I am saddened by the NAACP’s claim that patriotic Americans who stand up for the United States of America’s Constitutional rights are somehow “racists.” The charge that Tea Party Americans judge people by the color of their skin is false, appalling, and is a regressive and diversionary tactic to change the subject at hand.

President Reagan called America’s past racism “a legacy of evil” against which we have seen the long struggle of minority citizens for equal rights. He condemned any sort of racism, as all good and decent people do today. He also called it a “point of pride for all Americans” that as a nation, we have successfully struggled to overcome this evil. Reagan rightly declared that “there is no room for racism, anti-Semitism, or other forms of ethnic and racial hatred in this country,” and he warned that we must never go back to the racism of our past.

His words rang especially true in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 presidential election. It seemed that with the election of our first black president, our country had become a new “post-racial” society. As one writer in the Washington Post stated: “[Barack Obama’s] election isn’t just about a black president. It’s about a new America. The days of confrontational identity politics have come to an end.”

We, as a united people, applauded that sentiment. We were proud of that progress. That’s why it is so sad to see that 18 months later, the NAACP is once again using the divisive language of the past to unfairly accuse the Tea Party movement of harboring “racist elements.”

Having been on the receiving end of a similar spurious charge of racism (in a recent frivolous lawsuit which was finally dismissed by a federal judge), I know how Tea Party Americans feel to be falsely accused. To be unjustly accused of association with what Reagan so aptly called that “legacy of evil” is a traumatizing experience, and one of which the honest, freedom-loving patriots of the Tea Party movement are truly undeserving.

On this subject, I can recommend the statement issued by a man I was proud to endorse, Tim Scott, the GOP candidate from South Carolina’s First Congressional District. Tim, poised to become the first African-American Republican Congressman from the former Confederacy since Reconstruction, is himself a sign of a hopeful, truly post-racial future for our country. It gives added meaning to his warning that “the NAACP is making a grave mistake in stereotyping a diverse group of Americans who care deeply about their country and who contribute their time, energy and resources to make a difference.”

The only purpose of such an unfair accusation of racism is to dissuade good Americans from joining the Tea Party movement or listening to the common sense message of Tea Party Americans who simply want government to abide by our Constitution, live within its means, and not borrow and spend away our children’s futures. Red and yellow, black and white, this message is precious in all our sights. All decent Americans abhor racism. No one wants to be associated with any organization that is in any way racist in sentiment or origin. I certainly don’t want to be. Thankfully, the Tea Party movement is not racist or motivated by racism. It is motivated by love of country and all that is good and honest about our proud and diverse nation.

Like President Reagan, Tea Party Americans believe that “the glory of this land has been its capacity for transcending the moral evils of our past.” Isn’t it time we put aside the divisive politics of the past once and for all and celebrate the fact that neither race nor gender is any longer a barrier to achieving success in America – even in achieving the highest office in the land?

I just spent a few beautiful Alaskan days with some beautiful Americans in my husband’s birthplace – they are Todd’s family and they are Yupik Eskimo. In the decades that our families have blended, I have never heard one proud, patriotic member judge another member based on skin color. Both Todd and I were raised to measure a person according to their capacity and willingness to love, work, forgive, contribute, and show good character. We’re joined by the vast majority of Americans in this belief whereby we measure a man by his character, not his color. Because of amazing efforts and accomplishments by those who came before my generation, it is foreign to us to consider condemning or condoning anyone’s actions based on race or gender. Being with our diverse family in a melting pot that is a Native village just days ago reminded me of that.

So to leave that remote village and return back to “modern civilization” only to hear of the NAACP’s resolution today suggesting that we Tea Party Americans don’t respect equality makes me sad for those who choose to divide these great United States. It is time to end the divisive politics.

- Sarah Palin

Happy hunting!!!!!

Did you ever think about how problematic a few critters could be to a feeder or the amount of corn they can consume. It isn’t long before you start despising those five finger vermin.  Trying to keep your raccoon population to a minimum can be an effective way to reduce your corn cost and lower maintenance problems. Unchecked raccoon populations can consume the large quantities of corn by spin-type feeders and deplete free flow protein feeders. Mostly, raccoons are the biggest enemy of us game feeder users. Besides consuming all your corn and protein, compromising your quality deer management program and adding significant cost. They can be quite destructive to the feeder timers , causing extensive repair cost, frustration, and disappointing hunting trips due to broken feeders. Varmint guards surrounding your feeder mechanism is a must if you take your management or hunting as serious as us. Some deer feeder mechanisms have guards built as part of the housing. I found using quality springs to keep the guard affixed to the barrel or deer feeder helper is very effective, and it is easily removed by undoing the springs. I do set live traps at all my feed pens and work them religiously. They have proved quite effective but require constant time and attention. It grows very tiresome at times. Please, never abandon a working trap. One pig trapper was charged with felony cruelty to animals after leaving several pigs to starve in a trap. I have also read that using fly bait mixed with a sweetened product can be fatally toxic and quick to raccoons. Reducing the raccoons, skunks, armadillos, and opossums is also beneficial to the quail and turkey populations, as these varmints seek and destroy the eggs of these ground nesting birds in the springtime. Those eager to maximize their whitetail and upland bird habitat should consider means to controlling these not so cute critters.

Coming soon are our raccoon proof timers eliminating all loss of corn, either from animals or humans, never lose another kernel of corn.

Tags: deer, feeder, feeders, hunting, management, whitetail
Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries

Newer Entries »

Please call or email for this special offer, info found on the website.

Also look forward to our raccoon proof timers coming soon.

Happy July 4th,

Chris

Do you use deer feeders to attract and hold deer on your property or lease? There exists an increasing array of hunters discovering the many benefits that these gadgets can deliver. But troublesome issues and other problems can and will eventually become a nuisance and must be dealt with if you desire an efficient and productive feeder set-up. The environment for a deer feeder is quite harsh and can even be considered somewhat hostile and challenging. Deer feeders are mechanical and electrical devices composed of metal and plastic dispensing agricultural products exposed to the elements of weather to include wind, moisture and even lightning strikes. Varmints such as insects, livestock, feral hogs, squirrels, birds and especially raccoons routinely visit these deer feeders and will either eat your feed and/or cause destruction causing your feeder to malfunction. Texas Feeder Helper, Inc. has introduced its new line of top quality and reliable control units that simplifies any and all maintenance that might be required and all the while saving on feed costs indefinitely. Every control unit is enhanced and equipped with a patented Deer Feeder Helper which provides a shut-off valve and a separable hinge design so clogs can be instantly removed and faulty timers can be easily replaced. Each unit also comes standard with its patent pending varmint proofing which utilizes an innovative scatter plate designed by Harvant Feeders surrounded by a fixed aluminum plate resulting in a protective barrier preventing access to the corn. The scatter plate only opens during operation by centrifugal force, thus preventing high winds from slowly draining your feeder, prevents livestock and other large animals from licking the scatter plate, and prohibits other varmints such as birds, squirrels and raccoons from ever stealing corn from your feeder again. Control units are available in both 6 and 12 volts. It would be nice to work less and play more, wouldn’t it?

Please call or email for this special offer, info found on the website.
Also look forward to our virtually raccoon proof timers coming soon.

Happy hunting,

Chris

Cody Hirt

Veteran Outdoors

“Giving Back To Those Who Gave”

512-971-6313

www.veteranoutdoors.com

The Pros and Cons of Deer Hunting Over Wildlife Feeders

Introduction to Hunting and Wildlife Feeders

I am not certain of the origin of wildlife feeders but I would be willing to bet that the Lone Star State of Texas wouldn’t be a bad guess. As long as I can remember, the famous barrel has been an ever present icon within the Texas hunting industry where I’ve been blessed to have enjoyed for some 40 years. However, there are those among us who question the technique and whether or not it is ethical and sporting. I am a firm believer of “to each their own” and while this type of hunting may not be for everyone, I discovered the value of it a quite some time ago. I will discuss what I feel to be the  pluses and minuses of this tool we call a wildlife feeder.

Wildlife feeders provide an opportunity to judge the bucks and does so that only select ones fitting the management criteria are taken. This prevents nubbin bucks, young bucks and healthy vibrant does from being killed, this may not be quite as achievable while hunting using other means such as stalking.

A wildlife feeder will certainly congregate deer. We all love to see deer when we go to the ranch, especially if we are lucky enough to be accompanied by a favorite hunting partner such as a child. Unfortunately, congregation can lead to an unhealthy situations by increasing the possibility of spreading diseases.

Different species benefit from the food as well; such as turkeys, javelinas, birds, feral hogs and a host of other undesirable varmints can be quite destructive and consumptive of the feed.  Feed pens and varmint guards are probably the most effective means to controlling these untargeted animals.

Wildlife feeders can be used to alter dietary intake. Corn provisions during the winter help replace carbs expended during the rut, which in turn, helps worn-out bucks survive the freezing winter. Protein in the spring and summer will help keep wildlife healthy and improve milk production in does providing a better start for fawns with improved horns in the bucks. I have found that the Deer Feeder Helper is a useful accessory for converting a corn feeder into a gravity type protein feeder for further enhancement.

Wildlife feeders must be constantly maintained. This has historically been the biggest pit fall of the wildlife feeder. The feeding environment is quite a challenge for an electronic product with mechanical parts dispensing organic material.  Wildlife feeders are often surrounded by destructive animals, insects, adverse weather conditions and often are not frequented enough by the owners so that they may keep abreast of any malfunctions. Solar panels have made a huge difference as hunters no longer arrive on opening day to find a discharged battery and a non-functioning feeder.  The  Feeder Helper mentioned earlier reduces most, if not all, of these monumental endeavors to simple tasks. Clogs can be removed instantly avoiding damage to the spinner; timers can be swapped out in seconds allowing broken ones to be replaced with ones that work; it opens to allow draining of the feeder for relocation or to remove old or spoiled feed and dust; and timers can be taken home for safe keeping during the off-season by simply removing a couple of screws. Attention to detail and taking some preventive measures should keep your wildlife feeder working properly.

Neither wildlife feeders nor their contents are cheap. Feeders will cost several hundred dollars so the purchase of quality products is strongly recommended; Premier, Texas Wildlife Supply, and Wildlife Resources come to mind. With the recent demand for BioDiesel, which is derived from corn, has doubled the cost of corn in just three years. Hopefully this trend will stabilize as technology improves and/or more farmers switch to corn production.

All said and done, I love watching the sunrise on a brisk morning, followed by the awesome whitetail  filtering from the wilderness to grab their share of treats from the legendary wildlife feeder.

Happy hunting,

Chris

For those whitetail hunters out there who enjoy to use corn feeders as much as I do, we all know how cumbersome they can become. Hunting in your favorite blind while after that world class whitetail buck, seeing the sunrise on a cold winter morning and seeing the deer herd migrate to an activated corn feeder can be one of the most enjoyable moments in a outdoorsman’s world. But when that particular corn feeder you were expecting to go off fails, it becomes very frustrating. A recently introduced a device called a Deer Feeder Helper saves incredible amounts of heartache and corn  With this feeder accessory you can remove clogs instantly, change timers in seconds, clean your feeder, empty a feeder to relocate it, take corn from a corn feeder to refill your tailgate feeder, remove your timer for safe storage during the off-season, easily make a protein feeder and/or turn off your feeder without changing the timer settings. Personally, I wish this product existed years ago when I first started whitetail hunting.

Here are some pointers I’d like to share with you to help minimize those disappointing whitetail hunting trips. Try to buy re-cleaned corn which has had most if not all of the stalks, rocks, cobs and such removed. This will keep the corn feeder from becoming clogged or worst yet, breaking the motor shaft by trying to remove the clog. There are also screens, which appear to be very effective, being made for corn feeders that will filter out debris. Next, build a quality pen around your corn feeder using hog panels, between 30-32 inches tall, in a circle fashion large enough for deer to feel comfortable and unconfined. This will allow them to jump right in and will keep out undesirables such as pigs and livestock. Cows can lick a deer feeder empty in a day or two, knock it over and destroy the timer by stepping on it in an attempt to get more corn. If you decide against a feeder pen, consider placing and anchoring a hog panel below the feeder to prevent a huge mud puddle from forming. Always anchor your corn feeder to the ground at each leg; empty feeders are easily blown over by the wind or knocked over by livestock. I like keeping a varmint guard around the timer. Varmints will consume large amounts of corn by climbing the legs and turning the spinner plate to feed their comrades down below. Varmints can climb any surface with ease, you cannot prevent it. Plus, they can be quite destructive to the timer by opening latches or by hanging on wiring harnesses causing electrical faults. Squirrels and birds will get their share as well, don’t allow that if at all possible. Using traps can be effective but take a considerable amount time checking and working them. Never abandon a working trap, animal cruelty charges could follow if you leave an animal to die. Solar chargers are a wise investment and will ensure your battery won’t die before opening day. The new, improved way of mounting these panels is not on the barrel or legs any longer, it is directly to the timer housing. Test has shown that this is just as effective as the horizontal method and doesn’t leave any wires exposed. Enure your lid doesn’t blow off - try securing it with springs to the barrel or by using a weighted object, such as a rock. I also believe it’s important to clean out the barrel at least once a year to remove any unwanted debris that prohibits a smooth flow of corn to the spinner plate. Even corn dust can accumulate slowing efficient feeding to the spinner plate. I’ve discovered that it’s better to leave your timer activating when the season is over, even if it is out of corn. This keeps the shaft turning and other components from breaking down or locking up. Similar to an engine, it is not good for either to sit for any period of time.

I hope this information has been beneficial and wish you many outstanding adventures. May yours be the bigger, better buck.

Thank You and Happy Hunting, Chris Nicholes