Taking A Break

This is such a heartwarming video!

I will be back later my blogging friends!  Have a Blessed day!

Tucker's Very First Fish

This is a great photo of, Tucker Lee, who just caught his very first fish. Picture was taken by his mother, Amber Gilbert.  Looks like he may be a fisherman for life.  Good catch Tucker!  Proud of you!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today, I turned 73 years old and grateful and blessed that I have lived this long. Looking forward to my next birthday.

My daughter, Kathy, gave me a Birthday cake to enjoy and she also took me out to eat a steak supper!  I heard from all my daughters and I really had a wonderful day!

Guest Posts - Do You Hunt for the Trophy?

I was contacted recently by Blake Anderson of Huntertreestands.com to do a guest post article on my blog. I always welcome a guest and I'm delighted to share his post with you today.  Thanks so much Blake!
  

Do you Hunt for the Trophy?

Every hunter has their own unique style in hunting and some years a hunter may go for that trophy buck to hang on his wall while the next year leaves the bucks alone bagging a doe instead. What ever your hunting style is you already know about hunter safety and the buddy system.

Hunting is individual for each and every hunter.  I know that many times I have sat in my tree stand and let the big bucks just pass me by as I watch them, counting their points and thinking quietly of the big old bucks’ life and history of his escaping ending up on someone’s dinner table.

I have watched some magnificent bucks come into range and just haven’t had the heart to shoot them since with their agility and knowledge is old as they have survived many hunting seasons.  These old bucks just amaze me and deserve to live a long life as they are so elusive.

There is always another deer that will follow behind, as when you see one there is one not too far behind the other.  Patience is a virtue for hunters and hunters have patience and must have patience to sit out in the cold for hours at a time barely moving.  The thrill of being in your tree stand waiting, watching and listening to the woods around you is relaxing and peaceful.  Nothing compares to sitting in your tree stand and waiting until your deer walks into view, the perfect view where you can take aim, keeping your breath slow and taking your shot.

Dad always taught me one shot one kill, and trust me, you had better stick to his program when hunting.  We would agree to disagree prior to climbing our tree stand and setting up.  Whose turn was it to take the trophy was always determined by the flip of the coin.  However, more years than not we would leave the old bucks alone and watch them as they walked beneath us to hopefully live another year.

Unless we were in a hunting competition for the largest buck we would generally leave them be.  There is nothing like watching one of these magnificent old ‘men’ of the forest with a 10 or 12 point rack and wonder how many fights he has won to breed the next year of does.

I would rather bag a doe or yearling any day for the sweet tender meat than taking short the life of an old buck that could sit with you for hours around a fire pit and tell you stories of survival. Maybe I am showing my age in telling this as when a hunter is young and starting out it is always the trophy that young hunters want to go for. 

Trophy or not, sitting silently in the trees watching and listening is a special way to become one with nature.  Hunters hunt for meat to feed their families as it should be and waiting for your dinner to walk by and get into your sights can take hours.  However, in the end when you bring that deer home you know you have provided some healthy food to place on your table. 

Reagan's Sheds

This cute little shed hunter is Reagan Pickard who lives in Oregon and her Dad's helper.  Brian Pickard, is my friend on Facebook and took these adorable pictures of his daughter.  Looks like she is well on her way growing up to be a hunter in our great wild outdoors.  

So cute!

Vicksburg Youth On The Hunt

Vicksburg's Tanner Hornback, 8, made his first deer a memorable one.  The big 10-point buck scored 160 points, weighed 247 pounds and had an inside spread of 18-1/2 inches. Tanner took the buck with an 85-yard shot at Belle Island Hunting Club in November.  He was hunting with his mother, Paula Hornback.

Vicksburg resident Jon Cade Easterling, 10, killed his first deer on January 20 while hunting private land in Warren County with his uncle Stanley Myers and cousin Chelsea Myers.  He shot the 140-pound doe with an Encore 7mm-08 rifle from a distance of 125 yards.  Jon Cade is the son of Andrea McMillin of Vicksburg and the late Jon Timothy Easterling of Columbia.

Malachi Cox, 6, shot this 200-pound, 11-point buck while hunting on his family's land and in Hinds County on January 20.  He took the deer with a perfect 60-yard shot with his Ruger 7.62x39 bolt action rifle.  Malachi is the son of Richard and Kelly Cox.

My congrats to all three young boys in our great wild and crazy outdoors.  Proud of all of you!

Excuse Me Deer!

Did you know?....

First Deer Ever

Above is Johnathan Pressnell and this is his very first deer ever!  My congrats to Johnathan in our great outdoors.  I'm so proud of you young man!  

Happy 48th Birthday Kathy!

Forty-eight years ago today I gave birth to my second daughter, Kathleen Love (Boyd) Day.  She has been the most sweetest, caring and thoughtful daughter and I want to wish her a very Happy Birthday and many more to come. 

Kathy is also a hunter out of all four of my daughters and we enjoy hunting together in our great wild outdoors.  

I love you very much Kathy and hope you have had a happy B'day!

Colton's Hunting Story

Colton Fultz wrote - "Hello guys..I'm Colton I'm from Central Pennsylvania and I have a story that just might touch your heart and I want to know if you'll share my story and picture.  

Okay, well it was December 2nd 2012 opening morning of the two week rifle season here in Pennsylvania.  Me and my father were hunting a property that we had never hunted before and we actually went to this property the day before the hunt and cleaned out the stands we were going to hunt in! My dad was hunting in a stand that was just an old box stand looking down into the pines.  I was hunting a stand 200 yards away over looking the mountain side. Well that morning we got out of the truck and I was gearing up grabbing my gun getting ready to go and I saw my dad looking into the night sky. I heard him say "Ronny if me and my son are gonna kill a buck this year please let it be today. Not to mention my dads brother was killed in a car accident at the age of 16 and my pap passed away to heart failure years later. Well, I got into my stand and my dad walked to his stand and he called me on the radio and said he made it to his stand it was game time. Well..it was 7:02 right at break of daylight.  I was kinda dozing off when I heard a shot go off. I knew it was my dad! I called him on my 2 way radio asking him if he got him! He said back that he just shot a small 6 point. So, I was really really excited and I got out of my stand and ran to my dads tree stand and we went down to where the deer was standing and their was no blood,  no hair, NOTHING! I was upset my dad hadn't shot a deer in 10 years! And I really thought he had finally got it done. It was snowing so bad that day and my muck boot had flipped up snow when i walked in and in that snow I seen a spot of blood and my dad had hit that buck! Maybe he had hit him!! So I walked out the mountain and he walked up the mountain.  I walked maybe 40 yards and what did I see laying off in the distance? A buck!! He got him! I ran up and what I saw made me drop to my knees and yell for my dad! A MONSTER 10 point buck! My dad had shot a monster ten point buck! In all my years of hunting with my old man I had never seen him get so excited! I saw the tears began to run down his face! He said "I thought he was just a little 6 pointer - I seen nothing but 3 points on each side" We knew that my pap and my uncle Ronny had blessed us with this harvest! Thanks to everyone who read my story!  Colton

Hooked For Life

Meet Katlyn Bayer with her very first deer on her very first hunt. She did pretty well don't you think?  My congrats to Katlyn in our great outdoors!  She is now hooked for life!

Camouflage

It's amazing how nature and beings camouflage themselves. Do you see what I see?

January 14th Pix @ Navy Circle

The name was blurry off of this M/V that was headed to the bend in the MS River @ Vicksburg, MS.

A pulled-out view of the M/V with a large load of empty containers.

On top of the hill above me a photo shoot was taking place.

Took a picture of the U. S. Flag on top of the old HWY 80 bridge @ Vicksburg, MS.

It was a very sunny day for the photo shoot.

As the M/V heads for the bend, M/V Amelia R. Settoon heads south under the bridges @ Vicksburg.

M/V Amelia R. Settoon.

Almost under the bridges @ Vicksburg, MS.

A back pose of the lady in the photo shoot.

She looks very pleased with the results.  She may be a contestant in the Miss Mississippi Pageant.  I did see her crown but she did not have it on in the pictures I took.  

The M/V makes it's way turning in the bend of the MS River @ Vicksburg with Ameristar Casino in the foreground.

Jayne's Nice Buck and Wild Boar

My new Facebook friend, Jayne Spears Nolan, harvested this nice buck last month.  She said he stepped out in her green patch and that was the last step he made.  She brought it down with a 45.70 on private land close to the Pearl River swamp. Jayne said that she has been hunting for the past 20 years now.  

A closeup of her nice buck in the pickup truck!

You go Janye!  That is a very nice sized wild boar and some good eating for you and your family.  My congrats on both, your buck and wild boar, in our great wild and awesome outdoors!  Thumbs up girl!

Anna's First Buck

Above is Anna Hokamps with her very first deer in our great outdoors!  My congrats and I know that this is the start of a lifelong adventure for her.  Way to go Anna!  So proud of you!

Mike's 8-pt. Swamp Buck

My Facebook friend, Mike Snow, harvested a very nice swamp buck recently.  He said that the deer had been monitored by camera for the past three years and two years ago the buck had a lot more mass.  It had a 19-1/2 inch spread and was the first time he had ever seen him in daylight hours and the last!  His ruff score was 130. The buck was 6 years of age and said this is a good deer in his area where he hunts the Pearl River swamp in Neshoba County. He used his 45-70 H&R long barrel with a Nikon scope (3-1/3 by 10 by 50) to bring him down.

My congrats to Mike on a fine 8 point swamp buck taken in our great wild outdoors!

In Memory

Marion "Buster" Edward Love, Jr.

January 14, 1945 ~ October 31, 2010

In memory of my only brother who would have been 69 years old today!  He is sadly missed by his entire family.  We know that you are in God's hands and one day we will all meet again.  Love you so much my dear brother!  

A Nice Wide Louisiana Buck!

This proud hunter is all smiles after harvesting this awesome buck in Louisiana near the Mississippi River this past weekend.  It was 22-1/4 inches wide and weighed in at 220.  My congrats on getting this monster wide buck in our great wild outdoor!  

Oh, Rats

A Nutria is a very large rodent that looks like a beaver with a rat-like tail.  They live underground as shown here near a lagoon in Louisiana where I was visiting family during the Christmas holidays.  While I was there I was able to take some pictures of this animal in their backyard.  They also have geese, white ducks, mallard ducks and turkey ducks near the lagoon.  When they feed the ducks the nutria comes out to eat as well. They told me I should have brought my rife to kill them because they are a nuisance to the neighborhood.

The nutria, a web-footed animal with shaggy, brown outer fur and large, orange teeth, is originally from South America.  The swamp creature was brought to the US in the early 19th century and farmed for its fur. As fur declined in popularity over the next century, many farms were shut down.  Some animals were released into the wild by their owners, others are believed to have escaped.        

Another hole found in the backyard near this broken pottery.

The nutria is an invasive species in Louisiana.  The state's beloved swampland is literally vanishing at the hands of the gigantic twenty pounds of swamp rats.  It is a cross between a beaver and a New York sewer rat.  They devour the plants needed to hold down the soil, and with some 5 million of them now inhabiting Louisiana's southern coast, they're contributing to a rate of soil erosion pegged at 40 square miles a year.  

Check out his orange teeth!

It jumped into the lagoon to come around to get some food.

Here's looking at you ratty!

Twyla's First Alabama Buck

A very unusual pose with a deer and wanted to share it with you.  This is Twyla Wheeler's first Alabama buck and she works for Spur Chaser TV.  My congrats on her harvest in our great outdoors!  PS:  At last report about an hour ago she had buck number 2 on the ground in Alabama!  

This just in - monster buck number 2!  Congrats again Twyla!

Jonathan's First Buck

Look at this great smile on Jonathan's face with his very first buck! It will be a day he will always remember as long as he lives!  My congrats to him on his awesome buck in our great wild outdoors.  Way to go young man!

Holiday Deer Rescue

A great video of three helpless/stranded deer that was pulled off of Albert Lea Lake on December 3, 2013, by MedCity Hovercraft in our great wild and crazy outdoors!

Hovercraft on Facebook 

Oh No!!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

A Cam Hit List

On hit list next year!

Closer and looking head on!