Did I Mention Turkeys?

Dragging Beard, MS> Did I mention that the famous Christmas Place was world renowned for it's gigantic turkeys? During deer season the damn things will not stay out from underfoot. Here is a recent photo we took in the back yard. The stupid turkey behind us was scratching in the garden till Marian took out her camera and the giant gobbler had to get in the picture. Damn Varmints!
I hope some of you will be interested in eradicating these pests.

Attacked!!!!!

Fibdiculous,MS> I was not at the famous Christmas Place last weekend so I can not vouch that this story is true. In fact, the Mailman has been known to downright lie.
This is his story....
"I put my son Drew at the Point Stand and figured I would go around and hunt the Leevee Stand for the afternoon. The weather was perfect and the deer and hogs had been showing up there to eat late in the day.
I parked my 4-wheeler about 80 yards from the stand and started up the road. I had just reached the bottom of the stand when a loud noise and thrashing in the brush got my attention. Back the way I had come, a giant black hog had burst from the thickets grunting and pawing the ground. I quickly loaded my rifle, then watched in amazement as the hog gave another ferocious grunt and charged straight at me."
"The black monster had started at about 200 yards, but very quickly closed the gap between us. I could see it's giant curved tusk covered with blood and foam as I tried to sight at the charging beast through the scope. BLAM!!! I missed! The hog was close now and I steadied myself and fired again. BLAM!!! For a second, as I bolted my rifle, the bullet had no effect and then the ferocious boar slid to a stop just yards away. It's red rimmed black eyes studied me as it's bloody tusk turned first one way and then the other. In a second the gigantic wild hog fell over in front of me. UMMMM.... tastes like chicken!"

Normalcy Is A State Of Mind

Whirling Dervish, MS> Yes, things are starting to slow in the hunting world, and things have returned to a somewhat state of normalcy.
Let's see....
Thunderhoof has returned from the Inauguration, says he needs a bailout too.
Marian is not talking to me since I joked she was expendable. She is ready for a hog hunt Right Now!
The Mailman has become the Hog Slayer.
Trent is still pissed off.
Hey! Othmar is back blogging again!
The wolves are circling my door 24/7.
Paul is going into withdrawal.
There are a few other things I will blog about later but I can assure you that things are in a frenzy.
I can't wait 'till our Valentines Day Get Together.

OBS Regional Meeting Rules (Mississippi)

Rules set are for the upcoming OBS Regional Meeting at the famous Christmas Place in Mississippi.
1. Do not harass the Mammoths or Mastodons, they are nesting and will probably stomp you till you look like a pancake.
2. Do not give cigarettes to Bigfoot. He is liable to set the whole woods on fire.
3. No skinny-dipping in the lake. There are things in there that will eat parts of you that you might need later. (men)
4. Any Confederate Treasure found belongs to ME, ME, ME!!!
5. Thunderhoof can be photographed but please do not try to ride him, he don’t cotton to that very well.
6. Do not scare the ghosts, they are very sensitive.
7. No side-trips to the topless club at Vaiden. (without me)
8. 4-wheelers should be driven safely at all times, unless something is chasing you that will eat you.
9. If you fall off into one of our god-awful ravines you are on your own, we will try to retrieve your bones for your family after the hogs finish with you.
10. Campfires are at night for stories and songs, if you see Wandering Jack in the shadows you should pretend he is not there. Damn vampire loves to talk.
11. Any hog hunting will be coordinated through our new Pork Executive, the mailrider.
12. For additional rules and information, please go to The Outdoor Bloggers Summit homepage.

How To Organize A Hog Hunt

Bloody Tusk, MS> The members at the famous Christmas Place have decided to do something about these pesky wild hogs. We are in the process of organizing a hog hunt to get rid of the nasty things. After much thought and whiskey, this is how we are going to do it.
The bottom land is about 1000 acres with at least 500 in row crop and 300 in CRP. The CRP land is in trees and grass about 8-10 feet high. The object is too put people on the stands we already have in the bottom and fill in the gaps with ground blinds about every 200-300 yards to surround this area. We will not use dogs, cause basically Camo said that she will bark and chase 'em or bite a dead one, but she sure as hell was not going in that grass after them.
We will put anyone expendable near the center of this crossfire like Marian and Bob, Bobby, Othmar, all the kids, Matt, Holly or even GuyK, in hopes that even if we lose a few hunters the rest of us will get some hogs.
That Phillip would be so proud!
Wish us luck.

Dad Is Not Mad

The last weekend of the season was upon us and Dad had not scored with a deer. Everyone there was not too concerned with getting a deer, but really wanted him to get one. Dad had hunted off and on, but mostly enjoyed shooting ducks this winter.
As the last afternoon came, he decided to go to the North Cornfield stand.
It did not take long to be surrounded by deer. It was one of those magical afternoons when deer were everywhere. Finally late that afternoon, the big buck he wanted stepped into the field. Dad put his field glasses on him. It was a big 8-point. He raised his rifle and looked at the big buck. He took the safety off.
Then he did a strange thing. He put the safety on, lowered his rifle, took out his flask of Peach Brandy, raised a toast to the magnificent buck, took a sip and spent the rest of the few moments before dark to just watch the big deer graze in front of him.
Obviously, he is not mad at the deer anymore.

All Quiet On The Deer Front

Golden Silence, MS> All is quiet here on the deer front. the season has wound down and everyone is finally thinking of spring, golf, fishing and hey! even seeing their wives. I received a note from Thunderhoof saying that he has gone to the Presidential Inauguration. I, for one, am tired of seeing that stupid deer every 4 years standing behind the president on TV.
Last weekend was a lot of fun. Here is a pic of the Three Deer Stooges discussing where the bucks hide while we go hunting. Definirely not in the Whitetail Woods where we are. The decision was that they hide under the bridge leading to the fields. (like the troll in the Billy Goat Gruff story).
That Mark has had a great year, plus as a post office employee he received a gold plated UZI machinegun in the bailout.

This is a pic of my deer and dear friends Bob and Marian inspecting the wild hogs we took last weekend. After seeing these, I think both of them would rather blast a big hog than a deer now. We had another great time with them and am looking forward to spring weather to have them over again.

A Hog Crazy Night

Alamo, MS> The weather warmed Saturday afternoon and our hunters could not wait to get to their stands. Marian and Bob had come over to hunt one more time, Two-Gun Tony was making his appearance with Mark (Mailrider) and Trent, Burney, Austin, Dad and I were just kind of hanging out. With the weather change we all headed out to hunt. I put Marian on the Arrowhead, then Bob and I went to the Dove Field. Trent went to the Secret Field and dropped Austin off, the rest of the group headed to the delta wheat fields.
Everything was dead quiet till right at 4:30, then all hell broke loose.
It sounded like a war had started down in the bottom land. You could almost see a gigantic pall of gunsmoke rising over the area from the continuous blasting.
Bob and I waited till dark to come out; hoping that our side had won the battle. We picked up Marian and headed to camp. This is what happened.

Trent fired first and took a doe, Tony fired at a giant hog and a doe, Mark blasted two hogs, and Burney blasted a doe, a hog and shot at another hog. There was lead flying everywhere. Everyone but Trent had run out of bullets. Phillip would have gone crazy. Mark took down "Old Whitey" a trophy hog we had seen.
The saying there is "if you see hogs, fire for effect" and they did. We finished the night with 3 hogs found and two deer. The pole was full. Go to Marians site to see more pics of her hunt and the wild night we had. Mark, Burney and Trent at the pole.

This pic is Two-Gun Tony, Mark and me checking out Old Whitey.

A Cold Last Weekend

Bulletproof, MS> This is the last weekend of the regular gun season and truthfully everyone is completely worn out. It doesn't help that it is colder than a well diggers booty outside right now.
Mark is heading to camp with Drew and Two-Gun Tony this weekend, and Burney is taking his son Austin for a last hurrah too.
Dad and Trent are already there.
I have invited Marian and Bob to hunt Saturday afternoon for their last chance also.
I hope we do not freeze to death this weekend. The woodpile is practically non-existant and we may have to burn furniture to avoid freezing. I was not here to cut wood so it has been a small pile of wood all year. You know that none of the rich lawyers does any manual labor.
We have had a great year and I have learned a lot, plus I took a great buck.
Turkey season will be approaching soon and we have seen herds of gobblers this year.
Will give you a report when I get back.

Scissors Meets Thunderhoof

Razorback Ridge, MS> Scissors was the grandest most impressive hog to ever grace the State of Mississippi and was raised in Charleston, MS by Colonel Tom James. I have written before that he was the champion hog in the U.S. for several years. I wrote about how wild hogs came to Mississippi after the giant hogs' miraculous escape from a band of German hognappers near the famous Christmas Place in Holmes County, MS.
I did not mention the meeting in the forest of two great legends; Scissors and Thunderhoof.
When Scissors escaped from the kidnappers, the edge of the bluffs became it's stomping ground. Every animal was terrified of the hog and left whenever it showed up. They did not know that the gigantic animal was as gentle as a lamb and that the family of Col. Tom James used to ride around on it's back.
Scissors, on the hoof, was around 1800 lbs. and so is Thunderhoof. When the great buck learned of a strange animal in his woods, he immediately went to confront the animal and find out what kind of danger it posed to the wildlife there.
They met in a grove of Sweet gum trees that is now known as the North Cornfield if you ever get a chance to visit there.
Thunderhoof eased into the grove and eyed the huge hog. He had seen nothing like it before and I can assure you that Scissors had never seen the like of the gigantic deer before. The hog let out a wild and terrifying grunt. Thunderhoof pawed the ground and broke off a couple of cedar trees with his antlers. The deers' back was arched to charge as the giant hog approached him. They smelled each other and the fight began.
To this day, the grove is now a large field and the woods are strewn with debris from the famous fight. There are even several old cars torn to shreds up in the woods there. It took only moments to realize that Scissors was really a scared, gentle animal and he playfully sparred with the gigantic hog for sport. Thunderhoof loved the fight, it was the first exercise like it he had had in over 50 years and Scissors, the giant hog, did well. After the hog was completely exhausted, Thunderhoof laughed and the fight was over. A great friendship was started then .

After the tussle, they became fast friends and Thunderhoof showed him the country.
Over the years, Thunderhoof was spotted near Charleston, MS many times as he went to visit his friend and when the steam train came through the area on the way to Jackson for the fair, it always stopped for a day to let Scissors off to stretch it's legs. Thunderhoof always met the train and they spent the day wandering the woods of the famous Christmas Place. Some hog obsessed people say that the giant hog known as Scissors still wanders those woods today. We do know that his offspring sure do. Here is a pic of the Colonels children unloading Scissors at the station there.

C-O-L-D

Goreville, MS> A wave of extremely cold weather is hurtling towards Mississippi like a freight train. Now usually I like to hunt in cold weather but this is ridiculous. Even so, those damn Mammoths are prancing around our wheat fields like they can't wait.
I hope to talk to Marian today and see what her weekend plans are, but I think that hunting hard in this weather is not something I really want to do.
I guess I can sit around the fire and think about what to write about after deer season. Like my friend at Hunting-A Way of Life. Turkey season is coming, ducks are still flying, and there are a million and one things to do at the famous Christmas Place all the time. I also need to check on a OBS Regional Meeting for early summer.
Will check back soon, I need to put another log on the fire...

Dressing Ducks

To be a hunter, you also have to dress your own game. Deer, ducks, squirrels etc. This is the hard part of hunting and if you can't do this you should not hunt.
The kids learn that this is part of it and they have not backed down. Here is a pic of the kids (Katie, Hillary, Erin and Austin) helping Dad and Grant dress ducks.

The Thicket of Confusion

Dazd, MS> This week I had been anxious to hunt a new place I had found. I would not tell anyone where I was hunting; but if they asked, I would say the Thicket of Despair. It was about to get very confusing in that thicket.
This was another big guest weekend. Paul brought our old friend David Hyde, Paul's daughter Hillary, her boyfriend Justin and another friend Grant.
We got six deer this weekend and Grant got his first. He also went duck hunting with Dad and they got the limit every time they went. He managed to get the deer while hunting with Dad too.

They hunted behind the Wardens Station and between sips of Peach Brandy (to stay warm) he made a good shot and bagged his first deer.


Mark brought the Henderson, TN duo of Brad Emerson and Clint Hutchinson and Burney brought Eddie back down. The camp was full to the gunwales. Mark took a doe and the two Tennessee hunters got deer too!
They saw a bunch of deer including a really big buck that walked under Clints' stand. Here is their pic. We had a really good time with them and hope they will return again.
Saturday night Burney came in with a young 8-point. He was disappointed that he had pulled the trigger on it and I made the statement that i would never shoot one like that again. My fate was sealed.
I had been hunting the big deer at the T-field off and on for three years and I had finally moved to a new location to hunt on the ground. I called it the Thicket of Despair.Daylight found me waiting patiently, I knew the giant buck would be coming by soon.
At 8 o'clock I saw the buck trotting toward me. I knew it was him. A brief glance at his antlers and I put my scope on him as he turned and moved down the hill. I saw the massive antlers, and made a neck shot at about 80 yards. A great shot! The buck hit the ground and when I got to him, I realized that this young 8-point was exactly what I said I would not shoot. A nice deer, but I panicked when it turned away and started ambling through the woods away from me. My Thicket of Despair had become the Thicket of Confusion. Here is a pic of Burney and I with our deer.

Yankee Cousins Visit Camp

Over the holidays, my cousin Noelle arrived to see her mother which is my Aunt Marilyn. Dad insisted they come to the camp to visit and we ended up having a great time with her and her children.
Here is a pic of Shelley learnng how to ride the 4-wheeler.
The kids did real well considering they were surrounded by a bunch of their southern cousins that they did not know from Adam's housecat.
Here is her son Pete with Trents' deer, Burney and his wild hog.
I think they had a good time and promised to come back this summer to fish and maybe metal detect with us. They live in Fairfax, VA now and it is hard to come here but hopefully we will see them again soon. Here is a pic of them on the dock.
Maybe they could show Matt the way here...

Somebody Knows

Mike McKay with a hell of a buck

Eddie Mangum got this one on Burneys place near Senatobia.

My cousin Anthony Lammey got this one at the infamous Lammey Camp.
Congrats to all of you.

The Vicksburg Lead Slingers

Ka-Ping, MS> The Vicksburg blog team of Marian and Bob had already endured enough. they had each seen deer but no shot had presented itself. Bob had almost been run over by a big buck and Marian kept having deer appear and disappear all around her.

Needless to say they were taking a bunch of ribbing.
The last morning was upon them and today they were going to get a deer.
Rex took Bob to the Dove Field and set him up. It was foggy and still as Bob set up and looked over the field. He was going to get a deer if it killed Paul!
Old bloody hands had taken Marian across the Beaverdam again and helped her into the Box Field Stand again before daylight. As the sky lightened, Marian vowed this was the day she was going to get a deer if it killed Paul!
The shooting started early and often.
A small herd of deer eased down the side of the Dove field and Bob got ready. Moments later two does came out in the field to eat. Bob waited for a good broadside shot, aimed and fired. The deer took off like a scalded dog!
Moments later he heard Marian shoot.
A deer had walked out into the right lane at thirty yards from her and she took careful aim. Boom! The deer looked around. Holy Crap! Marian jacked another bullet in the rifle. Boom! The deer scratched it's ear with a hind leg and walked in the woods. Marian was devastated (but determined). Moments later another deer walked out to her left. She took careful aim. Boom! Deer started eating grass. Yikes! She bolted her rifle. Boom! The deer looked up to see if it was raining. D-double damn! Boom! The deer went back to eating. Marian bolted her rifle. Oh My God! She was out of bullets! She grabbed her camera and took a picture of the horrible thing. On her site, if you look closely, you will see that it is sticking it's tongue out at her.
Marian gave up.
I helped Bob look for his deer for an hour after I left my stand. No sign, no blood, no nothing. We returned empty handed to camp.
We had a great time with them and sorry they did not score. Marian's rifle needs to be re-zeroed and Bob needs to shoot his again too.
The season is not over yet and maybe we can get one more hunt in.

Marian and the Rebels

Yahoo, MS> Early that morning I was awakened by Paul with a cheery "Hotty Toddy, time to get up". I knew that deer hunting now was secondary because today was the big day when our Ole Miss Rebels would take on Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl.
We gathered in the kitchen and Paul said "Alright, no hunting this afternoon, the ballgame is at 1 o'clock". Marian and Bob looked at each other but did not say a word. Needless to say, nobody got a deer that morning and later Marian wanted to know what was going on. I explained about the Rebels and the Cotton Bowl but it did not compute. We started getting fired up and the chips and drinks moved in front of our big TV. Marian and Bob had seen deer but did not get a chance to shoot that morning and had quietly decided they were not watching a silly ball game while they could hunt. Even though they were accused of being communist, we put them on a stand for the afternoon. I did not have the heart to tell them that right after they left, that damn Thunderhoof stuck his head in the window and watched the game with us.
They got no deer, we all got drunk and spurred the Rebels on to victory over Texas Tech 47-34. Hotty Toddy!
Needless to say, we celebrated that night, but I have a lot of work ahead of me to get them interested in football.

Marian and Bob Go To Camp

Boom Damn, MS> My favorite blogger, Marian at Marians' Hunting Stories, and her husband Bob finally made it to the famous Christmas Place this weekend. There was plenty of action and a great time was had by all. It started Thursday afternoon when I put Bob on the Birdpoint Stand and Marian on the Arrowhead Field.
Bob had a really big buck trot up to within 8 feet of him! I had asked them to take a couple of does first and I appreciate their doing what the camp needed but Bob almost had a heart attack, he was so excited.
The next morning Paul (Ground Check) Howell brought the only deer of the weekend in.
A nice 8-point that he blasted in the Hole Area.
Here is a pic of Bob and the Bloody Blaster.


Paul had managed to hunt almost a whole hour before this buck made the mistake of showing it's antlers near Paul.
Deer, Antlers, BOOM!
Well, at least Paul has limited out and will not be bothering us anymore this year. (we hope)
Bob said the buck he saw was a hell of a lot bigger than this one.
Austin came in that morning with a Bobcat and here is a pic of he and Spencer checking it out.

That Camo hates a damn Bobcat!