“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” –Rachel Carson During the most difficult times in my life, I have found comfort in nature. Not only in its beauty and serenity, but in the perspective I gain from its observation. I’ll sit alone on the forest floor, resting my back on an oak trunk, and watch birds collect materials for their nests, while ants near my feet work diligently at their tasks, and squirr

Often at the beginning of a new year, we take a moment to reflect on where we’ve been and look ahead to where we’re going. Our journey as a company has been a unique one. We set out with a vision to positively impact conservation on the broadest scale possible. Our operations began simply by helping landowners make their land better for wildlife and for their families. Along our path, we have planted seeds in many other sectors of the industry, and grown branches that have al

In 2015, one of the largest outdoor retailers in the country decided to take a stand against the consumer mania of Black Friday. For the past four years, REI has closed its doors on the Friday following Thanksgiving, encouraging its customers to spend the day enjoying the outdoors, rather than shopping. They dubbed this campaign #optoutside, and it has had an incredible ripple effect through the industry, gaining a following from other retailers, outdoors enthusiasts, and eve

Every hunter, regardless of the game or season that draws them to the field, engages in some type of preparation for their pursuit. Whether its habitat work, scouting, gathering gear, or practicing the shot, if you’re committed to the hunt, you do it. As the season nears, anticipation intensifies, and the planning becomes meticulous. This is particularly true of bowhunters, as attention to detail can make all the difference in such an unforgiving contest. We check and re-chec

I know some hunters who feel like they would rather just skip through summer, and as soon as turkey season is over, they’d arrive right back in a dove field or bow stand. Many sportsmen and women enjoy a well-rounded year outdoors with fishing and other water sports, but others suffer through the warmer months as if it were a punishment. While summer has never been my favorite season, I have come to appreciate it with a unique perspective. Perhaps the first, most obvious, or

Author: Emily Courtney I remember one of the first times I had a deep philosophical debate with myself about the land ethic. It was during one of my college courses, as we were learning about the modern conservation movement and how the term itself came to be defined. We learned that Gifford Pinchot provided our most widely accepted definition, saying, “Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.” I rolled that definition around

Author: Emily Courtney I hate bowhunting. It’s difficult. And when there’s a much easier way to achieve the same end, I find it infuriating to torture myself into doing it the hard way. But that’s also why I love it. Many of my bowhunting friends find themselves in this same paradox. It’s the challenge that draws hunters in to this particular weapon of choice, and it’s that same challenge that also causes most of us to threaten to hurl our bows into a lake at least once a sea

Author: Emily Courtney “What could be more democratic than owning together the most magnificent places on your continent? …In America, magnificence is a common treasure. That is the essence of our democracy.” – Carl Pope These words were spoken in reference to America’s national parks, highlighting the uniqueness, and the inherent democracy, of the idea that a country’s natural wonders could be collectively owned by its citizens. The national park idea was born in the U.S. ar

Author:  Emily Courtney Throughout our years of experience managing habitat, serving landowners, and furthering conservation, we have noticed a growing need in the outdoor industry. As society is steadily becoming more digital, seemingly by the day, nature based companies are striving to find their place in increasingly crowded online spaces. Social media provides the opportunity for most any and everyone to have a voice, and the clamor is deafening. These digital platforms a

Author: Emily Courtney “Every April, God rewrites the Book of Genesis.”  -Author Unknown We often draw parallels between the renewal of spring in nature to a seasonal renewal in our own lives. In nature, flecks of green appear on tree branches, flower buds emerge, and tiny beaks can be seen popping up out of bird nests. As humans, we make New Year’s resolutions and engage in spring cleaning, trying to give ourselves a fresh start. The perspective gained through a nature based

“One’s vision is not a road map, but a compass.” – Peter Block The compass is one of the earliest tools used for navigation. It works by reacting to the magnetic field of the Earth. The needle aligns with the north magnetic pole, allowing the user to identify “North”, and thereby discern the other cardinal directions in reference to that point. There have been many navigational tools used throughout history, and many have been replaced by newer technologies, but the compass i

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”  -Warren Buffet Author: Emily Courtney We all have a memory of an outdoor experience or a hunt that involves a tree. Whether it’s an old oak in your backyard that you spent summers climbing, or the tall pine that holds your favorite deer stand, those memories exist because those trees do. They hold a kind of fascination for us. When you see an ancient tree that seems to stretch indefinitel

Author: Emily Courtney A few days ago we launched a video that is to be the first in a new series we will be filming and sharing throughout the year. The series, titled “A Nature Based Life”, will follow Nature’s Eye through each season and the different habitat management activities associated with them. It will also depict the personal lifestyle that we refer to as “a nature based life”. This concept is exemplified by those of us who seek to share the most intimate relation

We’re continuing our pro-staff introductions with a post written by pro-staffer T.J. Esfeller.  The following is the story of how he harvested a late season trophy in Alabama just a few weeks ago.  T.J. would tell you that he just got lucky, but luck is simply preparation meeting opportunity.  This is a prime example of that, with a little persistence thrown in. Author: T.J. Esfeller My deer season began on October 25th in the hill country of Texas. I was invited to hunt a 16

Here is Part 2 from our pro staffer Lance about the Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt he helped with back in December.  If you haven’t read Part 1, check out the previous post!  Enjoy! Author: Lance Howard When I arrived for the second day of the event, Travis asked me to accompany a boy named Jaybee to film his afternoon hunt. His grandparents, Jack and Peggy, would also be tagging along. The first obvious thing I noticed about Jaybee was that he was in a wheelchair. I started talking

Author: Emily Courtney “Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning, but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”       -Hal Borland The only difference between December 31st and January 1st is the date. It’s an arbitrary marker; nothing really changes. We make new plans, new goals, new budgets, but for the most part, it’s all in the context of the same life circumstances. We don’t really start over. When midnight struck on New Year’s Eve, we didn’

Author: Emily Courtney If you’re lucky enough to have persimmons on your property, you know how beneficial they can be for attracting wildlife. When fruiting, they’re magnets for all kinds of critters, especially whitetails. Very few native trees offer soft mast during the fall, making persimmons a highly sought after commodity in early bow season. If you have them and haven’t noticed them getting this kind of attention, they may need a little micro-managing to give them a bo

“Water is the driving force of all nature.”  -Leonardo Da Vinci Author: Emily Courtney Most of us acknowledge Da Vinci as one of the greatest artists in history. Many recognize his manifold contributions to science. Few, however, know that he devoted much of his scientific research to understanding the role of water in our ecosystems. His writings on the subject of hydrology contained theories that are comparable to our modern-day understanding of the water cycle. I’m not su

Author: Emily Courtney Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of being invited on hunts with friends and colleagues to many different properties throughout the southeast. Most of which have been clubs, camps, or farms that I had either never been to before or was only slightly familiar with.   On several of these occasions, this lack of familiarity has left me wandering through the woods in the pre-daylight hours trying to follow directions to find my way to my assigned stand

Author: Emily Courtney One fall afternoon many years ago, my dad and I were walking to our stand for an afternoon hunt on my grandpa’s farm in south Mississippi.  He stopped and pointed at a deer track on the ground, looked up and smiled, and said, “You know, I remember the very first time I saw one of these.”  He launched into a story I had actually heard a time or two before, but I let him tell it anyway.  When my grandpa bought the 140 acres in the early 60’s, there wasn’t