Game Vests to Donate?

[Nutterbuster]

So I started a Facebook page a while back to try and promote my favorite hobby: squirrel hunting (Sorry, SaddleHunters, but even the wife and pup play second-fiddle here). It's growing a little, and I'm starting to try and think about ways to keep promoting the passion.

I really would like to find a way to donate game vests to kids and folks that want to start hunting, but don't know where to start. I'd really like to be able to send out a "care package" with a copy of the book I'm writing, a vest, and maybe a hat or a sticker.

Does anybody know a way to source vests directly from the manufacturers overseas? Or would I be better to get a local seamstress to make them? I really don't think I've got time to do them myself, but that might be an option too. Or perhaps get folks to send in their surplus vests, and redistribute them?

I know there's some smart cookies on here. Help a brother to help a brother, wouldya?

 

[mattsteg]

What quantities do you expect/hope to reach? And how much cost to you is OK? My best guesses:
Donations, scrounging for used/cheap etc. Would be the easiest way to get started, depending on how many.

Local seamstresses probably faster, more expensive than foreign.

For moderate volume, I would guess you could look into various "internet tailors" advertising things like custom shirts, and have them cheaply copy one.

Sounds like a great project.

 

[Crawl79]

Would like to check our our squirrel page, squirrel hunting is a big part of my family tradition. Dad has taken a week of vacation for first week of squirrel season as long as I can remember. We don't deer hunt together much anymore due to different types of hunting but I do make a few October squirrel hunts with him and normally bring him with a friend and his dad and a squirrel hunt with dogs every February after I am done bow hunting.

 

[Nutterbuster]

Would like to check our our squirrel page, squirrel hunting is a big part of my family tradition. Dad has taken a week of vacation for first week of squirrel season as long as I can remember. We don't deer hunt together much anymore due to different types of hunting but I do make a few October squirrel hunts with him and normally bring him with a friend and his dad and a squirrel hunt with dogs every February after I am done bow hunting.

See, that's part of why I love it so much. I've taken all kinds of folks out, and they've unanimously loved it. Way more laid-back than other hunting. It's pleasant, and can be done in a social way. Worst case, it's a pretty walk in the woods with people you enjoy.

Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/NutterBusters/

I guess I need to drop it in my signature or something.

 

[Crawl79]

See, that's part of why I love it so much. I've taken all kinds of folks out, and they've unanimously loved it. Way more laid-back than other hunting. It's pleasant, and can be done in a social way. Worst case, it's a pretty walk in the woods with people you enjoy.

Here's the link:

https://www.facebook.com/NutterBusters/

I guess I need to drop it in my signature or something.

No doubt, I try not to judge others but I see all these new hunters and kids that have never stalked and killed a limit of squirrels. I take pride knowing I can go in the woods and stealthy hunt squirrels and I know all that experience pays off when deer and turkey hunting.

Now hunting them with dogs that's very fun social hunt. We have some many funny memories from those hunts that we talk about all year.

 

[DanO]

I'm with a startup hunting clothing company and our minimum order quantities overseas are 500 units. You gonna be anywhere near that? I would be more than happy to assist.

 

[Deltahuntr]

Squirrels hunting is how I got started in hunting. No one in my family hunted by the time I was old enough to start hunting. We lived in the suburbs and back then no one had a problem seeing a kid with a pellet gun. Later in middle school I acquired a 20ga and still as long as I was 100yds or so in the woods no one had a problem with me shooting squirrels. Later on a friend’s father owned some land that was a hunting club in Tensas and I was allowed to hunt and just pay a guest fee. Anyway the only time of the season everyone was present was opening weekend of squirrel season. Nobody bow hunted then and now No Squirrel hunting allowed because of bow season. Squirrel hunting is a dying sport. Lots of deer hunters now have never squirrel hunted. I appreciate your efforts to introduce people to squirrel hunting. It may start a fire in someone that never considered hunting. If nothing else squirrel hunting will teach someone to appreciate the woods.

 

[Crawl79]

From the age of 12-16 my grandfather left a camper at the old Gumbo Acres campground in Tensas. By that time I had been squirrel hunting for years but that is where I really learned to hunt them effectively alone. Grandfather and dad would drop me off in a slough bottom and tell me not to leave sight of it. I know how to use a compass and knew how to get back to the road but I was confident staying in that bottom that I could kill and not get lost.
We still do the opening morning everyone is at the camp for squirrel season. No matter what there will be a squirrels supper at the camp, but my dad also cooks a squirrel supper for the whole family.

Also the town my family is from and where I live now has a squirrel cookoff every October. It's a big party. I try to go but allot of time I am in the woods hunting. This year I missed it, was two weekends ago.

 

[Deltahuntr]

You would probably know the woods wereI learned to hunt in Tensas. That private hunting lease is now part of the refuge. It’s the backwards K shaped piece on the back side of all the CRP north of the Sharkey and 577 Spur intersection east of Quebec Rd.
Those were some wonderful times. I appreciate the reason to reminisce of times past.
Thanks Nutterbuster and Crawl79

 

[Crawl79]

You would probably know the woods wereI learned to hunt in Tensas. That private hunting lease is now part of the refuge. It’s the backwards K shaped piece on the back side of all the CRP north of the Sharkey and 577 Spur intersection east of Quebec Rd.
Those were some wonderful times. I appreciate the reason to reminisce of times past.
Thanks Nutterbuster and Crawl79

Know that area well. Killed my first wall mount and first public land turkey as a teenager in the Hunters Bend area. I still hunt the refuge at least once or twice a year. One of my favorite places to hunt, especially late January.

 

[donnieballgame]

Sounds like you guys need to share some recipes for the new squirrel hunters! @Nutterbuster when is the book gonna be finished?

 

[Deltahuntr]

Know that area well. Killed my first wall mount and first public land turkey as a teenager in the Hunters Bend area. I still hunt the refuge at least once or twice a year. One of my favorite places to hunt, especially late January.

Gotta love the Tensas. I still have access to a camp on that bend. To go there is boat or Atv access only so I have a refuge pass to leave my vehicle in that parking lot of Quebec rd overnight. I now hunt just north of Tallulah by a few miles but only make it back to Hunters Bend every couple years. I’ve talked with some saddle hunters that hunt the Bear Lake Area and if I knew when everyone was going to be hunting I would definitely come down to hunt the refuge. Denots was trying to put something like that together awhile back. We ought to make it happen.

 

[Nutterbuster]

Sounds like you guys need to share some recipes for the new squirrel hunters! @Nutterbuster when is the book gonna be finished?

I wish I knew brother. I'm 40 pages into the manuscript and just scratching the surface. I want it to be comprehensive. Gear, tactics, recipes, biology, history, everything. Lot of research, and a lot of organizing, trying to get some good illustrations and images too.

I can write, but it's just so much. Labor of love for sure. Nothing replaces a mentor, but I'd like to give it my best shot. I honestly think squirrel hunting is the only way we can turn hunter decline around. Not everybody can stomach jumping straight into big game. Too intense and too expensive.

 

[Crawl79]

Gotta love the Tensas. I still have access to a camp on that bend. To go there is boat or Atv access only so I have a refuge pass to leave my vehicle in that parking lot of Quebec rd overnight. I now hunt just north of Tallulah by a few miles but only make it back to Hunters Bend every couple years. I’ve talked with some saddle hunters that hunt the Bear Lake Area and if I knew when everyone was going to be hunting I would definitely come down to hunt the refuge. Denots was trying to put something like that together awhile back. We ought to make it happen.

Yes my cousin has a camp in Wilhite that I have access to. I will be at the camp there in Dec for sure but will be trying to make plans to be there again either for a the group hunt they were talking about or late January with a couple buddies.

 

[Deltahuntr]

Yes my cousin has a camp in Wilhite that I have access to. I will be at the camp there in Dec for sure but will be trying to make plans to be there again either for a the group hunt they were talking about or late January with a couple buddies.

Great, hopefully I have harvested my trophy buck before the group hunt. Then it will not matter how long I spend on the Tensas. Sharkey and Hwy 65 intersection is only an 20 minute drive from camp. I need to spend some time there and see how access to the refuge behind us has changed. There are trees across the river at alligator bayou that block boat traffic but I can just take the ATV to the river on the north side of bend to cross on to refuge. Maybe you know if there would be any advantage to the easy commute to that area.