Easter Weekend Blessings!

 

Swamp Deer

During deer season many years ago, I decided to stay on my stand all day. I had just eaten my lunch about 12:15 and was taking a little nap while the sun was shining on my head, when I heard a snap of a branch. I looked towards the swamp area and saw a doe coming to the right of my stand. I immediately put my hat on for good luck and got my gun ready. I shot, and the doe came towards me, and as she turned in front of my stand, I could see the exit hole. I knew I had her. She turned towards the swamp again, and I feared she would enter it. I waited for about 20 minutes and got down to look. As I walked towards the swamp slowly, I turned to my left, and two does were headed right for me. I could not believe it! They were no more than 25 yards to my left.

What I did next will make you laugh...I said "BOO" and they took off! I laughed at myself...I can't believe I just told two deer "BOO"! I wanted to find the deer that I had just shot. I finally found her lying right next to the swamp. Bob was hunting at his camp then, and Allen came from the camp house when he heard me shoot. He said that his Dad had told him to check on me because I probably got a deer. Allen took a picture of me and helped me return my deer to the camp. A very successful and unusual hunt!

Soccer & Fishing by Great Grandsons!

I received cute pictures from my daughter, Debi, and granddaughter, Lucy, of my great-grandsons, William David "Will" and Noah. Noah just got a medal for playing soccer, and you can see how excited he was running to show his Mom and Grandmother.  

I love the fishing pictures of them catching their first fish. Will with his Mom showing off his bass and Noah showing off his brim with excitement.. 

It looks like they are having the time of their lives. Oh, to be so young and innocent, enjoying their childhood in our great Mississippi outdoors!

Happy 12th Birthday, Kate!

I wish my granddaughter Kate a very Happy 12th Birthday today! Her Aunt Debi took a picture of Kate as a baby peeking over her Mom's Suzi's shoulder, and look at her now. I love you, Kate, and enjoy your special day! Gran Gran

My pretty Kate!

Hunting In the Woods

 It took me 45 years to get here!!

Godchild Turkey Hunting with Pop's

My Godchild, Kirk Ring, is counting his blessings after another amazing hunt with his Dad, Charles Ring, Sr. It's so much fun working with him to trick these bright birds into range. This was by far my best hunt on our property. Thank you, Pops!!! You're the best.

Charles (Charley) Ring and John Kirk.

 

Congratulations, John Kirk! Nice bird!

Great picture of Charley with Kirk's turkey at the old smokehouse.

I love this picture of John Kirk with his turkey at the old smokehouse on the family property.

MS Girl Harvests Rare Silver-Colored Gobbler

A Mississippi girl was hunting with a shotgun passed down from her grandfather. As exciting as it was that she harvested her first gobbler on the opening day of youth season, it was even more so with her second gobbler, a rare silver-colored gobbler.

"Everybody was trying to kill that bird," said Vance Windom of Bogue Chitto and father of Addi Windom, 12. "He was going from property to property to property.

"We knew the bird was roosting on us. That bird actually hatched on us. This bird was on about 10 different properties. The bird was stunning."

Because the bird was known to so many people near Windom's property, he hoped Addi could harvest it during youth turkey season before the regular spring season opened on March 15. Addi harvested her first gobbler that Saturday but wasn't the silver turkey.

Windom needed to visit his mother the following day, so he asked his son, Blayten, 16, to take Addi hunting that afternoon.

"I'd say we got out there about 4 o'clock," Blayten said. "We got back there and heard hens yelping. I thought, 'Well if the hens are yelping, a gobbler will be there with them."

Blayten said he made a few calls with a boss hen call while the two sat overlooking a field. The hens kept yelping but eventually went silent.

However, the activity picked up about an hour and a half into the hunt.

"I looked up, and lo and behold, 14 hens came out, and he came out strutting right there with them," Clayton said. "He kind of stayed about 40 yards into the woods. Eventually, he came out of the woods about 20 yards away."

While the two waited for the gobbler to offer a clear shot, Addi's nerves were getting the best of her.

"I was waiting for him to walk out, and when he walked out, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh.'" Addie said. "I was shaking real bad. My brother was like, 'Addi, look at me — breathe.'"

Addi tried to calm down. When the silver gobbler came into range and gave her a clear shot, she did her part, and her grandfather's old single-shot 20 gauge did its part, too. The bird went down, and Addi had her first close-up look at him.

She was in disbelief.

"I'm like, 'There's no way I'm touching this turkey,'" Addi said. "Oh, my gosh, he's so much prettier in person.

"You can see the details. He had little black markings on his tail. Those are real pretty."

For Addi's father, it was both an exciting harvest and a relief.

"I'm just glad he wasn't killed by a poacher," Windom said. "It's a memory we'll never forget, and it's going to make her a turkey hunter for the rest of her life."

And taking it with the old shotgun was icing on the cake.

"The thing that makes it is we lost my dad a year ago," Windom said. "My dad was a really avid turkey hunter. He let her have the gun to turkey hunt."

Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared in the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.

Heavenly 67th Birthday, Rex Dean Howell

I wish my deer hunting friend Rex Dean Howell a Heavenly 67th Birthday today. Rex brought all these hunters together on his blog, Deer Camp Blog, and the magical buck Thunderhoof. He is missed so much by family and friends alike. bodocktimes.blogspot.com

Belated Heavenly Birthday, Mom

Wishing my Mother a "Heavenly Birthday" yesterday. She died at 58 on St. Patrick's Day in 1979. I love and miss her so much

 

Children In The Great Outdoors

 

My great nephew, Oliver Love, got his first deer this hunting season in Bolivar County, MS.  

You can tell by the look on his face the excitement of hunting in our great wild Mississippi outdoors.  My congratulations again, Oliver.  So proud of you!

Emmalee Hays got this nice 8-pointer on her G6-2 Outdoor hunt.  My congratulations to Emmalee.  Nice buck, and so proud of you!

Dawson Segers harvested a doe on January 7th while hunting with his father, Derick Segers, and stepmother, Jessica Segers, in Edwards, MS. 

My congratulations to Dawson in our great MS outdoors!  Way to go!

Michael Anson Britton, 13, recently killed an 8-point buck.  He is the son of Brian and Sarah Britton.  

My congratulations to Michael in our great Mississippi outdoors!