Shooting Pigs from Choppers?

The Vicksburg Post had and article about the great state of Texas that may let hunters shoot pigs from choppers. A state lawmaker is proposing to allow ordinary Texans with rifles and shotguns to shoot the voracious, tusked animal from helicopters. For years, ranchers in the Lone Star State have hired professional hunters in choppers to thin the hogs’ fast-multiplying ranks. Now the state wants to bring more firepower to the task by issuing permits to sportsmen. The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee, and its chances of becoming law are uncertain. But if approved, the program could be the first of its kind in the nation. Some other states, like Gov. Sarah Palin’s Alaska, allow aerial shooting, but only to control predators such as wolves.
An estimated 2 million wild hogs are causing $52 million a year in crop damage in Texas, according to agricultural experts. Pigs that they are, they eat just about anything including the carcasses of their own brethren and tramples crops.

The pasture-wrecking porkers are causing trouble well beyond farms. Authorities in Texas are reporting an increase in collisions between hogs and cars, while golf courses and suburbs are increasing finding turf uprooted by hogs.

With that said, here in Mississippi we need to eradicate these hogs that are at the famous Christmas Place Plantation and Hunting Club right now. This weekend Bob and I have been invited by Rex to come up and help shoot these porky critters. Hopefully, we will make a good shot as Phillip did on his weekend hog hunt at the Tejon Ranch in California. Do we need to hire a chopper? What do you think?

Phillip pictured here with his sow after a shot in the forehead at 10 feet! Congrats Phillip!

A New Meaning to Crabs!

How would you like to run across this guy at the beach...it's related to the hermit crab....

Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents. It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents. The second photo below gives you a good idea of how large these crabs are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.

It's a large edible land crab related to the hermit crab, and are found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. They eat coconuts for a living! How would you like to be on an island and come across a crab that is more than 3 feet from head to tail and weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large pincers strong enough to open coconuts! They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts that have already fallen to the ground. Coconut crab meat has been considered a local delicacy.

Troop 7 - A Pancake Supper

A nice write up in the paper yesterday of my step-grandson, John Gregory and his Boy Scout Troop 7 getting ready to mix, flip and load on the maple syrup for their Pancake Supper on March 7 at the Knights of Columbus Home on Fisher Ferry Road. Tickets are $5 each. From left are Chris Sanders, 12, Travis Blanch, 11, John Phillips, 15, Nathan Davis 17, and Rob Sanders, 12. Chris and Rob are the sons of Jeanne and David Sanders; Travis is the son of Cathy and Brian Blanch; John is the son of Eleanor and Greg Phillips; and Nathan is the son of Katrina and Glenn Davis. We are looking forward to joining John at the pancake supper. Way to go John!

3-D Fence for Deer Diners

I came across this article in Sundays paper and thought it was interesting and wanted to share it with you.

John Caccaro is the Warren County Extension Director here in Vicksburg and he wrote about using 3-D fences that would be key to turning away deer diners.

John said...as the seasons change, it is interesting to note how Extension Service clients’ priorities change.

By seasons, I am referring to both winter to spring, and from deer season to the off season.

As deer season approaches, we typically get calls about food plots and ways to attract the animals. Now that we are approaching spring and are planting ornamentals, trees and gardens, the focus has turned to keeping deer away. There is no doubt many Warren County residents have become frustrated with deer dining on their fruit trees, flowers, shrubs and gardens. One doesn’t necessarily have to live in a rural area for this to be a problem, either. Deer problems can pop up just about anywhere.

A colleague of mine got a call from a woman who asked him to list the plants deer won’t eat. He just said, “OK,” followed by a long pause. Thinking they had gotten disconnected, the lady said, “Hello, sir,” to which he responded, “Yes, ma’am. I’m still here. My point is that I’m not confident there are any plants deer won’t eat.”

Many experienced gardeners have come to the conclusion that the only sure deer barrier is a woven wire fence or solid wall too tall for deer to jump. Keep in mind deer can clear a fence up to 8 feet tall. Because that conclusion is usually cost prohibitive or aesthetically unpleasant, the best compromise is an electric fence. Electric fences work by persuading the deer to neither jump nor penetrate the fence.

Because electric fences deter the deer’s brain instead of the body, even the best electric fence will fail if it is installed at the wrong time on the wrong site and managed without an awareness of how a deer herd interacts with your area and the new fence.

Deer are creatures of habit. Excluding a deer herd from a food source to which they are already accustomed forces the herd to break this habit. So the first day, week, and month of denial - by fence - is the key period. Once a deer habit is broken, the change in feeding routines and locations is easier to maintain.

Deer do have an Achilles’ heel, though - poor depth perception. Knowing that can be a major benefit to understanding how proper construction of an electric 3-D fence can solve your problem. I saw lots of vegetable farms with 3-D electric fences last summer when I was touring rural North Carolina at our national county agents conference.

The fences look strange but are proved to work. The three dimension - width, height and depth - result from constructing one fence 3 feet in front of another. The outside perimeter fence can be a single strand electric wire 34-inches tall and the inside fence has two wires at 18- and 48-inches heights. The 3-D effect causes deer to stop, walk up slowly and check the fence out carefully with its nose. Once greeted with the strong electrical shock, the deer will decide to find another restaurant - possibly your neighbor’s garden.

You can e-mail jcoccaro@ext.msstate.edu for more info if this interest you.

Patience & Wisdom

One of the greatest secrets of life is having both patience and wisdom....

Laissez le Bon temp rouler

Parade watchers wait for beads to be thrown from the Mardi Gras floats on Washington Street Saturday. (The Vicksburg Post)

Five-year-old Frances Thames throws beads from one of the 32 floats that paraded down Washington Street Saturday. Frances is the daughter of Lee Thames and Chloe Thames. (The Vicksburg Post)

Weather doesn't put a damper on Mardi Gras fun....

We had overcast skies and cool temps but that did not dampen the spirits of the thousands of revelers who flocked to downtown Vicksburg Saturday afternoon for the city's eighth annual Mardi Gras parade.

About 16,000 people were estimated to be at last year's parade, said Harry Sharp, chairman of the Vicksburg Main Street Program. He said the weather had likely scaled that number back slightly this year but the crowd "seems to be a lot happier and more enthusiastic this year."

Just as the last float rolled past, a steady rain began to fall. Bob and I were not able to make it this year, but have in the past. Three of my grandchildren were able to go with their parents. My Dad was born in New Orleans and when I was young we would go back to New Orleans for the Mardi Gras parades. The last one I attended, which was about 18 years ago, I saw Dick Clark as Rex, King of the Carnival. I'm so glad that we have Mardi Gras parades here in Vicksburg. It really brings back a lot of fond memories and saying...throw me some beads mister!

Also, the Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation's held it's seventh annual Mardi Gras ball following the parade Saturday evening at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center. Festivities close out with Mardi Gras MS River cruises aboard the Sweet Olive. A fun time was had by all! Charming, Just Charming!

Photos by Vicksburg Readers

The sun setting last week through the cannon "Widow Blakely" spokes at the Louisiana Circle overlook next to the Mississippi River at Vicksburg. (The Vicksburg Post)

Debra Murphy Forbes was at the home of her parents’, Newell and Althea Murphy, when she spotted this trio of raccoons getting a big drink from the backyard swimming pool.

This picture was taken at Eagle Lake when the rain from Hurricane Ike was coming through. The rain is evaporating before it hits the ground.

Ruins of Windsor

A reader commented....This was an absolutely beautiful sight. The sun was hiding behind this one cloud and I had to snap this photo while driving down HWY 80 in Edwards, MS.

Evidently someone loves taking pictures of cows as much as I do. Here, he commented...I love cows, especially their faces, and captured this photo on February 9, in the Farr Road area, between Edwards and Bolton, MS. This bull's for you Rex!

Happy Birthday Bob!

My husband, Bob, is 67 today. Happy Birthday Bob! Above is his Class of 1961 graduation picture taken at Father Flanagan's Boys Town in Omaha, NE. Bob was born in Dearborn, MI and came south to MS in 1980 transferring from Champaign, IL. He was Director of Labor Relations at Anderson-Tully Lumber Company (ATCO) until his retirement in 1994. He has a daughter, Karen, who lives in Santa Fe, NM and a son Greg, living here in Vicksburg. He is step-father to my four daughters, Theresa, Kathleen, Debra and Suzy. He has four grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren and 2 step-great grandsons and expecting his first granddaughter in May. He also has two sisters, Christine in Chandler, AZ and Karol in Redford, MI. We all want to wish you a very Happy Birthday Bob! My surprise gift to him is his own blog called, Two Dogs Tall.

When Bob came to Vicksburg and started working for ATCO, he was able to hunt on their land. As it seems, Bob did not know too much about hunting. After his first deer hunt he soon became known as two dogs. Click here on two dogs tall to read this hilarious story of a yankee coming to the south to deer hunt and almost starting another civil war. Two Dogs Tall blog will mainly consists of pictures of his high school days and going back to Boys Town for the first time for his 40th class reunion which we attended and was a very emotional reunion for him and his brothers.

Vicksburg On The Hunt

Logan Sanders and Zachary Barnes both bagged bucks at their deer camp in Fayette on the opening weekend of youth season. The 6-year-old Sanders, left, got a 7-pointer with a .243 rifle. Barnes also used a .243 to shoot his 8-pointer.

Cole Yearwood, 8, shot this 95-pound doe on private land while hunting in Warren County. Cole is the son of Jamie and Beverly Yearwood.

Leon Walker bagged this huge 10-point, 225-pound buck with his .270 rifle while hunting near Valley Park on January 19. The buck's rack had a 22-inch spread.

John David Beck killed his first deer, this 170 pound 8-pointer, while hunting in southern Warren County with his father Dennis and brother Brandon. He used a .243 rifle to make the 50-yard shot. John David is the son of Dennis and Cheryl Beck of Vicksburg.

Alainna Neumann, 9, shot her first deer on January 24 while hunting on private land in Yazoo County. The buck was a 5-pointer, with one other broken point. Alainna is the daughter of David and Toni Neumann of Vicksburg.

Vicksburg resident Hunter Landers has had a busy deer season, bagging three in three months. He got his first on November 30, and a 7-point buck on December 21. On January 18, he shot this 9-pointer while hunting with his grandfather George Ameen Jr., in Bovina. The deer weighed 190 pounds and had a 16-inch rack. Hunter's second buck was a 175-pounder with a 15-inch rack. Hunter is the son of Roy Landers Jr. and Candice Landers. Hunter is certainly living up to his name! Congrats to all our hunters in the great outdoors!

New Hunting Buddy

I found a new hunting buddy, Brenda, over at her site called, My Hunting Buddies. Brenda is an engineer from Los Angeles, CA, and her site is a hunting community for all hunters alike. Her cute profile picture is to the left. You can join My Hunting Buddies and enjoy a forum, upload your hunting photos, buy/sell items, write in a blog and order hunting/fishing designed T-shirts by FieldDress. FieldDressed.com gives a portion of every items sold to Pass It On, which I recently posted - about their good will in recruiting mentors to share their love of the outdoors with a child who may lack the opportunity to get outdoors. Yesterday, she posted an article on Gun Control Legislation: Ammunition Accountability which was published in the "Voice of the Soldier", a newsletter of SpecialForces.com. You can go by and check out how your state stands on this bill. Give Brenda a warm welcome because she would make a great hunting buddy! Charming, Just Charming! Note: Rex, my mentor, at Deer Camp Blog has joined My Hunting Buddies and uploaded his BIG droptine buck that he got for a Christmas present. Way to go Rex!

Psycho Cats

Third Cousin Serving in Iraq

My first cousin, Mary Ann, who lives in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, sent me a picture of Clayton "Clay," shown here in the middle with his comrades, serving in Iraq. Clay has been in the U. S. Army since September 11, 2007 and in Iraq since March 2008. He came home last October 25 and went back November 25 and should be going to Hawaii soon. He is the fourth child of my second cousin, Karla, who lives in Wisconsin. His siblings are Mandi, David Kagle, Ellen, Clayton (himself), Ben, Jonathan, Josiah, Abe, Caleb, Nathaniel, Gabriel, Timothy, and Noah Samuel. As you can see, he comes from a very large family. We are so proud of Clay and wish him well and to have a safe return home. Thank you Clay and for all the servicemen serving our great country! May God Bless You All!

Long Ridge Deer Camp

I want to introduce you to Jack who has a new deer camp blog site called the Long Ridge Deer Camp. Jack came by my site the other day and left a comment on my OBS Challenge post. I checked out his site and found out that he is an avid conservationist and hunter. He is also a police officer and loves to go snowmobiling and hiking on trails. He has been hunting for over 50 years. His deer camp is located deep in New England territory in the Connecticut River Valley. He has written for outdoor publications and has subscribed to numerous hunting magazine. He noticed that few deer hunting articles written in national magazines have had any relevance to hunting whitetail deer in New England area. I encouraged him to join the Outdoor Bloggers Summit and he showed an interest. We look forward to him telling us about his deer camp stories and successful hunts. Go by and greet Jack and welcome him to the blogging world of hunting in our great outdoors. Charming, Just Charming!

Free Boater Safety Courses

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will offer boater safety courses this spring, with specific dates to be announced. With the deer hunting season over and the weather warming many sportsmen and women will begin to think about taking their boats out on area lakes and rivers. The MDWFP encourages everyone to take one of the free boater safety courses. "Even if you're just going to be riding in a boat with someone these are good classes to have," Master Sgt. Charlie Gross said.

Gross said Warren County was fortunate to have zero boating fatalities in the past year - although some people were thrown from boats - and encouraged all boater to maintain that record of safety. The MDWFP site also has links to qualifying boater safety courses that can be taken online anytime.

Boats can be registered at any business that sells hunting and fishing licenses. Forms can also be found online at the agency's website. Registrations will be valid for three years as opposed to two years.

Youth and regular turkey hunting seasons will also begin next month. While there are not hunter safety courses offered by MDWFP on the horizon, Gross stressed all hunters practice gun safety as they enter the fields.

Two hunting-related accidents were reported in Warren County this past fall, said Gross, and fortunately neither were fatal. One involved a man shooting himself in the finger, he said, and another involved a young man who shot himself in the leg while crossing a fence with a loaded gun.

"The main causes of hunting accidents we see are poor handling of firearms and poor safety," he said. "Keep your weapon unloaded and on safety until you are ready to begin your hunt, and when you're returning from the hunt." Hunt Smart, Think Safety in our great outdoors.

An OBS Challenge

Kristine of Outdoor Bloggers Summit (OBS) has issued a challenge to write a post about what it means to be a female hunter...

I never grew up in a hunting family or had the opportunity to hunt until I was in my mid-forties. While dating my second husband-to-be, Bob, he offered to take me hunting with him. I had dated men who were hunters but they never gave me a chance. It had to be a very special man to share and teach me this great tradition. One day while sitting on a ridge, I expressed to him a desire to learn how to deer hunt. I was very fortunate that he was willing to teach me and hunting has given me a lot of confidence and self worth. Through the years we have shared many hunts together and have fond memories. I can truthfully say that I can carry my own weight when it comes to hunting in our great outdoors, thanks to Bob. I have also enjoyed teaching my daughter, Kathy, and three grandsons how to hunt and that has been a very rewarding experience for me. To Rex, my mentor and hunting friend, over at Deer Camp Blog, for his encouragement to keep my blog going about my hunting experiences. It has now been twenty-four years since that first day in the woods long ago. My husband is now disabled and has had a stroke and other health issues. I now drive him to the deer camp and get him set up so we can both continue to enjoy the great sport of hunting.

You're a Deer!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL MY DEER BLOGGER FRIENDS!

Rats...no pictures

Dave said that he was really disappointed this morning when he rescued his "fox cam"... You can see the fresh dug hole by Bigfoot's left hand, and he had placed this camera there ahead of the snow thinking he could get some good close-ups of the red fox...He knew the batteries were getting a bit low, but thought it would have enough left to get a few pictures... it took just one... OF AN UGLY OLD COOT WHAT GOT LOOSE IN THE WOODS! YIKES!

PRESS RELEASE - Pass It Own

WICHITA, KS (February 11, 2009). Many children express an interest in outdoor activities, but don’t have the support to help them realize those adventures.

Field Dress LLC has stepped up to help these kids. A portion of the price of every item sold on Field Dress’s website (http://www.fielddressed.com/) will go directly to Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors Program. Field Dress will also be supplying packs for specific Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors Program events. Chad Rodvold of Field Dress stated, "Pass It On- Outdoor Mentors is the ideal platform for Field Dress to continue its’ design ideals of respect and passion for the outdoors. I feel extremely privileged to be a part of such a worthy organization.

"The Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors program recruits mentors who will share their love of the outdoors with children who lack opportunities to get outdoors without a mentor showing them the way. Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors was recently endorsed by the National Forum on Children and Nature as one of 30 projects that creatively reconnect kids with nature, benefiting their overall health and appreciation for the great outdoors. “Too many children are spending too little time outdoors,” commented Mike Christensen, President of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc. “The generosity shown by Field Dress reflects their commitment to the outdoors…providing not only quality products for those who love the outdoors, but working to make the outdoors accessible for our youth as well. Their assistance through this effort will make it possible for more of our youth to experience the outdoors cherished by Chad and all of his customers.”

For more information about Field Dress, please visit http://www.fielddressed.com/. For more information about Pass It On -- Outdoor Mentors, Inc., please http://www.outdoormentors.org/

Contact:

Mike Christensen

Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors, Inc.

310 E 2nd

Wichita, KS 67202

316-290-8883

mchristensen@outdoormentors.org

Pass It On is also doing a gun-a-week raffle giveaway. You can email Mike Christensen at mchristensen@outdoormentors.org and see if there is something happening in your area and wish him well...a supportive word goes a long way.

Raspberry

Dear Heavenly Father,
Please help me to be the man
my dog thinks I am...Amen

D. Robert (Dave)
QuickMember: Christian Outdoor Fellowship of America
Member: Pilots 4 Christ
MY WEBSITE:HANDLOADING FOR HUNTING
MY DISCUSSION FORUM:HFH DISCUSSION FORUMS
Don't tell GOD how big your storm is.
Tell the storm how Big your GOD is!

Received this note with more cam pics from Dave this morning....

Winnie and I went in the woods early this morning, You should have seen her. She was going NUTS trying to follow all the trails. Here are a couple of pictures that were on my camera. Notice that these were all taken just this morning early and it's Raspberry as usual...you can tell because of the double white throat patch.

In the last picture the deer on the left is standing exactly over the salt and mineral blocks I put out early this week, but they have already melted which is PERFECT!!! That will keep the deer coming there for months and months. The pictures are becoming redundant now and I probably will back off taking any more until perhaps late May or so. By that time fawns will be on the ground and the bucks will be in velvet. The top picture is a good example of the deer being used to the camera. They often stand as you see here knowing it will flash. Once used to it they don't mind it one bit...Dave

Now In Full Bloom

One last picture while in full bloom before the thunderstorms come in this afternoon. Usually, a heavy rain will knocked most the the petals off of our Japanese Magnolia bush. The petals are beginning to fall off now and most likely be completely gone by next week. (Click pic to enlarge)

Star Students & Teachers

St. Aloysius High School - Student: Rachel C. Clarke - Teacher: Eleanor Phillips

Rachel, the daughter of Douglas and Joan Clarke, is a National merit Semi-Finalist and the captain and MVP of the swim team. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and St. Michael Catholic Church's CYO retreat team. She received the National Scholar/Athlete Award, President's Award for Educational Excellence and Bronze Service Award.

She plans to study biological sciences and pre-physical therapy at Mississippi State University.

Rachel's STAR Teacher is St. Aloysius math instructor Eleanor Phillips. She has a bachelor's degree in math education and was St. Al's Teacher of the Year for the 2004-2005 and 2007-2008 school years.

Eleanor is our daughter-in-law and we are so proud of her accomplishments. Congrats to Eleanor and Star student Rachel!

Australian Christmas Wreath

Wanted to share this beautiful picture of God's creatures with you. This delightful circle was taken at Lamington National Park, west of the Gold Coast. These are native Australian mountain parrots, the red and blue kind are crimson rosella and the red and green are King Parrots. They are feasting on sunflower seed which Matthew Watt had left for them, but did not expect them to form such a perfect ring. This guy on the bottom is about to jump into the center, to the discontent of the other birds in the great wild outdoors!

Love is in the air...

Our Pi Alpha Kappa's 3rd annual Valentine-themed musical event, To Vicksburg with Love, will be at noon today at the Southern Cultural Heritage Center, formally St. Francis Xavier Academy, the school I graduated from in the Class of 1959. Our chapter, Omega, will serve as hostesses. The lunchtime concert theme is Melodies and Memories and will feature the music of Vicksburg natives, Norman and Jane Joseph of Clinton, MS. The pair will entertain while guest eat food prepared by our sorority.

As an addition to this year's festivities, Regina Gailani, owner of Art & Soul on Washington Street, designed a necklace, made of Swarovski crystal and nuggets of carnelian stone, that will be raffled at the event. Proceeds will benefit our PAK's scholarship fun.

Gailani designed jewelry worn by Miss Mississippi Christine Kozlowski during the Miss American pageant last month.

Blooming

After three days of mid-70 temps here in Vicksburg it has our Japanese Magnolia bush in full bloom now. After the flowers fall off the leaves will come out and stay on though the summer and fall. The bush looks scraggly but has such pretty flowers. While looking out our living room window one day, I witness a lady drive up to our curve, got out and picked one of the flowers. I guess she couldn't resist!

Deer Picture Published

Here is a picture I shot with my camera while on the Arrowhead Stand at the famous Christmas Place Plantation and Hunting Club in the Mississippi Delta . It was published today in The Vicksburg Post. I saw 15 deer off of this stand that afternoon on a Youth Weekend hunt. The young hunters brought in seven deer that day. An exciting hunt for all of us in the great wild outdoors! Charming, Just Charming!

Sports Arena

Picture of Laura that I took on our deck when she was younger.

My step-granddaughter, Laura Phillips, was recently in The GymSouth competition at the Blues and BBQ Meet in Memphis on January 10 and 11th. She and her gymnastic team did very well at the meet. Above she is pictured with her group. From left are Laura Phillips, third place in all around, second in floor and vault; Maggie Waites, fourth in vault and bars; Mary Kalusche, first in bars, third in beam and vault. Olivia Jennings, also on the team was fourth in all around. My congrats to Laura and all her team mates. Grandpa Bob and I are so proud of her!

How twins are made...

My daughter, Kathy, sent me this in my email the other day...thought is was so cute!

Our Japanese Magnolia

I took this picture yesterday of our Japanese Magnolia tree/bush that is in our front yard. After 3 days of mid-20's temps this past week, I'm surprise it is still trying to bloom out. Yesterday it was in the mid-70's and today is the same forecast. It looks like spring has sprung here in the Mississippi! Charming, Just Charming!

Now you see it-now you don't!

A huge 200 year old tree was cut down in the last couple of days up the street from where we live. Drummond Street above used to have a lot of old trees that lined the roadway. It was a beautiful drive down this street but now the trees are slowly being cut down. In fact we have three old trees next door and one is leaning over our home. I just love the old trees but they can be very destructive as well. One year when we had an ice storm, we had a limb to break and hit our home. It was really scary. I don't know what the reason for this tree to be cut down but could have been one of the limbs that reached mid-way across the street. It's sad to see these beautiful old trees cut down but more than likely it was a hazard to either the roadway or to the owners.

Blooming Magnolias?

Picture that was in yesterday's paper of sites around Vicksburg.

Even with temperatures in the mid-20s overnight, Japanese magnolias across town, are blooming out, a sure sign that spring is on the way. The variety is one of the earliest blooming of all flowering trees, especially in the South.

Photo by Katie Carter/The Vicksburg Post)

Change is good....right?

Brenda ~ An AR Lady Hunter

I have been hunting for almost 15 years. Most of those were with a muzzleloader or a rifle. I started hunting with a crossbow about 7 years ago, but had never had any success until I took a small 5-point buck with it in 2005.

On October 28th of 2006, I was about to take the biggest buck ever. The day started out like any other day of the bow season. I had missed a doe a week earlier. My husband David, my son Andy and daughter Stephanie and I got everything gathered up and headed out to Gene Rush WMA in Newton County, Arkansas, to an area where we had seen deer on almost every trip we had taken there. I had seen a nice 8-point buck during muzzleloader season just a few days before, but he would never come into range. I was hoping for a chance to take him. David and Andy went to an area that bordered the field where I had seen the buck. They were going to watch a ravine where the deer came through. Stephanie and I headed out for the field. As we were coming to the opening, we saw 3 does feeding at the far end of the field. We watched them until they fed off of the field before going to our spot to set up.

We sat there for a couple of hours and didn’t see anything else. After talking to David on the radio we decided to shift locations. After a few stops to check out some other areas we finally made it to another location that had a lot of buck sign. We opted to go ahead and have lunch and then we would trade hunting partners and go separate directions.

This time, Stephanie and David headed south while Andy and I went north. It was warm that day with sunshine and it was already noon. We had planned on sitting in the edge of the woods along the field where the deer come out to feed. The trail was a well worn one with scrapes and rubs everywhere. As luck would have it, we started down the hill and about 30 yards in front of us at the bottom a nice buck went across the road, never missing a beat. I told Andy, “Well, there went a nice buck.” I thought to myself that I would never see that one again. I made a decision to wait there and not go on to the field. I could hear the buck in the bushes and knew he was still there. The road was red clay that was dry and made for a quiet stalk. I told Andy to stay there and get down and not move. I finally made it down far enough that I could see the tips of the buck’s antlers when he raised his head. I got ready for a shot if it presented itself. He was working a scrape about 15 yards inside the brush line.

I was in the middle of the road with out any cover whatsoever. I waited patiently while the buck worked over his scrape. Finally he turned back towards the road. I asked the Lord to send him back out. My prayer was answered in just about another minute as the buck started walking out of the brush and back toward the road. I knew the exact spot he would come out at and was already for the shot. As he stepped out from behind the bush, he looked at me and I let the bolt fly. I knew that the shot was perfect. The buck jumped straight up and took off across the road. I got on the radio and told David that I just shot the biggest buck of my life. He told me to calm down and he and Stephanie would be right there. I went to the spot where the buck went into the brush and found my arrow. It was covered and he left a good blood trail. Andy and I tracked him for about thirty yards where we found him piled up at the bottom of the ravine.

Stephanie, Andy and I finally got him to the car after over an hour of dragging. We were only about one hundred yards from the car. The hardest pat of it all was getting him back out of the ravine. I wouldn’t let David help because he has a history of heart problems and we didn’t need him to have a heart attack He weighted 225 on the hoof. He had eight points with one broken. I never got him scored.
I think that this buck was sent to me because my dad was one of my hunting partners over the past few years and I moved away and had not been able to hunt with him for the past three years. I lost my dad in February 2007 from a heart attack. He will be with me each time I go out to hunt.

Ar_ladyhunter is a friend of mine at CamoSpace and she gave me permission to post her story. She was also fortunate to have her story published in Buckmasters Online in 2006. She resides in Harrison, Arkansas.

RobZ's Photos

Rob sent me these photos awhile back on my CamoSpace site and thought they were so nice that I wanted to share them. Rob served in the U.S. Coast Guard and has sailed the high seas from Alaska to South America and Maine to South America. He said that they fought massive storms offshore saving lives, busting drug runners (Pablo Escobar’s cocaine cowboys) and exercising enforcement of U.S. Fishery laws. He lived on all three U.S. coasts and in turn, he had the opportunity to hunt and fish the best the United States had to offer. He retired from military service as a Chief Warrant Officer after 20 years of service. He is now back home in Kerrville, Texas. Actually, I have featured Rob several times here with his outdoor hunts. I would suffice to say that he is an excellent photographer as well!