Back country morals aren’t a thing of the past if you know where to look!

By Jeremy Koerber

Without getting preachy or too political, it really can be discouraging to watch what America has become in recent years.  In our daily life we are force fed agendas that are progressive and far reaching from what our founders believed.  We witness individuals and groups spend time and money either convincing us there is no God or doing everything they can to wipe his presence from mainstream America.  They campaign to limit or ban firearms in the name of safety when the real criminal element is fostered through cultures that have no ambition; no family values and relies on others to take of them.  We watch those who feel entitled take from those who sacrifice to build their own security.  There is wider gap between different cultures and races than I have seen in my 39 years along with a lack of respect for these differences.  

The forming of Fit To Hunt and our key values was no accident.  It was a deliberate strategy to help bring back the values and beliefs that this country was founded on and what made it great.  However, there are times when it seems like a lost cause.  And then, there are times when an experience sheds light on the fact that those morals really aren’t lost.

Last night, the Fit To Hunt team attended the fundraising banquet for the Gateway Greenway chapter of Ducks Unlimited in St. Louis, MO to help raise money for wetland conservation.  We wanted to support their efforts and donated a Fit To Hunt training package for their auction to help raise funds.  I had never been to an event like this but was excited to meet some new folks and build awareness for Fit To Hunt in the duck hunting community.  It seemed like a win/win for our team and a pretty good way to spend a Saturday night.  What we experienced from the moment we walked through the doors of the banquet hall/gymnasium was the type of values and respect we thought had disappeared in the majority of society.  Instead of simply building awareness for our business and mission we were reminded that back country morals really are alive and well.

What did this look or feel like? Well, it kind of went like this:

1. Members of the duck hunting community coming together to raise money to preserve wetland environments for future generations of hunters to enjoy.

2. Every man, woman, and child in the room unashamedly bowing their head  in prayer to begin the evening.

3. Honoring the military veterans in the room and allowing both them and their families to go through the banquet line first.

4. Strangers coming together to enjoy a meal and talk about issues, ways of life and principles that I thought were lost or at least discouraged by mainstream media and progressive thinkers.

5. Mutual admiration and respect shown by all.  Everyone was friendly, everyone was respectful and everyone extended a hand.  Something I don’t often see in the day to day activities of the office, grocery store, etc.  

Oh, and did I mention it was fun?  We laughed, had a few beers (in moderation of course) and in the end, got far more from the event than simple advertising or brand awareness. We left knowing that what we are told on TV from news outlets, political leaders and activist organizations, while wildly different from what we think and believe, isn’t near as far reaching as what I thought.  Back country morals still exist, but the further America drifts away from what we were founded upon, the more important it is for people like you and I to talk about, live and promote these concepts.  

It isn’t about turning people into hunters or convincing them to own a firearm.  If you don’t like to hunt or don’t want to have a gun in your house, that is fine by us.  What isn’t fine is for one group to fundamentally change what has worked for several hundred years solely for the sake of progress, or force feed you what they believe you should think or feel.  

This is a call to all of the Fit To Hunt Tribe: Wear your back country morals on your sleeve and show the world that country doesn’t mean ignorance.  It means living, promoting and getting back to the roots of what makes America great!

By Nick Lape

Avid and novice gym-goers alike know that supplemented nutrition after a workout is anabsolute must. It helps rebuild muscles and re-energize your body after vigorous exercise. And if you are REALLY expending a lot of energy training hard, supplementation will allow your body to recover faster. The same can be said for the nutritional needs of a rutting buck. After a long season chasing does, whitetail deer also require appropriate supplementation to thrive.

A buck deer goes through a very stressful 8-12 week rut cycle. Think of it like training for and running a non-stop marathon from the end of October to early December. Prior to the rut, the males need proper nutrition in order to grow antlers, increase muscle mass, have the power and endurance to dominate subordinate bucks, claim a territory and eventually mate. Does, on the other hand, spend a great deal of time running from a forest full of hormone-raged suitors while getting enough nutrition to prepare their body for the winter months and healthy gestation. Knowing this, having a bountiful and healthy diet rich in macro nutrients is key.

So do you give deer protein shakes? Well no, because more often than not, a deer will have their own food source; especially if you hunt farmland. However, after the late seasons close and the temps plummet, feeding your deer along with appropriate supplementation is the answer! The bucks are weary, thin from months of chasing does and are fixing to drop last year’s rack. The does are most likely pregnant and in need of nutrition to produce healthy fawns. Right now is the perfect time to boost your herd’s nutrition!

What products should you use? The market is loaded with all kinds of brands and products that promise big racks and healthy deer, so we tend to think of it in the same light as we would our own supplementation. Whether you are shopping for deer or yourself, you need to be mindful of two things when you pick a brand:

1. What is the quality?
2. What is the price?

There are a lot of cheap supplements that aren’t worth the bottles they come in. Likewise, there are some awesome products that work amazingly well but you may have to mortgage your home to afford them. The same can be said for the products you use to grow healthy deer. Fit To Hunt’s new product partner, Yo Buck, solves both of those problems! They have a wide range of products and attractants that will provide your deer with the protein, calcium and other nutrients they need to stay healthy and grow LARGE antlers. Plus, Yo Buck is extremely affordable. Combine the fact they are a family-owned business and there is little reason not to give their product a test in front of your game camera!

To grow big muscles and stay healthy you need appropriate nutrition and supplementation. To grow BIG racks and have a healthy deer herd, you need appropriate nutrition and supplementation. In this instance, whitetail deer and the humans who hunt them really aren’t that different. Or think of it this way. Do you remember the basket eight point with potential that you let walk this year? If you 
don’t give your deer the proper nutrition right now as antlers are dropping, that basket eight point with a lot of potential will never become the kind of buck he could be. If you are as serious about growing BIG deer as you are about being Fit To Hunt, then visit 
Yo Buck at www.yobuck.com and order your product today. You won’t regret it!

I love turkey hunting but when the action is fast and ferocious, my level of enjoyment is ratcheted up about 100 notches.  That was the way it was on a hunt where I realized there is a distinct advantage to possessing a high level of core strength and it was magical.  
Just a day earlier we had a gobbler yelling his fool head off no further than 50 yards from our set up  but he wouldn’t close the distance to give me a shot.  Dejected, we made our way up an old logging road to find a lone jake at 20 yards which I promptly missed making my mood dip even further.  But we hadn’t busted any birds (aside from a jake who had the bejesus scared out of him) so the next morning we set up to kill the loud mouth gobbler and it proved to be just the kind of turkey hunting I love.  Fast, 
ferocious and action packed!

Loud Mouth was off the roost and strolling within 20 yards of us within 10 minutes of setting up.  Problem was he was on us so fast I couldn’t swing my gun to kill him.  Loud mouth, a 2 year old tom and an absolutely clueless jake were on us and out of range in a matter of 30 seconds and heading to the same strut zone from the previous day.  Then silence.  Henned up!

We changed positions and had a 3rd gobbler sounding off to the north.  Separated by an imaginary, magical line he wouldn’t cross, we called for 45 minutes before a satellite gobbler snuck in and busted us putting a damper on the morning.  No sooner than we thought about packing up, Loud Mouth sounded off to the west.  Hunting with my grandfather, I told him to stay put and call while I started crawling through the thick stuff to bag this bird.

On hands and knees with a back pack, 20 gauge and more calls than one hunter needs, I had a 100 yards to go before I could get a look at Loud Mouth.  I’d crawl a bit and dump gear here, dump a little there and keep crawling.  Before I was to the giant patch of honeysuckle I had gear strung throughout the woods for 30 yards.  All I had left was a push-button call and a 20 gauge.  This movement placed a tremendous strain on my core muscles but because I trained doing things like planks and bear crawls, I was able to get through the woods quietly and efficiently.

The last 20 yards were the hardest because I had to stay low to avoid getting busted.  I pulled myself into the honeysuckle in time to see one gobbler sprint right past me.  Like 4 feet from where I was sitting; something had put the fear of God into that turkey and I had a pretty good idea who it was.  I hit the call, heard Loud Mouth sound off and there he was 25 yards at the top of a rise standing proud and tall; standing for about 4 seconds, that is, because my 20 gauge knocked him backwards into a complete flip.   That, friends, was the end of Loud Mouth.

We have all been in a situation where we had to belly crawl to get a spring gobbler.  It is much easier to move quietly and stealthily if you are in shape.  As the spring season approaches, adding exercises like bear crawls to your workout will boost your chances of tagging a big gobbler!

If you need help developing a program to prepare for turkey season call the 
Fit To Hunt staff at 314-807-8634.