I am always encouraged when sharing the blind, or the field, with other believers. It is truly a blessing to experience iron sharpening iron in the natural element. A recent discussion centered around a term that has probably been widely used and I cannot claim as my own, is “embrace inefficiency.” The mention of this […]
“Find A Good Tree” With shooting time approaching and the stage set, that gas station coffee always seems to “kick in” if you know what I mean… I’m not talking about that caffeine jolt that keeps you conscious at work from 2pm til quittin’ time, I am talking about that gurgle in the gut that […]
It seems like every hunt begins with nerves as the sun slowly reveals the morning to come. Wingbeats heard are not yet seen and the next few hours remain a mystery. With the countdown on, the shadows of birds raise the heart rates of hunters and time seems to stand still. Finally, “kill them” rings […]
As we spend this day remembering the brave that gave their lives so that we could have the freedom we experience as citizens of this great land, I couldn’t help but ask a philosophical question over coffee… after all, its a free country. What is freedom? In America, you have freedom of speech, the freedom […]
A Brandon Trentham Outdoors Film We set out to shed light on the importance of gun safety as well as issue a reminder to all of us that we should always remind ourselves that comfort leads to dangers. Safety is always the number one goal. Do not let a simple mistake become a statistic. We […]
Confession time… I have been a trend chaser for a while now. I love being in the loop and having the newest gear everyone wants. Trust me, I have a closet full of the hottest camouflage systems of (enter year of your choice). Being an industry photographer has proven to only make my condition worse. […]
Psalm 19 “People will never set their faces decidedly towards heaven and live like pilgrims, until they really feel that they are in danger of hell.” Holiness, J.C. Ryle A heart of worship stems, ultimately, from reverence of God’s grace upon his people. Many experience worship in different forms. One of the earliest documented acts […]
I have terrible friends. Well, that’s a tad dramatic. I have friends that are a real pain sometimes. Ever been on a hunt and found yourself to be the only one that did not “forget” their waders? That happened to be me on the coldest morning that early season in Oklahoma has seen in a […]
In a world obsessed with leadership, we are called to be followers. “Then he said to them all: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good […]
Can I challenge you to do something this year? Book a guided hunt. “I don’t have to pay to kill birds,” you say. I believe you. I am not insulting your natural ability to outsmart a silly bird. I have said that exact quote, but can I give you a few reasons that caused me […]
If you have been an outdoorsman for any time at all, “Murphy’s Law,” is no stranger to you. The dictionary defines Murphy’s Law as, “an observation: anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” For the waterfowler, it could be the wind changing direction just before shooting time or the birds randomly moving to a […]
The water was a crisp 50 degrees and leg muscles immediately turned to icicles begging for waders, or an owner possessing a little more common sense. The trout were in trouble as the master fly fisherman waded into the flowing streams of the Little Red River in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Looking the part, the angler […]
Perfect temperature, perfect taste, every time. Traeger has single-handedly re-invented the eating at home, and at the campsite, experience. What was once a charred hotdog or burnt hamburger, is now a camp cuisine not soon to be forgotten. This grill can turn a beginner into a master and the experienced into a legend. A Traeger […]
I am very excited to have Eastmans’ Outdoor Journal’s Wingmen pick up this article. The is one of the most raw and challenging articles I have written. My prayer for this piece is that outdoorsman, or just the normal dad, would open this and read it. Accept the challenge to re-evaluate how we spend our […]
Social media is infiltrating every avenue of our lives. I am excited to have teamed up with Eastmans’ Wingmen to discuss how social media has overhauled the outdoors. This article is an inside look to the many ways that technology is shifting how we experience, and enjoy, the outdoors. The article contains some of my […]
After spending a majority of the 2017-18 waterfowl season with Southern Flight Outdoors, I can honestly say it is a one-of-a-kind expedition. Experiencing the outdoors always seems to dwindle to memories of the countless laughs, surprises, and meals that are a result of the harvest. While sitting to a bountiful table of fowl, and of […]
As I grow older, and dare I say wiser, it seems as if “success,” is not a quantifiable statistic. Many of my business friends, pastor buddies, and pretty much any other driven individual reading this post will cringe at this seemingly aloof revelation; but I believe the idea of the unquantifiable nature of success remains […]
Upon pulling into the driveway outlined by pick-up trucks, I never could have imagined the story God was writing. A simple Bible study is all I expected… no different than a lifetime of growing up in the church… however, Purpose2018 became something that none of us saw coming.
Not every hunt is perfect, but this December morning in Northeastern Oklahoma was pretty close. Friends, fellowship, and mallards… doesn’t get much better. Check out this album of our morning.
I get butterflies when I see two names pop up on my phone… My wife, Eden Trentham, and one of my longest friends, Brandon Biles. The “other” Brandon is a few years younger than me. I can remember hunting public land with Brandon before he had his driver’s license and waterfowl-wisdom, both of which, he […]
Memories are shared in a multitude of ways, the telling of a story when family is gathered around the table, a picture of 1,000 words, or simply a tradition that is carried on to generations to come. Memories are found in moments that initiate recall… such as the smell of apple pie taking a trip […]
The moment the diesel fires up and the decoys are loaded, it is finally time… dove season is as relevant as a salad at a steak house and there is no time like the present. An eager tail beats like a drum against the kennel wall as final preparations are made by the dim guide […]
For anyone who has ever sat before the honorable judge, or as I call her, “wifey,” to provide a defense for that box of decoys that came in the mail, or the decoy trailer taking up her parking spot in the garage, this article is not going to get you out of trouble… But if […]
The newest trend in waterfowl pursuit is finding the perfect noose to hold those high-dollar instruments that bring ducks and geese from miles away to locked in on your decoy spread. The lanyard business has blown up over the past five years and is not going away anytime soon. As long as the boutique waterfowl […]
My crew spent the weekend across the Oklahoma state line and into Ozark Mountain Country. Each morning the alarm clock lived up to its name at a startling 5am. After airing the dogs (Handler talk for letting them go potty), we loaded the truck and were off to the Ozarks Hunting Retrievers Association hunt test. […]
When visiting the C&S Custom Calls online store, you will not find fancy promotional videos, cliché outdoor photography, or over priced logo wear posing as the Prada of the outdoor industry, you’ll simply find Mike Stelzner and his two dogs from which the company received its name. I starting making calls in the late 1990’s, […]
Sweet sixteen to graduation, wedding bells to baby wails; life is undeniably about countdowns and the excitement that accompanies them. The life of an outdoorsman is no different. The cathartic aspect of the hunt is the countdown to the climax, scouting, the stalk, setting up decoys, or choosing the perfect tree, outdoorsmen live for the […]