Youngsters On The Hunt

Tyler Karel, 8, took home a birthday present on December 26 when he bagged his first buck.  He killed the 7-pointer with a .243 in southern Warren County.  Tyler is the son of Nathan and Jenny Karel.

Beth Martin, 10, shot her first deer while hunting with her father, Robert Martin, at Long Lake in Warren County on December 9.  The doe weighed 115 pounds, and was shot with a .243 from 60 yards away.

Emily Phillips, 9, shot this 7-pointer while hunting with her father in southern Warren County on December 19.  Emily made the 70-yard shot with a .243 rifle.  The deer had a 16-inch inside spread and weighed 180 pounds.  Pictured with Emily is her father, Chad Philllips.  Emily's mother is Zena Phillips.

Michael J. Croisdale bagged two deer this season.  the 13-year-old Vicksburg resident shot a 135-pound doe, his first, during the youth weekend at Magnolia Hunting Club.  On December 19, he took a 162-pound doe north of Vicksburg.  Michael is the son of Cassie Croisdale Samith and Lane Smith, and gradson of Bob and Elizabeth Croisdale. 

My sincere congrats to all our young hunters in our great outdoors!

A Youth Waterfowl Hunt

In last night's paper was an article on a youth waterfowl hunt that is scheduled for next weekend. 

Hunters ages 15 and younger are eligible to take advantage of this year's annual MS youth waterfowl hunting weekend on February 6-7.  To participate, youth must be accompanied by a licensed adult, who will be prohibited from harvesting any birds during the hunt.

"Now, more than ever, recruiting new hunters is vital to continue managing and enjoying our natural resources," said Ed Penny, MDWFP Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator. 
   
The MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks encourages paticipants in the youth hunt to utilize state Wildlife Management Areas with waterfowl hunting opportunities, which will be open for the weekend.

The WMA nearest Vicksburg is Mahannah, which is located in Warren and Issaquena Counmties near Redwood.  Others in the area include Twin Oaks and Sunflower in Sharkey County and Lake George in Yazoo County.  Hunters younger than 16 are not required to purchase hunting licenses, duck stamps or user permits for the WMAs when hunting durng the weekend.  However, other waterfowl regulations, including bag limits, will be the same for the youth hunting weekend as they are during the regular waterfowl season.  Toxic shot and shotguns holding more than three shells are not allowed.  For more information, visit http://mdwfp.com/waterfowl.

On The Hunt

Jackson Smith, 10, shot this spike deer while hunting with his father on private land in Claiborne County.  The buck weighed 140 pounds and was taken with a .44 magnum from 50 yards away.

Vicksburg resident Johnnie Clack used a .35 Whelen to take down this 11-point, 240-pound buck while hunting on private land December 11.  The deer's antlers measured 18-1/4 inches and scored 158 points on the Boone and Crockett scale.

Nine-year-old Sarah Grace Richardson bagged this doe while hunting in southern Warren County during the youth weekend.  The doe weighed 100 pounds and was taken with a .243 rifle from a distance of 100 yards.  Sarah Grace is the daughter of Joe and Tammie Richardson of Brandon.

Josephine Ricks took down this 12-point, 200 pound buck with a muzzleloader on December 5th. You go Josephine! My congrats to all our hunters in the great wild outdoors!

A Love Struck Buck!

As I was at the clinic yesterday and waitng for my husband to see his doctor, I was thumbing through the February issued of Outdoor Life magazine and this article caught my eye.    

Strange But True
Love Struck!
Aggressive Wisconsin deer finds out the hard way that love hurts...

One star-crossed buck recently learned about the painful side of love when it rammed a concrete elk statue in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

According to The LaCrosse Tribune, the 180-pound buck was attempting to defend its breeding territory during the rut, and presumably viewed the 640-pound elk statue as a threat.  The battle that ensured was brief and fatal; while the lifelike statue merely suffered a broken antler and some chipped paint when it was toppled by the charging buck, the love-struck buck wobbled a few yards away with a shattered skull and damage rack before dying on the ground nearby.

However, there is a silver lining to this sad love story.  Mark Brye, the Viroqua resident whose yard was the site of this battle to the death, obtained a tag from a conservation warden and actually claimed the dead buck and harvested the meat.  The note the warden included with the tag summed it up:  "Lawn Ornament Fight - Lost."  by j.b.

Bret With His Mighty Ducks!

This little guy is only 12 years old and is a natural born hunter.  His grandmother is a good friend of mine near Cornith, MS and she sent me this picture on MySpace of her grandson, Bret, who harvested his first pintails.  She said he has killed more deer and ducks than most men.  He loves it!  His Dad, Franz, took him hunting on January 23rd at a duck camp in the MS Delta.  Here is Bret with his mighty ducks in our great wild outdoors!  My congrats to Bret, a true sportsman!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Well, today is my birthday and I'm so thankful that I have lived this long and been blessed with dear family and friends.  Though it all, I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would be a lady deer hunter one day.  The picture above was taken when I was around 18 years old.  It's one of my prom gowns and I also wore it during a Civil War re-enactment play called, Gunboats Around The Bend for the Playhouse.  The ball took place in a historical home called, The Balfour House (circa 1830), which is one of Vicksburg's most historical houses. Home to Emma Balfour, Civil War diarist during the siege of Vicksburg, and later Union Headquarters for Gen. James McPherson and the Union forces. It was the site of a famous Christmas Ball when a messenger came to the house and reported approaching gunboats. The General announced that "This ball is at an end " because the enemy was coming down the river.  I wore a big hoop skirt under my gown with my hair pulled back with a wig of curls.  I really enjoyed going from town to town performing on stage, dancing and meeting a lot of nice people.  Sure is fun to go back and reminisce.  I'm looking forward to spending my special day with Bob and family.

Evening Hunt at Jasper Bottom

For the evening hunt Allen (President) let me take his 4-wheeler into the woods to hunt.  Ethan climbed on board and I dropped him off at F-6 again.  I went down to F-1 to hunt.  This particular stand belonged to the Past President of Jasper Bottom (Allen's Father) who died about three months ago.  This was a sad day to hunt for Allen who also lost his sister, Rhonda, this past Saturday week of natural causes in her early fifties.  Rhonda and his other sister, Judy, both had stands at Jasper Bottom and I used to hunt in them.  Also, Allen's mother, Margie, became my mentor because she was the first lady hunter that I had ever met.  She always wore an orange weatherproof hat and I had to have one just like hers!  She is now in failing health.  Back to the hunt...about 4:45 I saw a doe eating to the left of my stand and all of a sudden two appeared and they began fighting over what they were eating.  Then the first one stepped out into the road and was very small.  The other one soon came out.  I was able to take some pictures but did not have it steadied and the pictures came out blurry.  We could not shoot a doe because with only 400 acres, Allen said that we had met our quota.  Ethan told me he only heard and saw one running through the woods.  We were lucky to see any deer at all especially with the flooding at the camp.  I would imagine the water is pushing them back over onto Mill Pond and Homewood Hunting Clubs.  All and all Ethan and I really enjoyed being in the woods with nature in our great outdoors.

      

To my left side of stand - deer came out from the right.

To the right of my stand.

Morning Hunt at Jasper Bottom

Richard Lack took this picture of Ethan and I together Saturday before our hunt.  He told us that Sammy had shot an 8 point buck around 7:00 that morning but it ran off in the overflow of the Big Black River that has caused part of our hunting ground to go under water from the recents rains. Two of the hunters had to leave the camp to retrieve a boat to find the 8 pt.  Thankfully, it was found and had laid up on part of a higher ground.

Picture of Ethan walking into the woods to hunt with me.  I put him on F6 and I went to F5.  F6 is a newer stand that was built for this season and is the same one I shot my doe off of at 200 yards.  We stayed on our stands until 1:30 and came out.  We jumped a deer going in and I jumped one going to my stand.  It was a beautiful morning to hunt.  We did not see anything but enjoyed being in the woods with nature.

 Ethan in his stand F-6.

My stand up against a levee wall.

To to right and left of my stand.

On The Way To Camp

Had all the intentions of getting to the deer camp before daylight but as you can see...it did not work out.  I enjoy taking pictures of the courtryside and of cows, so I took the chance while I had it.  Could not believe all the buzzards and crows that Ethan and I saw.  Also, a lot of cows on both sides of the road to camp.  There was a time when Bob (my husband) belonged to Homewood Hunting Club and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of cows while going through a cow pasture to get to the camps main gate.  So now, I have to stop and take the opportunity when it presents itself.  I talked to a cattle rancher a few months ago and he did tell me that each one has it's own personality and I agree.  I have never lived in the country but for some reason I enjoy taking pictures of cows...and according to someone I know, it's all about cow blogging! Tomorow I will write about our hunt in the great wild outdoors!

Grandson Hunting Today

Taking my grandson, Ethan, hunting this morning with me.  He will use my .270 since he is still considered a youth.  Next year he will have to buy a license to hunt here in Mississippi.  I hope Ethan will get a deer and if he does, it will be his first. 

Goodhunting Ethan !  :) 

A Dancing Turkey Huntress

I met this very nice lady back in November 2009 when she came to the Senior Center to teach dancing lessons.  We have been without a dancing instructor for almost a year and half now.  Her husband took a job here from DC with the Corps of Engineers and to meet new people, she volunteered her time to teach us.  Her name is Sharon and found out through our conversations that she had harvested a turkey.  Of course, we started talking turkey like crazy and told her that I would love to hear stories of her hunting adventures and I would like to post it on my blog.  We have become good friends now and will be taking her to my camp for a spring turkey hunt which will begin in March through May.  Below in her own words is how she harvested her first turkey... 

This was my last hunt for the season. I had already told David (cousin) I wished him luck for the last week because I had to go back to Virginia. And because we just hate to quit, he said,"let's go check one more place". Sure enough we sneaked up on two gobblers and three females hanging out in a nice level area shaped like a bowl on top of a little ridge. We eased around until we could get in a good position. He led us to a spot behind some big rocks. I had my Remington 837- 20 gauge. At the last minute he said, "here, use my 12 gauge". So I did and I got my first turkey. David was so excited, he took off running, yelling, "You got 'im!"

I was shaking and speechless and could not stop grinning. I probably would have gotten him with my 20 gauge but I think he so wanted me to get a turkey he didn't want to take even the littlest chance that I would miss my chance. He is awesome, my cousin, David.

 I didn't get a bird in 09, but I had a lot of fun. I went by myself several times. I called one in by myself. I had to shoot a coyote that got in the way. I came up on a roost, awesome. I got to watch two gobblers do that ritual down the side of a hill that I've only seen on NWTF Christmas cards. OH, and I got me a 12 gauge.

Thanks for letting me share this with you, I am so looking forward to this season. I just love to get out in the woods. It is always an adventure!

 

Turkeys in Sharon's backyard nestled in the woods in hills of TN.

Sharon with her proud cousin David.

Snowmobile Trail Closed

This snowmobile trail near Candle Lake was closed due to a TRAFFIC  JAM!  ;)  - (Note two men standing on top of hill)  

Happy 44th Birthday Kathy

I'm wishing my daughter Kathleen Love Day, "Kathy," a very Happy Birthday today.  Kathy is the only one of my daughters that loves to deer hunt.  I am so proud of her and her life accomplishments.  This picture of Kathy was taken several years ago in our backyard.  Wishing her many happy returns of the day and God's Blessings!  I love you very much, Mom.  :)

Swamp Scenes

I love taking picture of swamps and this particular one is located on our way home from visiting Rex and his family/friends at the famous Christmas Place near Yazoo City.  I always try to stop and take some pictures for my blogging friend, Big Al, who lives across the MS River in Louisiana from me and writes a blog called, My Dismal Swamp.  The swamp pictures for me is like the icing on the cake from spending a great time either hunting, fishing or visiting our dear friends in the MS Delta at their camp.

Game Warden Stand Hunt

For my afternoon deer/hog hunt at the famous Christmas Place, Rex with Bob, drove me over to the Game Warden Stand.  The rain had already started as I crossed the field to get in my stand.  Rex took Bob over to the North Cornfield Stand across the road and down to my right.  Around 5:00 I heard a shot coming from Bob's way and he told us later that he had shot at a hog and missed.  I was facing a wildlife refuge and a deer/hog never came out in the field that I was hunting but did on the refuge.  Deer started coming out about 4:45 and it was pouring down raining.  After my hunt, I got down from my the stand and started walking out towards the road when I spotted 7 deer looking at me for about 10 seconds to my left, no more than 50 yards away and then they took off.  I heard another shot from Bob's direction and told Rex and Tony when they came to pick me up.  We hurried over to the stand and Bob was standing in the rain with his flashlight at the spot where he had shot.  He said he had already packed up his hunting gear and had taken out the bullets in his gun and was ready to climb down when another deer came out.  He reloaded and shot.  See the story of Bob's hunt and what he saw.  My congrats to Bob in harvesting a deer in our great outdoors.   

A nice size hog wallow to my left.

A pretty scene looking out the stand window to my right.

Deer walking out on the refuge.

Elbow Stand Hunt

Rex and I hunted the Elbow Stand at his famous Christmas Place early Saturday morning in hopes of blasting a hog or a deer.  No hogs came out but we saw our first deer at a point by the tree in front of us and later eight deer came down through the center of this huge field.  It was too far away to make a clean shot and a buck was also seen following the does.  We glassed the deer and I did not think at the time of taking a picture.  I was hoping for more deer to appear but that was it and we got down from the two-man stand around 9:00 to head back to camp.  This stand was on a huge oak tree with a running creekbed behind us, which was a nice sound effect.  We were really lucky to get this hunt in before the rain settled in for the remainder of the day/night.  As we were walking back to the 4-wheeler, Rex pointed out a deer rub and I stopped to take a picture of it.  This was a huge soybean field and a great source of food for the deer and hogs.  Again, it was so nice to share another memorable hunt together in our great outdoors.  Charming, Just Charming!

Youngsters On The Hunt

Siblings Max and McKenzie Carlise have had a busy season.  Max, 7, below, bagged a 7-point buck for his first deer while hunting in Warren County on December 20 with his father and family and family friend David Smith.  McKenzie 12, above, took down a 10-pointer that scored 131 points while hunting in Warren County.  Max and McKenzie are the children of Brad and Misty Carlisle.

Caroline Williams, 12, bagged her first deer, an 8-point, 190-pound buck in south Warren County.  The deer had a 15 1/2-inch spread.  Caroline is the daughter of Chad and Wilda Williams of Vicksburg.

Madison Kendall, 11, shot this 8-pointer while hunting with her father, Tom Kendall, in Hinds County.  It was her first deer, and she took it down with a .44 Magnum rifle.

Matthew Newcomb bagged this 6-point buck with his bow on December 8 in the Bovina area.  It has a broken antler and was his second deer of the season.  He also killed a 110 pound doe the previous weekend in Issaquena County.

Joseph Ertle, 8, killed his first deer, this 225-pound 8-pointer with a 17-1/4 inch inside spread, on November 14.  He was hunting with his grandfather, Charles Ertle, in Yazoo County.  My congrats to all our young hunters in our great wild outdoors!