Past Due Delivery

Mark (Mailrider) finally got a nice 9-point delivery at the Levee Stand this past weekend. It was Waaay past due.

The Last Push

This is it. The very last weekend of deer season and I will be leaving after lunch to go down to the camp and meet Marian and Bob.
The weather is warming and the deer are using the fields after the cold spells we have been having. The 45/70 will be in play as this is a primitive weapon weekend but rifles will be used by those hunting hogs. Should be a fun weekend. Will report Monday.

Varmint In The House!

My friend Mike at Kudzu Khronicles sent me this video.
Those Damn Deer!!!!!!!!!!!
There ought a be a law!

Snowy Pecans

My brother, James, sent me this pic to let us know he is alive and well in snowy Arkansas. He recently bought this pecan orchard and business and is working hard to get it growing. We wish him good luck and hope to see him if this winter ever ends.

Bloody Fingers Turns To Ducks

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM! The shots rang out against the still morning as Paul "Bloody Fingerss" Howell crept around the back of the lake.
The rest of the members of the Christmas Place Hunting Club were trying to get a big buck and did not appreciate Paul's duck hunting, but you know he really didn't care. There was killing to be done! BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

Please, God, let hunting season end soon before we kill him.

Double At The Taj

Erin came up for the weekend and of course would not hunt with me. She and Drew headed out to the Taj Mahal stand on Saturday afternoon and Erin blasted her doe about 5PM. The doe was about 75 yards and she made a perfect shot. She and Drew sat quietly and 30 minutes later another one came out and Drew got that one. Another great hunt for those two. This is Erin's second deer and the first without me being with her. I think she is going to be an excellent hunter and a very good shot.

The Curse Of The Black Rifle

It was a night like this one. It was cold, misty, wet and miserable and I was glad when I got through Lexington on my way to the camp. I followed the wet road to the old Howard crossroads and took a left. Not much farther, sitting right in the center of the road was a big sign that said “Bridge Out”. I sat thinking about how crappy that was and which way I should go, then turned my old truck around. There was a detour sign pointing back to Lexington that read “Detour 1 mile” I turned and headed back down the road. It was a long way to get around another way and I reached the detour that led in beside an old concrete company. I turned right and headed down the gravel road. I knew this road had to cross the river too and hoped it was safe to cross after all the rain we had been having. A mile down the road I came to the bridge.
I was glad to see that it was a brand new concrete bridge and you could see where fresh red dirt had been pushed into place in front of the edge as I slowed down but the soft dirt made the truck slide and turn almost sideways as I came to a stop. The bridge was covered in ice. I looked at it for a minute wanting to make sure I could safely cross, put the truck in 4 wheel drive and eased forward. The tires just spun in the muck. I put it in all wheel drive but the truck just started sinking. I went forward, backwards and anything I could think of but, like a fool, I was stuck in the middle of the road. I got my cell phone out. No Service. I was stranded.
After trying the truck some more and holding the phone at every angle to get my phone to work, I decided to walk up the road to reach the ridge above me to get a signal. Everyone was already at camp and I knew they would come pull me out even if they griped about it. Two hundred yards after I crossed the bridge it started to rain, then sleet. After another hundred yards I was soaked. That’s when I saw the light.

Up in the woods a short ways I could see a porch light on and turned in the old driveway. Walking in I could see it was an old Antebellum style home with 4 columns in the front. The house looked neglected with peeling paint but I prayed they would have a phone. The light was from double lantern lights beside the front door that seemed to flicker in the rain. I moved up the steps and knocked on the door. It took a few minutes but finally the door opened a crack and I could see the piercing blue eye of an older man staring at me. He said “Are you here about the rifle?” Standing there cold and wet I thought fast. I said “I’d like to see it but I really need to use your phone too. I got stuck down by the bridge” He stared a minute at me then opened the door and let me in.
I introduced myself as the old man led me through the foyer and into a large parlor that was obviously his den. A nice fire was going in the fireplace even though the room was dusty and unkempt and I took off my jacket to stand near the blaze. The old man watched me warming myself and said “You’re the first person that has answered my ad.” He pointed to a phone on the desk and I hurried over and called the camp. The man told me the address and they said they would be there in less than an hour. I hung up, thanked the strange old man and asked him to tell me about the rifle.
He said “I’ll do better, I’ll show it to you.” Against the wall was a large glass fronted gun cabinet and he took a key from around his neck and unlocked it. He reached in and drew out a beautiful black rifle and brought it over to me. He seemed reluctant but placed it in my hands for me to examine. Instantly the rifle felt right and I looked at the barrel. It was a .300 Weatherby Magnum with a black composite stock and 4 x 10 Nikon scope. Absolutely beautiful. I lifted it and sighted through the scope at one of the lit desk lamps in the room. The rifle felt good, it felt like it belonged in my hand but I knew it was way out of my league to buy. I said “How much do you want for it?” He smiled slightly and said “Like the ad says, make me an offer.” He reached down to the desk and picked up the Holmes County Tribune and showed me the ad with a red circle around it. RIFLE FOR SALE BEST OFFER and his address. I knew it was worth well over $1000 and said that I knew that it was very expensive and I didn’t have that kind of money. He said “How much money do you have on you?” I said “I only have about ten dollars on me.” He smiled and said “Sold”.
While I stammered he pulled a bill of sale from the pile on the desk, signed it, turned and handed it to me. I reached in my pocket, pulled out my wallet and reluctantly gave him the $10 dollar bill.
The old man seemed to relax, put the rifle in a leather gun case and handed it to me. He said “We need a drink and then I’ll tell you a story” He poured two shots of pretty good brandy and we sat in a couple of wing back chairs to enjoy the fire. I held the rifle case across my knees. I was confused and unsure of what to do or say but finally I blurted out “How long have you been running the ad?" He smiled, twirled his drink and said “3 months, you’re the first person to respond.” I could only say “That seems odd.” He nodded his head and said “Now that the rifle is not mine anymore, I’m going to tell you a story. You can believe it or not, I don’t care. The thing to remember is to be very, very careful with Blackie.” His serious mood seemed to affect both of us and I waited for him to start but he was lost in the firelight.
I took another drink of the warming brandy and said “You named the rifle, Blackie?” He nodded again and started his story.
“I named the rifle Black Heart, Blackie for short and bought it brand new from the factory. They even put the scope on it. It's the finest rifle I’ve ever owned and you can hunt anything out there with it.” I felt a new chill go through me with his words, but he took no notice and continued, “I used to love to hunt deer and you can see I’ve taken some nice ones.” I looked at several mounted heads around the room with nice antlers. “I don't know but I think it was evil when it got here, maybe something was burned into the steel or the stock, but it is evil allright. The trouble was that Blackie felt so good to me, that I ended up taking it every time I went out. The other rifles I have haven’t been used since I got it. That black rifle seemed to become a part of me and I took a lot of deer, even a moose with it. Then after several years I found myself wanting to take it with me everywhere I went; reality was that I became obsessed with it or it with me.” My drink was running low and he refilled us without my asking, then continued. "Like I said, I was obsessed and after 5 years of owning it, I would find myself uncontrollably checking on it during the night and it started to affect my dreams.” He paused and took a sip as he stared blindly at the fire, lost in his memories again. “I found I couldn’t leave the house without it, couldn’t go to town or even the mailbox. I would wake up in the middle of the night and find myself oiling and polishing it and my dreams had turned dark and bloody with me shooting people. Friends, neighbors, strangers it didn’t matter, my dreams were filled with blood. Then I woke up while I was driving around and I have no real idea of what I was doing with the rifle in the car. It happened more than once and I don’t want to know. I'm afraid to know."

There had been a rash of shootings across the delta that year with over 10 people shot at night as they walked or stood by a window. It was unsolved and the whole area was frightened of the mystery shooter. I was afraid the confused man believed he was responsible. Most of the people had been shot cleanly between the eyes by a high powered rifle, but this trembling old man could not have possibly done it.
He continued, "I put the ad in the paper after I woke up one night down here in the den with the loaded barrel in my mouth. I think I woke up when I couldn’t reach the trigger with my finger. I put the ad in the paper and haven’t really had any problems lately with my dreams. I had a feeling it was time for the rifle to move on and you’re the one it wants.” He tipped his glass to me and said “Good Luck.” I got up and put my coat on, picked up the Weatherby, thanked him for the drink and headed for the door, He walked with me but stopped me at the door. "I know you think I’m crazy and I hope I am. You won’t have any problems.” I thanked him and left. I have never seen him again and hope he is right. I will say that recently I have been carrying "Blackie" with me more and more often and having some strange nightmares.

Snow Dog!

A new TV Show called Winter Fitness With Camo will be starting soon on FOX. Now you can be lean and fit like Camo through the winter months.

2 Weeks Left

There are two weekends left of primitive weapons season and then it is finally over. It has been a very unusual year and big bucks have been few and far between. Starting out we thought this would be our best season ever but little did we know. There is still a chance to get one but everyone is just about worn out. My back is out and am hoping to recover enough to make a final push. Maybe the last weekend, Bob and Marian will bring a spark to the camp to get things going. As Phillip says, the hogs are always there.

What To do? What To Do?

What do you do when you have killed your limit of deer and are still chomping at the bit to keep hunting? You get crazy talking about ducks and hogs and God knows what else as you put your excess energy to work. Paul is known to be a little OCD.

Last Weekend Rifle Season

"Two-Gun" Tony started the weekend off right when he took this young deer at the new Taj Mahal stand.

Later, another guest (Stuart Allen) got his doe at the Dove Field, The old Mairider (Mark Stewart) got a big doe and Burney got this nice 8-point off of #1 field.

Cold Hunting

What do you do when it's colder than hell outside? Lay on the couch by the fire, of course.

Historic Homes of Vaiden, MS

I did an appraisal in Vaiden, MS on Tuesday and couldn't help but take a few pics of some wonderful old homes there.

12

No that is not my age, though some will argue. That is the damn temperature. It is so cold that Camo won't even go outside but is lying by the fire barking at me to put more wood on. I think it is safe to say that a whole bunch of deer are safe for a few more days.

The Blizzard of 2010

Sunday a winter storm of epic proportions surged through the state of Mississippi. All schools and businesses were closed as 6-8 inches of snow covered the north half of the state. You say that doesn't sound like much? In Mississippi it is. There is not a snow plow within a hundred miles and no one knows how to drive in that much snow. There was not a loaf of bread or gallon of milk to be found as every old lady in the state got behind the wheel and raced for the grocery store to stock up. You couldn't head down the street without getting hit by a sled or a 4-wheeler jumping across in front of you or an old lady sliding through an intersection at breakneck speed! The roads were a death trap! The snow has turned to ice and sludge today and we are back at work trying to survive these inhuman conditions.

PS. Keesie, the white stuff on the ground is called snow

Austin Scores!!!!!

Of all the boys, Austin has hunted the hardest this year. He has also had to live with the knowledge that the last big buck he shot at got away.
Austin hunted the new Taj Mahal stand overlooking our big field in the bottom and shot this 210lb. 9 point right at dark. Congratulations on a job well done.

A Lawyers Christmas Choice

I have two brothers that are lawyers, so you can imagine that every other Christmas they have 3 or 4 ghost swooping around them 'till all hours of the night. Paul recently faced a strange dilemma when he was dropped off at a party in front of his office. He, of course, thought it was a party celebrating how great he was. Little did he know the truth.

Later he found out about the spirit of Christmas at another party that really did celebrate his life.

The dark ghost of Christmas future gave him a choice. Which life did he choose? You decide.

Winding Down

It has been a hard season here and things are starting to wind down even though Burney and the Mailrider have not hunted any. They will be there this weekend with the Tennessee boys for a crack at the deer and hogs but everyone else is just plain worn out. I am taking a few weeks off to gather my strength for the last weekend. I hope to invite Bob and Marian up for that weekend and maybe they can get a deer or a hog. I think I want one of those big hogs too.
It has been a strange year and Thunderhoof has not shown his face once this year. I guess he is spending every night chasing does and sleeping all day. Varmint!!
Will check in later.

Matt In The Hat Strikes Back

After having to listen to my evil brother for the last 10 years about his deer huntng prowess (no the other evil brother) Matt Stone took this really huge 8-point over near Vicksburg. Paul is green with envy of course.

A New Years' Buck

Paul (Needles) Howell aka Bloody Fingers took this fine 200lb. buck off of the Spike Camp field over New Years. He is limited out now so I guess he will get after the hogs.