I have never made any claim to be and expert or professional hunter. I simply love to hunt and would like to experience as many type of hunting adventures as the good lord allows. I have been very fortunate to hunt some very cool places over the years and it has been a lot of fun learning to hunt different game and different habitats, but still it has always humbled me how hunting can always teach you more than anything that the learning is never over.

There are so many hunting opportunities across North America on a variety of different species. It indeed takes an expert to know where the best places to go and what tags to apply for when it comes to hunting an assortment of game on public ground that is available to all of us.

For the last 7 years I have depended on Cabelas TAGS to apply me for my public ground hunts as well as all the tags that are on a lotto system. They know the best areas, the best outfitters, and the best odds for your hunt of a lifetime, while using as little of your hard earned dollars to do so.

This past year I was lucky enough to draw an antelope tag in AZ, which is home to some of the biggest trophy goats in the country. I quickly got hooked up with Chad Smith of Vaquero Outfitters and planned my first Roadtrip of the year. A 1, producer and cameraman Phillip Culpepper was going to document the hunt for an episode of Realtree Roadtrips TV, like he has done so many other great hunts in the past.

Hunting public ground, we set up a nice tent camp and scouted along with Chad and his guides a few days prior to the opening day hunt. I was blown away with the quality of the goats in the area we found scouting. In two days we saw three different goats over 80 inches, and when opening day rolled around, it was only 2 hours after Daylight I let my Remington 700 XHR .300 ultra mag go to work. I settled my crosshairs and squeezed the trigger on an 88 inch goat! This was my first kill of the year all on camera and with the new XHR and new Bushnell DOA 600 scope. At 253 yards I used the second reticle and dropped the big antelope in his tracks. A great way to get the year started! Hunting season is officially here, with my first Boone and Crockett under my belt!

The National Wild Turkey Federation, in cooperation with an outdoor television star, is looking to raise money toward its efforts to preserve and foster outdoor sports.

On Nov. 19, the local chapter is holding a banquet with the attraction of Michael Waddell, host of the Bone Collector and Realtree Roadtrips television shows on Outdoor Television.

Waddell has been described as the face of the modern hunting world, but outside of his television duties, he travels the country proclaiming his love for the outdoors and his support of the NWTF.

“There aren’t a whole lot of events that could get me out of the woods during hunting season, but the NWTF’s Edgefield banquet is one of them,” said Waddell. “I tell people around the country about all the great work the federation does for wildlife and hunters, and, anytime I get the chance, I like to stop by and help out however I can.”

Tickets are $50 for adults, $80 for couples, $20 for youth ages 6 to 17, and kids 5 and under are free. Tickets include dinner, entry into all door prize drawings, a NWTF membership and a one-year subscription to Turkey Country magazine. Attendees that purchase tickets by Friday will automatically be entered into the early bird drawing for a Ruger 10/22 semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle.

In Edgefield, the NWTF has remained active in the community by hosting local events, donating to local causes, awarding scholarships to local students and more.

The NWTF is a national nonprofit conservation organization that is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of hunting heritage.

Through partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its more than 350,000 members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, raised and spent more than $286 million and conserved nearly 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

Michael and crew pack up lots of meat and horns, as they say goodbye to their Caribou Camp.

While waiting on the plane to pick them up, they spot the Caribou they have been looking for.

As Bone Collectors, we all share the excitement and passion of hunting with family and friends.  After all, that’s what the Brotherhood is all about – people who still understand and know how to celebrate the spirit of the hunt to teach and introduce those who have been shielded from the predator that lies within their soul.

That’s why we chose November’s Bone Collector, Clint Womeldorff.  When he was a boy, his father took him to hunt the first day of the season every year.  Clint still remembers the first trip they had together.  “My first deer hunt was with my dad back in 1992, he let me skip school on a Wednesday for the opening day of the Kansas rifle season.  We didn’t have a clue what we were doing, which was probably the reason we only saw one doe that morning.  Just sitting there with my dad in our homemade stand watching the sun come up through the timber on a cold December morning will be something that I will never forget.”

Clint now takes his eight year old son as often as he can. “He gets as pumped up as I do when a buck shows up.  I hope that I can pass on to him the same values and passion that I have for a lifetime of memories.”  Clint tells us that he believes that everyone should experience the thrill of a hunt, as well as the dedication it requires to be successful.

Although Clint has been hunting a while, he said he and his son’s favorite spot to hunt is his Grandfathers land in Kansas, called Hickory Timber.  “It’s pretty hard to beat bow hunting whitetails in Kansas,” he says.

Clint wanted to let everyone in the Brotherhood know “Good luck this season and seasons to come…shoot straight and collect more bone!”