Happy One-Year-Old William David!

Wishing William David "Will" a very Happy One-Year-Old Birthday today!  His baby brother, Noah James was born yesterday weighing 9lbs. 2 oz., a day and year apart.  

With all the excitement the family will celebrate his birthday next weekend.  I did not want to forget my Great Grandson's birthday and can't wait to see him and his little brother for the big celebration.  I love you!  Great Gran Gran  xoxo

A Night to Remember on the 'Sip

The United Way kicked off its campaign in a big way by having for the first time, "Supper on the 'Sip."  The picture above is showing volunteers and vendors getting ready to set-up and greet 500 guests on the Old Mississippi River Bridge.  It was cloudy after downpours Wednesday but by Thursday afternoon it had let up.  Here are some pictures I took while my sorority sister, Pat and I got ready to attend a night to remember on the 'Sip!   

Beautiful fall arrangements on the bridge at the entrance on both sides.  

Ralph Miller playing on the bridge.  He is a singer, musician, songwriter, 60's, 70's, Easy Listening Folk & Pop.  

Myself with my sorority sister, Pat really excited about joining in on a fun night on the bridge.    

We are finally moving towards the vendors!

Here comes a Kansas City Southern train eastbound and the first of three trains during the evening.

A Union Pacific train going west.

Looking towards the Ameristar Casino from the bridge.

M/V Ron Callahan northbound heading for a sharp turn at Delta Point.

Wide angle of the Mississippi River and the banks of Vicksburg.  

A nice long table to sit down to eat and rest.

Vicksburg's lights on the Mississippi River.

Another Kansas City Southern going east towards Vicksburg before we left for the evening.

Lights from the city casting a nice glow on the low hanging clouds over my hometown of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River.  What a night to remember by all and was a huge success!  Looking forward to next year!

Hunting Older and Smarter Bucks

A Youth Hunt Offer

Last year, Donald Robertson, Administrator of - I Killed It In Mississippi, held a youth hunt twice for a kid until he killed his first deer. He would like to give another kid the same opportunity. This is Chance with his big doe he killed at his place. His uncle Dennis L Stacey brought him from Moss Point, Mississippi.

Chance

I am located in Sandy Hook, Mississippi so please check to see if the drive is too far before applying.

There will be only one name chosen since I have a lot of my Saturday’s already full. Hunt will be held during early December since November is full for me.

Rules are as followed:

1. The kid must be between the age of 7 and 13

2. Must be able to handle and shoot a rifle safely. If a rifle is needed, I can provide a single shot .243 youth rifle.

3. A parent/guardian must be with the child chosen.

4. Parent/guardian must be able to clean deer and show the child how to do it.

5. Parent/guardian has to have a valid drivers license, Mississippi hunting license and hunters education card if applicable. Must follow all Mississippi rules for deer hunting. Doe’s and Bucks both can be taken by youth. May even see a hog and they can be shot as well.

6. THE BIGGEST KICKER...the child must not have anywhere to hunt except public land. I want to provide a place they can easily harvest their first deer so please be honest so that you do not take a child’s place that qualifies.

7. Kids with disabilities will be considered as well, however, the stand is not wheelchair accessible. I am saving up enough money on the side to try and accommodate that need for the future.

If this fits your child’s/grandchild’s description please PM him with some details.

Good hunting to all the young hunters in our great wild and wonderful Mississippi outdoors!

Happy 46th Birthday, Suzi

Wishing my youngest daughter, Marian Suzanne "Suzi" a very Happy 46th Birthday today.  Suzi is the Mother of two daughters, Emma, 11 years old and Kate, 5-1/2 years old.  She with her hubby, Dennis and grandkids live in Virginia which is a very long ways from Mississippi.  Wishing her the best birthday yet!  I love and miss you so much!  MOM  xoxo

Fish Bites On Fire Yesterday!

According to Matt Guyton of Columbia, Mississippi, and friends the fish was on fire yesterday in Biloxi.  Looks like a fine catch of mullets in our great wild outdoors of Mississippi.  Congratulations guys!  That's some fine eats!

Big Buck Down!

This is a great video of a 2018 Iowa Youth Deer Season hunt by this young hunter's first buck. It was a perfect shot!! My congratulations to him in our great wild and wonderful Iowa outdoors! Way to go young man!

The "Cats" @ Cat Island

It looks like the gator "cats" at Cat Island are getting very big these days!  

Cat Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast about 7 miles from Mississippi.

The island's namesake comes from French explorers who mistook raccoons for cats.

It is unknown who discovered Cat Island.

Pictures were taken by Shore Thing Fishing Charters of Bay St. Louis, MS.

A Grizzly Encounter

The Mighty Mississippi On The Rise Again

The Mississippi River is on the rise and predicted to reach 32.7 feet by next Monday.  Hurricane Florence may be dumping rain and causing flooding in the Carolinas and along the East Coast, but the heavy rains falling in the east are not affecting a current rise in the MS River.  

It was 17 feet on September 10th.  The rise is the result of a combination of rain from Tropical Storm Gordon and a frontal system that was dropping heavy rain in the upper Ohio River Valley before Gordon arrived.  

Right now, storm Florence is in the upper parts of the Ohio River and maybe will get 1-2 inches more.  The Mississippi's level at Cario, Il is holding at 40 feet.  Unless heavy rainfalls occur it should be coming down a little bit more. 

Let's hope it will not flood in my hometown again with the rising river.  River Level today is 28.70 feet and rose 1.82 foot with flood stage at 43 feet.  

Flooding from the Mississippi River in the Yazoo Diversion Canal, in my hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi, May 2011 at 57.1 feet.  

Happy Birthday To You, Lucy Ann!

Wishing my Granddaughter Lucy Ann a very Happy Birthday today!  Lucy is expecting her 2nd son within two weeks and will be my 4th Great Grandson.  I love you very much Lucy and have a Blessed one!  Gran Gran  xoxo

Congratulations Ian!

I'm so proud of my Great Grandson Ian for passing his Hunter's Education Course at Mahannah Farms recently.  He has been hunting with his Dad ever since he could walk and hopefully this hunting season he will get his very first deer.  One day I hope to hunt with my Great Grandson in our wild and wonderful Mississippi outdoors.   Way to go, Ian!  Great Gran Gran loves you very much!  

Good Morning Buddy

My best squirrel friend who would always wait for me in the morning and run excitedly on the stone pathway to get a peanut and then run all the way back to the bench each time. Squirrels are such unique individual characters and sometimes certain squirrels form bonds like this with humans. A new video of me having a blast teaching two new squirrels to use the path and avoid the grass is online at https://youtu.be/zUNekLDPnSA a sort of behind the scenes look at how it is done!

2 For 1

Blake Rouse of Picayune, Mississippi got two for one behind the house recently.  What makes it even better, it only took one shot!  

One shell and two down!  Sure will be good eating in the Rouse's household with a couple of whole smokers.  Blake is also an avid deer hunter and fisherman in our great wild and wonderful Mississippi outdoors!  Good shot Blake!

A Monster Gator!

I'm ending gator season with this picture that's all over Facebook and just sharing it with you today.  Not sure where it was caught only that it's 13' 9.5" and weighing 800 lbs.  Someone commented, "Y'all keep swimming in them Rivers!"

Alligator season is officially over here in Mississippi and hoping it was a good season for all hunters involved in our great wild and wonderful outdoors! 

A Dinosaur Legend Caught

Clay Wanner of D'Iberville, MS and his friends said they killed a dinosaur legend at 11’6” and 450 lbs. 

It was killed in Gautier, Mississippi last Friday night. 

This dinosaur has been a legend in this area for many, many years.  Clay said the gator definitely has been around the block.  

He was missing a finger on one hand and barely had any teeth left.  They were all gone or worn down.  

It looked like he was on a decline.  Some older men in the area said they've seen the same one since they were young.

"For groceries, true organic groceries...not like the stuff you buy at Whole Foods.  His meat has the hunter's blood, sweat, and tears to flavor it.  You should get you some.  God approves."  Robert Culbertson

Alligator Hunting In Mississippi

With alligator season in full swing until September 10th, I wanted to post a video on how most alligators are hunted in the great outdoors of Mississippi. 

Alligator hunting in the swamps of Mississippi has proved to be a challenging but rewarding adventure for the Mossy Oak Crew.  After several sleepless nights of fighting the weather, mosquitoes, time, and alligators the guys at Mossy Oak were able to tag gators on both private and public land.  (2013)

Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

2018 Alligator Hunting Guide

Zachary's First Dinosaurs!

This is the very first time ever for Zachary Anderson of Pass Christian, MS, to hunt these dinosaurs (gators) and said that he's hooked!  

 

They had an amazing hunting trip and tagged out on the first night and can't wait for next year!  My congratulations to all involved in our great wild and wonderful Mississippi outdoors!  Way to go!

Daniel's Gator

Daniel Wilson of the Two Hooks Kayak Fishing Team caught this nice 9-foot gator on Saturday, September 1st in south-east Mississippi.  His teammate is editing their 3 GoPro's with music and trying to make it family friendly. 

My congratulations to Daniel and his teammate in catching this 9-foot alligator in our great state of Mississippi!  An awesome picture!

Bullets, Barbs & Broadheads

Team Bullets, Barbs & Broadheads (BBB) on the board with an 11’6” dinosaur killed 1:00 am on 9/2/18. (Story below)

Paul Crabtree of Sumrall, Mississippi telling his story of his catch with family members and friends.

We don't get to set out lines to catch gators like Swamp People.  We have to snag them with rod and reel, get them to the boat, put a snare around their neck, then shoot them with a shotgun.  The really big ones will sit on the bottom so a bigger grapple hook and rope is used to get them up.   

Early Sunday morning I hooked a gator I thought was about 9' but couldn't get him off the bottom.  I had to use the hook and rope to get him up.  Before we could get the snare around him he went into a death roll which wrapped up the rope and pulled me to him.  The rope was cinched down on him and my hand so tight that I thought I was going to lose it.  Somehow I got loose before more damage was done.  In the process of him rolling he hit my stepson in the face with his tail knocking him to the back of the boat.  

After an hour or so we were able to finally get his head up and get the snare on him.  It was a two hour battle from hooking him to getting him in the boat.  He ended up measuring 11' 6" long 37" tail girth and 50" belly girth. 

My hand is swollen really bad but nothing is broke.  It's just bruised really bad and infection setting in with some really bad rope burns.  

We have one more tag to fill if I get to where I can close my hand.  

Team BBB on board!

My congratulations to Team BBB and I hope Paul will be able to fill his other tag and that his hand will heal alright without further complications.

#Gatorgirls

My two Facebook friends, Robyn Lea and Wanda Cook went gator hunting last Friday (opening at noon) for 10 days here in Mississippi.  Robyn said by some weird luck-of-a-draw, she got a tag and Wanda went with her.  They were both a little bit excited and a whole lot of scared.  Danny Boler and his friend, Mark took them.  Robyn said they may never go gator hunting again after Friday night and if they did not get one that a friend, Ron Pownall, Jr., will be taking them Saturday night...but he may regret that!  #howdogirlspeeinaboatwhilehuntinggators  

But as luck would have it, she tagged out at 6' 11" and 9' and was a fun night but they were looking forward to the Waffle House because they were all staving!!!  Danny and Mark were thanked for a spectacular evening!  

What an exciting hunting adventure they must have had and my congratulations to everyone involved in our great wild and wonderful Mississippi outdoors. Way to go...#gatorgirls  

The Gators!

Wanda and Robyn the Gator Girls!

Wanda, Mark, and Danny!

Mark, Danny, and Robyn!

Congratulations Robyn!

The Gator Team!