Deer hunting can be tough this time of year. Most of the rut activity is over, and the deer have been pressured through weeks and weeks of hunting -- plus there are fewer deer out there. This combination can make for some long, slow hours on stand.

At times like this, stalk-hunting can be extremely productive. Patience is the key, and remember to take your time and move quietly. Take a step or two and stop, and be on the lookout for movement. Approach sheltered areas from downwind, and ease your head up over rises and take a good look before moving farther. If you have snow, don't be afraid to walk a fresh track. After all, if the deer won't come to you, you can always go to the deer.

If you would like to add more players to your mob, post a reply to this blog with "add me" as the subject.  You can also click on anyone's name that has posted a comment to add them as a friend, then to the game.

At this point the only way I know to add another player, is by sending them a friends request.  If you post a comment be prepared for random friends requests.  I suggest you type Mobsters in the comment box when you send a friends request. Once they approve then send a request from the application. 

Note this is for Mobsters, not Mafia Wars (there is a separate blog for it.).  Also if you sent a request to me and it wasn't approved, resend it.  The game is a little jumpy, so I have declined a couple of folks on accident. 

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Good point from Southern Thunder.  If you require last name or email, we wont be able to add you as a friend.  You may want to turn it off temporarily, or just request friends instead of posting a comment.

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Still having some people post request that require last name or email.  i tried to delete most off.  Please dont post an add me comment if you require either, but feel free to request all those that posted.

If you would like to add more players to your mob, post a reply to this blog with "add me" as the subject.  You can also click on anyone's name that has posted a comment to add them as a friend, then to the game.

At this point, the only way I know to add another player is by sending them a friends request.  If you post a comment be prepared for random friends requests.  I suggest you type Mafia Wars in the comment box when you send a friends request. Once they approve, then send a request from the application. 

Note this is for Mafia Wars , not Mobster(there is a separate blog for it.).  Also thanks for all the requests, unfortunately the game locks up whenever I try to view it.

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Good point from Southern Thunder.  If you require last name or email, we wont be able to add you as a friend.  You may want to turn it off temporarily, or just request friends instead of posting a comment.

  A Need for Speed?

Is faster always better when choosing ammunition? Yes and no. Always consider more than just the velocity of a caliber or cartridge when looking for your best venison taker. Think about the kind of shots you'll be taking.

Do you plan any long distance shooting? If so, more velocity will mean flatter trajectory and longer range capability. Look at smaller diameter calibers like the .25-06, .270 Win., .270 WSM and .280 Rem. And if you'll be after big mule deer, it might not hurt to move up to .300 Win Mag, .30-06, .300 WSM or .338 Federal.

Will you be taking shorter shots in tight cover? If so, then velocity is not your top priority. Take a look at bigger, heavier bullets. The trusty 30-30 Win. has probably taken more deer over the years than any other caliber.
-- From Federal Premium Ammunition

Hello Buckmasters Myspace Friends and site readers. My name is J. D. Hart, I work here at Buckmasters, and help run the Website at www.buckmasters.com.

Over the last few weeks, I Have developed a personal MySpace page chronicling my attempt to get into shape before the upcoming deer hunting season. My reason for this was because I stumbled across the fact that more hunters die each year from heart attacks in the field than any other of the top ten causes combined.

I made it my mission to help get out this word out, and to get hunters up and moving to get into shape before going afield this season.

People and companies have jumped on board this project at a truly astounding rate. Here is a list of them so far:

Bowtech

Gorilla Tree-stands

Eastman Outdoors

Carbon Express

Auburn University Montgomery, which boast on of the top exercise physiology departments in the country offered their services, and are building a plan to whip my big ol' booty into shape. The two leaders of that department are leaders in their field, and one of them helped to write the manual used to train our Olympic Archers.

The local CBS affiliate cam in to film the start of the training and now have a running series about the project. That extra exposure has been great. Yesterday Reuters carried a release from the American Cardiological Society saying the same thing I have been preaching. As such, CBS national news is considering picking up the story and running it on a national scale.. That would be huge..

Why am I telling you this? Well it would help if the groundswell on MySpace had enough numbers to raise the eyebrows of the corporate people at CBS, or one of the other networks. That is where you come in.  Please subscribe to my blog postings, and tell you friends about it. If they love the outdoors like all of us, ask them to help us get out the message about the dangers we hunters face that are out of shape. They may help save someone they love..

Let me close by thanking you in advance for your help in getting this word out. I truly believe that it is something I was meant to do, and your help will really be appreciated. If I manage to get on the news again, I promise to mention that it was all of my MySpace friends who drove this project, and talk about how you guys have helped the cause.

Thanks you for your time..

Best Regards,

David Hart

Buckmasters Ltd.

Visit Davids page at: http://www.myspace.com/jdhart2007

July 29, 2007 -- Greensboro, N.C.

-- If you hunt with a bow or even just like to shoot, it only takes one visit to a Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor event to get hooked. And not only are you guaranteed to marvel at the shooting ability of the competitors, you'll also fall victim to a secret desire to test yourself against the range.

That was certainly the case for Jamie Patterson, who got his first look at the Top Bow range as a Buckmasters employee. Jamie worked for Buckmasters for 11 years in the Information Technology department, and he was part of the Top Bow crew every year. As he retrieved arrows and helped world champions lift up their trophies, Jamie wondered how he would do in the spotlight.

Three years after leaving Buckmasters to take a supervisory position in IT, Jamie decided to find out. He purchased a bow and a target sight on e-Bay and began to shoot -- not often, but on a more regular basis. Sunday afternoon on July 29, Jamie raised The Rack trophy above his head as the 2007 Top Bow World Champion.

"I had wanted to shoot the Buckmasters competition for 14 years," he said. "The whole time I worked at Buckmasters, and then the three years after I left, I wanted to shoot the range. Now that I've shot it, I can say that there's nothing like it. It just gives you chills.

Jamie outscored Top Bow veteran and past champion Justin Martin 226-211 in the final round, and the difference came down to Jamie hitting the special orange dot on the final target. It was the second straight year that Justin was beaten out in the final round by a matter of inches.

While Jamie was the newcomer, he looked like a seasoned veteran throughout the World Championships, which took place as part of the 2007 Buckmasters Expo in Greensboro, N.C.

He was never far from the top of the field and shot a perfect score in round 4 to head into the quarter-finals in second place. Once the format changed to head-to-head scoring, he defeated each of his counterparts before facing Justin in the finals.

"These guys are all amazing," Jamie said of Martin and the other shooters. "They all know each other, and they're all friends. If you make a mistake, they try to pick you up. Colin (Boothe) was leading almost the whole time, and he kept kidding around with everybody to keep us all loose."

Another big winner was spectator Sheila Gay, who won a Yamaha Grizzly 350 ATV thanks to Jamie's good shooting. Sheila was paired with Jamie by winning a raffle drawing earlier in the Expo, along with three other spectator/archer pairs.

The Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship is the highest-paying archery event in the country, with a grand prize of $25,000, and a second-place prize of a Yamaha ATV.

The top six place winners for the event were:

1) Jamie Patterson

2) Justin Martin

3) Mark Herring Jr.

4) Jackie Caudle

5) Colin Boothe

6) Darren Collins

ROUND 4 RESULTS

1 - Colin Boothe, Harrisonburg, La., 152, 207, 164, 228

2 - Jamie Patterson, Tallassee, Ala., 147, 200, 142, 251

3 - Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala., 128, 200, 168, 228

4 - Sonny Hawthorne, Fosters, Ala., 124, 207, 144, 217

5 - Justin Martin, Enterprise, Ala., 122, 146, 156, 251

6 - Tom Pruitt, Stotts City, Mo., 128, 127, 189, 228

7 - Darren Collins, Galena, Kan., 131, 199, 156, 181

8 - Mark Herring Jr., Diamond, Ohio, 115, 184, 151, 215

9 - Randy Barley, Brown Summit, N.C., 156, 176, 189, 142

10 - Larry Goza, Crossville, Ala., 133, 179, 126, 200

11 - Joseph Goza, Henager, Ala., 143, 123, 156, 200

12 - Lynn Morrison, Northport, Ala., 127, 158, 168, 168

13 - Skipper Booth, Northport, Ala., 152, 127, 161, 180

14 - Jesse Lane, Chatham, Va., 125, 176, 123, 159

15 - Dale Howington, Buford, Ga., 105, 146, 189, 133

16 - Ricky Joe Pearson, Berry, Ala., 112, 179, 130, 151

ROUND 5 RESULTS

Colin Boothe, Harrisonburg, La., 190

Mark Herring Jr., Diamond, Ohio, 206

Sonny Hawthorne, Fosters, Ala., 142

Justin Martin, Enterprise, Ala., 178

Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala., 126

Tom Pruitt, Stotts City, Mo., 115

Jamie Patterson, Tallassee, Ala., 229

Darren Collins, Galena, Kan., 182

SEMI-FINALS

Mark Herring Jr., Diamond, Ohio, 213

Justin Martin, Enterprise, Ala., 218

Jackie Caudle, Gadsden, Ala., 180

Jamie Patterson, Tallassee, Ala., 213

FINALS

Justin Martin, Enterprise, Ala., 211

Jamie Patterson, Tallassee, Ala., 226

-- by Ken Piper