December Looks Interesting

December Calendar of Events
DECEMBER-
12/1 kill big 12-point buck with 45/70
12/2 sleep late
12/5 see Taxidermist
12/8 take weekend off for Christmas shopping
12/15 Antler Bowl starts 6AM
12/16 kill Thunderhoof, (win bowl game) Antler Bowl ends at 6PM
12/17,18. still drunk
12/18 Taxidermist dies of Heart Attack
12/19 Post my Christmas Card on Blog
12/20 Great Christmas Story on Blog (Ralph will appreciate this one)
12/21 sell rights to Thunderhoof book for $87,000,000,000
12/22 Annual Christmas Place Deer Camp Party with the All Buck Band
12/23 accept Hunter Emeritus award from Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and Playboy
12/24 stay up late, watch for Santa (save reindeer from Paul)
12/25 Christmas Day!
12/26 Play with toys, receive Nobel Deer Prize
12/27 Who wants a new Cadillac?
12/28 back to camp make fun of Paul, Trent, Burney,
12/29 sleep late, receive Heisman Buck Trophy
12/30 sell Thunderhoof movie rights for 10 Gazillion dollars
12/31 New Years Eve at Kitrells Restaurant with Marian and Denise, give interview to Paparazzi about my hunt for Thunderhoof.
1/1/08 New Years Day, receive star on Walk of fame, receive Medal of Deer Honor
JANUARY- go to New York with Thunderhoofs antlers for ticker-tape parade.

Bloody Horns Begins

Paul had gone to the first Crossover Stand and settled in that morning. He had not killed a deer in the Hole Area for a whole day and needed a change. He selected this stand basically at random. You need to know that big deer are attracted to him which causes hell for the rest of us.
It wasn’t long till two does came out to feed but seemed nervous. They looked up and darted around the field as a 5-point came out of the logging road that fed into the field and started chasing the does. A second later a big 8-point eased into the field from the road and stated moving down the edge of the field. Paul shot! The deer made it to the edge of the woods, fell, tried to get up and Paul shot the buck again. The buck laid still and Paul sat back in the stand. It was still too early to get down and go get his son, so he decided to just sit on the stand and see if anything else would happen, It did not take long.
Seconds later, three more bucks came out the end of the same logging road. They were a spike, a 3-point and a 4-point. Paul could not believe his gunshots had not scared them away. The deer moved down and circled the dead deer lying in the edge of the woods. Suddenly a giant 8-point appeared. This bruiser has massive heavy antlers, one brow tine was extremely long and the other broken. An easily recognizable monster that headed toward the dead deer as the rest of the bucks moved away. The big buck stood, smelled and circled the dead buck. Then it charged into it’s side and flipped the deer up and over.
It jumped back and warily circled it and then hit it from the rear. Circling again he charged the antlers of the dead buck and started pushing and goring the deer all over the hillside. After almost an hour of watching, circling and attacking the dead eight point the big buck moved into the field with the 3-point and started feeding on the rye grass.
At thirty yards, Paul studied the massive buck through his binoculars. The giant bucks head and antlers were covered and dripping with blood. He stayed there for what seemed forever, then took off chasing the does when they showed up again. Paul quickly got down, ran across the field, grabbed his battered buck by the horns, dragged it across the field, finally got his 4-wheeler and Michael, loaded the deer and headed to camp.
Thank God, he at least shaved his scraggly beard afterward.
UPDATE- hhmmmmmmmm...... Maybe Paul has met that buck before.

Ladies At Camp

Marian, Denise and her good friend Linda were recently at camp. We had a great meal, some ghost stories and they all had a great time.

Deer Plotting

Burney, Trent, Dad and Paul discuss where the deer are hiding.
Dad, Trent and Paul survey the map
Wanda kids around with Dad while Bobby waits for the important stuff,the food

Filling Up

for all of you bloggers that have not sent your picture in, the space is almost filled up.
These are the few I do not have.
the crazy Toast Man.
Egocentric John
Arky Safari
Kristine (yes, you)
Hunting Sense
Dana (you too)
Salty Bob
Mike from the Heartland
Now some of you may not want your faces shown so you can give a sideview, but I want a real picture of you. Help me out, this is going to be a great picture.

Holiday Camp Scenes

Sarah got her first deer
and all the tradition that
goes with it.












Here is a picture of all the kids









Idiots










Hog on the Pole

Extreme Thanksgiving

Oh My God! Here's what happened. We got in to camp and everyone hunted Wednesday afternoon with no success. The hunters stumbled from bed Thanksgiving morning and hit the woods with no success again.

Early that afternoon we had a Thanksgiving Feast.
Lots of people, lots of fun and Wanda supplied a meal fit for kings. Afterwards there was still enough time to get in a late afternoon hunt. I hunted Spike Camp and at 4:30 I heard a loud gunshot from the Secret Field.
Oh Hell, When Trent came in he had this giant 200 lb. 8 point!
Holy Crap, what a monster! That night we celebrated and at 4AM every foot in the house hit the floor ready to get after them. I, of course am not seeing crap. At 8AM
I hear a rifle start blasting at the Crossover! When I get in, Paul has got this big mammer-jammer 8-point!They are killing me as the rain sets in, but I am out there beating the woods to a froth trying to get a deer when gunshots erupt all around me. Drew and Erin come in with this 250lb. monster hog.
I look around and my young daughter, Sarah, comes up with her very first deer!
She was hunting at the Gamewarden Stand with Michael and Wanda and shot the deer perfectly right at dark. What a wonderful night!
That's all the action, will add more pics later. A truly extreme hunting Thanksgiving.

Belated Congrats

Matt pooh-poohed his nice buck, it's a hell of a lot better than I have done.
Congratulations!
PS Stay tuned for a great story!

Noon-Thirty

Water Valley, MS> OK, Howell Realty is officially closed and this train is pulling out at 12:30. Called and got the kids going and hope to have them and Camo on the road at that time. I sure want to try to hunt this afternoon.
Everyone is headed to camp today. Hell, Paul and his family are already there. (How strange) Wanda is bringing the Turducken for our Thanksgiving meal. We have a lot to be thankful for but I am really missing my momma. This will be our first Thanksgiving without her.
I have not had any Thanksgiving Day Nightmares like last year, so I hope that I can get a big old buck this weekend without any problems from Paul. I'm sure that idiot is busy hunting all my stands.

A Nice Tradition

A great tradition at our Deer Camp is done right before each meal. Everyone is called to the kitchen. Hats are removed and it gets quiet while my Dad thanks everyone for being there and asks if anyone has anything to say. Sometimes they don't, but usually there will be someone that says how much they appreciate being there or hope that we all get a deer, just how much they are enjoying the camp or even death to that damn Thunderhoof!
Then my dad says the blessing and we dig in.
This pic is from our Youth hunt, just as Dad gets everyone in the kitchen.

A Wet, Hard Hunt

Water Valley, MS> Tyler Jones (son of Old Scratch) got his buck opening weekend while his Dad and brother laid up at the crib engrossed in the continuing adventures of that Wile E. Coyote and the Roadrunner.
Tyler shot the nice 7-point buck Sunday afternoon after the rain. This is his first buck taken, although he has let several walk. Congratulations to Tyler Jones, Man of Mystery.

Update From the Field

Darrell got a nice buck!

Using the GunTriever

This weekend I took the GunTriever to my stand to give it a test run. I had not hooked it up before opening day and with all my equipment, I dreaded trying to figure it out. To my surprise, it was very easy to assemble and use. The GunTriever (a.k.a. The Gunslinger) had exactly the right amount of cord to dangle down and hook up my rifle. The small strap that fits around the stock slipped on and tightened quite easily and it hooked to the bottom of my stand quietly and easily. I unhooked it from the tether and hooked the short line to my stand after pulling it up and felt secure that even if I slipped and got killed, my rifle could hunt on without me. Sunday morning in the rain, I checked the straps and found no sign of the olive drab color running or stretching of material. Buy several of these and hook them on your stands. They are perfect for the job.
Thanks Kristine and Hunt Smart, Think Safety.

Opening Weekend

Lost Horizon, MS> I rolled into camp this weekend really fired up. I met Bobby, Burney, Dad, Paul and Michael and we enjoyed crappie for dinner Friday night and at 4AM everyones feet hit the floor and we soon scattered to the four winds to hunt. That is exactly what we got, Wind. It blew all day and trust me when I tell you that a big buck does not like to move in a high wind. We all saw deer and Dad made a long shot at a hog (he missed)but the big bucks were non-cooperative. We have never had much success opening weekend and it held true this year. Saturday night we had wild hog and fresh corn. Thanksgiving is coming and we usually get one or two over the holiday. Paul saw one deer that might have been a shooter but was so far away that he could not get his binocs on it before it was gone. Sunday morning was better, but rain came in about 9AM and we called it a day at noon.
I did have a small 5 point following two does walk right in front of me at 10 yards.
Sooner or later, the Mountain is going to give up its' secret monster buck.
This is a pic taken from the Two-Man Stand that Sarah and I hunted Youth weekend.

Pictures I Need

I still need these pics.
Robert at Upland Feathers
Dana at The Wild WoodsWoman
The guys at Arky Safari Hunting
Kristine at Hunt Smart Think Safety
Mike at Outdoor Bloggers Network
Bob Near The Salty City
my good friend at Hunting Sense
Ralph and his Boobies and Beer
the funny (ha-ha) Toast with Blogagog
lastly, Johns' Egocentric World

No deer, will post about it later.

Deer Eve

In Mississippi, today is Deer Eve. Although not quite a state holiday it is treated that way by most of the people here. Very little work will be done today and people going to their deer camps will try to leave at noon. In schools the teachers turn a blind eye to the kids that check out at noon and in the distance you can here the rolling boom of people sighting their rifles in at the last minute.

Like Christmas Eve, this night will be spent tossing and turning with dreams of a giant buck. The chase, the glimpse of giant antlers and the shot. All deerhunters in the state will be up drinking coffee at 4AM tomorrow morning primed and ready to go.
At the famous Christmas Place everything is ready. We all have our stands good to go.
I am hunting the Mountain, Paul and Michael are going to the Hole, Burney will probably go to the 72 acres and Dad is behind the Gamewardens. After all the years of opening day of deer season, I still feel like a kid on Christmas Eve today.

Last Minute Things To Do

The season starts Saturday morning and I have a lot left to do to get ready.
Go to Walmart and walk around. I always need a damn flashlight. Thank God, I already bought bullets, and I have my new Othmar Hat. My longhandles have a big hole in the rear? Better get some bottoms. Deer scent,nah. What about one of those big pads to put my skinny butt on? Yes. I think it might take me a while.
Dad just drifted through the office, hell he is already packed and leaving! What are all these damn appraisals doing on my desk?
Where the hell is that slacker, Bobby? Must have deer fever.
What is that smell in the air? Crisp, Cool, Frosty, Deerey. Smells like...Victory!
Need to pack tonight. 2 changes of clothes, all my huntin gear, charge my camera, and take care of any husbandly duties. I've got to get the hell out of here.
Don't call me tomorrow, I do not have time to chat.

Bueno Cazadora, Y'all

I want to welcome a new link from northern California. She is a novice hunter and is just getting the feel of the whole hunting scene. She is thrilled with each step she takes and it is very refreshing to see her outlook and excitement. She is a new woman hunter eager to find other women to share ideas and the hunting experience. This nice woman calls herself NorCal Cazadora. Her blog is also called NorCal Cazadora
for Northern California Hunting, I presume. She has lots of info on women hunters and their acceptance into what is basically the old boys club of hunting. I wish her the best of luck and she is now on the invite list to the famous Christmas Place.
PS. She is a journalism professor so y'all better clean up your writing skills.

Update From the Field

Jeff got his buck!
What a monster!



PS. I can't wait to see how Othmars trip turned out, and check out this Nine-Point Doe.

A Night of Terror

Hunting at the famous Christmas Place is filled with dangers. The land is rugged and steep. The ridges are sharp and rocky and a misstep on the side of one of them could be disastrous.
This is what happened to my good friend, Greg Jones, and was the start of a terrifying night.
Greg had hunted in the steep hog back ridges on the east side of the property. He had gone in that afternoon to hunt on the ground on top of a sharp peak overlooking a junction of three hollows. He hunted all afternoon with no luck. He left his ground blind after dark and headed back to camp. He wore a headlamp to see and worked his way across the more open side of a very steep ridge. He hurried as evening fell into heavy darkness and somewhere along the steep slope; he lost his footing and slid down the hill. His body twisted as he frantically tried to grab a small sapling or root to stop him. He finally grabbed a vine that held for a second then broke and he went spinning over a steep precipice and into space.
Greg landed on his back in the fork of a small tree. The heavy clothing he wore had protected him from breaking a bone, but the tree quickly bent backwards and he slipped out, head down toward the ground. His leg somehow became entangled with vines and the fork of the tree, holding him tight but leaving him dangling barely two feet off the ground. He hung there, bruised and scraped up, as he surveyed the area with the still attached headlamp. He could see his rifle lying about eight feet away but was helpless to get free or reach it. This was when he heard the first loud grunt.
The startled herd of wild hogs must of been using that area to bed in and Greg had landed right in the middle of them. They were confused and angry and circled around him grunting with anger and fear as he could now see them rushing in and out of the glow of his light as he twisted in the darkness.
Greg tried to twist and turn to reach up and free himself but could not as a huge hog rushed by and cut his down jacket with its huge tusks. Greg immediately swung himself around trying to get a stick to use as a weapon and was able to use his hands to fling himself out of the way as another hog slid by him. Safe for the second, he could not reach a stick and no matter how much he kicked and twisted, he was held fast in his upside down position. Grunting and squealing the hogs swarmed around him and he knew it was
only seconds until one hit him solidly and sliced him open. He yelled as the thought of his face and chest being ripped open seized him and he struggled to find any means of escape.
Suddenly everything grew quiet. He could not even hear the hogs breathing as they stood still as statues around him. In the silence he could hear the sound of approaching footsteps. The hogs suddenly and silently fled. He heard them leave as fast as possible, and then everything grew silent again. A few seconds later he could hear the heavy footsteps approaching him. They approached until at a distance of about 20 yards red eyes suddenly appeared in the light. The large red eyes seemed 7 or 8 feet off the ground.
That is all he could see through the darkness. The huge thing slowly circled him at that distance and he followed it with the headlamp as best he could. It moved closer once it got behind him and then he heard a low terrifying grunt as the beast stood only about 10 feet behind him. Then he heard the footsteps move on around him and at last he picked out the eyes again to his right. The eyes disappeared and he heard the huge animal as it walked down the hollow and out of his hearing. Greg was finally able to get his folding saw out of his backpack and cut himself loose. He will not venture a guess as to what the big animal was, but he won’t hunt in that area and he won’t go at all without carrying a pistol on his side.

Picture Update

I have most of the pictures I need, but some are fuzzy. This should save some of our readers from heart attacks from our looks but I need the rest as soon as possible.
I think I have emailed everyone in my link list for a picture but if you are in that list and haven't please send me one. Please no nude photos Dazd.

Countdown to Deer Day

Water Valley, MS> At Howell Enterprises the damn phone is ringing off the hook. I hate to answer it. Everyone from the camp keeps calling me. They want to know where am I going to hunt? What sign have I found? Did anyone see a big buck last weekend?
They are about to drive me crazy. I have a boatload of work to get out before the weekend but they mysteriously have plenty of time to call up and chat. Is your rifle sighted-in? What do you think about hunting at the Crossover? Where is Trent, Paul, Burney, etc. hunting? People I am not the clearing house, but this is what I know.
Paul and Michael are going to the Hole.
Dad is hunting at the Game Warden stand.
Sneaky Trent will probably be at Odom Field.
Burney is wanting to hunt the Pond Stand.
I am hunting the Mountain.
There was a giant buck seen at the 72 acres and if the wind is wrong for my stand, I am trying to hunt there. Might be a jailbreak to see who gets there first.

Update From the Field

Moose got his Buck!









PS. Bill got outsmarted by an evil doe, AGAIN

Youth Hunt 2007

Toyland, MS> First of all, the youth hunt was a tremendous success. We ended up with 12 kids that had a great time. Friday night Sarah, Spencer, Erin and I arrived at dark most were already there. We had venison bits wrapped in bacon off the grill that night (tar babies) and sat out at the fire aftrwards and actually did the 'smores. The men drank and talked and finally got the excited kids off to bed.
Saturday morning we spread them out and Spencer and I went to Spike Camp. BLAM! Spencer got the first and only deer of the morning.
Marian and Bob showed up to help with the kids and we had a fun morning telling all about his hunt. That afternoon my cousin Davin Lammey put his son Dean near the creek and he and his other son Matt went to the Indian Mound. Blam! Matt got a deer! Sarah and I almost got one but they slipped away at the last minute.







Mark Larson and his son Allen went with Paul to the North Cornfield and Allen got a deer! Marian and Bob went hog hunting and saw deer but no hogs. In fact, everyone that went at least saw deer so there were plenty of good stories but no one got a picture of Thunderhoof. Even Trent took Erin hunting that afternoon and they saw deer.
Saturday night we told ghost stories and ate wild hog and it was delicious. The kids fell off to sleep early and the adults were not long after. The next morning Burney got a nice doe with his bow and we tracked and lost another one that Matt shot at. We took a group photo, cleaned the camp and everyone headed home with plenty of venison. A great hunt! More photos coming!

Sighting In the Smoke Pole

Mark and I just got back from sighting in all his rifles. He brought three 30.06 rifles along with his 45.70. No problems till we tried to sight in the 45.70
This rifle is short and the bullet looks like a howitzer shell. I grabbed a pillow stuck it against my shoulder, cocked the damn thing and squeezed the trigger. BOOOMMM!!! Holy Crap!! I was surprised that we were not all dead. Of course, the scope was off. BOOOMMM! I felt like a mule was kicking me. Threw the pillow away, my shoulder was dead anyway, made Mark shoot it after adjusting. BOOOMM!! He said "S##T, who hit me?" His eyes were crossed and he was facing backwards.
Smoke obscured eveything and it was my time again. BOOOMMM!!! My shoulder began to look like hamburger meat. Finally we got it to hit the bullseye. I hope I never have to sight-in that horrible damn rifle again.

In Motion

Letters went out last week, if you did not receive yours, sorry, it looks like you are screwed.

A Cool Outdoor Journal

He calls himself BeaverKill and he blogs out of New Jersey. I have been very entertained reading his journal. His descriptions make you feel part of the hunt and he takes wonderful and colorful pictures of wildlife. He hunts hard like the rest of us and sometimes the old buck gives him the slip, but he is faithful to his journal and tells us exactly what happened. He is a very good writer. Go read him and learn something. The name of his blog is Beaverkills' Outdoor Journal.

Packing for the Packers

My good friend Kim Jones is going to fulfill one of her great wishes this weekend.
She is heading north with her sons Tyler and Kyle to go see the Green Bay Packers and an old Mississippi boy named Brett Favre in action. Her husband, Old Scratch, will probably starve to death while she is gone, unless he shows up to help with the Youth Hunt this weekend. Here is a picture of Tyler, Kim and Kyle.

Cluck, Cluck, Buck!

There must be some great hunting in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Several hunting bloggers are from that area and someone is always killing a monster buck up there.
Cathy Smith owns 80 acres in the heart of it. They fondly call it Camp Chicken and she blogs at Camp Chicken Chronicles. Cathy and her friends Mary, Tiny and Arlene enjoy getting away and enjoying nature there. They hunt, cook and relax there and if someone gets a deer that is great too.
She has some good pictures, fun stories and seems a very knowledgable and capable outdoors woman. I am glad to now call her my friend and I think that after you visit with her, you will too.
Dazd, it is Camp Chicken, not the Chicken Ranch.

Stepping Back

Huddle, MS> I admit that after last weekend I was totally drained and decided I needed a break this weekend. I did almost nothing except watch football. Denise and I went to the last high school game Friday night, then Saturday I spent most of the day watching football on TV. A few chores here and there just to keep Denise happy, but basically I was Mr. Couch Potato.

Sunday we went to Wilbur Herrings 50th wedding anniversary and I got back in time to watch the big pro game that afternoon. During halftime I ran down to the local shooting range and quickly tested my rifle. I think it will kill a deer.
I didn't even get a case of scope eye.

Unusual Buck of a Lifetime

My good friend Kim Jones sent this picture of an unusual buck of a lifetime.
The trophy buck had an antler growing out of his eye.

The Prairie Deer Companion

While surfing the net and checking out my friend, Goons' site, he mentioned a blogger from North Dakota that I decided to check out. He covers all hunting in the state and has some very informative posts on hunting, his thoughts on the rut, reviews of hunting gear, even the damn moon phases for hunting, scents, fishing, scopes, the whole works. Plus, he is a very good writer. Go visit and enjoy Deadstick at ND Outdoorsman.

A Cajun Brunch

Last sunday, after putting up stands for my soft handed brother Paul, we retired to our new patio and enjoyed a Cajun brunch. Raw oysters, whole Crabs and Boiled Shrimp. Paul and Drew were first in line of course.
Wonder what the poor people are eating?

Let's Move On

Thanks to everyone that read my spooky stories, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I have 4 or 5 more that I will post as time goes on. Thanks.
If you saw a giant deer in a Batman costume last night, it was Thunderhoof. After he got back and we split up his loot, we decided our next project would be a Christmas Photo of all the bloggers together with Thunderhoof. If you are interested, please send me a photo from 15-18 feet away from you. (you too, Kristine) We will try and work on it and get it done before the holidays. Thanks to everyone for reading, please leave comments and come back.