Thursday, March 31, 2016

Eddie Joe's Prized Possession


Eddie Joe Jackson of Bassfield, Mississippi, shot a turkey over the weekend and said that this old gun belonged to his granddaddy, Charles Jackson.  He was making turkeys do the flop way before he was even thought of.  He killed his first turkey with it and his paw paw was right by his side.  Here it is 30 some odd years later and can still make it do the dance and taking every step with him, he said.

My congrats to Eddie Joe on his turkey harvest in our great wild outdoors!

Little family members sharing the excitement with him!

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Hunter Shot While Turkey Hunting

A hunter has been released from the hospital after being shot in the face by his hunting partner in Carroll County.

Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks" Lt. Chris Reed said the incident happened last Friday morning.

Reed says 63-year old Curtis Entrekin and 69-year-old-Charles Childs were hunting turkeys together but had separated at some point during the morning.

Officials say Childs was returning to the area where the two men parted when he was shot.  Reed says it appears to be a case of a hunter mistaking another for game.

Reed says Childs was taken to a hospital, where he had 26 pellets removed from his face and neck area.

A golden rule in firearm safety is to identify your target beyond all doubt.

National Wild Turkey Federation's hunter safety expert, Tom Hughes, has a strategy to prevent him from failing to identify his target.  He calls it "ironclad identification."

"You have to insist on ironclad identification," he said.  "It's not enough to see the red of a turkey's head; you've got to see its eyes, beak and beard."  In other words, look for several details specific to that animal.

Unlike other hunting accidents, failing to identify your target is not preventable by a piece of gear, but by a safety mindset that has been forged by habit.

Rules for Gun Safety
  • Keep your gun pointed in a safe direction.
  • Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
  • Identify your target and what is beyond it.
  • Keep your gun unloaded until you’re ready to use it.
Scenario 1
While turkey hunting, you see another hunter walking by. What you do next is important for both of your safety. The best course of action is to stay still. Then get their attention by saying “I’m over here!” Say it in a clear, loud voice. Don’t worry about messing up your hunt. It’s best to announce your presence and both of you move to different locations.

Scenario 2
You see turkeys as you walk through the woods. Could this be your lucky day? Not likely. Turkeys have strong senses, and they would have seen and heard you long before you could catch sight of them. They are probably decoys. First, use ironclad identification. Are the turkeys moving? Are they standing still? Seeing they are decoys, what do you do next? Announce yourself in a clear, loud voice.

Be safe and enjoy the hunt.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Covering Turkey Tracks


Conservation officers say a Louisiana man killed a turkey out of season in Louisiana and attempted to cover his tracks with Mississippi's turkey season.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Joshua Seal, 24, of Angie, La., was cited on March 23 for alleged turkey hunting violations in Washington Parish. LDWF said the citation came after a joint investigation involving Louisiana officers and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
MDWFP agents notified LDWF that Seal was suspected of illegal hunting in Mississippi and Louisiana. LDWF agents conducted an investigation and according to their report, found that Seal had killed a turkey on March 19 on private land near Angie where he did not have permission to hunt. Louisiana's turkey season did not open until March 26.
LDWF's report indicated that Seal then took the bird into Mississippi, where turkey season was open, in an effort to make it appear the bird was legally harvested. He was discovered by MDWFP officers.
Seal was charged with criminal trespassing, taking a turkey during a closed season and failing to comply with turkey tagging regulations. Killing a turkey out of season carries a $900 - $950 fine and up to 120 days in jail. Criminal trespassing carries a $100 - $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail. Seal may also face civil restitution of $1,539 for the replacement value of the illegally taken turkey.
By Brian Bloom ~ The Clarion-Ledger

Monday, March 28, 2016

Jay's First Turkey

Jay Walker got his first turkey yesterday with the help of a friend calling it in.  He said it was his third time to try and kill a turkey and it was the charm!  Jay resides in Jackson, Mississippi.  


His turkey had a double beard, 9 inches and 3 inches with 1 inch spurs. 

My congrats to Jay in our great wild outdoors on an Easter Sunday.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Ashton Got It Done!


Ashton Miley of Crossroads, MS, got it done on video this morning with his pawpaw. It don't get any better than this!  He had the opportunity to kill quite a few birds in his years with this man, but this was one of the most special hunts and feels super blessed.  

What a nice looking turkey and you can see how proud he is to share it with his pawpaw and a great memory he will have the rest of his life.  My congrats! 

Friday, March 25, 2016

Amber's 21 lb. Turkey

Amber Shavers Breland is shown with her turkey she got yesterday and could not be more excited.  She put a lot of hours in the woods and it finally paid off. She did it all by herself, she said. 

Amber hails from McHenry, Mississippi. 

I'm so proud of her and now she is a gobbler turkey slaying girl in our great wild outdoors.  

My congrats, Amber! 
   
With an 11-inch beard.



Twenty-one pounds of turkey!

Thursday, March 24, 2016

American Queen's Visit

Yesterday, the Majestic American Queen steamboat visited our historical city of Vicksburg, MS, from 8:00 to 5:00.  Every other visit she stays only half-a-day.  


I love to take pictures of the American Queen and this time I wanted to get one of her in-between the bridges.  I got real lucky!  At present the Mississippi River level is 42.24 feet and the flood stage is 43 feet.    


While at the Mississippi Welcome Center I was able to get the perfect shot.  I also took pictures of her going southbound headed to her next port-of-call, Natchez, MS.  


I was able to track her from the waterfront in the Yazoo River Diversion Canal on her way towards the mouth of the MS River to the bridges by way of an APP called, FINDSHIP.


While there I saw the headlights of a train making it's way across the old Hwy 80 bridge from Louisiana to Mississippi and took this picture.  The bridge is no longer used for vehicle traffic, but only train traffic.  Once a year we have a 5-mile run called, Over The River Run that the community can enjoy.

Norfolk Southern Locomotive No. 9975 getting ready to go through the tunnel eastbound. 

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Tore'em Up!

 
Devon Hilburn of Columbia, Mississippi, took his young son fishing for the very first time and he tore'em up! He said he stopped counting after 10 but the little fellow said he caught a hundred. What a great way for a father and son to spend quality time together and make great memories.  My congrats to this little guy in our wild outdoors!  Way to go!  

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

An Orphaned Bear Club Gets A Mother

An orphaned bear cub now has a feisty and loving foster mother.

The head of Louisiana's large carnivore program said Sunday that she was able to leave the cub with a new family in the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge.

"I was happy to get the cub back out in a wild nest where he belongs," Maria Davidson said in an email Sunday.

This is the time of year when Davidson checks on all female Louisiana black bears that have been fitted with radio collars.

The orphaned cub's mother was ailing when Davidson checked her May 8, and died May 9 -- the day before Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced that its subspecies had recovered enough to no longer need federal protection.

Mother bears with small cubs will readily adopt another, Davidson said.  This cub, small for his age, needed a foster family with cubs about his own size.

The family Davidson found happened to have an unusually protective mama.

Though Davidson often sedates the mother bears to give them a checkup and microchip the cubs, recent heavy rains left too many big puddles to make that feasible.

"She could drown in just a small puddle. (And, there were LOTS of puddles around)," Davidson wrote.

So she and another biologist were just micro-chipping the cubs and cutting a tuft of hair for DNA analysis. Except for this bear's babies.

Most of Louisiana black bear females will move off when people approach.  But when the biologist tried to microchip this female's cubs, the bear made several "bluff charges" to run them off.

"This female bear was in no mood to allow us to handle her babies or hang around!  So, we wisely gave her the space she needed," Davidson wrote.

They left the orphaned cub in the den, then watched from a safe distance.

Davidson says that within 30 minutes, the female had moved all three cubs to a new den.

"She's a good Mama," Davidson wrote.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Took 25 Years!


Josh Munn of Sumrall, Mississippi, said it took 25 years but he finally got his first turkey. It had a 9-3/4 inch beard and 3/4" spurs.  

I'm so happy for Josh because it takes time and determination and he finally got his turkey in our great wild outdoors.

My congrats, Josh!  #heatthegrease


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Lucky Pax!

Pax, son of Thomas Brewer of Bay Springs, MS, got a turkey this morning even though his big brother snuck off hunting without him. My congrats to this young boy in our great outdoors!  Way to go! 

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Turkey Busters!!!

Jason Pierce said that he would never again say the weather is too nasty to turkey hunt.  Double dipped today and got him a bird this afternoon to go along with his buddy's bird from this morning.  He said he was truly blessed by the man above to be able to harvest two beautiful animals!  When he and his best friend get together he said to just call them the Turkey Busters!  My congrats to the "turkey busters" in our great wild outdoors!  What a great day for both!  I really like his CAMO outfit.  Really cool looking!

Friday, March 18, 2016

Missing The Boat (American Queen)


I had planned to take some pictures of the Majestic American Queen today and knew she may possibly leave around 1:00.  As I came down the hills of my hometown of Vicksburg, MS to the waterfront, I noticed she had already turned around by her smokestacks and that she was headed out with the calliope playing. I knew I would not get a closeup today but got her leaving out towards the mouth of the Mississippi River while in the Yazoo Diversion Canal.  


By the time I got to the Diamond Jacks parking lot she was headed northbound and was able to zoom in and get this picture of her headed to Memphis. 



Published on Nov 19, 2012
One of the "riverlorians" of the American Queen steamboat is Travis C. Vasconcelos, who also plays the boat's calliope, located on the stern of the boat! Here he is caught in the act on Saturday evening, November 17, 2012 somewhere south of Vicksburg, Mississippi. His selections include "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" (1912), "Paramount On Parade" (1930) "Little Sir Echo" (1917). Vasconsuelos first assumed the position of calliopist aboard the steamer Belle of Louisville in 1981.In his 14 years with that boat he worked his way up from deckhand, narrator and later public spokesperson for the vessel. He has subsequently worked for the Mississippi Queen, the Delta Queen, and now the American Queen, the largest and most elegant steamboat ever built, currently traveling between St. Louis, Missouri and New Orleans, Louisiana. Writing articles on steamboats and giving talks about river history keep him busy.

I was lucky to find this video of the calliope playing on the American Queen going southbound under the bridges of my hometown. Hope you will enjoy watching it.   

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Two Days & Two Turkeys


Above Kent Saucier of Hattiesburg, MS, is showing off a big smile with his first turkey and feels blessed with two birds in two days. This is the best time of the year, he said!  

My congrats to Kent on two nice turkeys in our great wild outdoors! 

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Crocodile vs. Alligators

I saw this picture on Facebook recently and said that this crocodile was found in Vernon Parish, Louisiana in all the flooding.  This is really, really big!  Not sure if it was found this year or not.  

A picture of an alligator that had been spotted crossing over the dam due to recent flooding.  Put your livestock and animals up if possible. There are numerous reports of alligator reports of spotting in South East Texas and South west Louisiana.  

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Spring Turkey Season Opens Today in MS

It's time for Mississippians to get your calls and shotguns ready because today is opening day for the 2016 spring gobbler season which will end on May 1.   Younger hunters age 15 and under started a week before on March 8. Bag limits for the spring season is one adult gobbler or one gobbler with at least a six inch beard per day, not to exceed three per spring season.  Young hunters can harvest one gobbler of choice per day, not to exceed three per spring season.  Spring turkey season is closed in the following counties or parts thereof of Coahoma, Quitman and Sunflower.



Monday, March 14, 2016

A Son's Second Gobbler


Josh Adams is all smiles again this morning in Forest County, MS, that his son smoked another turkey and put on a show with a 9-inch beard and 1-inch spurs!  Oh, happy day and old happy dad!

My congrats again to a job well done for this young man in our great wild outdoors!  Priceless memories!

Sunday, March 13, 2016

A Son's First Gobbler

Josh Adams is shown here with his son after one great long day in Hattisburg, Mississippi.  He said they had a rough morning yesterday with a miss but his boy came through in the afternoon with his first gobbler!!! The gobbler weighed 20.2 lbs., 10-3/4 inch beard and 3/4-inch spurs.  He is one proud and pumped-up dad!
  
My congrats to this young man for a job well done in our great wild outdoors!  Indeed, a very nice bird!

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Turkey Luck!

Young Austin Doughty got lucky and killed a very nice turkey this morning in Mississippi.  My congrats to this young man who is doing everything right in our great wild outdoors.  Way to go!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Carley's Turkey!

Carl Holifield is so excited that his daughter Carley got a turkey this past Wednesday in near Laurel, Mississippi.  She is shown here with her turkey that had a 9-1/2 inch beard.  My congrats to Carley in our wild outdoors.  I'm so very happy for you!

Weighed 19 lbs. and 12 oz.

1-1/4 inch spurs.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

It's All About That Bass!


Karen Pickering got the biggest bass right here in Mississippi recently.  She is so excited and ready to go again she said.  It weighed 7-1/2 pounds and 25 inches long. One proud MS girl!! My congrats to Karen in our great outdoors!  An awesome fish and I'm sure it was good eating!

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

Editor's Birthday!

Today is my hunting friend and mentor, Rex Howell's 58th birthday. He's the editor and roving reporter of the Deer Camp Blog which is an outdoor column of The Bodock Times (a satirical periodical) with humor and hunting at the famous Christmas Place Plantation and Hunting Club on the edge of the MS Delta.  


I took this picture of Rex at his "50" Birthday Party bash in Water Valley, MS, wearing his birthday hat. Eight years has flown by so fast and I'm wishing my friend a very Happy 58th Birthday and many more returns of the day!  May God Bless You!

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

Towboat App ~ FindShip

Yesterday evening while at the Senior Center line dancing I was approached by one of the ladies that told me there's an app for towboats. She said it's free from the Google Play Store called FindShip.  I was so excited to find out about this app and downloaded it on my phone. I saw that their were two towboats in the area and while on my way home I could see them passing by Diamond Jacks Casino. They were heading for the bend in the Mississippi northbound. Here are some pictures I took from the parking lot.  If you are interested in towboats you really need to check this app. It is so cool!
    
M/V C Michael Reeves passing M/V Dan Jaworski towboat.

 M/V Dan Jaworksi heading northbound.

The sun setting behind the clouds.  

Towboats turning in the bend of the MS River @ Vicksburg, MS.

U. S. Flag blowing in the evening breeze at Diamond Jacks Casino.

According to my app and docked here are General, Synergy, Scout and Ergon boats.

Monday, March 07, 2016

Fifty-Four Pounds Of Fish!

Yesterday, Jimmy John Freeman of Beaumont, MS, and his sons, Dillon and Dalton went fishing and caught 54 lbs of fish.  Jimmy John said that his youngest reeled in four all by himself.  You can tell by the smiles on their faces that they are making happy memories that will last a lifetime. What a super Dad to take the time out to let his young sons fish in our great outdoors. 

Sunday, March 06, 2016

Brent's First Hog Kill

Dean Blackwell's grandson, Brent, killed his very first hog with a .410 shotgun near Monticello, MS, yesterday.  It looks like young Brent is showing his Grandpa how to bring home the bacon in our great wild outdoors!  My sincere congrats!  That is awesome little fellow!

Saturday, March 05, 2016

A Hog Killing Day

Dudley Stone of Olive Branch, MS and his hunting buddies had a great day killing 6 hogs today in our great wild and outdoors.  My congrats to all.  I know the feeling!  

Friday, March 04, 2016

My Picture Published Tuesday

My picture was once again published in our paper, The Vicksburg Post. It really makes me proud to know that it is worthy to be in our hometown paper.  Thanks, Vicksburg Post!


VISITORS:  Marian Love Phillips shot this photo of the majestic American Queen, which returned Friday bringing passengers to tour our historical civil war town.  -  You are invited to submit your photos to share with The Vicksburg Post readers.  Simply email high resolution images in .jpg format to photos@vicksburgpost.com



This is the original I sent in with part of the tree cut off by paper to fit. My picture was taken on Friday, February 26th.  It was The American Queen's first trip back to Vicksburg since the end of December with her passengers and crew.