Very Cool Deer Mount

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Fred Bear

The Bloom Fountain

After the parade for Malcolm Butler (Super Bowl hero) Saturday afternoon, I passed by the Bloom Fountain and took this picture walking back to my vehicle.  I have always admired this beautiful fountain which is named for the Greek mythology, Hebe, who is the goddess of youth.

The fountain was bequeathed in 1926 by Louis Bloom, a prominent Vicksburg Businessman.  It was designed and sculpted at a cost of $6,500 by Albert Weiblan Granite Company of New Orleans.

 

Hebe ~ Goddess of Youth!

The Butler (Super Bowl Hero) Did It!

Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown Vicksburg to see our Super Bowl hero ride past on a float during the Malcolm Butler Homecoming Parade.  The New England Patriots corner-back, a Vicksburg native, said that "It's been real crazy.  Life changed real fast.  The whole world seen what I did, so it's supposed to change that fast,"  He said that he has been busy a lot.  A lot of phone calls.  Less rest.  Not getting as much sleep as he normally gets.  It's been bad in a good way, so everything's good."  Butler's next play is to build on his success.  My congrats to Malcolm Butler and wish him all the luck that he deserves. Below are some pictures I took of the parade yesterday in my hometown.

Welcome Home, Malcolm Butler!

"I will not let that one play define my life."

The Butler did it!

Watching from the window ~ The End

Austin's Buck From A Darkwoods Blind

This young hunter, Austin Booth, got this very nice buck from a Darkwoods Blind stand recently.  My Facebook friend Jimmy Darkwoods sells these nice hunting blinds and would love to own one some day.   My congrats to Austin in our great wild outdoors!

~~~~~~~~~  

(As told by Austin's Mom about his hunt)  My son Austin was recently on a Life Hunt in Alabama with BuckMasters.  We were able to hunt out of one of the Darkwoods Blinds and we loved them!  The blinds have plenty of room that we fit three adults and one child with folding chairs and still had enough room to put our bags and rifles.  It was freezing and raining there and after sitting in one of these you had no idea how cold it was outside.  The blinds shielded us perfectly from the weather and kept us warm!  At our first day sitting a doe walked out of the woods about 10 feet away and had no idea we were even there.  I highly recommend these blinds to any hunter and they are wheelchair accessible which was ideal for the Hunters on the Life Hunt! Thank you for all you have done and for making these perfect for hunters like Austin!  

The New Darkwoods Double FX Pro-Hunter Handicap Blind, with Realtree XTRA Pattern.

Hard Time Of The Year

First Squirrel Hunt

John Knotts' son, Eli, of Soso, MS, took three squirrels on his very fist squirrel hunt.  He also had to take his toy gun with him for good luck! My congrats to Eli on a job well done in our great wild outdoors.

Bring In The Helicopters!

My friend and mentor, Rex Howell, (Deer Camp Blog) is planning his Annual Hog Hunt at the famous Christmas Place Plantation and Hunting Club (on the edge of the MS Delta) next weekend Feb. 27 - Mar 1. I think he should bring in the helicopters to help eradicate these nasty ole disgusting (good eaten) hogs. When I killed my two hogs there last month it was twelve out in a big opened field and I'm sure it's 20 times more on the hunting grounds. Good luck to all the hog hunters attending in getting the job done in our great wild outdoors!

Monster Bull Elk Hunt In Utah

Nice bull but terrible shooting!

One Year Can...

Austin's Buck

Austin finally got a buck in Marion County, MS, recently and someone made a comment that he looks as happy as a possum eating grapes. Yes, he does!  My congrats to Austin in getting this buck in our great wild outdoors!  Way to go little fellow!

A Valentine's Day Party for Ian

This afternoon the family was invited to Ian's first Valentine's Day Party.  It was a great time to spend with family and a fun time for Ian.  Everyone enjoyed cupcakes, dip chips, cookies, etc.  The weather was in the low 70's and a perfect day for a family get-together. I'm wishing everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day!

My Valentine, Great Grandson, Ian!

Fun in the sports bounce house.

Ian gave me 5 seconds to take this picture and then he was back playing with his friends.  

Turbo is Ian's dog and acting silly and enjoying the attention!  

I got Turbo to pose for me!  Good Boy!

Granddaughter Victoria and I in the photo room.

A selfie with my Granddaughter Lucy and I on Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Good Luck, Joey!

Joey Amann of Bay St. Louis, MS, took this picture yesterday out of his deer stand in hopes that a deer would step out soon.  

Looks like he could walk up to the deer on this highway!

Psalm 42.1

Straight Heart Shot

This young archery hunter, 13 year-old teen, made a clean straight heart shot.  His name is Clayton Coyle and has been hunting since he was 5 years old.  He said it's easily the greatest hunt of his life and will probably always be.  He was hunting with his father and both are so glad to share this with the world.  He has dreamed like a lot of hunters to hopefully one day to host his own TV show.  He has had a lot of awesome hunts and will hopefully continue to for years to come.  He films all his hunts and said I think you are going to enjoy what I will be bringing to the table...so, please enjoy!  Published on March 10, 2014

My congrats to Clayton Coyle for this once in a lifetime hunt in our great wild outdoors!

Shared by Full Choke Outdoors  - You can tell by the amount of blood that immediately pours out that he severed the animal's aorta, thus any blood that the heart pumped went right through that wound.  It's also possible he got a lung or two, judging by how quickly the elk dropped.  There is a small, soft spot at the base of the neck of an elk that is a perfect spot to take this kind of close range shot.  The heart, lungs, and the main arteries of the animal are all in line with the spot.  We wouldn't recommend taking this shot at anything over 20 yards, but at 10 yards, it's a great shot if the game has stopped moving.

First Buck Kill

Dawson is shown here with his very first buck kill.  It took him all season but he finally picked the right stand.   The buck was harvested in Jones County, Mississippi.  My congrats to Dawson in our great wild outdoors!  Way to go young man!

Bear Having A Heart Attack?

An Alaskan brown bear had a heart attack as hikers were taping it and saw the whole thing.  The bear acted disoriented and ran up the side of a big hill, almost like it was being chased.  The bear stopped and started rolling down the hill.  By the time the hikers got to the bear it was already dead.  It's the bears that gives us a heart attack just by their size, beastly teeth, claws, etc., and not the other way around. This bear was struck down by a higher power than that of a rifle.  RIP, The King of the Alaskan wilds!

Deer Street

Nara Park, Japan

Peggy's 10-Pt Buck

Peggy Roberts Sealy of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, killed this very nice 10-point buck on February 3, 2015 around 8:30 in Jones County. She's the former Captain of the Hattiesburg Police Department.  My sincere congrats to Peggy on her fine buck in our great wild outdoors! Way to go! 

Happy Little Guy!

This little guy was so excited for his Dad, Justin Bean Dial, of Sumrall, Mississippi, to bring him home a very good buck yesterday. Justin said he can't wait until their first hunt together. What a cute picture of him sitting on his Dad's deer.  My congrats to Justin on a nice buck taken in the great wild outdoors!

PUG!

PUG in an UGG on the RUG looking SNUG!

A Deer Joke

Guest Post - Top 10 Ways to Get Cheap Decoys

Here are the top 10 money saving resources that will help you get new and used decoys for cheap allowing you to improve your hunting success.

Now let's get started:

Online Resources
1.  Craigslist - the number one way to get cheap or used decoys is Craigslist.  Just search for "goose decoys" or "duck decoys" and you will be sure to find many choices in your area. Keep checking back on the site often as new postings are always coming available and the good deals usually sell fast.

2.  Facebook - Coming in at a close second for cheap decoys are Facebook group pages. One of the pages that I recently came across is called "decoys for sale or trade".  The users of the site make a post that includes what they are selling, price, location and if they are willing to ship.  Then buyers can post a comment to make a purchase.  A benefit of this is when new offers become available they automatically appear in your Facebook news feed.

3.  Blogs - There are many hunting blogs out there and many offer a free classifieds section.  Search through the postings for used decoys for sale or cheap decoys and you can have some good luck.  To find blogs in your state just do a Google search for "Hunting blogs in XYZ state" and you will find several.

4.  Retailmenot.com - This website pulls together online coupons from nearly every store you can imagine. Simply type in the name of any national sporting goods store such as Cabela's and there will be some coupons available.  Here you might find 10-15% off on decoys or even free shipping.  Check often as there are always new coupons.

5.  eBay - Many decoys are manufactured overseas.  With eBay you can often buy directly from these manufactures and get cheap decoys.  You can also buy used duck and goose decoys from other sellers.

In Person Resources
6.  Garage/Yard sales - The springtime can present great options for yard/garage sales as people clean out their storage areas from the winter.  Many times people are willing to sell their decoys for cheap because they are not using them anymore and want to have the extra storage space.

7.  Hunting season start sales - As hunting seasons approach many hunting retailers offer sales to coincide with that hunting season.  For example, when duck hunting season approaches you will often find duck decoys on sale at your favorite hunting store.

8.  Holiday sales - Holidays such as Christmas and Black Friday are excellent times for decoy sales. Sometimes hunting stores have everything on sale so even if it is not the season for that type of waterfowl you might still find some great deals decoys.

9.  "Open Box"/Clearance items - When retailers take returns on duck or goose decoys, often times they sell these decoys at a discount.  Typically people return decoys because they preferred something else but the decoys are still in new shape.  The benefit to you is that you get to buy decoys at 10-15% off retail price. Another benefit is the open box decoys still have the same return policy and warranty as new decoys.

10.  Friends and Family - Perhaps you have an uncle who used to hunt ducks or geese but he no longer goes hunting.  He may be willing to sell you his decoys cheap or let you borrow them.  Borrowing decoys can be a great option to try out that particular style of decoy and see if you like it before going out and buying that type of decoy yourself.

These strategies have helped me get new and used decoys at great pricing allowing me to add to my decoy spread and ultimately improve my hunting success.

Author:  Scott Dawson/Owner www.howtofixduckandgoosedecoys.com

We help hunters with:

. Cheap Decoy Tips

. Decoy Setup Instructions.

. Decoy Painting Tips

. Decoy Repair Tips