Meeting the TV Guys

Tunica, MS> While wandering the aisles at the Ovis Hunting/Outfitter Show, I noticed two guys stalking me. I graciously shook their hand and had a long talk with them. I offered them my autograph but they did not have a pen between them. I did my best to give them some helpful tips on being a Big TV Star.
The first guy was named Colorado Buck and he was very nice to all of us. He stars in a hunting show called The Outfitter and he is negotiating with my brother James for a Grizzly Bear hunt in Alaska.
He was low key, very friendly, and informative about how his show worked and the places he had hunted. He never said where he was from, but he impressed me. He wasn't stuck up and made some very good PR for his company. His show is on The Sportsman Channel.
The second guy I met was another friendly man named Mike Morgan He is from Mississippi(right below Jackson) and knew a lot about where our family hunts. We talked a long time about how he got into the video and TV market. He took his love of the outdoors and kept plugging along until suddenly he now has 5 TV shows rolling. His main show is called Hunting Across America and I think that he can be seen regularly on The Outdoor Channel.I'm sure they will be calling me any day now to join their teams as their official Outdoors Blogger.

2007 Hunter/Outfitter Show

Tunica, MS> The show was great! James had a booth set up and treated us like royalty. There were people from all over the world booking hunts, selling merchandise and enjoying a fun meeting of hunters of all types

Friday night he took us all out to dinner at the Grand Casino. Dad, Aunt Marilyn, James, Kecia, Bill, Sandra, Rex and Denise. We ate as much as we could, then stuffed our pockets full. It's not everyday someone else picks up the tab! We figured a way to lose money at the casino, went back to Dad's room and had drinks while he told stories of how my great Uncle Bob dug up the Indian Graves when Dad was a boy. He also told of taking a steam engine train to work the wheat fields of South Dakota early in the war. A fun time of those stories, hunting stories and memories of different adventures our family has shared. The next day we met for breakfast and headed to the convention.
This picture is of Denise, my Aunt Marilyn and Kecia. I thought my brother Paul was behind them but wasn't.



I met a lot of people and was surprised to meet my friend KeesKennis. We had a drink, he got rowdy and started pestering the beer girls.


I got a picture of Trent and James together. It was the perfect opportunity but the Mountain Lion didn't eat them.



Some guy had made a beautiful golden sculpture of Thunderhoof. That pesky Thunderhoof wasn't at the show though. Here is Denise checking it out.



We looked at many interesting exhibits from all over. Knives, Hunts, Hunting Gear, Videos, Sculptures, Paintings, were all on display! Denise liked the Polar Bear and the Dall Sheep. A great day and will post more stuff tomorrow about the show. Next year it is at Las Vegas, maybe we will go.

He's Got Your Back

I received a link from a very interesting blog this weekend. The guy running it is Kevin and he blogs at The Smallest Minority. He linked to the post about Never Rope A Deer. I read it on his site and laughed again. He is a very strong advocate of our right to bear arms. He is a watchdog and champion against those forces that would strip us of those rights. He mixes humor, politics and outrage in his well written blog. Please go look at his site and bookmark it.
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. - Ayn Rand

Dad and Pop-Pop

Oxford, MS> This picture was taken around 1940. My Dad and Grandfather in the yard of their old house in Oxford. Notice the Rods and reels. My father was raised hunting and fishing and like a lot of kids at that time traded wild game for shells, just to keep hunting.

Academy Awards Night

Gilded, MS> Tonight is the Academy Awards and it is a great lineup for Best Movie of the Year.
Gums- starring Matt Coughlin as the 85 year old Sheriff Brodey. Trapped in a leaky rowboat in the middle of a Florida Lake as the ancient, toothless shark attacks. Bill Anderson plays the doomed fishologist, Steven Kendus plays the Guide, GuyK plays Lunch, the mayor is played by Defiant Infidel and Best supporting Actor nominee- The Captain plays himself as he forgets gas, fishing tackle and oars.



Othmar Jones and the Land that Time Forgot- starring Othmar Vohringer as Othmar Jones. Follow his dangerous exploits with Bigfoot, pygmies, diabolic traps, zombies and dinosaurs as he follows a secret map to a forgotten land of Gold mines, Big Deer and Hot Babes. Co-starring Phillip Loughlin as the evil Dr. Hog.

The Gods Must Be Crazy VII- starring KeesKennis as the leader of a Bush Tribe that finds a computer. The tribe quickly hooks to the internet and begins to post porn, chain letters and spam. Follow his journey to rid the world of this evil technology as he goes to the end of the earth to throw it over the edge of the world. Dan McLaughlin plays the vet, and Tom Remington plays the Internet King.


M.A.S.H.E.D.- starring Rex Howell as the the zany Hawkeye and Denise Brodey as Hot Lips Hugadeer. Trapped in the delta for the duration of the Deer War. Follow the wild action as the soldiers fight, fuss and hunt the famous Christmas Place for big deer and track the elusive Thunderhoof. Jim Braaten plays Radar, Fuzzy V plays Trapper John. Introducing Mike Myrick as Col. Henry Blake.


Jeremiah Johnson II- starring Mike Carter as the Rocky Mountains Legend. A lone man hunting dumb mule deer in the west.
Marian Phillips plays the Crazy Woman, Goon plays Chief IceHockey and Mike Whitaker plays the Scout.

Vote for your favorite in the Comments Section!

An African Link

Cheetah, MS> Now that I am taking over for Zumbo, worldwide links are coming in to my site. A new and interesting one is from KeesKennis. He is located somewhere in the bush of Zambia and has amazing pics and stories from all over the globe. A very good site and profile. Lots of rare animals and beautiful photography. I was stunned by his linking to me, thrilled to be exact, and wanted everyone to link him and visit his site till I found out that he, and GuyK, and all his pals had been sneaking over and fishing in my lake.

Zumbo II - What's Next?

Hollywood, MS> Everyone has chimed in about Zumbo and his huge mistake, but they are all missing the point of what is to be done now. The guys at Remington, Outdoor Life, Cabelas and other firms are sitting around a table doing damage control, but the show must go on.
They need a replacement. Zumbo was getting a little old to be wandering up and down those hills anyway. They need a man handy on land and sea. The replacement will need a new look and a cool hat. He will need some of those super starched upland game shirts, Cabela boots and pressed khakis. He will need to be able to talk trash to all the high rolling muckety-mucks and run a blog at the same time. (without pissing anyone off) How much money does he make? Well, I imagine he makes about what that Hog Guy makes and about a tenth of what Othmar makes. In other words, a lot!
If you get the right guy, he can fly around the country, blasting the hell out of all kinds of game animals. Hard hunting- Lions, Whitetail Deer, or Rabid Hogs. Easy hunting Mule Deer ,Zebras, Possums. If things are really slow, they can fish out of a Hole in the Ice. They can take their AR-15, AK-47 or M-16 and fly around, blasting tigers, gazelle, antelope and if a kangaroo hops by, they can blast the hell out of it to. Anything for the TV show. This person can also arrange to take all his blogger buddies hunting with him. They could get paid too!. Hire some guys with some Bright Ideas and it should be easy as pie. Hello!!!! I'm Your Man!

3rd Annual Hunter/ Outfitter Convention

Tunica, MS> My brother James and his wife Kecia are in Tunica for the Ovis Grand Slam Convention. This is a fun filled affair with hunters and outfitters from Africa to Alaska. Meeting new faces and booking trips, is what this is all about. Merchants, Videos, stuffed Trophies, and too many exhibits to name. James is an outfitter with the name
Brady and Howell Alaskan Outfitters
Brady & Howell Alaskan Outfitters LLC
Jamie Howell
3705 Arctic Blvd #1446
Anchorage, AK 99503 USA
907-733-2948
jamiehowell@starband.net
If you are already here or wanting to find out more; I am planning on being there tomorrow and capturing the event with a lot of pics. Also a good time to give my card out to the hunters and exhibitors!

Never Rope A Deer

Whatever you do, never, ever, ever rope a deer.

Strange Rock Carvings

Mesa Verde, MS> Halfway up the old road across the famous Christmas Place there is a red gate that you can drive under on a fourwheeler very easily. This gate leads into the area known as the T-field. There is great hunting there, but directly across the road is a thick area of young pines, honeysuckle, and a jungle of twisting vines and thorns. If you fight your way through this for a few hundred yards, you will drop off the end of a long hollow going away from you that leads down and meets another bigger hollow through the heart of the area.
If you work your way down the extremely steep slope to the bottom, you see that it is very flat and about 40 yards across, with the sides almost straight up and down. A lot of cane and hardwoods are in the hollow but it is rather open anyway. A narrow little dry creek wanders down through there that only has water during big rains. There are several easy deer trails down through the middle and you can follow those for another 200 yards or so.
Once you make it this far, you will see a large rock outcropping poking out of the side of the hill. This rock face juts out almost to the edge of the creek. A trail will take you right up against it. The rock is mostly flat and a portion facing you is about 10 feet high and 20 feet long as you brush against it. Pay attention, because if you look closely, you can see strange writings carved into the stone. There are no carvings of local Indians or the type thing an early man would carve. There is a carving of Thunderhoof though. The flat surface has strange symbols and holes obviously cut very carefully and carved deeply into the stone. The only thing that you can read, says August 14, 1842. What do the symbols mean? I only have part of the answer but I think that I will know the rest, very soon.
Like many people over the years (I suppose), I have spent a lot of afternoons drawing or just staring at the symbols to see if I could figure out what they mean. You stare, then move to a different angle, study some more, move to a different angle and study some more until you almost have the answer and then it mysteriously slips away. The rock face has a way of pulling you back to it over and over again. I have hunted there, but never did have any luck. I guess my mind was on the carvings. I have even traced them out in chalk for a clearer view. I imagine people have been trying to figure it out for over a hundred years.
I was there on a summer afternoon just looking them over for the hundredth time and suddenly a symbol on the very right end seemed to jump out at me. I studied it carefully and realized that maybe I had found a key that would solve the mysterious writing. Looking back up the hollow and then walking down another 300 yards to check, I counted eight ridges (4 on each side) that jutted into the hollow I was in. I had never noticed it before but at the end of the top of each ridge a large cedar tree grew. Now this could have been coincidence but I was suddenly convinced that they were planted a long time ago to match the carving on the rock face. I walked down to the third one on the right and climbed up the hill until I reached the top and stood under the gigantic cedar tree. I knew exactly what to do, and 30 minutes later I had returned with my metal detector and a shovel. A few passes and I heard the buzzing that meant a metal object was buried there. Pretty deep from the sound, but something was damn sure there. I dug, deeper and deeper, working through roots and checking the hole with the detector to make sure I was right until finally, after some hard work, I hit the edge of something that sounded hollow. I cleaned the hole out, pulled out my pocketknife and carefully dug some more. This is what emerged. I slowly pulled out a small clay jar with the top sealed with a thick layer of wax.
I studied it carefully. It was slightly cracked but solid. I sat down and carefully used my knife to remove the seal. Prying off the clay lid, I peered inside.
When I looked in the clay jar, I could see that it was stuffed with an oily and tough canvas I took to be oilskin for waterproofing. Pulling it out, I could tell that it was wrapped around a heavy object; I laid it out and unwrapped it.
This is what I found. It is metal (brass and iron), and about 6 inches long. I do not know what it is or what it is for, but there is a lot of unknown writing still on the rock face and I think that this will help me finally unlock the rest of the mystery. You can help me this summer when you come down to visit.

Thunderhoof Sheds

Thornton, MS> Some guy over at Thornton has found a complete pair of
Thunderhoof's shed antlers and is making a big deal out of it.

Impossible Posting

I received a link from Mike Carter over at Mule Deer Fanatic. Something is wrong over there with his comments and pics. I also can't find a way to email him. Maybe he took my whitetail-vs-mule deer jibes personally? He is a good writer and I know he can't wait to send me some pics of his hunting trips. Maybe not.
Oh well, he is not as hard to reach as Claude Pollington at the Whitetail Wizard. Maybe the most interesting outdoor writer around. I read him faithfully, but I think he is not too interested in linking up. Another hard to reach guy is Dave Richey. Interesting stories and a great gift for writing. I can only aspire to write like these two guys.
They both have their stories published in the Outdoor Bloggers Network forum.

Golf Wars

Birdyville,FL> Mark "The Shark" Larson and Bill "Birdy Man" Howard email me every day. They are getting ready for their big golf war against my brother, Paul "ShankDog" Howell (the conniving lawyer). They are bragging about how much money they are going to win this weekend and how pitiful a golfer Paul is. They have a good chance to win as long as Paul does not keep score.Of course, to his credit, he has a way of making a birdie at the strangest times. It should be a fun war.

Annual Trek To Como

Last week we made our annual trip to the famous Como Steak House. It is located about 45 minutes south of Memphis and about 45 minutes north of Water Valley. They cook the steak on a huge fire while you watch!
Greg and Kim, Mark and Kim, and Denise and I did this last year for Valentines Day and had a great time. This year was just as much fun. Deer talk turned to golf as we ate and talked and freezing temperatures howled outside. Mark entertained us with stories from the Post Office and when he was a driver for the Fed-Ex Golf Tournament. We talked about meeting Paul Azinger and what a truly nice guy he is.We also had to hear about Drew showing off his big deer and the recent accident he was in. (he is OK) Kim was entertaining and fun as usual. She seems to be ready for water skiing to start soon while we were encouraging Mark to get his golf sticks out of mothballs. Greg and his wife Kim made the trip great! She and Greg are two of my best friends. she dressed to the nines and seemed to really enjoy herself.
Good conversation, a lot of laughter, some drinks made us all want to keep doing this every year. It also made us want to get the golf going as soon as possible.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones are always fun to be around.
Denise and I loved every second of it. Kidding with everyone around the table, enjoying a wonderful and gigantic steak, and relaxing with our friends was a much needed respite from a long and difficult winter. Denise looked absolutely great and charmed everyone. We talked, drank, ate, and talked some more and it was time to go home. We are looking forward to next year already.

Florida Fish

I have been reading all about Matt and his swabbie cohort; and their great fishing trip to Florida. Looks like they are going to need a bigger barrel to fish out of.
Check out his trip over at Bright Ideas Oudoors

Happy Blogiversary!

This weekend marks my one year anniversary. I started on a cold winter day a year ago and have blogged about deer hunting for a year. I have had a great time and unbelievably I have not run out of material. Early on, I was discouraged but kept writing and now I have made a bunch of new friends and eagerly turn on my computer everyday. Thank you to everyone that has visited. Thank you for leaving comments (they always encourage me) and thank you for taking time out to read about my little corner of the world.

High Roller X 2

Another picture of "on the hoof" World Record buck "High Roller"

Secret Rules Committee Meets

Devil's Island, MS> In the hidden chambers underneath the camphouse of the famous Christmas Place Hunting Club a meeting of the secret and select Executive Committee met to revise the camp rules for the coming year. Flickering candles and Ezra Brooks whiskey helped keep an air of importance and propriety to the solemn occassion.One lawyerly member screamed "We have to do something! Those damn Stewarts are killing all the big deer!" This member was restrained until his eyes came back into focus. Another member said " There aren't anymore big deer on the whole place, thanks to the damn Deer Camp Blog!" A swift slap to the head brought him back to his senses, as a hooded figure holding a blackjack grinned and whacked him a few more times just because he needed it.
Rules were brought up and ideas exchanged to try to keep anyone from killing a deer except Paul and Trent. All were shot down by the other two members who were holding guns. Finally, a rule was passed to make each member completely responsible for their guest. This would include size and restrictions on deer. Each member to be responsible for at least 4 does to be removed and a minimum antler restriction of 15 inches on a second deer or an 18 inch beam. No one was happy at the end of the meeting, so they must have done something right.

Blogs Make Friends

I have added a couple of new links to the sidebar. The first is Phillip Loughlin over at The Hog Blog.
This guy is after the damn wild hogs. He pursues them everywhere, but I think that in the long run you will find that he is an accomplished deer hunter also.
Phillip is in a good niche for hunters with his blog and has a background in outdoor magazines and creative writing. Go look over his blog.


The second link I have added is to an interesting guy named Mike Carter, who is crazy about Mule Deer. I don't know much about Mule Deer except we all know that whitetails are like 100 times smarter. They seem to make Mike crazy though.
He is at Mule Deer Fanatic and has a sharp looking new blog. He also owes me a pic or two of those big Mulies he has bagged. He is also worried about the deer population and is keeping up with all the info on the dwindling herd numbers, tag allocations and the future of Mule Deer Hunting. If you have info, please send it to him. He also seems like a good guy to kid around with and to also share stories and info with. Go say Hi!

The third link is to the sweetest woman in Vicksburg, MS. Her name is Marion Phillips and she is known as The Lady DeerHunter.
I have some pics of her big deer. (Hello!!Mike!). She is going to blog about southern deer hunting with a focus on the woman hunter. What to wear, how to's of hunting, rifle calibers, scouting and what to do after you get a deer.
(I think this part is easy, make the men go get it and clean it)
She will also post photos of the wildlife along the Mississippi River, and pictures of the beautiful town of Vicksburg if she does not get distracted by her strange obsession of taking pictures of cows. She also has a great niche in attracting women hunters who want that info from someone with firsthand knowledge .Her blog is Marion's Hunting Stories. Please leave some comments on her site and give her a warm welcome.

Meeting Mr. Brown

Cedar Hill, MS> When we loaded up to go visit the Christmas Cemetery, we stopped at our new neighbors home to introduce ourselves. The new owner of the property is
Paul T. Brown. He is a best selling novelist and famed wildlife photographer. He declined to snap a picture of our motley crew, but was extremely nice to us and welcomed us to explore the old cemetery.
Mr. Brown has written several books about our valiant soldiers in Iraq and did the Thomas Hill story about his miraculous escape from terrorists. He has many wildlife photography books and a great wildlife calendar. Go to his website at True Exposures Publishing and check out his wonderful work.

While we were there, we found a shed antler off a big buck and gave it to him. He graciously let me take a picture. The day was fun and we enjoyed meeting Mr. Brown. He has renamed his land Cedar Hill and is working hard to make it absoulutely beautiful. We believe he will be a good friend and great neighbor and hope that our friendship will continue to get better.
Mr. Brown is a photographer and sometimes hunter. I think he enjoys his friends and family hunting the most. They took several deer this year and he sent a picture of his 18-year old daughter, Jessi with a really nice 10-point. She's a beautiful young woman majoring in wildlife biology at Miss. State. The big buck is a beauty too!

Hunting My Valentine

Valentines' Day is here and for the last week I have been searching for a great gift for Denise. Boy, is she lucky! I have been on the internet looking for a great gift for her till late at night. searching, searching, searching....
You would be surprised at the things you will find online if you Google "sexy hunting underwear". Denise would look great in these outfits!
She really needs some good hunting clothes though. It is cold during deer season and you just can't get enough good warm camo. She could start with this! I would feel warm all winter just knowing that she was wearing it.

You know I'm feeling kind of warm right now! Just to be on
the safe side I had better stick with the old traditional
methods. Flowers and a nice dinner, a little wine and
a little luck!

Cemetery Blogging

Salem, MS> The famous Christmas Place is filled with history. The most amazing part is the people who carved it out of the wilderness in 1834. The Parkers and then the Christmas family made this happen. They are all buried in a family plot on our neighbors property. While the weather was pretty, we went up and looked the cemetery over. Old, abandoned and filled with trees, it is very imposing, mysterious and fascinating. Here is Erin inspecting the Parkers grave markers.
We finally got Dad and Mrs. Rena to go with us. They were pretty impressed and she told us a lot of tales about that area and the people who live there. The Cemetery was peaceful and had a feeling of real history. Glad it was not spooky like the Haunted Graveyard on our property


Right in the middle of checking out the site, Paul reached down against a headstone and picked up a shed from a big buck. Kinda neat!
That night the temp fell rapidly so we watched a movie and Denise helped the kids make Smores in the fireplace.