Playing Tag!

Shed Hunting With Dogs

Tom Dokken and his dog Rookie pursue whitetail antler sheds on this simulated antler shed hunt. The scenario is the final stage of training for a shed hunting dog.  The idea is to build confidence in the dog by guaranteeing success.  Want to know more about hunting sheds with dogs?  This video is an excerpt from the new DVD Shed Dog Training. Check out ShedDogTrainer.com to order the full DVD.

Hunting Isn't...

Absolutely!

Dogwoods @ Old Court House Museum

This afternoon I drove by the Old Court House Museum to see the dogwoods in bloom and took a few pictures to share.  It's always a pretty site to see in my hometown of Vicksburg, MS, every Spring.

On the right side of the building.

On the backside.

On the left side. 

Facebook

Turkey Tragedy

410 Misfire

Mike's Long Ways Off Turkey

My long time CamoSpace friend and now Facebook friend, Mike Johnson, called in a nice gobbler and dusted him with his 12 gauge 870 Remington using a 3" mag Remington express, 5 shot turkey load. He got his turkey back on May 15, 2010.  He said it was the first turkey that he actually called in from a long ways off (like 300 yards) all on his own running and gunning way out in a big swamp woods.  He actually was about half lost when he called him in and shot him and had to figure out how the heck to get back out based on listening to noise from the highway that he knew was about a mile east of him.  What an adventure in our great wild outdoors for Mike!  A turkey hunt he will always remember. 

A Great Quote

So very true!

Ponies Chasing A Boar!

A couple happened to be filming while standing near a road when all of a sudden a wild boar comes running and ends up coming towards them.  Watch the ponies get after the boar chasing it away. What a scare this must have been for these two in our great wild and crazy outdoors!  

A Turkey Silhouette

My Facebook and blogging friend, Kevin Paulson, took this neat picture of a turkey hen hanging out in his backyard and the neighbors backyard yesterday.  It is really a neat shot!  Kevin lives in Lincoln, NE, and is CEO and Founder of HuntingLife.com. I met Kevin when he lived in Virginia while visiting my youngest daughter.  It was great to meet another blogger who is now a professional hunter. Kevin also has a Facebook HuntingLife.com site as well.  I wanted to share this cool picture he took in our great wild outdoors! 

The Best Turkey Decoy

Bruce Evans was turkey hunting about a year ago when this hen showed up when he made a call.  The turkey thinks he's another hen and follows him through the woods approximately 4 miles. Sometimes it's incredible what can happen in the woods.  He said he thought about putting a leash on her! This is our crazy and wild outdoors!

I think she really wants to go home with him!  (7 Parts)

Youth On The Hunt

Recently when some baseball games were cancelled one father took a chance to share opening day of turkey season with his boys.  Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent Chad Shealy shared his sons opening day accomplishment.  

Grayson and Mayson Shealy have played baseball since they were 3-years old and began travel ball at six. Inevitably Saturday mornings during turkey season always seemed to be occupied with a tournament.  Due to so much rain their previously scheduled baseball outing to Hattiesburg was cancelled.  So Chad jumped on the opportunity to take the boys on their first opening day ever.  

"During the early morning hours everything began to fall in place.  We set up in just the right spot, with five gobblers that liked what my call was saying.  They marched in at 30 yards and posed for an instant.  Then on the count of three, both boys landed their first turkeys and I had my best hunt ever, Chad said."

Congratulations to Gayson and Mayson for getting their first turkeys in our great wild outdoors!

Gobble Gobble

Head-On Deer Crash

While riding his long-board down a long, curving road in the Ozarks for a Fayettechill Clothing Company promotional film shoot, Jared Henry struck a deer head-on.  The impact resulted in him sliding on the pavement on his stomach at 40 mph and the deer somersaulting to the side of the road.

According to information posted with the video, Henry had put on his Local Dave button-down before starting the ride.  That item of clothing is being credited with saving the skin on his belly.

After the crash, Henry managed to gather his composure, jump back on the board and completed two more runs for the film.

If you take a closer look you can see another deer running across the road before the second deer got hit by the boarder in a curve.  No word on the condition of the deer, but from the looks of the video, it took a pretty hard hit. Being a smaller deer it made not have been as lucky as Jared was in our wild outdoors.

Down The Calming Stream

(Click on picture to enlarge)

With a degree in graphic design management, Alan Giana started his own illustration and design company in the early 1990's with is wife Pamela.  His creations have appeared on book covers, magazines and diverse products, earning him numerous awards and a place in galleries and shows across the country, including the Delaware Art Museum.  Alan's love of nature and the sea have always been a big part of his life.  His appreciation for the beauty that surrounds us, even in our own backyards, plays an important part in creating the inspiring artwork he is known for today.  

Love the deer, butterflies, birds, little squirrel on a tree limb, the calming stream and the beautiful flowers really brings it to life.

Fanning A Globber

Watch as Realtree's Phillip Culpepper films Perry Ross belly-crawling and fanning a big Alabama gobbler.  So close, he could have possibly reached out and grabbed him bare handed in our great wild outdoors!

Wild Game Nutritional Guide

Wild game is delicious and it is good for you.  You already know that but here are numbers to prove it.

With all the health food crazes going on all around you, you should know how many calories your wild game provides as well.

Know where your food comes from is covered with hunting and fishing.  But take it a step further and know the nutritional value of what you are eating.  

Now you can feel even happier and healthier when cooking your quarry.

How to Be Your Own Butcher.

Know When Your Meat is Done with the Hand Test

Courtesy of Wide Open Spaces

First Bird of The Season

John Bowen of Bay Springs, Mississippi is showing off his very first bird of the season.  I really like the way it is presented and it's a great looking bird.  My sincere congrats to John in our great wild outdoors!

Deer Hung Up

Daniel Barnes of Louisiana helps a young buck from a neighbors fence. The deer's leg was wedged between the wooden slates.  A great save by Daniel in our wild and sometimes crazy outdoors!

Ronnie's First Turkey

C. MO's Kids is a not-for-profit organization providing special needs children the opportunity to hunt, fish, camp, and enjoy outdoor adventures.  With a host of volunteers, they assist each candidate in Hunter's Safety and provide a fun and exciting outdoor experience.  

Ronnie just had that opportunity and got his very first turkey.  I'm so very proud of him in our great wild outdoors!  Way to go, Ronnie!  

C. MO's Kids on FACEBOOK

Getting You Ready For Turkey Season

Real Outdoors TV host Matt Wettish gets the invite from pro staffer Seth Bogdan to come hunt one of his hot spots during the early part of the Connecticut turkey season.  Knowing that there were multiple birds there and competition was high, the decision to use a Pretty Boy decoy paid off...big time!!!!

Turkey Season Starts Saturday

Louisiana hunters heading over to their leases in neighboring Mississippi to target turkeys this spring will likely see a lot of birds but that doesn't mean they'll necessarily be pulling the trigger.

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says there won't be many full-grown birds around this year.

In a news release, the department said the 2013 hatch was poor and Jake observations during the 2014 season were near record lows. State regulations require any turkey taken by an adult to have a beard measuring at least 6 inches in length.  Youth hunters 15 and under are exempt from that requirement. Mississippi's spring turkey season runs March 14-May 1.

Camelflage

Queen of the Mississippi In Town Today

Zoomed in and got the Captain taking a much needed break.  

The Queen of the Mississippi came to town today!

Queen of the Mississippi through the bare trees.

A little bird sitting on a branch in the Catfish Row Children's Art Park near the beautiful riverfront murals. The Queen of the Mississippi peaking out over the flood wall this afternoon on a rainy and cloudy day.

Thunderhoof''s B'Day Shed

Today is my mentor and hunting friend, Rex Howell's birthday and he turns 57 years old.  I found a shed off of Thunderhoof who is this real and magical deer at the famous Christmas Place Plantation and Hunting Club on the edge of the MS Delta.  I thought I would give this to Rex for his birthday since Thunderhoof is so hard to find while hunting in our great wild outdoors.  If you would, go over and wish him a very Happy Birthday on his hunting blog called, Deer Camp Blog!

Hunting Pills

A pill for everything!

Crabapple Drunk

This squirrel ate some fermented crabapples and what happens next is so hilarious in our great wild and crazy outdoors!  

Gumbo Recipe - The River Rat Way

Here is the complete recipe for the gumbo that I posted here on March 3rd. I have had numerous requests for it and the cook Sherry Couey Grant was very excited for me to share it with everyone.

Wild hog, deer, sausage and duck is in this gumbo that you see. Chicken can be added or other meat that you like.  Boil the meat and use the broth from that and add the homemade roux or buy the gumbo mix roux. Sherry has used both and you can't tell the difference. Add a can of Rotel and jar/can of whole tomatoes. Add the kernel corn and as much okra as you like. The more the better and you let it cook for at least a hour. The longer the better!!  You can also add Creole seasoning for the Cajun heat and serve over rice and enjoy!

Pig Sounds!

My 180 lb. sow that I shot on January 17, 2015.  Their were about 12 pigs in a big opened field and shot this one in the head and then shot a smaller pig. Took to a processor and had smoked sausage, pork chops and cutlets made from it.  I'm so proud of my very first hog in our great wild outdoors!

The Queen Is Back In Town

Today the grand American Queen came to my hometown of Vicksburg, MS, for a visit and will be coming back every Wednesday for a couple of months which will be great for our tourism.  

The view overlooking the Catfish Row Children's Art Park. 

As I walked down to the waterfront I saw a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers towboat pushing a boat passing the American Queen and headed for the MS River.

Up-close picture of the American Queen.

Had to get near the Exit to the waterfront to get this picture with my cell-phone.  It is a majestic steamboat!

Cropped picture above. 

The River Rat Way

Wild hog, deer, sausage, rabbit and duck gumbo it's what's for supper the river rat way said my new Facebook friend, Sherry Couey Grant, of Rosedale, Mississippi. I'm sure she will have some rice and a pan of cornbread to go with it and just maybe an apple pie for dessert.  What a delicious looking meal that came from our great wild outdoors!

Best Doe Kill Video

Squirrel Hunting Pix

This was my first time to hunt at the Delta National Forest and my very first squirrel hunt. We had to go to a check-in station to sign in and to let the MDWFP know what we were hunting. While walking into the woods from the road I came across a deer skull and also saw some trees that still had some snow at the base of the trunks.  

Trying to find a squirrel to shoot.

Had help with two American Treeing Feist dogs named Bear (puppy) and Boots (Mama) trying to get a scent on a squirrel. 

First of many trees that the dogs were treeing.  

Bear being a puppy was trying to get on a scent.  

Sun trying to come out on a cloudy but mild afternoon!

Saw this old rotten tree stump with a lot of holes in it.  

An interesting log laying on the ground.

Found a scrape with a deer hoof print.

Above the scrape was some broken-off limbs.  

A slough.

Swamp meandering through the woods.

Trying to make some noise, anything to get them to come out, but had no luck.  While walking out I came across another deer skull.  After checking out it was really nice to get back in the woods once again and experience the great wild outdoors!