to 20′ into the air, unless a would be thief has a ladder or the SpyHigh Pole adapter, your camera will be safe from theft even if spotted.
E-bikes
E-bikes seem to be increasing in popularity. There were couple of e-bike manufacturers present at the show. A few months ago, I had a chance to try out the Rambo Bikes at T.P. Outdoors in Monroe, LA. They were also at the show along with QuietKat.
Rambo Bike Setup for fishing
Now E-bikes may not be for everyone but I think they are pretty cool. Personally, I’m not a big fan of riding an ATV right up to your deer stand. I’ve always walked in to my deer stand from a little ways away. Having a quite e-bike might shorten my walk some. Innovation and competition are bringing the price of e-bikes down. E-bikes have also gotten more and more powerful and batteries have gotten lighter. You can even pull a small trailer behind some bikes to haul your deer stand or deer out of the woods. Where I really think these would shine though is in turkey hunting. Nothing like slipping in to your favorite turkey roost with the silence of an electric bike.
Accessories abound for E-bikes
Whether checking trail cameras, scouting, or hunting. I think E-bikes could become a more and more common tool for hunters and outdoorsmen. Especially when it comes to public land hunting.
Obviously, there were lots and lots of other cool products at the ATA show but these are just a few that caught my attention.
In my next blog, we’ll talk about a few of the seminars that I attended while at the ATA show and some thoughts on how we can help improve your companies online presence.
If I can help you in anyway, Contact Us. We’d love to help you.
Gibson’s stores were once a dominant retail chain store. Â They carried a variety of merchandise but sporting goods is what I remember most. Â Rumor is that Sam Walton once inquired about opening a Gibsons franchise before starting Walmart. Â A series of ownership changes and a bankruptcy in the early 90’s almost ended Gibson’s stores. Â However, there are a couple of remaining stores in Texas. Â We once had a Gibsons Discount store here in El Dorado, Arkansas.
My First Rifle
It was the early 80s and I was just a young kid. Â I went all over with my Popaw. Â He was one of my heroes. Â One afternoon we went in to Gibson’s and that’s where I saw it. Â A Nickel Plated Rossi Pump action 22. Â The thought, “you’ll shoot your eye out with that thing kid” runs through my mind now but I thought it was the coolest gun i’d ever seen. Â It was shiny and it looked like the perfect size for me. My papaw used a similar rifle to ward off squirrels from his pecan trees. Â Many days we’d pull up to his house and he’d be standing outside under the carport waiting on one to come out. Â With my own Rossi, I could do it with him. Â For now, though it was a wish list item. Â
A couple days later, when we went over to visit, Â I was surprised with that very 22 Rifle. Â It wasn’t Christmas morning, but it sure felt like it to me. Â We went out to shoot it and before he and my dad would let me shoot it, we had to clean it. Â It was there that I learned the importance of properly taking care of a new rifle. Â
My first Rifle
The thing about a new rifle is that, like any new toy, you want to go play with it as soon as possible, but you can’t let the eagerness to go shoot get a head of proper gun safety and maintenance. Â Now Lets skip forward a few years. Â Say 30-35 years. Â
The Christensen Arms Ridgeline
My dad is now retired. Â Like my popaw, he spends most of his time with his grandkids. Â Although he doesn’t hunt much anymore, he wanted a new precision rifle to play with. Several years ago, he purchased a Remington 700 VLS chambered in 6mm remington. Â The 6mm Remington has long been a favored round in our family. Â Although not as widely know as the 243 Winchester, the 6mm rem actually predates the 243 and offers slightly improved ballistics and the same bullet. Â The 700 VLS is a beautiful gun but its heavy bull barrel proved more weight than Dad wanted to carry so, he never really shot it. Â
With the wide popularity of the 6.5 creedmore, he decided he wanted to give it a try. Â Dad and I stopped by T.P. Outdoors in Monroe, LA to talk about some custom guns. Â
After talking with a gunsmith and discussing several options as well as pricing some Dad initially decided to go with a custom built rifle. Â Then, T.P. Outdoors got in some new Christensen Arms rifles. Â These rifles have been on order for months and they came in just days after placing his order for a custom rifle. Â After looking at the new Christensen Arms Ridgeline and finding out nothing had been ordered yet or started on his custom gun, Everyone agreed that the Christensen arms would better suit his needs and at a slightly lower price with more features. Â We’ll call it perfect timing.
The Christensen Arms Ridgeline has many of the features dad was looking for right out of the box. Â It’s pretty much a custom rifle right from the factory. Â It features a bedded stock, and a fluted bolt in a 700 clone action with a carbon fiber wrapped barrel. Â We’ve shot carbon fiber barrel before on a Ruger 10/22 and love the performance. This one is no exception. Â It makes for a very light gun at 6.3 lbs which was dads number one concern. Â He wanted the performance of a heavy barrel but not the weight and fluting only does so much. Â The carbon fiber dissipates heat 300 times faster than an all steel barrel of equivalent weight. Â It also comes threaded for you suppressor guys out there. If you don’t have a suppressor, it comes with a thread protector and a ported muzzle break so all of your bases are covered. Â
Now the lessons learned when I was just a kid are now really important. Â With any new rifle, ensuring its clean and free of any grease or manufacturing defects is important. It’s also important to properly break in a new barrel. Â This is definitely the case with a new precision rifle with a sub moa guarantee like the Christensen Arms Ridgeline. Â Â
The barrel break in process can help increase accuracy by smoothing out the rifling in the barrel and prevents material from being impeded in the steel.  It can also help ease future cleaning and maintenance.  We still need to run another box of ammo through it, but we’ve followed Christensen Arms recommendations for barrel break we’re already getting pretty good results. Â
For the moment, we’re shooting  Hornady Precision Hunter ammo.  Some of our shots have included sighting in the Leupold VX5HD 3-15×56 with FireDot reticle.  The scope lets in a lot of light and has been great to shoot so far.  Below is two three shot groups at 100yds after sighting in the scope and really trying for accuracy.  I’m happy with that and I think most people would be.  We tried the Hornady Match Ammo and didn’t get quite as good a results but Dad’s looking forward to playing around with some other ammo to find the best load and going out to some longer ranges. Â
Hornady Precision Hunter 6.5 creedmore 143 gr ELD-X at 100 yds
Few cons
There are a few very minor things that I’d change about the Christensen Arms rifle if I were building it as a custom gun. Â
The bolt handle is light and appears to have had some thought put into its design, however, the design leaves some relatively sharp edges that make it a little uncomfortable to work the bolt. Â This will most likely have some work done to it and be refinished in the future. Â
The Ridgeline has a standard magazine compartment similar to any other Rem 700 and it works fine. Â The stock is a very nice, light weight free floated and bedded stock. Â However, the bottom plate of the magazine and trigger guard does not recess up into the stock like I would prefer. Â The magazine in my factory Rem 700 BDL in 6mm rem has a much better feel when you hold it in one hand at the mid point of the gun. Although not really a big deal, this leaves a little sharper edge around the bottom plate than you’d probably get on a custom rifle. and its probably a trade off between weight of the thicker stock that may be required to recess the magazine bottom plate.Â
Popaws Squirrel Gun
Other than a few very minor issues, the Christensen Arms Ridgeline is probably the sweetest rifle I’ve ever shot. Â Its light weight. Â It feels great in your hands. Â The 6.5 Creedmore performance seems amazing and so fun to shoot. Â It seems like a nearly perfect rifle. Â Popaws squirrel gun sure has changed a lot over the years. Â This one has me drooling all over it just like my Popaws old squirrel gun did years ago. Â Maybe one day I can have a “squirrel gun” that nice too. Â
Louisiana’s alligator season is in full swing and it’s an annual tradition for many residents. Â This past weekend, I filmed a hunt with T.P. Outdoors Adventures that has been in the works since the spring.
At the beginning of Tennessee’s turkey season, Bill Petrus and I took the opportunity to chase some spring turkeys with Brian Robinson of GSM Outdoors. Â That’s where we met country music singer Lucas Hoge. Â The early spring weather didn’t make for great turkey hunting so there was a lot of time spent talking around the fire. Â Both Brian and Lucas were intrigued by the crazy antics seen on T.P. Outdoors Adventures and they both said Alligator hunting was a bucket list item for them. Â You have to be careful what you ask for because this week, Bill and David “swamp donkey” Hanson made it happen. Â
As with any of T.P. Outdoors Adventures there seems to always be some chaos involved. Â This week we had engine problems with not one but two vehicles, Â A vehicle broken into, Â Multiple flat tires, Â Brian got Snake bit, Bill got shot, Â and Hanson almost got eaten alive by a gator. You won’t want to miss this episode of T.P. Outdoors Adventures. Until then, here are a few photos of the adventure and make sure you check out Lucas’ newest hit single. Â “The Power of Garth” on iTunesÂ
Alex Jones is a controversial figure in politics. Â He is considered by some, a far right wing commentator. Â A conspiracy theorist by others. Â This blog post isn’t interested in getting into whether Alex Jones is good or bad, right or wrong. Â However, this week in what seems to have been a concerted effort by big tech/social media companies to silence his free speech rights, Alex Jones has been banned from most common social media platforms. Â The thing is, he is not alone. Â It happens to all of us.
Many of the same companies that are actively banning Alex Jones are also banning and removing content that supports hunting, The second amendment, and even fishing and other wholesome outdoor activities that they deem wrong. Â YouTube recently removed all of Brownells content from their site. Â The content was eventually reinstated but still cost them. Â Many others that are still allowed on a variety of social media platforms have been blackballed and are not allowed to promote their content, even if the content doesn’t violate their policies against the second amendment or other free speech rights. Â The mere fact that sporting goods stores sell guns as well as other sporting goods, causes Facebook to reject sponsored posts promoting for example a Photos with Santa event.
How can you prevent this type of thing from happening to you?
Diversify your social media presence
As the old saying goes, “Don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket” Â When marketing your company, whether its an outdoor company or not, its important to diversify your marketing efforts across multiple channels. Â Not only does this keep you from loosing your audience if your content does get banned or removed for some reason, but it also allows you to reach people you might not other wise reach.
Social media is ever changing. Â Facebook users are declining but they’ve also changed drastically. Â Facebook was once targeted at young consumers, but that age demographic is changing. Â More and more older Americans are turning to Facebook while younger demographics are turning to instagram and other platforms.
We can help you create content and manage your social media presence and diversifying your social media portfolio helps, but as is the case with Alex Jones, a concerted effort among multiple platforms essentially wiped out his entire social media presence. Â What else can you do?
Websites and Blogs
While social media is the rage, do not underestimate the power of a well designed website. Â Especially a blog. Â This doesn’t mean you can’t have a social media presence. Â In fact blog posts on your own website where you have more creative freedom, make great content for your social media profiles. Â They also aren’t limited by length or design. You are in the driver seat so you control your users experience. Â Blog posts help keep your audience aware of the latest happenings with your company or organization. If you need a website, We’ve got you covered or Riverbank Products can help you create content for your existing blog/website.
Build Relationships
The thing about social media platforms is that they are intend to be social. Â To pull a reference from my favorite book, the bible says in Proverbs 18:24, “Â A man that has friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.” Â The same goes for consumers. Â Social media should be but one tool in your bag to help build a relationship with customers. Â Build their trust, get to know them. Â Host an event or sponsor a local event. Â With each sponsored event you participate in, make sure you actually participate. Â Make sure a representative from your company is there in person to shake a hand and answer questions. Â Serve hot dogs at your store. Â No matter what business you are in, we’re all in the service industry so serve others whole heartedly. Â This builds trust in the market and will hands down be better than any social media post you can possibly make.
These are just a few of my impressions and take aways.  I’m sure there are others and I’d be glad to help you talk over some ideas for your business.  For additional information on how Riverbank Products can help you and your organization, Contact me I’d love to help your business succeed.
