BACKWOODS BOUND NEWSLETTER #3

James & Maggie Burns and Kenny & Susie Settle would like to welcome you to the November issue of the Backwoods Bound Newsletter! Our goal at Backwoods Bound is to serve you! Our site currently provides information on hunting and fishing tips, product reviews, wild game and other recipes, fun facts, links to game and learning sites for the kids, links to a variety of companies, and we hope a little something for the whole family! We want our site to earn first ranking in the sites you frequent, so your input is important. Do you have favorite web sites you'd like us to link with, tasty recipes you'd like to share, topics for our site, etc? E-mail us anytime at editor@backwoodsbound.com. The best tip or recipe, most exciting suggestion, hobby, or craft idea each month wins a free gift! We'll also make sure we include your name on the submission so the whole world can know you're a Backwoods Bound type of person!

Hunter Safety Education
On October 14 & 21 my son, Josh, and I attended a course on Hunter Safety at Maeystown Sportsmen's Club in Maeystown, IL. The course cost nothing to attend and was run by volunteers. The instructors, led by Dan Harris, did a great job of teaching many aspects of hunting safety, survival, and game management. Most importantly, they taught gun and gun handling safety. We at Backwoods Bound applaud your efforts and thank you for donating your time and sharing your experience with us. Another great big thanks to Maeystown Sportsmen Club for the use of their facilities and the great lunch of burgers and fries they supplied. Hats off to the cook!

Although most of the class were youngsters there were many adults, myself included, who were taking the course. most states now require having passed a course in hunting safety to hunt in their state regardless of what age you are. In Illinois anyone born after Jan 1, 1980 needs to complete the course in order to purchase a hunting license or to obtain a firearm owners I.D. card.

We as sportsmen are constantly brushing up on our hunting and safety skills. Why else do we read magazines, go to seminars and watch numerous hunting and fishing shows on television? I think everyone that hunts needs to take a course in hunter safety. Although you may have hunted for years these courses help reinforce and refresh your knowledge of this great sport of hunting.

Congratulations to all of the attendees on a job well done! Remember to respect our wildlife, our land and all people. May you enjoy many years in the backwoods! James B.

Rocky Deer Stalker II 10" Gor-Tex Boot
This boot features 1,000 grams of insulation for warmth and is waterproof. A hunter's secret weapon. You can find these boots using the Be Outdoors banner on our home page. Click on Be Outdoors and use the search word "boots". This convenient link to our site can help you get started!

Thanksgiving!
The team at Backwoods Bound can't thank our visitors enough for all the praise and inspiration we've received! We've assembled a collection of Thanksgiving trivia for our Backwoods Bound friends. Stop by and visit our page. Besides trivia, you'll find recipes for leftover turkey and information from the National Wild Turkey Federation on how to score your next trophy turkey!
*Thanksgiving Fun Fact - Did you know wild turkeys can run 30 miles per hour?
---Click here to visit our Thanksgiving page!

Recipe of the month:
Turkey Quesadillas
~ 2 cups cooked turkey cut in strips or small cubes
~ 8 flour tortillas
~ 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
~ 1 cup chopped green onions
~ 1 cup salsa
~ 1/4 cup canned mild jalepeno chili slices, chopped (optional)
**Sprinkle 4 tortillas with turkey, cheese, green onions and chilies. Drizzle salsa over top.
**Cover each tortilla with remaining tortillas.
**Place on microwavable plates and microwave on high for 1 - 2 minutes until cheese is
  melted and turkey is heated through.
**Cut each tortilla into wedges.
**Serve with extra salsa, sour cream and guacamole. Enjoy!
---For more recipes and a variety of wild game cookbooks visit our recipe page!

Backwoods Bound Visitor Survey Results of the first survey are in.................! **77% of visitors surveyed hunt for deer with a gun and bow! **75% of visitors surveyed use natural and artificial bait! **100% of visitors surveyed enjoy the taste of deer. ~~Maggie's editorial interpretation: Backwoods Bound visitors enjoy variety, maximize their success rate by utilizing more than one available resource, and aren't picky eaters. I guess we're mostly regular folks with big dreams, dreams of bagging/snagging that trophy!
*Stop by soon to place your vote for the current survey!

Prizes!!:
*Congratulations to Amanda and George Roy of Eaglesham, Scotland for October's winning entry. They sent us a clip of the biggest brown trout ever to be caught in Britain. This enormous trout measured 40 inches and weighed 30 pounds, 8 ounces. It was caught in Loch Awe in Argyll and took angler Ken Oliver half an hour to land! We hope to have it on-line soon for the rest of our visitors. We are priviledged to have Amanda and George on-board and are happy to claim them as our Scottish correspondants! *Don't forget folks! The best tip or recipe, most exciting suggestion, hobby, craft idea, or photo each month wins a free gift! E-mail us at editor@backwoodsbound.com

Mad Dog Gear
This front day pack has a weatherproof storm flap and is made of saddle cloth fabric. It's designed to hold alot of gear! You can find this pack using the Be Outdoors banner on our home page. Click on Be Outdoors and use the search word "packs". This convenient link to our site can help you get started! www.backwoodsbound.com

Affiliate Review:
We're working hard to find products and web sites our Backwoods Bound visitors may find useful. Our goal is to save you time. Time for the important things like huntin', fishin', craftin', and family. Look for their links while visiting our site!
  *Hunting Digest provides a wide variety of hunting gear and accessories!
  *Hickory Farms makes holiday gift giving easy. Shop for all those "hard to buy for" folks from the comfort of your home!
  *Be Outdoors provides a wide variety of fishing accessories in addition to their hunting selection.
*In the next week we'll be adding more interesting sites geared for gift shopping. Stop by our affiliates as you visit our site. Let us know what you think.

Kenny's Corner: An editorial view of the Backwoods Bound experience!

A Bow Hunter's Paradise!

     Deer Ridge Conservation Area is nothing short of spectacular when it comes to big bucks and lots of them! Deer Ridge is located in northeast Missouri near the town of Lewiston in Lewis county off of highway 6, part of that golden triangle where Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa meet. This part of the country has long been known for good genetics and big deer.

     Deer Ridge is about 6,000 acres bordered on one side by the Fabius River. The area consists of river bottom hardwoods, woodlots, grass fields and crop fields planted by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

     On a recent bow hunt at Deer Ridge I managed to take a very healthy 6 pointer (my first bow kill!) My hunting partner missed a huge 10 pointer that had a 4 pointer running with him. A hunter in camp missed an 8 pointer and missed a 10 pointer the next day! Another hunter we met took a very nice 8 pointer. Folks! I don't know if you've noticed or not but in my story nobody was seeing or shooting does, only bucks! To me that kind of buck to doe ratio is phenomenal for public ground. I also observed many scrapes and huge rubs that really got my heart pumping.

     A conservation agent told us that Deer Ridge receives heavy rifle hunting pressure but during early bow season it's the place to be. For more information on Deer Ridge look at the Missouri Department of Conservation web site or e-mail me at editor@BackwoodsBound.com. I'm Kenny, and I hope I have all of you in my corner.