Category Archives: Latest Adventures…

NJ Shad Fishing with Ken Beam on the Delaware River – Shad Fishin` Time!

NJ Shad Fishing in the Springtime on the Delaware River. One of my favorite Spring activities! The forecast
for this past Saturday was ideal. Sunny and breezy with temperatures not expected to get much over 70 degrees. Perfect Shad Fishing weather in my book. I only had about two and a half hours to fish on Saturday as I had a good bit of yard work to get too. So I had to get busy on the river fast.
I loaded up my gear in the truck and was on my way by six a.m. on Saturday morning to my destination: Riegelsville. It`s late in the season for Shad in this part of the river and I was guessing I`d pretty much be by myself fishing the Delaware River that day.
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Upon arriving at my spot, I anxiously tied on my favorite flutter-spoon….
An unpainted, smooth-blade Gold spoon, as I have caught count-less shad over the years. Not really sure if indeed colors are that big of a factor when it comes to shad fishing. Hell my friend Curt Ryder would say, “Ken……when that`s the only lure you use, of course the odds are goin` up for that particular lure in regards to how many fish you catch!!” – ha! ha!
I eased myself down the bank and into the river, then slowly worked my way out into the dark water of the Delaware to begin casting.
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It wasn`t long……then BAM! A strike! Shad on! These Springtime Shad are the most feisty freshwater fish I have ever caught!
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More than once, they`ll give you a nice “Air-Show” too!
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Here`s a Video of my NJ Shad Fishing Adventure on May 24th 205 below;
Ended up catching four Shad in those two hours on the Delaware River. Hell….. to me, just being out on the River is like some sort of utopia. Catchin` a fish or two is a heck of a nice added bonus though!
Ken-
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NJ Pike Fishing – A Canadian comes to NJ to catch Pike with Ken Beam as his “Guide”

Well our NJ Pike Fishing Adventure this past weekend was nothing short of yet another excellent fishing excursion with a gentleman by the name of Nathan Robinson from New Brunswick Canada.
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Nathan found my website three months ago, as he was “Googling” NJ Pike Fishing and reached out to me me through the site. He explained that he was coming down to New Jersey the first week in May and wanted to fish for northern pike, as he had never caught one simply because there aren`t any pike in New Brunswick. Quite frankly I was surprised that there aren`t Pike up there. Heck my Step-Father & I traveled up to northern Ontario for eight years fishing for smallmouth bass, walleye and of course, northern pike. I really thought they were everywhere in Canada. Hey you learn something new everyday right?
Being an experienced kayak fisherman, Nathan liked the idea of chasing those pike in the Passaic in the `Yaks. He has quite the kayak set-up(see pics below) at his home in New Brunswick.
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Notice it`s a Pedal-Driven Kayak. An extremely well-equipped, very professional-looking vessel, I must say.
Quite the `Yak indeed!
Initially he planned on bringing this elaborate kayak to New Jersey, but decided not too, as it probably wasn`t a good idea to have it sit on top his vehicle all week as it might`ve “grown legs” and disappeared. So the next option was to rent one while he was down here. I myself, wasn`t really sure where to rent a kayak, as everything I found on-line was in South Jersey. I thought, “Ahhhhh what the hell……I`ll ask the question, where to rent a kayak on the NewJerseyHunter.com forum. Well what happened the next day was incredible………. I got a response and the subject said, “Ken…why rent?” I thought, “Great….someone wants to sell me their kayak”. I read the message and was shocked at what it said, “Hey Ken…don`t rent one, I`ve got a kayak that you can use”….WOW! I thought. This gentleman who is a complete stranger to me, graciously offered to let Nate use his kayak! He proceeded to give me his address and said it would be out by the pond and to help myself to it and no rush to bring it back. Wasn`t this an incredibly nice offer? An act of pure kindness…….The kind of gesture that restores one`s faith in humanity as my friend Lisa put it.
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I threw the `Yaks in the bed and loaded up my gear and headed east to meet up with Nate on Friday. Nate was pretty darn excited to have a `Yak to fish the river in and my goal was to hopefully get him into a few pike out there.
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Nate caught his first pike that afternoon. He said, “Well this is what I came for,….at least I caught a pike….I`m satisfied” –
But I wasn`t,…… as I wanted to get him into a decent size pike. With paddled back to the lot at dark that night and talked about where to fish on Saturday. We decided to meet twenty miles away from this location, at 7am the next morning.
Then it was Saturday………. and then the Adventure kicked in!
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Wasn`t long until we were into some nice-size pike on the Passaic on the cool, cloudy day!
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Nathan caught two beautiful pike that afternoon! One was a tad over seven pounds!
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Watch the Video of our Pike Fishing Adventure on the Passaic River! You`ll enjoy this one!
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I do indeed believe this Pike Fishing Adventure left quite an impression on my new Friend from New Brunswick Canada.
Good Friends and Good Fishing…………
It doesn`t get any better.
Ken-
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NJ Black Bear “Season” – A lot of Bears at Ken Beam`s last week!

NJ Black Bear “Season” is underway…….at our house that is!
Yep….. we had quite the action-packed week of NJ Black Bear Sightings at the house this past week.
Just for the record, I do not bear hunt, however I don`t have a problem with anyone that does.
I just never had to desire to take a bear……
The only “Shooting” that I do when it comes to Bears, is I just shooting them with my cameras!
On Wednesday May 6th, I got up early to do a litle scoutin` for turkeys before work, as I planned on sitting
the next morning for those “ThunderChickens” – I came home around 7:45am and as I walked on the back patio, I glanced up in the woods and did a double-take! There was a huge Black Bear lying only twenty-five yards off of my back wall! “Was it asleep?” After watching the big bruin lay there for about ten minutes, finally he/she got up………. and I could see that the bear was injured. It walked about twenty yards and slumped up against a tree…….sitting on his butt. I never saw a bear just sit randomly sit on his butt. He was holding his left paw/leg in the air as it appeared broken/or fractured.
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I cautiously crept up by walking on rocks, to within twenty yards of the monster bear, that I guessed had weighed somewhere around 4-500lbs. I called the local police and explained the situation and why I was concerned. I said to the dispatcher, “I`m sure you get hundreds of NJ Black Bear sightings daily and I`m not calling just because I see a bear in my yard, I`m calling you because this bear is actually hurt and that I was concerned whom may possibly cross-paths and come into contact with this bear in the wilderness” –
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With that, she sent an officer to my house. Upon arrival the officer said, “Wow……. that is a big bear”. He also told me that some local sheep were killed just this past week, by a bear just down the road and that this may possibly be that very same bear. So he called NJ Division of Fish & Game and their response was simply this; “Unless you know specifically that this particular bear is responsible for those killings, we`re not all that concerned about this one” – They also said, “An injured bear such as this, can heal within three to four weeks” –
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I explained my concerned was simply the possibility that anyone hiking/walking back could indeed come upon upon this monster.
I told them that I`m a turkey hunter and that I could easily walk up on this monster while walking to my stand in the dark.
*All of the picture below where taken the week of May 4th. Notice the dates/times on the bottom of each photo. Enjoy these amazing pictures.
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I spoke to my Mother the other day on the phone after I sent her these latest pictures,
Her response after seeing this pictures;  “You couldn`t pay me to live there with all of those bears!”
 NJ Black Bear Season is here………. and my cameras are on hand and ready to shoot some bears!
THE END.
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NJ Tiger Musky Fishing – Ken Beam chases Tiger Muskies at Oxford Furnace Lake

Made my way out & about on Saturday to try my hand at some Tiger Musky Fishing for the first time in some new territory. Loaded up my `Yak & headed out at daybreak to my destination….. Oxford Furnace Lake.
I really don`t know all that much about this beautiful Lake other than it`s only a hop, skip & jump from my house in Warren County NJ and that I heard there are Muskies in it.
It is an absolutely gorgeous, very serene location. The water was very calm with hardly any ripples as there was only a hint of a light breeze.
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“It was a gorgeous Spring day to be out in the `Yak”, I thought to myself as I started working the water with
my Bomber Lures.
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This adventure was indeed very
exciting because everything I was
doing that morning was purely trial
and error, as I had never fished
specifically for Tiger Muskies, nor
had I ever fished Oxford Furnace
Lake before. I didn`t have a map of the Lake, so I really don`t know what it`s like structure-wise. As I scouted the entire Lake the one thing I did notice was the fact that the majority of it appears to be fairly shallow. If I had to guess, I`d say the deepest seemed to be around 30 feet or so.
I worked various spots for a good two to three hours………Then it happened! BANG! Fish on!
Watch the Video below that I shot that morning of my first Tiger Muskie. It wasn`t a monster by any means, but it was still the targeted Tiger Muskie that I had come there for so I was pretty darn psyched!
Hope you enjoy the Video!

NJ Pike Fishing – “Back in my `Yak” – Ken Beam Pike Fishing Passaic River

NJ Pike Fishing – “Had the day off of work, so I loaded up my `Yak the night before in my truck and made my way to the Passaic River at daybreak today, to see if I could wrangle up a Northern Pike or two for my first outing of the season” –
“When I arrived at the river, I was a bit disappointed as the river was actually quite muddy. Nevertheless, I was here and wanted to have a go at it as the forecast was calling for an absolutely beautiful Spring day.”
“I double-checked the arsenal of Pike lures in my knapsack, Bombers _Check…..Spinner baits_Check…..Mepps Piker Kit_Check/Spare Reel _Check/Extra Line _Check……All set. Good to go!”
I untied my `Yak and carried it to the river`s edge. Went back to the truck to slip on my neoprene waders, grabbed my pole and headed back to the `Yak.
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Turn up your speakers and watch the short Pike Fishing Video I shot while fishing that day.
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I fished for about five and a half hours that day on the Passaic River. While it wasn`t one of my better days
Pike Fishing, I did indeed manage to wrangle up my first Northern Pike of 2015, and hell, a day doesn`t get much better than this, especially when you`re out and about enjoying the Springtime air while fishing in the great New Jersey Outdoors.
Ken- 

Ken & Curt hit the “Hard Water” & Ice Fish Lake Hopatcong 3/29/2015

This past Sunday, 3/29 Curt & myself decided to head north….. to Lake Hopatcong to try our hand one more time at a little Ice Fishing. We have never ever ice fished this late in the season(or perhaps I should correct myself……& say this early in the Spring!). Hard to believe it`s a couple days from the beginning of April & we were on ice at Hopatcong that was about twelve inches thick!
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Curt showed up at my house at 8am. We loaded up my truck, got some gas & grabbed a coffee & away we went. Our next stop was “Dows” up on the lake to get our bait.
As we made our way out onto the ice, the wind still had that ” cold bite” of old man Winter in it as it howled across the lake.
Upon reaching a likely spot, we started setting up. I grabbed the auger to cut the holes & Curt started unraveling & setting up the tip-ups. As I cut about a dozen holes through the “hard water”, Curt followed by placing the tip-ups in place.
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We weren`t there much more than forty minutes & the first flag was up! Curt said, “Go ahead take it!”
As I knelt down & slowly pulled in the line it went tight……… then another sharp tug………then the fish veered & pulled hard ……..and then I yanked the line……..and missed! Damn it! I re-baited the hook & set it back into the icy cold water. Nothing quite like the excitement of seeing one of those flags flipped up on a tip-up!
Now when it comes to the tip-ups, Curt & I take turns…….. so he was up next and wasn`t too long till we had another flag up!
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Curt set the hook & flipped a nice, fat Perch on the ice! Alright! We were on board!
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In the meantime, I started jiggin` to see what I could wrangle up.
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After about forty-five minutes, I managed to lure in & flip this nice Bass on the ice!
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 The action was very steady throughout the day as we ended up with about 50 or more fish and brought home a few “keepers”. All in all, it was a really enjoyable “Last Day of the Hard Water Season” for us on the ice at Lake Hopatcong.
“The warm afternoon sun felt good on the back of my neck as the temperatures rose throughout the day”

The Legendary Califon Sucker Gigging with Ken Beam & his buddies

Sucker Gigging in Califon New Jersey in the Winter is a very special occasion that my buddies and myself enjoy, but an adventure that doesn`t happen all that often. However this past week or so, with a cold artic-air mass blowing our way, I was really watching the forecast closely. It takes a good  three or four days of single-digit temperatures to form “ok” ice on the South Branch of the Raritan River in Califon……and that ice really isn`t all that thick when it`s just “ok”.
Everything was looking good and in our favor as the cold air stayed till the end of the week. So I rounded up
my friends and we headed out to the river Saturday morning. The excitement and anticipation was running high among all of us, as we decided to hit our honey-hole where we gigged those fifty suckers last Winter.
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We loaded up our gigs, bats and `shine and made our way towards to ice-covered hard-water.
Roger Post, George Armstrong and Art Landon swung the axes and broke the first set of holes of the day.
Then as usual, we all started bustin` on each other……… as we were all excited to be sucker gigging!
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Now don`t ask me why…… but I don`t like to wear gloves when I gig suckers. Just a strange thing that I`ve always done. So I cleared the loose ice in the hole and got ready to gig!
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The “Drivers” got ready to make the first drive of the day. Armed with baseball bats, axe handles and a shale bar, they lined up and began to pound the ice as they walked towards the Giggers. The anticipation was rising! Who would see the first sucker or group come through?
 Then BAM! Ron Ireland flipped one out on the ice!
As the drivers got closer, I yelled, “Watch for leaves boys” – which basically means the suckers are swimmin` towards you when you see debris floating by…………… but nothing. Not another sucker on that drive.
We were shocked…… This was our honey-hole…….how could it be?
Two more drives and still nothing….. We where very puzzled as to why there weren`t any suckers here……
Eric Hildebrandt blamed it on Northern Pike, whereas George Armstrong and Art Landon others felt it had something to do with the various substances that the roads were being treated with, saying it washes into the river. Regardless of what the reason was, there weren`t any fish and It was time to get out of here.
 So we decided to give a go in front of George Armstrong`s up in Vernoy.
The ice was much thinner at this spot. So thin that when the boys cut the holes, water came up on the ice fairly quickly as we set up the giggers. The drivers went up-river from us and it was only a matter of minutes and suckers started hitting the ice!
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Ron Ireland and veteran sucker gigger, Pete Samski talk about where to gig next!
Eric Hildebrandt flips a nice sucker on the ice down river!
George Armstrong, Eric Hildebrandt and Jimmy Kilhullen watch and smile asKen Beam flips a nice sucker on the ice!
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Notice how close Pete Samski is the the edge of the ice as he drives suckers!
His bat was actually hitting the water from where he stood!
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Eric Hildebrandt, the co-owner of Shannon`s Fly & Tackle Shop in Califon, flips a nice sucker on the ice! Eric`s sucker gigging method is to lay flat on the ice!
*Here is the Go PRO Sucker Gigging Video I shot that day.
 *There is some cussin`/swearin` so if you have little kids, don`t let them watch it!
 I think you`ll really enjoy this;
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Art Landon soaked the suckers in a Brine for a few hours, then they went in his smoker for almost 
seven hours. Let me tell you what, they are absolutely delicious! 
Last year after we gigged suckers, my girlfriend encouraged me to write a story for a outdoors sporting
magazine. So I gave it a shot and submitted the story to Fur-Fish-Game Magazine. Well low and behold,
the magazine actually published it in the December 2014 issue! I was pretty darn proud to have something that I wrote published in a National publication.
Yea…… it turned out to be a really great day. A great day Sucker Gigging with a great bunch of hell-raisin` guys…..
The kind of day that I wouldn`t trade for anything.
Ken-

NJ Ice Fishing! Ken Beam Ice Fishing at Spruce Run with Curt Ryder

NJ Ice Fishing on Spruce Run Reservoir is another awesome Wintertime activity that I enjoy doing with my very good Friend, Curt Ryder.
I gave Curt a ring on the phone on my way home last Friday night to see if he was up for trying his hand at a little ice fishing the next morning. He said, Sure…let`s do it!” –  So we planned to meet up at the Reservoir at 7am the next morning. However, the day didn`t start out too good, as I got a phone call from Curt at 6:30am saying he had just hit a deer with his truck. He said, It`s just the bumper cover,….. only cosmetic” – I said, “Well do ya wanna forget about it today? Curt said, “Hell no……let`s go fishin`!” With that I got the bait and headed over to Spruce Run.
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Loaded up the tip-ups, jigging poles, ice-auger & bait in  Curt`s Ice Fishing Sled and set out on the ice at Spruce Run Reservoir.
The Reservoir is probably about twenty feet low water level-wise, so we had to hike a good ways in order to get out into twenty four feet of water. We were after
these monster slab crappies that we saw a few guys catch out here last Winter.
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Curt and I discuss our hard water ice fishing strategy as we hike out across Spruce Run Reservoir. Me, “I got a feelin`
it`s gonna be a really good day
out here Curt” – Curt, “You always say it`s gonna be a good day no matter when we go fishin`!”
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I drilled out our first set of holes as Curt followed with setting up the tip-ups. You`re allowed five tip-ups per man, but if you each jig, then you are only allowed to se four tip-ups each plus a jigging rod. Curt figured that the crappie would likely be in the deeper water as we didn`t connect with any last weekend in the ten to fifteen foot depth that we fished the tip-ups at. Also we saw a guy catch two Pike the previous weekend in this area that we were setting up in.
We fished till around 12:30 and only had three flags tipped so far for the day….. and we were both getting hungry. I decided to take a break and go get us lunch at a local general store. After getting lunch and heading back out on the ice towards Curt, I could see him talking with two other guys. These two Hispanic guys from Bethlehem Pa. had nervously wandered out to see what exactly Curt was doing as they had never seen anyone ice fishing before. I wasn`t sure if they had ever seen or been on ice for that matter!
These two guys really made our day…….they were an absolute riot! I don`t think they knew what to make of me at first, with my `coonskin hat as they just stared at it as I approached them as they stood next to Curt. They went crazy when they saw a few of my YouTube Videos as you can see in the pictures.
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By late afternoon, the only fish we had caught were a bunch of little perch that were anywhere from five to eight inches. It just wasn`t panning out to be a good day fishing on the ice.
Curt and I had been ribbin` each other as we usually do, most of the day. He claimed he has a “Secret Formula” that he was spraying on his jig and I was braggin` about my “Game Changer” that I was using on my set up. Now my “Game Changer” as I call it has Anise Oil in it and I do believe this makes a difference when ice fishing. I think the strong smell of licorice is very appealing to fish under the hard water.
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We both started to jump from hole to hole hoping to catch those slab-size crappies or a nice bass.
As I went to my next hole of choice, I loaded up my Swedish-Pimple and Butter-worm with a good dose
of the “Game Changer, then started to jig.
Then all of the sudden ice pole crazily bent as a decent fish jumped on my jig! WOW! It really felt good!
Curt could see I had something nice on and rushed over. As the fish got closer, I could see it flash under the ice and said to Curt, “It`s a nice bass!” – As it came to the top of the water I saw the all too familiar whiskers…… a Catfish! As I pulled the catty through the ice, the line snapped as the fished laid half-way on the ice. I swatted the nice fish with my hand and sliced my finger on the catty`s barb as flipped up on the ice. We weren`t exactly sure what kind of catfish it was, then Curt said, “It looks like a yellow-catfish” – As we looked it up on my phone, it was indeed just that. I have never caught a catfish in February Ice Fishing and the even odder part to me was that the catty hit a jig…….yes…….with the “Game Changer” doused on it. It made sense. As Catfish are attracted to smell/odor, the anise oil was the calling.
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**Enjoy the Video of our Ice Fishing on Spruce Run Adventure below;
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All filleted and ready!
Winter Catfish and an ice cold PBR!
 A supper fit for a King…..or Ken!

Ken Beam talks about his Browning 12-Gauge Shotgun. A Tale about his gun.

Well ever since I posted a couple hunting videos, a few guys have been asking me what kind of gun do I hunt with. So I thought I`d tell you all a little Tale about my 1960 Browning “Light Twelve” Gauge Shotgun that I use for deer hunting in New Jersey and how it came about.
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My Dad always hunted with a Browning “Light Twelve” 12-Gauge….. when it was time for small game and deer hunting, that was the only gun he ever used. I remember very well what shells he used for deer hunting…..Winchester Mark V`s. When shot through his Browning, they were an absolutely amazing combo.
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It was always a big deal for me to be able to go with Dad hunting & as a youngster. That`s me proudly holding the skinned Rabbit & my brother Keith sayin`, “I want to keep him!”
 I have been deer hunting since I was ten years old and while I did shoot quite a few does on “Doe-Day”, I missed my share of bucks. Dad used to say that I got “Buck Fever” when I would see a buck……. and miss! ha! ha! I could shoot does no problem, but when a deer came through with antlers, that old “Buck Fever” would kick in!
 
Well my Dad passed away in November of 1979, Al Nagie, who worked with my Dad at Power & Light took me deer hunting that December up on his farm. I shot my very first buck on that cold December day with my Dad`s Browning Shotgun. 
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My first 8-Point Buck that I shot with my Dad`s Browning Shotgun in 1979.
I used those Mark V Buckshot Shells that year I shot my first buck, that my Father had from previous years.
Moving a few years forward, in 1988 I got it in my head to try to find Belgium Browning “Light Twelve”…… as I figured I`d just retire Dad`s & keep it in the gun cabinet.
Ended up tracking one down at Griffin & Howe, a high-end gun dealer in Bernardsville. I drove over to see it one rainy afternoon with my long-time childhood friend Mark Ader. We eventually found the Browning on the display rack and could not believe the condition….. it was simply gorgeous! I bought it for $350 dollars!……To me, it was like finding Gold.
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Now it was years later and those famous Winchester Mark V Buckshot Shells were no longer produced. Instead you could buy Copper-Plated Double O Buckshot, so I did. Low and behold, that old beautiful Browning didn`t throw this type of shot at all……. as I missed a huge Buck at a ridiculously close range!
I remember sitting there in my stand completely shocked at what had just happened as I watched the big buck gallop away. So after that I only took the Browning out Pheasant Hunting and gave up on using it for deer. Now no no…… I didn`t stop deer hunting, I just used my Step-Father`s old JC Higgins 12-Gauge Pump for the next few years.
That is until I went back to Bernardsville and started working at Bernardsville Volkswagen in 1996. See across the street from the dealership was Clark`s Hardware Store and I ended up selling Jim Clark and his family three VWs.
Now this hardware store was the coolest one ever to me because Jim also had a gun dealer`s license and had a few guns for sale from time to time.
Well one Saturday morning I walked over to get something and saw this old Browning up on the shelf for sale. I asked if Jim was around and they called upstairs and down he came. Jim and I always had nice conversations,…. heck anything from Volkswagens to guns!
I asked him about this old Browning and he took it down. He told me it was probably from the late 40`s to early 50`s. I noticed this peculiar safety mechanism on the gun, unlike anything I had ever seen. As a matter of fact, to be perfectly honest, I thought it was pretty darn awkward.
*Watch this quick Video as I explain how it works;
I remember scratching my head thinking, “There is no way in hell I`d hunt with a gun with this type of safety” – Then Jim said that he believed it was a full-choke barrel. I said, “Well how can you tell?”…..He took a dime out of his pocket and said, “If a dime fits in the barrel sideways, it`s a modified choke and if it can`t go in the barrel, it`s a full-choke” – “Doesn`t go in the barrel Ken, it`s a full-choke” –
Now I was a little more interested as I never had a Browning with a full-choke barrel. I was thinking that I would just swap barrels with my 1960 Browning. So I asked Jim what he was asking for it and he said $350 but “If you really want it, you can have it for $200 because we`ve bought so many cars from you and are going to need another pretty soon!” – With that, I marched across the street with that old Browning Shotgun.
A couple months later I was planning to pattern that gun with the full-choke barrel. I went in a sporting good store(which is no longer there), down by Muller Toyota on Rte. 31. I went in and asked to buy a couple boxes of Double O Buckshot and the old man out the counter asked me what kind of gun was I shooting? I told him and he looked at me and smiled, then took the boxes of Double O`s off of the counter and put two boxes of Triple O`s in their place. He said, “You run these Triple O`s through your old Browning…..and you`ll be thankin` me”
I drove over to Spruce Run to try them our that afternoon. After I shot the first round I was shocked! At 40 yards all eight pellets were tighter than any shot I had ever seen! I loaded up another target and shot again at 50 yards……… I was shocked! Same tight grouping! Never ever though of using Triple O Buckshot.
I was off the entire week of Buck week that year and what a week it was! I ended shooting four bucks and two does that week with that Browning “Light Twelve” Gauge Shotgun using Triple O buckshot.
The furthest I have shot and killed a buck is at 93 yards on a drive using Triple O Buckshot. I had three “drivers” that day walk off the distance…..and all three were shocked.
To this day, Triple O Buck with my ol` Browning, is the only thing I use for deer hunting in New Jersey.
Ken-

NJ Deer Hunting – Winter 2015 – Ken Beam fills his freezer

NJ Deer Hunting in the Wintertime can certainly be challenging and today when I jumped up in my tree stand at 5:45am it was a brisk 12 degrees. Fortunately I do indeed like the cold weather, not the wind, just a nice calm, cold winter morning.
After seeing what showed up on my Trail Cameras this past week, I was very anxious to jump up in my tree
this morning! Two very Big Bucks showed up during the week, one is an absolute Trophy! A Huge 8-Pointer
with very high tines on both sides. Have a look at the pictures below –
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Quite the Big Bucks eh?!
Now I do read about this quite often, hunters on various threads around the internet saying, “Ohhhhhh they`ve gone “Nocturnal”….. Really? No no……. see they went “Nocturnal” because nowadays we all have trail cameras and can finally see Monster Bucks like this at night! Big Bucks have always been Nocturnal feeders and are very wise deer, hence the impressive “Crown of Antlers” they usually exhibit like the Big Boys above. So I have been regularly jumping up in my tree stand, hoping that one of these Big Bucks would walk out of the cover…….. but to no avail as of yet. While I am routinely in my stand, I`m not taking that bet that either will show up before the NJ Deer Hunting Season ends. I really think my opportunity to see either or both will be in the Fall of 2015 during the Rut. But I have my fingers crossed and maybe if we get a little snow, these Big Boys will show up in the daylight hours.
As it is getting along in the NJ Deer Hunting Season, it is also time to fill the freezer with some meat!
My opportunity came this morning around 11:30am as four does approached “Ken Beam`s Big Big Buck Deer Feeder”, I cracked the one below, loaded the doe up in `ol Big Red and drove it over to my friend`s place, Tommy the Butcher in Washington to have it processed. By the way, if you`re looking for an excellent butcher in NJ, I highly recommend Tommy! All of the cuts are vacuumed packed and you can`t beat his prices!
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