A Hole in Horn Story

My thanks to Scott (Hawkeye) at my MySpace for sharing one of his memorable hunting stories with me in our great outdoors! This is a very sweetthing!

It was Thursday of the second week of West Virginia rifle season in 1999 when a friend and I went to a property we were both members of a hunting lease. Most bucks in this area usually have already been harvested or found a good place to hold up till season is over by this time. We decided to take turns making little drives to each other. We had made a few drives only seeing a few does. Then late morning came and I made a longer drive out around this long steep point. It was a beautiful sunny, cold, crisp morning in which I could have been satisfied just being in the woods! I suddenly heard some deer jump out ahead of me that I couldn't see. They were going right around to were my buddy was waiting! Even before I expected anything I heard him shoot! I quickly worked around to where he was and he was there waiting for me with a little bit of a strange look on his face. We had previously agreed not to shoot any small bucks, so I kind of thought that's what happened anyway. Did You Get Him? I said! Yeah I got one he said, frowning a little......but I shot the wrong one he said. What! We walked over to find a small five point buck with a perfect shot through the lungs. He said that there was one a lot nicer. He thought that because they were all so close that he put the cross hairs on the wrong one! Thankfully he did shoot a legal deer...and I'm pretty sure the five point was the one he put the scope on as he is a good shot. Well where did the other one go I said! Straight out around that point he said, and I began to grin as he said he didn't think they went too far and I agreed since the point they went out was surrounded all the way around by a small river. I quickly went down over the other side along a gas well road and sat against a tree where I could see down to the bottom by the river and also see the hillside good too. It was less than ten minutes when I saw deer coming right out the hillside right above the road! First a big doe and a fawn walking briskly. I let them pass without them noticing me at forty yards. Within fifteen seconds here he came right on the same trail as the doe and her fawn. Broadside too!! At forty yards I quickly got the scope on his chest and shot. He took off running at an angle up the hill as if I missed! I put another round in the chamber and shot while he was running.......he kept going.....then when he was out to about a hundred yards he showed the first sign of being hit! I quickly shot a third time when he slowed and he dropped in his tracks! I ran up and saw that he was hit twice through the lungs...amazingly both shots were within an inch of each other! I think I did hit him the first shot but his adrenaline was running so high from the previous excitement that he ran like he wasn't. Pretty sure I missed the second shot and got the last one right in place after he slowed down a little. My buddy soon came over the hill smiling and said he thought the nicer one he intended to shoot was bigger than mine! Oh well we had a very successful hunt to get two bucks at this point in the season, especially since that area had been hunted hard! The antler seemed to have been poked with something after growing but before hardening. It was a great time spent with a great friend in the awesome West Virginia woods! Your Friend Hawkeye..........Scott

4 Feet High and Rising??

A man and boy look at the rising waters lap at the boat launch at City Front Saturday.

According to the Vicksburg Post, the Mississippi River at Vicksburg topped flood stage Saturday, but the high waters are thus far sparing homes in the city's lowest-lying areas.The river stood at 43.3 feet Saturday at the city, just above the flood stage of 43 feet, a rise of 0.4 foot from Friday."Right now, we're in good shape," said Robert Simrall, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, Chief of Water Control, during a Corps boat ride down the river Saturday. "But we're still concerned because, if you look at historical highs on the river each year, they generally occur later in the spring -- late April or May. It's still early, and with the river already this high, heavy rains could easily create a much bigger event."

Fishing A Field

John Robert Ward, Glen Ward, Jeremy Stokes and Scott Brown caught more than 100 white perch while fishing “somewhere in the Delta.” Hey Rex, you better check your lake....you might be missing 100 or so white perch! Charming, Just Charming!

It's Turkey Time!

Torey Daniels killed this turkey on March 21 while hunting with her dad in Warren County. She shot the turkey with a 20 gauge shotgun. This turkey is almost as big as she is! Congratulations Torey on your turkey harvest in our great outdoors. This is a sweetthing!

Rob's Pope & Young Continues....

Finally the sun is up enough to see well enough to see and legal shooting light. I stare hard my mind racing a hundred miles an hour as I stare into the brush toward the stock tank….nothing. Where did he go? As I scan the three shooting windows of my pop-up blind I notice movement in the brush straight ahead. It’s a deer and it’s moving toward my left! I strain five more minutes without any visuals when suddenly a buck appears in my center window moving slowly from my right to left. He is partially hidden by dense brush feeding slowly working his way into my shooting lane. I quickly move my camera, adjust the tripod to the correct height to film out of my center window, turn on my camera and hit record. I turn to my bow and get ready…..what is this….the video camera is flashing “TAPE…TAPE….TAPE” I realize in my haste to get on the road, and grogginess of getting up early I forgot to stick a new tape into my camera! ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH I am recording……NOTHING! So much for filming now, it’s go time! He’s a good mature buck, thick, short legs, broad neck and 10 points. He slowly moves into my center shooting lane head first, followed by his neck then his shoulders…..at mid section now brush is still covering his rear I draw my bow. I note the brush is very close to my arrows flight on the right side but unconsciously my mind can see the trajectory and things look OK. I know this has to be approximately 21 – 22 yards so I settle my 20 pin on the left front leg, lower it to the knuckle, aim at the area of the heart….holding low….sight picture just burns into my unconscious mind and I trigger the release without thought…THWACK!!!!! Buck jumps and bounds up and hauls hard off my left. I hear him crash through the brush and then the unmistakable sound of a pile. Suddenly the nerves kick in, hands start to shake and I take a few deep breaths staring intently at the area of departure. This shot was surreal….No thought, I was just along for the ride mentally and my body was doing what it was conditioned to do (eyes, hands and bow form) YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!.

The reality of what just transpired kicks me between the shoulders and I scramble out of the blind leaving my bow behind and head toward my arrow. I find it covered with dark blood. It doesn’t look like a lung shot to me….I smell the arrow and the scent of heavy blood fills my nostrils.I head back to my blind and simply give things time. Finally I start my blood trail finding nothing, not a drop and I note one of the small game trails the buck used to blaze away toward the Southwest. Man my mind was racing as I walked that little deer trail, working down through the brush 20 yards, staring for sign and not finding much...I note up ahead.

I yell out THANK YOU LORD!!!!! I move around to the left to see where I hit him and find a perfect heart shot.

....and then I view this magnificent animals head gear still covered in frost on a cold South Texas morning.

I drop my bow and follow-up arrow and head off to camp at a dead run to wake up Bruce and Richard.

Happy Hunting!

Congratulations Rob!

Rob's Pope & Young Continues....

I started off this weekend as I have so many times before. Leaving work on Friday, after a full day, run home quickly, load up and head south with my truck stereo. The drive from Austin to Freer Texas has become routine and averages three hours one way. One must stay on the lookout for deer, coyotes and wild hogs rolling down Highway 16 south of San Antonio. As I roll, I notice a few deer and hogs grazing on the side of the road with a full moon lighting the landscape with glaring authority. I reflect “the range is dry and dead, no new growth, deer have to be hitting moving to feed now?” Hogs are grazing on small patches of green grass, sparse as it is; they stand right next to the highway and ignore my truck as I roll by at speed. I certainly hope my feelings are right….only one more weekend left after this hunt and my seasons over. My mind is working in overdrive and expectations are on the upbeat. I call to check in with Bruce and find out I am two hours behind the rest of the crew. I might be two hours behind....but WOO HOO I'm rolling to South Texas!!!!!

I arrive at deer camp expecting to see trucks, lights and my hunting compadres, nobody here; I am the first to arrive. I unpack and get ready for the morning hunt (or so I thought). Bruce, Mitch and Richard roll in around 10:30 pm. They had rendezvoused at the Liberty Café with James, Bill & Rick, from Freer Deer Camp and Taxidermy. The crew absolutely devastated the awesome TexMex food known in these parts. We all comment on the brightness of the moon and contemplate the effect on our upcoming morning hunt before counting sheep.

Saturday morning rolls around quickly and the alarm sounds at 0500. Mitch and I both get up and dress slowly. Richard and Bruce have decided this morning is a “sleep in kind Saturday morning rolls around quickly and the alarm sounds at 0500. Mitch and I both get up and dress slowly. Richard and Bruce have decided this morning is a “sleep in kind of morning” and opt to stay back in camp. The air is cold and a light freeze has coated the ground with frost. Thermometer reads 28 degrees, the moon is full with four more hours before setting, and the local terrain is bathed bright with light. A very light North East wind is blowing. Not the best of winds for my stand but I opt to hunt it anyway. The weekend previous, I stuffed a corn sack full of fresh cow manure in anticipation of North winds this Saturday morning. I lovingly nicknamed the application of cow manure around my stand as “Coonie Cover Scent” used to mask my scent around my blind. Area59 has cattle and my blind is close to a stock tank, so an overabundance of fresh manure shouldn’t alert the game.

Here's my blind. Brushed in heavily and blending in perfectly with the terrain. It's dead center, staring straight at the point from my bowshot.

I choose to walk from camp all the way to my blind. Mitch comments “you’re walking all the way in this morning?” I reply “it will help me stay warm till sun-up and I might as well take advantage of what little heat I can generate.” The last thing I want to do is motor the truck in alerting any of the mature bucks I am here. Nice and natural as I slowly walk the sendero. My worry of rattlesnakes is nil, it’s too cold this morning so the relaxed walk is welcomed.

At 0645 visibility is very obscure, that moment when dark fights a new day rendering all images out front literally ghost like in appearance. As I scan I note a brown silhouette in my right most shooting window. “This looks odd, I’ve got this panoramic scene burned into my memory and this indiscernible brown shape does not fit into my well rehearsed scene?” I memorized my shooting lanes like the back of my hand, each tree, cactus, bush and strange outline cataloged and forced into memory. This morning, something is off and it’s not moving. I strain to see what this object is, raise my binoculars and make the outline of a whitetails rump. I note this deer is staring out to the Northwest staring toward the neighboring ranch. I can hear an ATV moving down a sendero, headed to a green box tower blind approximately a mile away, our bordering ranch and the rifle hunters. This deer holds position for a full three minutes and then walks slowly away toward the stock tank. He is alert, knows that sound is danger and he moves silently hugging low as he steps away. As I glass I note one main beam with three tines up. I know it’s a buck, and a good buck but he’s gone?

To be continued.....

Rob's Pope & Young

This has to be one of the greatest Bow Hunting moments in my entire life. First and foremost I have to give thanks to the “Old Man Upstairs” (Thank You!) and my lease partners, Mitch Krivokucha (Mitch), Bruce Letbetter (Bruce), Shawn Kennedy (Shawn) & Richard Hehs (Richard). Without them, I don’t believe my first Pope & Young animal would have the same meaning.

Left to Right: (Bruce, Richard & Mitch) enjoying a few Monster Buck videos in camp. We had a power pole, that's about it. A 2 room shack, cots, rattlesnakes and pack rats for company LOL!

The Area59 Campfire burns brightly with this crew. We nicknamed our hunting lease Area59 simply because our property line sits right off Highway 59, just east of Laredo and just inside the Border Patrol check station. The brush in this region has a large percentage of illegal aliens working northward hence the name "Area 59"...aliens out there somewhere! :) The Badlands of South Texas. I slept with a loaded pistol every night here. The few nights alone out here really make you realize, the west is still alive and well with a modern twist.

On to the hunt……This hunt takes place deep in the brush country region of South Texas. The Golden Triangle region is well known for record class whitetail bordering the Texas – Mexico border. This region is ranching country, a rough region well known for illegal activity related to the drug barons south of the Mexican border. Not an area to take lightly and the risk of confrontation in the brush runs very high year round. The country side consists predominately of working ranches, 10 – 40,000+ acres big and larger. Large expanses of private land, no development for thousands of miles. The few towns scattered throughout the region are small and extremely isolated. Medical care can literally take hours to get to. Rattlesnake bites, mountain lions, feral hogs, javelina and nasty spiders keep you on your guard here. Time literally stands still in this country.

Thorny brush species dominate the South Texas Brush Country. Mesquite, acacia, prickly pear, lotebush, granjeno, white-brush, Texas ebony and wild olive form dense, almost impenetrable thickets. The South Texas Brush Country is well known for producing trophy-class white-tailed deer. It is undoubtedly the most biologically diverse habitat in Texas, as tropical, grassland and desert species all inhabit this thorny shrub land in ecological harmony. To be continued...........

From The Land of Legends

Last week I asked Rob, one of my MySpace friends, to share one of his memorable hunting stories with me to post on my Blog. He willingly accepted the invitation! The rest of the week you will get to know Rob and one of his hunts of a life time. He lives in Kerrville, TX and is 47 years old and works as an Information Technology Consultant there. Today I will post - in his own words - about himself so you can get to know him. Check out my blog everyday this week so you can see how his greatest bowhunt plays out, including pictures of his first Pope and Young harvest in our great outdoors.

I’m a Dad, ex-military officer and an outdoor kind of guy centered with God, country, family and friends enjoying life’s blessings. I have a big penchant for fun, laughter and always view life in a very positive manner. I’m a straight up guy, it’s how I live. Life is way too short for fluff and games. I enjoy travel, camping, hiking, kayaking the Guadalupe River, archery, fishing/hunting, golf, surfing, evenings in any city, nights under the stars, thunderstorms during warm summer nights, campfires, everything water and recreation, the ocean-mountains-desert-woodlands and everything in the USA. I enjoy meeting new friends and playing catch up with old friends. I have a passion for photography, most particularly outdoor photography and enjoy pursuing that one photographic moment, where ever that moment takes me. I love muscle cars and periodically roll the Texas Hill County, in a classic Z/28, going to no place in particular taking all things in. During my early years I wore a uniform and served my country giving it my all. The highs and lows mixed with heavy shots of adrenaline in a true humanitarian mission at sea became a part of me. I could not leave it, I was addicted, and during this period of my life, I honestly thought this world was normal living. The excitement and adventure of never knowing what Mother Nature would bring, how challenging the situation was at hand, coupled with saving lives in the worst of situations was the ultimate reward. In retrospect, I would do it all over again - OH YEAH! We pushed our lives at times, God watching over us, and we did everything we could possible do. The ultimate America’s Team - SEMPER PARATUS! God Bless those who lost a love one at Sea. “Fair Winds and Following Seas” to the souls we could not save. Good deeds will be rewarded when you least expect it. So live life pure, stay positive, focused and follow your heart. Smile like you have never smiled before, even when it hurts inside. In time that smile will take over everything you do. Embrace change, learn to give unselfishly, live your life as if it’s your last day on Earth. Always remember to give thanks, show love and God Bless! Rob

(Rob's hunting story starts March 26, 2008)

A Clever Website!

HEMA is a Dutch department store. The first store opened on November 4, 1926, in Amsterdam. Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands. HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg, and Germany. In June of this year, HEMA was sold to British investment company Lion Capital.

Take a look at HEMA's product page. You can't order anything and it's in Dutch but wait a couple of seconds and watch what happens. This company has a sense of humor and a great web developer. I thought you might enjoy it! :)

http://producten.hema.nl/

Photos in Vicksburg Post!

C. Chris Collins of Vicksburg used a Celestron 11-inch telescope and a Canon 20D camera to snap this photo of the International Space Station with the space shuttle attached, in the center of the photo, as it crossed in front of the moon on March 16.

My photo of the world's largest river cruise ship the American Queen going under the two bridges here at Vicksburg last Tuesday, made this Sunday's paper. I had originally posted it here on Wednesday March 19th. This makes the third one that The Vicksburg Post has published of my photos. Vicksburg readers can send in photos that are current and of interest to the public, either because of their subject matter or their oddity, or the photographic skill shown. Needless to say, I was really happy and humbled to see it. Also, beside my picture was an awesome one of the moon/space shuttle shown above. This is a sweetthing!

PS: Again, my thanks Rex!

Easter Obituary

~A Blessed Easter~

Heading for Higher Ground

Cows graze at the levee under Mississippi 465, between Eagle Lake and Chotard Landing Resort. Much of the animals' grazing land north of the highway is covered with water.

The Mississippi River is continuing to cause widespread flooding in northern states and create steady rises here in Vicksburg. Some residents are being forced to move to higher ground while others prepare for an evacuation they hope from which to be spared. On Friday, the river at Vicksburg rose to 39.1 feet, an increase of 0.7 feet from the previous day. Flood stage at the city is 43 feet. The river is forecast to rise above flood stage Wednesday, and crest at 46 feet on April 5. A flood warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for the lower Mississippi River region, including Vicksburg.

The City Street Department crews are installing the steel framework for panels that, if necessary, can be used to close the flood wall that separates Horizon Casino's parking lot and the Yazoo River Diversion Canal. Flooding is expecting north and south of town in the low lying areas. We do have a flood walls in front of the city which sits high on top of a bluff overlooking the Yazoo River Diversion Canal. Actually, the floodwall goes so far and stops right at the entrance into the Mississippi River. We have three casino boats that sit in cofferdams so when the water rises the boat will rise with it. The rising water is NOT a sweetthing!

UP, UP AND AWAY

Madison Manning, 11, of Laurel, reaches for headphones after he and his mother, Donna Manning, boarded a blimp at Vicksburg Municipal Airport Friday. The two took a one-hour tour of the area in the blimp which has circled Warren County's skies all week. The trip was sponsored by the Believe in Tomorrow Children's Foundation, which provides services to families of critically ill children such as Madison, who has cystic fibrosis. The blimp, which bears the name AVICTA complete cotton seed treatment, is 132 feet long, holds 70,000 cubic feet of helium and travels at 25-30 mph. It was piloted by Bret Viets. This is a sweetthing!

On The Hunt-Turkey Time!

Jacob Hoffman, 11, shot his first turkey in Claiborne County March 9. The gobbler had an 8 1/2-inch beard with 1 1/8-inch spurs. Hoffman used a 20-gauge shotgun.

Ron Bernier got his massive three-bearded turkey while hunting near Flowers. The turkey's longest beard was 9 1/2 inches, the second measured 6 inches and the third was 5 1/4 inches. The spurs were 1 1/8 inches long, and the gobbler weighed just over 20 pounds. Congratulations to both Jacob and Ron hunting in our great outdoors!

Happy Easter!

"A true friend is someone who thinks

you are a good egg

even though they know

you are slightly cracked."

“Have a Happy Easter Everyone!”

Photos by Post Readers

Nine-year-old Jesse Fuller captured this American gold finch waiting for its time at a bird feeder.

Martha Hall didn't even have to leave her bedroom near the Mississippi River to snap this photo of a gobbler that has appeared more than once, pecking on the glass and studying his reflection.

A row of ducks makes its way across a lake across the Landings Apartments in north Warren County. The photo was taken by Sandy Bristow.

Howard Tatum found this shot of a beautiful pileated woodpecker on Tiffentown Road.

These photos were submitted to The Vicksburg Post for publication by readers. Here are four pictures of birds in our great outdoors that I wanted to share with you today.

It's Backkkkkkkk!!!

In yesterday's paper was the advertisement for the blimp again, so I figured I would see it today. I heard earlier on the radio it was flying over the city. Later I had an errand to run and there it was up in the sky. After I got back from my errand I took our peek-a-poo (Katie) out and then decided to put up our Easter flag. I heard a strange noise and looked up and there is was. I actually had my camera with me and ready. I think this time I got a great picture of it as it passed over our home. This is a sweetthing!

Animator vs. Animation

This must have been made my a computer nerd or a GENIUS - Just click on the link below, click on play, then leave the mouse alone, sit back and enjoy a piece of creative brilliance!
Animator vs. Animation

American Queen In Town

Yesterday, while at the doctor's office for Bob, the doctor said he had went up to one of two parking garages we have downtown on the upper level and took a picture of the paddle wheel American Queen. I was also excited about it being in town. I love boats especially when the American Queen, Delta Queen or the Mississippi Queen dock here at the waterfront. It is truly a Mississippi Journey! Usually there are big tour buses that take the tourist to the Vicksburg National Military Park. Some of the tourist would rather take in the sites of our newly renovated downtown district walking the bricks. After the doctor's appointment, Bob and I drove down to the waterfront to see the American Queen and could hear the calliope playing. It is a huge boat and with the water up it was real close to the floodwall. I knew it would be leaving about 5:30 so I headed to the lookout over the Mississippi River. Actually, I did not know if it was going north or south. I was excited to see it coming out of the Yazoo Diverson Canal headed south going to Natchez, MS, on its way to New Orleans, LA. It was quite windy yesterday with winds picking up to 30 miles per hour and was difficult to stand still and hold the camera. Here are two of six pictures I took of the American Queen. Noticed the "feathered" smoke stacks laying down. That is for a reason so it can get under the two bridges. The older bridge with the flag flying is old Highway 80 and the newer bridge is Interstate Highway 20. To the left is a parking lot that is being added on to Ameristar Casino. We have Horizon by the waterfront, Black Diamond, Ameristar and Rainbow Casinos. Another casino is now being built between AmeriStar and Rainbow. Charming, Just Charming!

Why Dispatchers and Cops Drink

LAW ENFORCEMENTS!

Mystery Solved on Blimp

This big add was in Sunday's paper about the zepplen/blimp that I posted here on my blog this past Sunday. It was an advertiment on Avicta. I wondered why there was no mentioned of it in Monday's paper.....Now I know! Duh!

In Memory

My mother, Evelyn Anne Mason Love, who past away on

March 17, 1979.

Happy St. Patricks Day

St. Patricks Day Comments -

All You Need to Know About Life

You Can Learn from a Leprechaun...

Life is too short for long faces.

When you’re happy — sing.

When you’re sad —sing louder!

Expect magic to happen, and it will.

If you can’t find a rainbow, paint your own.

The word “impossible” is NOT an Irish word.

Never walk so tall that you can’t see the “wee folk.”

If you’re feeling blue, wear lots of green and think hopeful thoughts.

No one ever outgrows the need for warm hugs, special dreams,

or a wee bit of mischief.

Quit trying to catch a leprechaun, and just BE one!

Have a Happy-go-lucky St. Patrick’s Day!

Zeppelin in Town

This afternoon Bob and I went to McDonald's for an ice creme cone and was driving on the frontage road when Bob spotted a zeppelin. It came across I-20 headed south. I decided to go back to the house and grab my camera since we were only 2 miles from the house. I jumped back in the truck and headed towards the lookout over the MS River. Took a picture of it and it looked like it was headed north towards town. So I took off towards town but saw it turn again in the opposite direction, so I just went back to the house. Bob had stayed at the house because our next door neighbor was coming over to visit us. When I got back home I showed Bob and Tricia (our neighbor) the pictures I took of the zeppelin. Tricia then went to our back door and said I hear it and looked up and saw it going overhead. I grabbed my camera again for another shot as it went over our house. I haven't seen one of these since I was real young but it had flown much lower. It was pretty cool to see one fly over our city since you don't see one of these everyday!

This is a sweetthing!

An 11 Year Old Singer!

Hard to believe so young with so much talent..The BEST!

A Mississippi Sign

"Now here’s a really blunt statement found on a sign outside a Mississippi muffler shop.”
Charming, Just Charming!

It's The Disco Jig!

Here is a writeup of my husband, Bob Phillips, doing the disco jig, that was in The Vicksburg Post this morning! Now I know what he does at Some Place Special when he leaves home for five hours a day! Looks like he is really enjoying himself. Go Bob Go!

Oscar Qualls, 52, back, Annie Taylor, 82, and Bob Phillips, 66, disco dance Friday during the St. Patrick's Day party for retirees at the Purks YMCA. The program included lunch with corned beef and cabbage, carrot cake and a variety of green-sprinkled, shamrock-shaped cookies. Pam Smith, Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce Retirement Development director, said the event has grown in its two years to 75 people participating Friday. Three local agencies YMCA's Active Older Adults, Some Place Special and Vicksburg Senior Center collaborated to sponsor the party. This is a sweetthing!

A Crayola Artist

Don Marco ~ The Master Crayola Artist

Don Marco was born in Northern Minnesota in the late 1920's. His interest in art was evident even before starting school. As a young adult in the Army Air Corp, he began his life's career in Air Traffic Control, which continued until his retirement from Honolulu International Airport in 1973. Much of his spare time was spent as a professional artist. Before retirement, Don started developing a technique to create fine art, using Crayola Crayons. Shortly after retiring, he published his first print. Living in Southern California, his work was in demand, including commissions from Burt Reynolds and a one-man show at his Dinner Theater in Florida.
Hard to imagine these are done with crayons! What talent! Charming, Just Charming!

Top to Bottom - John Wayne, Bear Bull, Geronimo, James Arness, an Elk and Burt Reynolds