First and foremost, I want to apologize to all of the Hunters Prostaff faithful readers out there who are expecting fresh blogs and entertaining articles to read. Unfortunately, we have been preoccupied building a new website for all of you to benefit from. Hunters Prostaff is not going to be replaced by the “new” website. As a matter of fact, the two sites will complement each other and they will both be at the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Hunters Prostaff turned 3 years old on June 1, 2009. We have made numerous improvements and tried to entertain over 10,000 faithful visitors per month, however, we knew something was missing because although we are seeing growth in visitors and hits, we were not seeing growth in the one thing that funds the site, our on-line store. So, we set out on a mission to see how the other guys are doing it and we found several things that had to fall in place to be successful as an e-commerce website. We documented what we loved and hated about on-line purchasing, and from the collective data, we made sure all the pros were included and all the cons were omitted, and the result is Hunters Pro Gear.

Hunters Pro Gear is an e-commerce site like no other. Why? Because, we knew we needed to be different to join a very crowded industry, in a very poor economy. We have features on our website which will benefit our direct customers, manufactures and other retailers across the country. You see, there are a lot of “mom and pop” shops going out of business for many reasons; however, the key reason for a local archery shop or ski shops success is moving inventory. Unfortunately, these specialty shops or pro shops are falling prey to the internet and “Big Box Stores”. I know because I personally have a very good friend who owns two great archery shops in the Detroit suburbs. As a matter of fact, they are the last two standing shops from over 20 shops which existed in the area. I also have a very good friend who ran a fantastic Ski, Snowboard and Bike shop, who recently shut his doors for good. We need these shops and their knowledge, but they cannot stay alive on archery leagues and good advice alone! They need to move products. Hunters Pro Gear is providing a place for these shops and manufactures, as well, to get off of their older, slow-selling, or discontinued products. These products will be sold at great discounts in the “Hot Buy Now” section of the site. Everyone benefits! The manufacturers and retailers are moving product and getting some cash flow, where it may be stagnant. The end consumer who purchases from the “Hot Buy Now” store will get great products at very low prices, and Hunters Pro Gear will put it all together.

In addition to the great “Hot Buy Now “category, Hunters Pro Gear will retail over 15,000 products in our initial opening and we plan to add over 50,000 new products by December 2009. We will have a great assortment of outdoor related products, which will include some very specialized and custom made products, which are exclusive to Hunters Pro Gear. Furthermore, we will be introducing our own line of products in the near future. Hunters Pro Gear will sell everything from hunting and fishing gear to Mountain Bikes and Kayaks to Snow and Water Skis, Wakeboards and Snow Boards and everything in between! In case the current Hunters Prostaff members were wondering, the Lifetime membership discount will be honored in the new Hunters Pro Gear retail store. As a matter of fact, Hunters Pro Gear will now be the official store for Hunters Prostaff, so your current 10% discount will now apply to thousands of products. We will still offer the buying club membership for $20.00 and it will still include our great DVD and a decal. So, please spread the word because we feel it is still the best deal in the business! We will also offer gift certificates which can be mailed or emailed to the recipient. A great way to send a gift to someone out of town! All of this and more will be offered in the most secure checkout process in the industry. Multiple payment options will offered through Authorized.Net, Chase Paymentech and Paypal. Our shipping options and procedures will be the most unique in the industry as well, so our customers can choose and pay proper shipping costs, based on the origin and destination of each product. No gouging our customers to make extra money on shipping and handling fees! All these features are what will benefit our consumers and set us apart from the competition!

Hunters Pro Gear will be live by July 1, 2009 and our commercials will be seen by over 30 million households on 4 outdoor related networks. Currently, we are advertising on three very entertaining TV shows; My Outdoor Zone’s “Own the Zone TV”; Arctic Cats, “Outdoors Management Makeover TV”, and Hunting Lease Television Magazine. These shows offer a very different mix of content and they will capture different crowds in all parts of North America. Our advertising campaign will have many benefits as we hope to drive people to the site and provide our retailers a new customer who may have never walked in their shops front door. The advertising should help to build our client base in our retail store as well, and allow us to expand our product lines in the near future.
Lastly, we would like to thank all of our faithful members and guests who have been with us the last 3 years. We look forward to your constructive feedback! We may have some growing pains but we will strive to continuously improve both websites. Most of all, we look forward to helping you “GET THE MOST OUT OF THE OUTDOORS”!
Thank you,
Jim Lombardi
Blake Wollenberg

I had done a few chores around the house, and then the bug bit me. The Fishing Bug!!! I knew that if I didn’t leave the house and throw a line in some water, I was going to be consumed by the thought of monster fish for the entire afternoon. So with the sink still full of dishes, I packed up the fishing gear and headed out.
Instead of fishing alone, I decided to go get Dustin, a buddy of mine, to leave work early and fish-bum it with me on this awesome Colorado afternoon. I showed up during the lunch hour and told him that we were going fishing. As soon as I told him what we were doing, he mentioned that his grandfather, Harold, was in town and might like to go with us. I was excited at the idea of having a partner in crime, but even more excited at the thought of taking his grandfather to catch some fish. We loaded into my truck and headed to Wal-mart to buy them fishing licenses.
Although I had excitement coursing through my veins, I now felt a little under the gun. If Dustin and I got skunked when fishing, then so be it. But if grandpa didn’t catch anything, I was going to feel like I should just hang up my rod and quit for the season. We drove to a little pond about half a mile away to begin the afternoon of fishing. I set up our three rods with different lures, crossed my fingers and began to cast. No one was getting and action, not even the slightest nibble. I was changing lures about every five minutes, hoping to pull some sort luck out of my hat! A few other fishermen walked by and we exchanged the usual hubbub about what works well for this lake. I changed lures accordingly and still we weren’t getting anywhere. About an hour or so into the game of “Lake-1, Fishermen-0” we were stopped by the local game warden. She asked to see our licenses, which we promptly showed her. I asked her if she knew of any other close lakes that might provide better luck. We discussed another lake just down the road, and she told me of a few spots to work were she had seen people catching fish.
Now at our second lake, I was squirming in my shorts. I wanted Harold to catch a fish more than I wanted to catch one myself. We walked over to a honey hole that I hoped would change our luck. I changed all our set-ups to some spinners that I had used in this lake last year with some success. Once again, I crossed my fingers and the three of us casted out our lines. Then I felt it, my rod tip bent towards the water and I set the hook. I reeled in a decent 14 inch rainbow trout. As the excitement arose, I still felt the need to produce fish for my partners in crime. I managed to hook a few more, and Dustin hooked a couple, but the success that we were both looking for hadn’t come yet. Grandpa hadn’t caught one!
About fifteen minutes later, I heard that familiar whizz of a fish on the reel. As I turned to my right, my blood rushing, I noticed Harold’s rod tip curved like a beautiful rainbow. Now it was on!!! The three of us began to catch fish like it was going out of style. They weren’t the largest of fish, but they were making us enjoy every second of life. As I sit here and recall this afternoon’s adventure, I still cannot wipe the smile off my face. Then I remember…the sink full of dishes. So I must end this story before my wife returns from work to find the dishes undone.
Please remember, this was not one of those monster fish days, but it is one of the best days I have ever had fishing!!

Lets face it; an American Heritage is a lifestyle! Your American Heritage is what you were born with… if you were born in one of the 50 states. If you were not born here, than hopefully, you have kept true to your heritage, but you support the economy and traditions in which you live! As deep or as shallow as your individual legacy may be, if you live in America, you need to support American made products! I am going to be on my soapbox for a while, but when I am done, I hope I can make you think about what you do to support your country. There are many ways to support your great country, but I am going to discuss a few which touch me personally; Hunting, American Traditions and Chevy Trucks. Yes! They are all part of our American Heritage.

No one in this country would be here today if our ancestors did not hunt, fish and live in the outdoors. Whether, you are an anti-hunting vegan or a die-hard hunter and trapper, your roots began with hunting in this fine country. The early settlers were not just gatherers, they were hunters and gatherers. And, the original and most true Americans, our native Indian brothers and sisters, were dependent on the true nature of the hunt. It provided all of the essentials for life; food, shelter, clothing, sport and recreation, and a spiritual foundation of faith in God. Today, hunting has become very commercial and unfortunately, it is losing ground as we move on from generation to generation.

American Traditions are also becoming a thing of the past. Families spent time in the outdoors. Families took long trips together, camping, skiing, and participating in multiple outdoor activities. Hunting camps with three or more generations occupying the same cabin on the same opening day are becoming lost traditions. Just eating dinner at the same table is a challenge for most families. Needless to say, our children are turning to technology to keep them occupied; IPods, Xbox, Play Station, Wii to name a few have replaced the ball and bat, the long bow and target and the fishing rod. It is amazing how little bikes are used to get to and from a friend’s home. Obviously, I can go on and on, but I hope you get the point.

I don’t know if everyone reading this recalls the jingle…Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet…however, it is part of how I grew up in my middle class hard working family. We were hunters, we participated in traditional activities, we ate dinner at the same crowded table, and we drove American cars and trucks, like Chevrolet’s.

As an outdoorsman, living in today’s economic turmoil, I personally cannot understand why anyone would drive a foreign vehicle to their favorite honey hole. If hunting is an American tradition, than how can we contradict our heritage by driving anything but an American truck! And, what is more American than a Chevrolet?

This is a tough thing for me to discuss. You see, I am one of thousands working for an American auto company who does not know if I will have a job in the very near future. I am employed by General Motors and I have been an Engineer for over 20 years; designing, engineering and testing many of the parts which are on our vehicles today. When I see a Chevrolet truck, I know I personally have my heart and soul wrapped in that vehicle. There were many long days away from my family, trying to be sure that my job was done to the best of my ability to create a great product.

Today, we were told not to take vacation during the last two weeks in April. We must be at work during the time headcount reductions will be in full swing. It is not the first time I have faced the stress of working and wondering if I will be tapped on the shoulder. Obviously, this is a very stressful time for me because I am not happy with the way GM is taking care of its employees. On the other hand, I understand they need to do what is necessary to survive! There are many factors to blame, but the ultimate blame must be laid on those who were not true to their American Heritage.

As unsure as I am about my future with GM, I am sure that Chevrolet trucks will always be something I view as an American tradition. I have personally owned eight Chevrolet trucks and three other American made pickups. Every truck I owned was driven and used to its maximum potential. I have trekked across many states, in muddy farm fields and up and down tight mountain roads. I have towed and carried heavy loads and I am proud to say that I have pushed my trucks to the limit and they have performed above and beyond my expectations. Read the rest … »

Words cannot express the experience the Hunters Prostaff team had last week in the mountains of Arizona.  In an effort to get as much realistic and unique predator footage, we embarked on an adventure, which tested our emotions from one spectrum to the other.  Needless to say, it was an experience of a lifetime!

It started out on a long flight from Indianapolis, where we spent the weekend at the Archery Trade Association show, promoting Hunters Pro Gear, our new upcoming store.  Our voices were gone, our heads were hurting and we were spent from talking to thousands of manufactures and archery retailers. Every evening we tipped back a few, because we all know where most business promotion is done.  Obviously, not the way to prepare for one of the most grueling hunting adventures soon to come. 

We arrived in Arizona and had to make a stop at the In and Out Burger. Again, we made another bad decision prior to climbing mountains in pursuit of a good Tom.  Our first day in Arizona was spent predator calling with Darrell Nielson of 7 Seventy 7 Guide Services.  We hunted hard and made several calling sets in very diverse terrain.  This was a learning experience for us, as well as, for our guide. When a camera is involved, it makes everything change.  What may be a great set up for the hunter may be an impossible set up to get good footage.  We called in some bobcats on the first day, however, the camera and the hunter did not sync very well.  The area was too thick and seeing predators coming from a distance was near to impossible.

On day two, we met Wade Eckel and Blaine Tow of Marathon Outfitters and Guide Service. We were very impressed with these guys from the start.  They had driven hundreds of miles up and down washes, cutting lion tracks.  We had two lion tags. Blake Wollenberg, my new partner in Hunters Pro Gear was up first.  We cut two fresh tracks and they both looked to be from very good Toms.  One thing I appreciate from hunting out of my normal element in the Midwest is the learning experience of every hunt.  Wade is extraordinary in his ability to see tracks while driving 30 miles per hour on his ATV. Not only can he see a track, he has lived with these lions for so long, that he knows what their travel routes and overall behaviors will be when they are pursued.  He was very efficient and did not set his dogs on a track until he knew we were close.  By 10:00 a.m. that first morning, Wade set his phenomenal dogs loose.  Blake grabbed his bow and I grabbed our new Canon HD camera and we jumped on the four wheeler.   We were off to get as close to the dogs as possible.  Jed Speiser, our lead predator hunter and cameraman, followed with Darrell in their truck.  The goal was to get two camera angles on every hunt.  This was the first disappointment.  Our ATV was covering ground much faster than the truck and we were able to go an additional ¾ of a mile where the truck could not follow.  They were a half hour behind us.

Blaine, Blake and I arrived just in time, as the lion began to get tired and perched himself on a large boulder about 200 ft. above us.  Wade already made it to the top and yelled to us to start climbing.  It was a hand and foot climb, as fast as we could, carrying equipment.  About 5 minutes into the climb, I realized that Blake and I were not prepared for a hunt like this physically or mentally.  I could barely hear the dogs bawling over my hard breathing and my heart racing with excitement.   We eventually crested the top and I looked to the sounds of the hounds.  My mouth dropped at the view of one of the most magnificent animals I had ever set my eyes on!  His ears were tucked back and his neck, shoulder and forearm muscles were pumped up and very intimidating.  I could see and hear him growling at the dogs which were literally in his face.  He was 3 times the size of each dog and it was very obvious to me that he could kill them without a great amount of effort.  However, as I learned another very valuable lesson from Wade; he is still a cat and all cats fear dogs!  Little Daisy, Wade’s lead dog would literally turn her back on this lion and then turn right back and get in his face.  She was fearless!

I climbed up above the lion on a hogs back of loose boulders and began to settle myself down to get the lion on camera.  Blaine was behind me snapping some incredible pictures.  Here is where we made a mental mistake which caused several near tragedies.  Blake is 26 years young and he had a lot of factors going against him.  He was hunting an animal which was very intimidating. He was 20 yards in front of a lion which could take two bounds and be on top of him or I in seconds. He just climbed 200 ft up a rocky mountain and was winded.  He has not bow hunted anything in these conditions.  Finally, the lion is in a position which is not text book for any archer.

I have the experience and I feel I am partially to blame for not stopping, what was to happen.  I yelled down to Blake, as I did not like his position to the cat.  He was head on to the cat and the cat was lying down.  His only shot would be a head-on chest shot, if we got the lion to sit up.  Blake yelled back that he was more comfortable where he was and would wait for a shot opportunity.  Wade called the dogs back and the lion held his position.  The camera was rolling and I knew I needed to get the lions attention away from Blake, so he could possibly offer a shot.  I whistled and the lion turned and looked in my direction.  Then I realized that I could be making a mistake.  As the lion gazed at me, I began to think that maybe the lion was thinking I wanted him to come over and eat the camera guy.  Not good!  The lion sat up for a moment and exposed his chest.  Blake took the shot and hit the lion in the head.   Read the rest … »

2008 started out like any other year, trail camera pictures produced a few shooters and, of course, one long shot monster target that was very nocturnal. I have always said, “Trail cameras are the world’s best invention and the world’s worst invention at the same time.” That statement was definitely fitting for the outcome of my 2008 bow season. You always like to picture yourself shooting the giant you set your sights on year in and year out, but things just aren’t that simple. The rut just seems to magically put those cruisers right in your lap, just to see if you will hold true to your pre-season plan. Luckily for me, I’m the kind of guy who seems to be a little weak when it comes to temptation and big bucks.

My season started out a bit slow as I had a tragic passing of a family member near the beginning of the season. I didn’t make it out much in October but November held a lengthy vacation as usual. We experienced extremely high winds during that first week of November, but things began to change and as the weather cooled the rutting action definitely heated up. I passed on a nice 10 point in the 150 inch range on November 10^th that had me slightly nervous about a possible mistake. My confidence remained high as activity was at its peak and I had nothing but time until the end of my vacation, which was still over a week away. I hunted the morning of November 11^th along an oak ridge which should have provided plenty of late morning rutting action, with the addition of a fresh rain over night. Unfortunately for me, that movement never happened but luckily for me, the forecast had a wind shift moving in around lunch time. I headed to the house around 11 A.M. to check the weather and grab a bite to eat. Upon checking the weather, I noticed the haze and gloomy look in the air outside and it just felt like a great day to witness movement at any time. I verified the wind and headed to my new destination, a transitional rut funnel that headed out to a large pasture filled with grassy draws and plenty of cover. This type of area has been good to me over the years and I am a firm believer that during the rut the biggest bucks will seclude does out in these open areas. You can also sit in these locations in anticipation of catching bucks between does or just heading back from crop fields in the bottoms to head for these secluded hideouts.

I arrived at roughly 12:00 that afternoon. It’s a bit of a walk in but I took my time as it was also a bit muddy from the fresh rain. A large set of buck tracks on the road had my optimism for a good day on the rise. I checked my trail camera at about 12:15 as I wanted to see what kind of activity had been going on prior to my arrival. This was one of those spots where the action can be short-lived and slow during the times leading up to and after the rut. Timing is crucial and I take pride in staying out until things are just right. My excitement for the hunt was a bit dampened when I found that there were only a dozen photos on the camera. The camera had only been in this location for a few days as I set it up in a rain shower on a windy day a few days prior. It wasn’t totally discouraging, as the weather hadn’t been that great leading up and trail the camera sat on was only one option out of about 4 in traveling through this funnel. However, it was what I felt was the best trail in good shooting and video range. I climbed up into my stand and was setting up all of my gear when I happened to look up briefly and caught movement heading in my direction. I was totally caught off guard and after pulling up my binoculars I knew I had to hurry to get my video camera attached to the camera arm. This was a buck and he was definitely cruising! I got enough of a look to see that I couldn’t pass him up. I knew he had a few stickers and a good frame, but honestly I just looked him over enough to see that he was a good buck and that was about it. It all happened so fast that I think I was just going on adrenaline. I got decent video of the approach but he took a different trail than what I had my good video lanes for and I missed getting the shot on film by a couple feet. I knew the lane he was working towards was great for me, but not for the camera angle.  I grunted him to stop at 30 yards and released a good arrow and I watched it disappear in his chest. I knew after the hit that he wasn’t going far. I was able to get the camera on him right away after the shot so I was able to get him on film going down just 50 yards away. I backed out and requested the help of a good friend and was back in for the recovery a half hour later.   Read the rest … »

 My brother Randy, a good friend Mark, and my dad Raddie had all drawn bear tag’s for the Red Oak hunting zone in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.   The first day they could legally start baiting they headed north.  And every weekend thereafter, they would repeat the long and tiresome task of hauling up untold amounts of fresh bait.  They scouted miles and miles of back roads and timber, making bait stations and preparing stand sites.  By the third weekend, they had nine bait stations in all, scattered over several miles of cedar swamp, river bottom, and a couple of promising sites on some hardwood ridges.
     As time pasted and the hunt date got closer, the guy’s started concentrating on the baits showing the most sign.  There were five baits out of the nine that had really good activity.  At each of those five sites is where they hung stands.
           I planned on joining the group on the first weekend of the hunt, to run the camera for my dad at first.  Then if he filled his tag, I would pair up with Randy or Mark, filming their hunts and so on.
    Randy and I were driving separate vehicles and going up on Thursday, September the 18th after work.  Mark would be joining us on Saturday evening.  And, my dad, Raddie, being retired had been up there a few days already keeping the bait sites full and getting the camp set up.
      Arriving too late on Friday night to do anything, Saturday morning we were up early and heading out to check the bait’s.    I set up my camera equipment in the tree that my dad was to hunt that night, and we went back to camp to await the evening hunt.
Darkness had fallen fast and the first night on stand had come and gone.  When we all reunited back at camp, Mark was the only one that had seen a bear.  The bear was small, and he passed up the opportunity.  But, he was very excited about his first heart pounding bear encounter in the woods.  I think he said that his heart beat increased to such a rate that he had an instant headache, blurred vision, and was shaking so bad he would not have been able to draw his bow even if he had wanted to.   There were a lot of laughs all around, and we couldn’t wait until tomorrow’s hunt. Read the rest … »

On December 5, 2008 my grandfather, Tony Cetrone, harvested the biggest deer of his hunting career at 81 years young!  I have spent the better part of 35 years hunting, fishing and enjoying the outdoors with him and was hunting by his side when this all happened. 

It was opening morning of muzzleloader season in Shiawasee County and the conditions were absolutely perfect.  I have 500 acres leased near my home and with the help of my hunting partners; we spend 12 months a year managing the deer herd.  I have a well placed blind on the corner of a cut cornfield and a hay field that sees action all day when the days grow short and the temperatures plunge into single digits.  Shortly after 7:00 A.M. a deer stepped from the timber to feed in the cut cornfield. It was a mature deer, with an impressive sent of antlers, but in low light it, was hard to tell how big the antlers actually were.  I knew he was wide and had long beams, but was not the deer that I was looking for.  I have several trophy bucks to my credit and had already harvested an eight point in early October and a very nice nine point in Nebraska, so I was being a little particular. As the deer disappeared into the timber, I began to second-guess my decision, but couldn’t wait to get my grandfather in this blind and give him a chance to harvest a great buck!

I talked to my hunting partner when I got back to the truck and told him about the deer.  We agreed to call my grandfather and try to get him into town that evening to hunt.  I explained to him that I saw a nice buck this morning and I had the deer patterned coming to a food source, he promptly agreed and made the 1 hour trip south to my house.

Grandpa met us at the house about 2:00; we quickly gathered our things and headed for the farm.  There was definitely some excitement in the truck as we made the twenty- minute drive; we listened closely, as grandpa told some old deer hunting stories from his 40 plus years of a deer hunting tradition.  When we arrived at the farm I quickly gave him a breakdown of the farm layout, past deer sightings, and how I hoped the evening would turn out.  Grandpa had never deer hunted farm country before and had never shot a muzzleloader but non-the-less displayed total confidence, as we made the quarter mile walk through the snow.

As we approached the blind I methodically glassed the timber looking for any deer that may be heading early to feed.  There were several deer lying in the timber; I turned to grandpa and reminded him to be quite because there were deer very close to our stand location waiting to come to the cut cornfield.  He had told me hundreds of time to be quite, so it felt good to be in charge for once and let him know the importance of being as quite as possible.  We settled into the blind and patiently waited for the deer. Read the rest … »