How to Build a Campfire

Is there anything as great as standing around a campfire on a cool evening? It is a great feeling to warm up the front of your body, then turn around and warm up your backside until you are nice and toasty warm. Sitting around a nice campfire with friends and family, toasting marshmallows, cooking hot dogs and breathing fresh air while you watch the glow of the fire is one of those moments that you just cannot beat!

Enjoying a campfire and knowing how to make a campfire are two different issues all together. Some people seem to be able to start a fire without any problems and then others seem to try and try and cannot get a campfire going, no matter how hard they try. There are a few tricks that might help you get started. 

First, choose your spot. Be sure to choose wisely and think safety first. The area you choose should be away from dry grass, tree limbs, and any other debris. It is also important that it is far enough away from tents and screen houses to prevent a spark from blowing into one of them and melting a hole - or worse.

If you did not bring wood, you can normally find kindling size sticks and plenty of wood in the wooded area nearby. If there is no wooded area and you did not bring any, you can usually find a place to buy some, either a road side seller or small store.

One of the mistakes that many make is that they do not think small enough. When starting your fire, you want to use a gentle touch and start your fire with newspaper, pine needles, dry leaves, or any other item that will catch fire easily, placed under a small pile of little sticks and twigs. When the small fire is flickering and the sticks have caught fire, you can add larger sticks to it. As the fire grows, you can continue to add larger pieces of wood until you have made the fire as big as you want it.

Building a great fire is really all about common sense. Start with a small fire and add wood however you want, to make the fire you want to have. Be sure to keep your fire at a reasonable level so that it does not get out of control on you. Then sit back and enjoy the great outdoors!

If you have any tips to starting a great campfire, feel free to comment and let us know! We would love to hear your ideas.

FoxPro Prairie Blaster Game Call Quick How-To Guide

As a serious predator hunter, you have probably heard about the FoxPro Prairie Blaster game call. You might not fully understand what makes it the best on the market or how to use it so you have put off buying it. One of the first things that are worth noting about this caller is that you can add sounds to this one. Some come preinstalled with 100 sounds but do not have the ability to add more. With the FoxPro Prairie Blaster you can as many sounds as you would like. More than a caller, the FoxPro Prairie Blaster also includes a decoy. You have made a great decision in buying this innovative, highly advanced, digital wildlife caller.

To fully understand the features of you FoxPro Prairie Blaster, read the manual that came with it in its entirety. In the meantime, this guide will help you to try out your new Prairie Blaster as soon as you receive it. 

Battery Installation:

The Prairie Blaster will require 8 “D” size batteries; they are not included in the box so you will want to make sure you have them handy. On the side of the caller you will find the battery door. Remove it and put the batteries inside of the cavity. Then replace the door.

The transmitter will require the use of 3 “AA” batteries, also not included. For best results you should buy lithium or high quality alkaline batteries. On the back of the transmitter is the battery compartment cover. Remove it and insert the 3 “AA” batteries as shown.

Playing Sounds:

Your new Prairie Blaster can be operated with or without the transmitter. This way if you want to walk with the sound and make it appear to be moving, you can. Make sure that at least 1 speaker is in the on position. To do this, turn the on/off knob clockwise, until you hear a click. This switch also serves as the volume control. Pressing the up or down arrow, select the number of the sound you want. When you release the button, the sound will play. To choose a different sound, press the up or down button again.

Operate the Prairie Blaster by Remote Control:

Turn on the transmitter by pressing the sound selector knob down for 4 seconds. If you do not hold it long enough, the screen will display “FoxPro the caller of the wild” and will shut back off. Otherwise you will know it has turned on because the words “FoxPro the caller of the wild” will appear on the screen and then the version number of the remote will show. You will select the sound you want by turning the selector knob on the transmitter either clockwise to scroll up or counter-clockwise to scroll down. When you reach the desired sound, highlight it and press the selector knob down. Next you can adjust the sound volume using the volume up arrow. To mute the sound, press the mute button. The mute button doubles as a pause button so when you un-mute the sound, it will pick up where you left off rather than starting over.

Powering Down:

To help ensure longer battery life, shut down both the Prairie Blaster and the transmitter when you are done using them. To power off the transmitter, press and hold the selector knob until the menu appears. Then press the knob a second time to shut it off. If you do not turn it off, it will shut down itself after 2 hours of inactivity. To shut off the Prairie Blaster, simply turn the on/off switch to the off position.

We hope that this quick guide has helped you learn to use your new FoxPro Prairie Blaster. We currently have this item on sale in our store, but act quickly as supplies are limited! If you have any questions, whether to find out more about how to use it or even why you should buy this one, please feel free to contact us. We would enjoy hearing from some of our readers that own this and want to share a story or two!

Monthly Wild Game Recipes! February - Antelope Soup

At Milonajo Enterprises, we know that half of the fun of the hunt is the eating! With this in mind, we have decided to start dedicating one blog each and every month to a tasty recipe for wild game. For our first recipe, we are going to feature Antelope Soup. A nice warm bowl of soup with some nice crusty Italian bread is perfect for this cold, snowy winter weather!

Antelope Soup:
1 pound Antelope, cut into bite sized pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 pound bag of baby carrots, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cup diced celery
4 or 5 Medium sized potatoes, cubed
1 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP bacon fat
1 12 ounce can of sweet corn
1 cup Lima beans
Salt and pepper to taste
oil for sauteing
water or stock (beef or chicken)

In a pot heat oil and saute the onions and antelope meat until nicely browned. Drain the oil and add the remaining ingredients. If  you want to you can substitute any of the vegetables for your favorites or even add more vegetables to the pot. Use enough water or beef stock to cover all of the ingredients. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked. For best flavor, allow the soup to cool and put it into the refrigerator overnight. The next day, reheat, serve, and enjoy!

Have a favorite recipe that you would like to share with our readers? If you do, contact us and we might feature your recipe in one of our upcoming blogs. We will, of course, give you full credit and will provide a link back to your blog if you would like us to! Be sure to check back for our March recipe!

Being Prepared for Spring Turkey Hunting

If you are like a lot of hunters, you may already have cabin fever and you just cannot wait for the next hunting season to begin. The good news is that spring turkey hunting season is just around the corner in most states. Not only will you be able to get outside, but you will also be able to enjoy hunting in some warmer weather once again.

One thing you will want to be when the day finally comes is prepared. You will be disappointed in yourself if you get out into the field to hunt and forgot some of the essential items that every turkey hunter needs to have. You might want to consider purchasing a hunting pack to carry all of your items in.

A good backpack can be especially handy for everything from a hunting seat to some snacks. Other things that you should consider bringing are decoys and turkey calls, shells for your gun, and some water to drink. A good hunting knife has a way of being handy when you least expect it to be, and so it always a good idea to keep one of them in your bag too.

Some people also like to carry a rain parka, first aid kit, and a map or even a GPS of the area they will be hunting. If you like the idea of taking a map but do not want to deal with having to fold it up, consider using an online map service where you can print it out onto a 8” x 11” piece of paper - it will fold up much easier than a standard map does.

A few other items to take with you include a good source of light, in case it is still dark when you head out, and a good solid pair of binoculars so that you can have a great view of the turkey and you can tell if it is a tom or a hen. Bringing these items along will help ensure that you are well prepared for the hunt. Some people also like to carry a camera when they hunt. This way they can share the experience with family and friends. It is also one way to document the hunt.

Take some time, a week or so before hunting season starts, and scout the area where you plan to turkey hunt. Going out and scouting too far before the start of season might be misleading because you might see a lot of turkeys that will no longer be there since they will go a long way on their search for food. Scouting early in the morning, even before dawn might help you spot the turkeys. If you scout later that day, look for other signs such as droppings, bedding areas, scratching in the ground, and so on.

If you have any hunting stories you would like to share, we would love to hear them! We also welcome any additional tips that you might have to offer. Please feel free to leave us any comments that you might have. 

Photo courtesy of Fired Up Outdoors

The Beginners Guide to Calling Coyotes

Thanks to the excitement that it offers, coyote hunting has become quite popular in North America. The purpose of this blog post is to provide beginners with a few tips that will help ensure your success at calling coyotes.

The first crucial step to being a success is scouting the area. Keep an eye out for signs such as scat and tracks to indicate that there are coyotes present. You might consider taking notes as to where you see coyotes repeatedly so that you can target these areas specifically. Seek out areas where there is prey that coyotes will be hunting such as rabbits, deer, mice, and so on. This will help to make sure that you are able find some coyotes.

The coyote’s sense of smell is amazing. For this reason it is vital to pay attention to the direction of the wind at all times and to make sure that you position yourself with the wind in your face or in a crosswind. If you are using one of the remote controlled callers available, position it upwind of where you are positioned, putting you in the perfect spot as the coyote circles. If it is possible, you should also keep the sun at your back so that the coyote has trouble seeing you or hidden in the shadows where you will be concealed from his view.

Thirdly, camouflage is essential for successful coyote calling. Blending into the surroundings is important. You will want to also make sure your face and hands are covered as human skin is extremely reflective and the coyotes will be able to spot you easily if any skin is visible.

Finally, the calling itself, and getting it right, is vital to your success. Items that are widely available today including the Foxpro Firestorm, the Foxpro Prairie Blaster, and the 100 sound Foxpro Fury Std. make it easier than ever to sound like a distressed rabbit, a coyote cub, or other animal that these predators will be on the hunt for.

These are just a few basic tips to help the beginner. Taking some time to study them and learn their habits will help you become a successful coyote hunter. Before you know it, you will be hooked for life! If you have any questions, like always, you are more than welcome to contact us. We love to hear from our customers!

Capturing Animals with a Game Camera

Spring may still be a ways away, but after plowing and shoveling what seems like the never ending snow storm here in upstate NY, I am writing this blog and testing the whole “Think Spring” theory out. The spring months are the perfect time to set up your scouting cameras and start getting some nice pictures of animals such as coyotes, grouse, pheasants, turkeys, and more.

Buck captured with my game camera

One animal I have yet to capture with my game camera is a bear. With all the state land and forest around our house, I refuse to believe that there aren’t any bears out here. Those that hunt bear find that it helps to set up a camera at one of their bait stations so that they can learn what baits are the most effective and, by using a bait drum, or other nearby object, they can also get an accurate assessment of the size of the bear.

One word of caution is that bears are known to wreck a game camera. For this reason it is generally a good idea to purchase a camera that offers a protective case that will help protect it from bears and other animals.

There is another to place your game camera at the bait station. If you set it up on a trail, you risk missing out on some of the action. Bears are smart and will often use a different route to get to the food each time. By setting up on the trail only, you will miss out on the big guys that find an alternate route to the food.

When you set up your camera near a bait station, you will want to adhere too many of the guidelines that are recommended for deer. Consider setting the timer delay to 5 minute intervals to help you avoid getting multiple images of the same animal.

Owning a good game or scouting camera as part of your hunting kit will help take a lot of the guess work out of your hunting. With tools such as this you can gain enough insight to be able to plan a better hunting strategy.

If you have any questions about this or any of the items that we have available for sale, you are always welcome to contact us - we will help you the best that we can. If you have any stories to share about your game cameras, please feel free to post them to our comments. We do love to swap good stories!

The Joys of Camping or Okay, Enough Snow Already!

A lot of people love to pack up their families and go camping, or spend a weekend “roughing it” with a group of friends. There is really nothing quite like a camping trip to relax and unwind and really make you appreciate what Mother Nature has to offer. If you have not been camping in years, or have never been and cannot quite figure out the allure of sleeping outside and cooking over a campfire, it might be the year to reconsider how you will spend your summer.

Camping is one of those things that you should do before you cannot do it anymore. You should do it with your children before they have grown up and moved out. It is easy to go camping these days, even for a beginner. You can rent an RV, reserve a beautiful rustic cabin, or sleep in tents. With your down-filled sleeping bag and your portable heater, you will be camping in luxury!

Camping is one of the cheapest ways that you and your family can go on a good, quality vacation. When is the last time that you let all of your senses truly appreciate what Mother Nature offers?  Waking up to the sound of a bird chirping outside of the tent is so much more pleasant than waking up to the sound of that annoying alarm clock on your nightstand. Even your favorite television show cannot stand up to the light show when you look up at a clear night sky. Sitting around a campfire at night and looking at the Big Dipper and his friends is a wonderful feeling.

If you have never eaten food that was cooked outside on an open fire, you are missing a heck of a treat. Nothing tastes as good as a hot dog that you cooked on a stick over a campfire. Nothing.  If you do not want to cook like that, do not let that be the reason you do not go camping. There are all kinds of camp stoves that you can choose from to be used when you are camping. While you at it, you can even pick up a nice lantern so you will have plenty of light for those nightly card games.

Camping is one of the greatest ways to pluck your family off of all of the electronics that they are usually glued to such as gaming systems, televisions and computers. Camping allows them to use their imaginations again and to experience the great outdoors. A lot of campsites also offer boating sites and fishing holes and swimming areas so you and your family can spend some quality time with each other and put life back into perspective.

I do not know about the rest of you, but we are ready for Spring!

Considering a Spotting Scope? Read this First!

If you have a good, quality pair of binoculars, why in the world would you need to have a spotting scope? For one, a spotting scope is ideal anytime that you want more magnification than your binoculars can provide. They are virtually a small telescope that has been modified in such a way that it can be used during the day. It is mounted on a small, photo tripod, and is usually built to be both water and fog proof.

Spotting scopes are used often for bird watching, hunting, viewing landscapes and wildlife, and for surveillance. They are used frequently to score targets on archery, rifle and pistol ranges, and are also used with an assortment of cameras to take long distance photos.

As you browse through the spotting scopes on our site, you might be wondering what some of these numbers mean and what the difference is between them. One thing that you will notice that is common with nearly all of them is that they each have 3 numbers. The first set of numbers represents the range of the magnification, and the final number is the size of the lens in the front. Therefore, if you are looking at the Alpen Waterproof 15-45x60 spotting scope, that means that the zoom magnification features a range of 15-45x and the diameter of the front lens is 60mm.

Even with a spotting scope, heat waves, humidity, dust, wind, and other atmospheric conditions can limit your range of magnification leaving things looking blurry, no matter how much magnification you are using. On a clear, calm day you can see great distances and, at times, even tiny details such as facial features, up to a mile or more away.

There are advantages of using a spotting scope. One of the primary advantages is that it allows people to observe wildlife from an animal-friendly distance without causing any distress to the animals. You can use them to identify a specific bird in a large flock, distinguish one species of bird from another and spot birds in the distance.

When used to capture images, because of the higher magnification, a spotting scope can produce those brilliantly colored, high-contrast photos that we all love to look at. The optical design and stability make them comparable to, and in many cases, better than a high quality camera with a telephoto lens.

The purchase of a spotting scope is sure to open up a world of new opportunities for you. It will add a whole new dimension to everything you enjoy doing from bird watching, to hunting, and photography. It may take a bit to adjust to using the spotting scope versus your binoculars, but it will be well worth your efforts!

Additionally, each one of the Alpen Spotting Scopes ship for FREE from Milonajo Enterprises!

Another Outfitter Special - Book Your Hunt Today!

At Milonajo Enterprises, we are dedicated to providing our customers with quality at great prices. We are very pleased to be able to already announce another great deal on a hunt on our new Outfitter Specials Page. When you visit the page, scroll down to the Prime Whitetail Hunting section.

This is a fantastic deal. When you book a week for a group of 4 hunters, you will get a 5th spot for free!This is a great deal with a savings of up to $400 per hunter. These hunts will take place in Calhoun County, Illinois - book your hunt fast, spots are filling up quickly and there are a limited number of spots available.

Stop by our site for all of the details about this, and other hunts, that you can book right now. You will find information on contacting Ryan to book your spot, and like always, you are invited to contact us for information too. If you have never done it, you should stop contemplating it and just do it. They are a lot of fun - but be warned, once you do it once, you will want to go back and do again!