Sunlight on Naked Ladies

for Denise who is my sunlight and my........

Saddle Up!

It's Friday and time to head south to the famous Christmas Place Hunting Club. This weekend we should finish all planting and have everything almost ready for the season. There will be some scouting after this weekend and some stand placement, but overall this should get us into deer season. Yep, it is time to mosey on down to the Ponderosa.....

Return of the Masked Armadillo

Bad Vibes, MS> Bow season starts this weekend and everyone is quietly discussing the news that the Masked Armadillo will be arriving at camp this weekend. This mystery man appears every year as deer season opens, hops out of his Green Hummer and hits the woods to hunt deer. Last year he walked through a major wood cutting detail on his way to the woods without so much as a How-de-do or Go-to-hell. This mystery man may be bringing his sidekick Moe-dillo with him this year to teach him the ropes. Most of the fields still need planting, the camp is a wreck, half the stands are rotted out but the Masked Armadillo only sees the deer woods. The camp members are quietly repeating their mantra, Must-Kill-Paul.

Interview With Thunderhoof

Each year the Bodock Times has an in-depth interview with Thunderhoof on the state of the deer herd and the efforts of the members of the famous Christmas Place Hunting Club to mount his head on the wall.
Please check out the interview from last year.
ed.- We are pleased to have Thunderhoof in the studio today to help us understand what is going on at the famous Christmas Place. So, what does the season look like this year for the hunters?
Thoof- Very good, a mild year and great spring and summer has made all the deer fat and sleek. We have gazoodles of big bucks running amok this year and they are all ready for opening day.
ed.- anything special we should look for?
Thoof- Yes, my cousin is visiting for awhile and left a shed antler that is making all the idiot hunters go ga-ga. It is 10 points on one side.
ed.- Is Trent or Paul a threat to get you this year?
Thoof- No, Trent is confused and hunting the same stand over and over. Paul is too busy shooting six-points to stay in the woods long enough to even see me.
ed.- the kids Spencer and Michael are making a game of it this year, and Drew got a nice one last year too.
Thoof- I can't smell those two little ones, but they usually make so much noise I don't need to. Drew, got a deer because now that he has it, we will never see him again. He is chasing girls. Mark is as usual no factor.
ed.- What about Rex?
Thoof- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH, yeah right, even though I love the portrait.
ed.- Hershel is going to hunt hard this year, any thoughts?
Thoof- We have an understanding, he doesn't shoot at me anymore and I don't wake him up.
ed.- Burney?
Thoof- You must be kidding. The members will get their usual few deer, but my cousin is safe and none of the guest will get anything unless Terry Cutrare shows up. He always takes a nice deer and Jones is still pitiful, I will probably scare him again. He is pretty funny when I sneak up and snort at him.
ed.- Rex has been inviting a bunch of bloggers like Marian and Dazed to visit?
Thoof- all the bloggers are full of it, even though the women are petty hot! I read their blogs and have been to their hunting areas. Please!! None of them has any idea how to get a big deer. Matt and Othmar might accidently pop a doe but are no threat to do any real damage. I like Othmars hat though. None of the other bloggers has a chance of getting a deer. I will see them all at the Outdoor Bloggers Summit in Phoenix though.
I've got to run, Hershel is planting clover and I have to show him a few spots that I would like him to plant.
ed.- so wraps up another interview with Thunderhoof, King of the Deer.

Arky Safari?

Obviously, these guys are crazy. Ray Harmon has the beginnings of a darn good blog going. He has two other guys on the team that are posting about their hunting endeavors. RT and Beardbuster.
Best I can tell, they are way the hell up in the Ozarks chasing deer and God knows what else. They are also having a great time making fun of their hunting, each other and anyone else they can think of. You need to give them a welcome and leave a post encouraging them. The name of their blog is Arky Safari Hunting.

Finishing the Weekend

Here are a few more pics of Saturday.
Trent planting the Double WhiteOak field.







Driving the narrow roads from field to field

Sunday the tractor was broken so I took Denise, Spencer and his friend Blake to the Mountain to work on my stand. We moved a high stand in, and took a low stand out.


Here I am dismantling the low stand in the wrong location.
TIP!! Always try to put your stand near the edge of the field where you walk in. That way you do not walk across the field and leave any sign whatever. Make sure the wind is blowing from the field to your face. Shoot big buck when it steps out.



Spencer and Blake goofing off. They had a great time and even though I yelled at them, they were a lot of help. Denise was great and took these pics.






The new Mountain Stand. Shhh!!! Keep it quiet.

A Fun, Hard Weekend

Sing-Sing, MS> It was a planting weekend at the famous Christmas Place. Saturday morning at daylight, we took a hopper and planted most of the bottom land and then moved into the hills. Trent took the tractor across the Beaverdam to our fields in that area and we followed with the Gator, little tractor and Dads' truck.
Denise was great and helped plant the fields like she had done it a hundred times.
You have to plow up the fields at least twice to get them broken up correctly and once more over them lightly to get them smooth.




After that you fill the hopper on the little tractor with fertilizer, spread that, go back and add your seed and spread that.



Pretty simple.
You have to remember to be gentle with the equipment, it is all old and we do not want to tear it up, TRENT.
We finished there and headed in to get more seed, Trent headed to the Indian Mound.
I guess he did not see the wobbling tire. He could of stopped, but hell no! UP the side of the bluff he went. Halfway up the damn tire falls off and we are out of business. No fixing that on Saturday afternoon, then the rain came and kept us away till Sunday.

Key Update

We found the keys this weekend. They were in an unused top shelf cabinet that no one has opened in about 10 years. Of course, no one knows how they got there.
Unbelievable, and I know exactly how they got there. This key thing is about to get a whole lot better.

Who's Got the Keys

Alright, this is the way it happened (as best I remember). We got to the camp to cleanup on Sunday morning. My family did not get any 4-wheelers out. Paul and his crew showed up about 1 o’clock after we were all exhausted.
Paul could not find the key to his 4-wheeler and raised hell. I found it and gave it to him. He was holding up and showing all the keys around raising hell.
My crew left a little after 3 o’clock.
His family was getting ready to go for a ride when we pulled out. This is the basis of what I remember.
Last weekend we get to camp and two keys are missing. The key to my new 4-wheeler and the key to Dads’ Yamaha are missing. I called Paul.
Paul said he did not have the keys. He said his family did not touch my 4-wheeler. He said my kids must have the keys. I said my kids did not touch any 4-wheelers and his kids had the keys. We hung up. We tore the camp apart looking for keys. No luck.
Paul called, said we must of sucked them up in the vaccuum cleaner, ??? then said all he could remember was telling his daughter, Haley, to put Dads' key up. Did I look everywhere? Hell, yes! Well, he had talked to them and they did not have the keys. My kids must have them! We tore the camp apart again looking for them! We have talked several times back and forth with no luck on finding the damn keys. I am beginning to feel sorry for whoever has them because there is going to be mucho hell to pay when they appear. I am sure Pauls’ kids have them.

Callie Rawks

My good friend Callie at My Style is keeping a low profile these days. Much research and viewing of tapes at the award winning Bodock Times has learned that she was the toast and pride of Atlanta as she made her way down Peachtree St. and the center of the city. Thousands threw flowers and many songs were sung about her exploits. The most famous of these songs had a bad twist to it and she went into seclusion to avoid any more publicity. You should have seen this bare back beautiful Lady......

High Stepping

It was Michaels' birthday as we headed to the Grove to tailgate. His birthdays last a week. Paul and Wanda were hobnobbing with the zillionaires (Mark Larson and Bill Howard) and we set up with Mark at his tent. The weather was great and it was fun to be on campus again.

My niece, Victoria, showed up looking very nice and unGothish, thank God. She joined in and was a pleasure to be around, Paul gave her a Ben Franklin to spend.

An Icy Swim

This post is for Fuzzie, who thinks that I am not diverse enough and for Goon that has his duck hunting opener this weekend.

We had found a great duck hole in the backwater of Sardis Lake at an area called Buzzard Roost. We had talked it up and had invited my cousins (Bebo and Kent) and my uncle (Jim) to join my Dad, Paul and myself there for a really good duck hunt.
The morning was cold and ice covered all the branches as we walked in wearing our waders. The shallow spots along the edge of the hole had ice that we noisily stepped through. We had selected a ring of old brushtops to hide in and Paul and I hurried to get the decoys out as it broke day. We put out about 20 or 30 and started moving back to the blind when a log tripped me and I went forward into the water. The water instantly filled my waders as I struggled to get up and the shock froze me as I bobbled around. I got up finally and realized that the water had settled and I was not really that cold at all. I staggered back to the blind.
Five minutes later I was completely frozen as the ducks started to pour in. Everyone was shooting and calling except for me. I finally climbed up on the brushtop, pulled off my waders and just laid there. I was frozen, my gun was frozen and as usual there was not a lot of sympathy while the ducks were flying. After what seemed forever, my Dad decided we had better head in. I think my solid blue color may have had something to do with it. They had to help me make it across the water and guide me along the path. I never will forget that halfway back we stopped and they made me take off all my clothes and my Uncle Jim stripped down and gave me his insulated under garments. We staggered on to the truck. I learned a whole lot about walking around in water with waders that day, and that in an emergency,if the hunting is going great, I was on my own.

My $200 Six Point

First you have to know that we are trying to shoot just large bucks on the famous Christmas Place. This is often easier said than done. In fact, almost every member has been fined for screwing up and shooting too small a buck. The fine is $200.
The morning was cool. Crisp air and still woods make your heart jump at every sound while you are hunting. I could hear the deer running through the hollow below me and got ready. They turned up the ridge and were right beside me in an instant. They both froze for a few seconds and I realized one was a doe and the other a small buck. She was obviously in heat and he was hot on her tail.
She broke and took off up the ridge. He was right behind her. They reached the end, then turned and raced back and stopped under my stand. A few seconds later she took off, made a big loop and they ended up right beside me again. You could have heard them from a half mile with all of the racket they were making. Up the ridge, down the ridge, back and forth they ran, but they weren’t going anywhere. I figured it was only a matter of time before another buck showed up and then I saw movement as a nice young buck showed up and got in the chase. Crashing, snorting, running, stomping they circled all around me. I knew that the biggest deer in the woods would soon be here to check this out. Ten minutes later, a flash of an antler slipping through the brush, it emerged 20 yards away into the open woods where I was hunting and froze. It’s head was directly behind a tree but I knew it was the king of the forest.
The buck started making a scrape and raking it’s horns in the limbs as I eased up and put my rifle in the fork of the tree. I aimed, just trying to see the antlers. His head was still behind the tree, but my safety was off and I put the crosshair right behind his shoulder. all he had to do was take one step for me to see the antlers and shoot. I was talking to my self “as soon as he steps out, I am going to shoot him right there.” The gun went off! Blood ran down my forehead! The buck took off! I could not believe the gun went off! All I could think was “Oh, s$%t!
Was it him, had I screwed up? I went to get help. I found Mr. Jones who had no sympathy for the scope cut on my forehead and we headed back. The big deer was in the deepest ravine on the property, and to make matters worse was a 6-point. Big, but no matter how I counted it still only had 6-points. Mr. Jones and I almost had heart attacks getting it out and boy did I catch some ribbing at the camp. They all cheered when I wrote out the check..

DeerSlayer Music

The infamous researchers at the Bodock Times have been wondering why my friend David at Hunting Wild Game does not post more than he does. He lives at a place called Sparta, TN. No, I can't find it on the map either. Our researchers undertook the trip and reported not to worry about him, he was really just one of those Nashville Cats.......

A Good Start

Prickly Heat, MS> This weekend a good start was made on getting our fields and stands ready for the coming deer season. Dad started cutting grass in the fields (and everywhere else as part of his beautification program) while Trent took the big tractor and started breaking them up. A recent rain made the ground soft and easy to cut with the Disc. He finished everything (with a little help) except getting across to the Beaverdam area. Should be able to get that next weekend and to actually start the planting of all the fields.

Mark, Drew and I started following the tractor from field to field removing limbs that had fallen into the fields. We also sat in every stand to check and possibly replace the gunrest, find any rotted stands to be repaired and recut any closed shooting lanes. We also had to check the narrow logging roads in case a tree had fallen and we had to cut and clear those areas..


Burney and Austin showed up later and we managed to get a tremendous amount of work done. We even got the Mountain field planted and the new Scenic Field too. We planted those with Clover. Here is a pic of Mark actually doing some work!

The Portrait

Finally, I got the portrait finished. Do you know how hard it is to get those two to sit still? Had to hurry, Thunderhoof and I become enemies in two weeks. He keeps laughing but I'm serious! Wait till I get that stupid deer on my wall! He thinks he's so smart saying that he is a Megaloceros. I know a deer when I see one, even if he is as big as a barn.

Energy Invention!!!!!!!

This may be the best invention since sliced bread.
Go to Charming, Just Charming to see the Video.

The Deer Camp Song

A million years ago or yesterday I used to pull out a big rocking chair every night and rock my tiny babies to sleep. I sang old favorites and made up songs as we rocked. This was one of their favorites. Sung to Yellow Submarine by the Beatles.
In the town where I was born,
lived a man who loved the deer
and he told us of his life
in the land of Indian Dreams.
- So we drove unto the sun,
till we found a land of green,
and we lived beneath the bluffs
in the land of Indian Dreams.
---We all live at the deer camp, the deer camp, the deer camp.
---We all live at the deer camp, the deer camp, the deer camp.
We drive 4-wheelers to the Indian Mound,
there we go, around and round
Cross the lake , we saw a snake
and some deer, the airs so clear
(Refrain)
Then we drive along the road,
stopping often to reload.
There flys a duck, I got my buck!
Then back to deer camp in the truck.
(Refrain)
As we live a life of ease,
everyone hunts all they please
Sky of blue and trees of green
In the land
of Indian Dreams.
Pretty corny, but it was a magical time when they were little and I wanted to remember some of the songs we sang and enjoyed as I rocked them to sleep. Besides, you might find yourself humming this song later on with a smile on your face.

Enid, Mississippi

This old church is in the center of the little town of Enid, Mississippi. Built in the early 1800's it still stands, though is not used. An interesting example of the ingenuity of the early settlers to this area. Click and notice the designs in front.

Smelly Revenge

I recently posted about my terrible meeting with a skunk in An Odorous Encounter. This was mine and my dog Scouts' first encounter, but not our last. Several months later we had just sat down to dinner at our home in Water Valley when I heard Scout start barking like crazy. Scout hates a possum and will not leave one alone in the yard. I figured after dinner I would run it off and put Scout in the house. The barking got closer to the back patio doors and suddenly a horrid smell crept across the table. "Skunk" I yelled, then "Run" as everyone broke for the back of the house. Scout was giving the damn skunk hell as they raced around the side of the house and I got out the door with a flashlight. Snapping the flashlight on reminded me that the batteries had not been changed since WWII. I found Scout raising hell with the skunk in the shrubbery. I put my feeble light on it and I swear to this day it was the same skunk. Vicious red eyes, black, white stripe, Evil. Yes! It was here for revenge! I backed up, got my truck and drove to the side of the house, shone my lights and then had a brilliant idea. Extension Cord!
I got the 100 foot cord and headed back. I figured I could use the end to flail at the dog and skunk until I could catch the dog and the skunk left. Scout was still barking like hell and skunk perfume wafted around me as I headed into the bushes.
Suddenly the skunk ran out! It ran right at me! I screamed like a girl! I raced down the hill, I untangled the extension cord that had wrapped around me from head to toe! I headed up cursing at both of them and whacking everything. Scout ran around the rear end of the house, the skunk ran around the front of the house. I stood there drowning in skunk smell. I headed to the front of the house dragging the extension cord and using my dim flashlight.
It was quiet around front as I eased up on the porch and checked everywhere for sign of the skunk. No sign. I eased to the end and looked in the big flowerbed full of azaleas and flowers. My light picked up no sign. Suddenly Scout rounded the corner and bounded into the flowerbed. I yelled at the dog, turned back cause I heard a noise, my dim light picked up nothing and then I glanced up. The skunk was on the window ledge not 2 feet from my face! I screamed like a girl! I dropped the light, which started spinning round and round like in a movie, ran, got tangled in the damn extension cord that managed to be wrapped around something else and when the slack ran out, I was laying flat on my back on the ground. That did it. I headed around to the back door to get my shotgun. Scout was standing at the door when I got there. Stupid damn dog! We spent most of the night in the bathtub.

The Real Cookie

I love visiting my good friend Cookie at The Cook Shack. He has wonderful, healthy recipes for everyone to enjoy. I thought the investigators at the award winning Bodock Times were wasting their time checking out his site. I was wrong. There is a hidden side to him that no one knows, cause when that clock strikes midnight.......

A Good Mystery (Pt. 1)

A few months ago I wrote about the bricks on the corner pier of the old house on the property. One brick on the corner pier stood on it's side with the date 1833. What I did afterwards may well prove to be the key to a mystery or it may be the beginning of another.



The old house is about gone and one afternoon Spencer and I quietly slipped out and began to work on the bricks. We said we just wanted to preserve them in case the house falls in, but I already knew there was a hollow space behind the dated brick and I was anxious to find out if anything was hidden there.

Carefully scraping away the old mortar, I removed the brick and using a small flashlight, I looked into the opening behind it. Covered in dust and twisted small vines was this.
A small stone box with intricate designs on the lid. This box is 8 inches long by 6 inches wide and sealed all the way around with some waxlike material. It is heavy, but makes no noise inside when I shake it. Spencer and I hid it away and have not opened it even though we are dying to do so. We agreed with Dad that we would open it at the end of the summer when we had a big family camp, so that everyone could be in on the excitement. That day is coming soon.

Cleaning Day

We went to the ballgame on Saturday (lost) but had a great time tailgating with Mark, Kim and their family that night. We got up and on the road early and started the cleanup day at camp. Paul and his crew came dragging in after lunch, but did chip in quickly as we were exhausted by then. The camp is cleaner than it has been in 12 years. We need some big throw rugs to keep our feet off the cold floor.

Dazed On the Nile

The famous investigative researchers at the Bodock Times have had a hard time tracking down the secrets and true identity of the blogging maniac over at Dazed and Confuzed. He is a man of mystery, with hidden ISP's and elaborate hidden access codes to the internet, but we have finally figured out who he is and where he really blogs from. He is blogging out of a hidden room below the Great Pyramid in Egypt. It's only taken him 3000 years to get internet access. Back home they just call him Kingy...

Never Rope a Deer

Darrell over at AlphaTrilogy is looking for some guest bloggers. It might be a good time for you to try your hand at blogging. I have been reading his blog and came across a part that said Othmar had
put out the funniest post he had ever read. I admit it's good, but not the funniest. I found this story, and was linked by the great blogger at Smallest Minority. It got a lot of hits and helped keep me going. If you have not read it, take the time. If you have, read it again. Here is Never Rope A Deer.

Accolades and Recognition

Recently I received the Community Blogger Award from Skinny Moose Media. Miraculously, the North Mississippi Herald Newspaper somehow picked up the story. I am sitting here waiting for the congratulatory emails and invites to speak from all over the world and I keep checking my newest link for info. Funny, it is not a headline in the Hunting News Daily.

An Odorous Encounter

Most of my blogging has been about deer hunting, but we can also relish in the fact that we are somewhat gentleman farmers too. We were all happy and anxious to hook up and use the brand new bush-hog that My Dad purchased for the famous Christmas Place Hunting Club. It was a beauty with a 7 ft. cut and sparkling new as we went over to the barn that afternoon to hook it up to the old tractor we have had forever. I had a little fice dog named Scout then that went everywhere with me and she trotted at my heels as we went to admire our new equipment.
Things were going fine as Dad backed the tractor up and stopped, then got down to examine exactly how to hook it up. At that time, Scout gave a tremendous bark and dove through the little hole on the side of the bush hog and all hell broke loose under there. Barking, growling, hissing, bumping, yelping, and clawing noises came out from under the bush-hog. Trent and I got down to look in the hole like fools. That is when a horrible fog (I swear it was green) rolled out from underneath as I turned to yell at Dad. He was no fool, he had his 75 year old body stretched out like an Olympic sprinter in full stride running away from us as the skunk spray covered Trent and I. Oh, My, God! I felt like my tongue had been painted with it, my eyes were on fire and I was choking as I crawled backwards. Dad was 40 yards away laughing like a crazy person as Trent and I staggered up and tried to find fresh air.
Meanwhile Scout was still giving the skunk hell, but finally could not take it anymore and staggered out, fell over, grabbed a few mouthfuls of fresh air and dived back under the damn machine before we could grab her. The fight was back on. A minute later, we got ready to grab the fool dog and the damn skunk came out. We ran away! Quickly too!
The skunk grabbed some fresh air looked at us and dived back underneath. Dad was yelling instructions and sarcastic advice from 40 yards away but I think my ears were filled with skunk juice, because I could not hear him and couldn’t hardly see either. Round and round those two went, each one stopping for a breath of air every now and then while I mostly screamed obscenities at the dog and skunk through what I knew were green and blackened teeth.
Finally, thank God finally, Scout flopped out from under the bush-hog rolling and flopping on the ground and rubbing her eyes. I scooped her up, whereas she bit the hell out of me before she realized what was going on.
Dad would not let us or Scout back in the house. We stripped down in the yard while he tried to spray us down as we scrubbed ourselves and Scout with Lava soap and tomato juice. He burned our clothes right in front of us, brought out a few ragged pieces for us to put on, loaded up his stuff, got in his truck and left us there. Trent had come with him, but he sure wasn’t going back with him. We put everything away and came home. I drove home wearing a T-shirt and dirty underwear and they weren't even mine. It took two weeks at least before the smell got off of us. It took Scout three, and over a month before it was out of my truck. This was mine and Scouts’ first encounter with a skunk but not the last.

Stewarts Are Bad Winners

The last two years there has been a shift in power at the famous Christmas Place Trophy Deer Ranch. The last two years the unbelievable has happened as the Stewart family has taken the biggest buck.


Mark got a big monster off MY stand two years ago and his son Drew got the biggest deer last year because I am sure I suggested he go hunt there.
It has been a long nightmare. Oh, and that is not the half of it. When they come to camp they prance around and start talking BS, whistling and start that damn walk. Yes, you know how they walk........

Coming Soon!

As stated we will have the Ten Point Club Meeting.
We will have the annual interview with Thunderhoof.
The Bodock Times will be doing hard-hitting investigations into My Style, Dazd and Confuzed, the damn Stewarts, and David at Hunting Wild Game.
There will be a fantastic portrait revealed with me and my-best-friend.
More Ghost Stories are coming up as we hit October and finally all kinds of deer news as we hit archery season. Check back often!

Tuesday On The Field

I guess that I am officially a football dad. Tuesday night, the Junior High Water Valley Blue Devils played and my kids were all over the field. Here is Spencer in the seventh grade game. He is number 3 on your roster but number 1 in your heart.




Sarah is an eighth grade cheerleader. The cheerleaders are busy the whole game and Sarah expects me to come watch her. She also does not want me to do anything to embarrass her, like waving, or hollering or doing something goofy to embarrass her. I always try to do something, but mostly she acts like I am not there, but she is watching me out of the corner of her eye.

Erin is a Devil Doll, this is basically a cheerleader in training. She made sure that I got to see her cheer and was a ham for the camera. So my kids were all over the field. So, now you know what my Tuesday nights are going to be like for awhile.

Important Announcement

There will be a meeting of the Ten Point Club in two weeks. This is a meeting of all the people that have ever killed a ten point or better at the famous Christmas Place. For further information, please check the results of last years hilarious Ten Point Club Meeting.

Hot Pics!

Paul supervising while I work.



This is me doing the actual work. It was hotter than hades taking the wet and ruined carpet out of the camp-house and then having to clean everythng.




This is Burney and Paul discussing my work area. It did not take long for me to have two supervisors.

P-O-S-H

We have not been hearing much lately from my old friend that blogs over at KeesKennis. He is probably visiting all around the globe and vacationing in grand style. No matter where he goes, everyone knows he always travels first class.

Being Safe

Please go over to Bright Ideas Outdoors and read Matts' excellent article labeled Internet Safety: Does Blogging Put Our Families At Risk. This is an excellent article that may influence you to make a few changes in how you blog.
Fortunately, the only problem I have ever had was from my stupid brother, Trent, who thought my blogging might put our big bucks at risk.

Your World, Southern Fried

I also received a good link-up with Biggun6969. He is from south Louisiana and his blog is filled with funny jokes, pictures and political commentary. He also likes a pretty woman. He doesn't cut anybody a break but will keep a smile on your face as you read his thoughts and commentary. The name of his blog is Johns' Egocentric World. Go try it out and study the strange clock he has at the bottom too.