The Night Before Christmas

Wow! Bob was still in High School!
Everyone should hear this poem at least once a year.
Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Heading to VA for Christmas!

Emma's visit to see Santa in Richmond, VA, Friday before the storm hit.

Air vent blowing Emma's dress up - she is getting a kick out it - love the red shoes!

Suzi and Emma seeing the Snow Queen before she sees Santa!

Emma is all bundled up and having fun playing on her snowboard.

A beautiful scene from the backyard with Suzi and Emma playing in the snow.

Will be leaving out in the morning for Virginia and SNOW! My daughter and her hubby have invited me to spend Christmas with them. I am looking forward to being with my youngest granddaughter and playing with her in the snow. My deer friend and mentor, Rex, over at Deer Camp Blog will be blogging for me while I'm gone. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and will see you when I get back!

Better Luck Next Time!

Shadow of me in my deer stand around 3:00 p.m.

It's looking a lot better with some of the brush cut back and the leaves off the trees. Does have been seen crossing here early in the morning the Camp President told me yesterday. They cross the road from the direction of the Big Black River and about 40 yards to the left of my stand. The deer head down the hill towards another camp, Mill Pond, which starts at the base of the hill. I havested a doe here that was coming from Mill Pond one hunting season.

It was a beautiful evening to be in the woods and to see the evening stars and the waxing crescent moon. Took this picture while still on my stand with no flash.

A nice 8-point was taken around 3:45 when a doe came out at 70 yards and the buck 30 seconds behind her. He was in full rut. It was taken off the stand where I saw nine turkeys and does. They came over the levee to the left of the stand and he shot the buck as it stood in the road with the doe. The buck only ran 30 yards into the woods.

Deer Camp President, Allen Brown, harvested this nice 8-point buck yesterday evening. He shot it with a .444 and it weighed 185 lbs. Their was only Allen, Andy, Sammy and myself hunting yesterday afternoon. I did have a deer blow at me around 5:15, but never saw it. I really enjoy being on a deer stand with nature all around me and thank God that I have a place to hunt. My sincere congrats to Allen on his fine harvest in our great wild outdoors!

GONE HUNTING!

I'm headed to my deer camp, Jasper Bottom, this afternoon for a deer hunt. Hope to have a deer on the ground later today! If it's brown...it's going down!

Youngsters On The Hunt

Vicksburg's Taylor Hanes, 15, bagged this 8-point, 225-pound buck while hunting in Warren County.

Alana Hearn, 7, shot this 7-pointer while hunting in north-eastern Warren County on November 21. Alana is the daughter of Scott and Melissa Hearn.

Kristen Martin, 10, shot this 8-pointer while hunting with her grandfather, Dickie Martin, in northern Warren County. It was her first buck. Kristen is the daughter of Ricky and Lee Martin of Redwood.

Nine-year-old Jordan McDonald shot this 8-point buck at the family's hunting deer camp in Louisiana. The buck's antlers measured 21 inches on the main beams. Jordan is the daughter of Chris and Delilah McDonald. My congrats to all the young hunters in our great outdoors. Charming, Just Charming!

Why Email Was Invented!

Christmas Blessings For You!

Christmas Blessings

from me

to you!

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Christmas Trees Around The World

This Capital Christmas tree in Washington, D.C., is decorated with 3,000 ornaments that are the handiwork of U.S. schoolchildren. Encircling evergreens in the 'Pathway of Peace' represents the 50 U.S. states.

The world's largest Christmas tree display rises up the slops of Monte Ingino outside of Gubbio, in Italy's Umbria region. Composed of about 500 lights connected by 40,000 feet of wire, the 'tree' is a modern marvel for an ancient city.

A Christmas tree befitting Tokyo's nighttime neon display is projected onto the exterior of the Grand Prince Hotel Akasaka.

Illuminating the Gothic facades of Prague's Old Town Square, and casting its glow over the manger display of the famous Christmas market, is a grand tree cut in the Sumava mountains in the southern Czech Republic.

Moscow celebrates Christmas according to the Russian Orthodox calendar on January 7. For weeks beforehand, the city is alive with festivities in anticipation of Father Frost's arrival on his magical troika with the Snow Maiden. He and his helper deliver gifts under the New Year tree, or yolka, which is traditionally a fir.

The largest Christmas tree in Europe (more than 230 feet tall) can be found in the Praca do Comercio in Lisbon, Portugal. Thousands of lights adorn the tree, adding to the special enchantment of the city during the holiday season.

Ooh la la Galeries Lafayette! In Paris, even the Christmas trees are chic. With its monumental, baroque dome, plus 10 stories of lights and high fashion, it's no surprise this show-stopping department store draws more visitors than the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

In addition to the Vatican's heavenly evergreen, St. Peter's Square in Rome hosts a larger-than-life nativity scene in front of the obelisk.

A token of gratitude for Britain's aid during World War II, the Christmas tree in London's Trafalgar Square has been the annual gift of the people of Norway since 1947.

With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to share some beautiful Christmas trees from around the world for your enjoyment.

Fishing Dog?

What would the Idaho Fisherman think about this?

Altruism At Its Best

My friend Dennis sent me these incredible pictures a few weeks ago that was taken January 2009 in Comox, B.C., Vancouver Island. The weather there was so cold that the bald eagles were cruising over houses looking for helpless cats to make a quick meal. Some kind souls decided to feed the eagles at Goose Spit so they would survive the cold spell. Here's what happened in front of someones home.

A beautiful morning feeding the Eagles.

Eagles fighting for the fish.

No zoom lens here...pretty close.

Here are the men who were feeding them...pretty amazing to get this close! It was not long ago, that the American Bald Eagle was an endangered species in our great wild outdoors!

Deer With Christmas Lights

I was watching the late news last night and a story caught my attention of a deer seen with Christmas lights in its antlers. According to the Associated Press - Santa may not need Rudolph's red nose this year. Residents in Colorado Springs, CO have been reporting a deer with a tangle of Christmas lights wrapped in its antlers. Neighbors have tried to chase the buck to remove the lights, with no success.

State wildlife officials say it's not unusual for deer to get tangled in outdoor decorations. The had reports two weeks ago of another deer in CO Springs with lights caught in its antlers. Wildlife managers say they simply leave decorated deer along unless they hear reports of deer with cords caught around their necks or mouths.

Residents have been asked to use shorter strings of lights and to keep lights off trees and bushes.

Information taken from: KKTV-TV, http://www.kktv.com/

Check out video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuQssQDidxU&feature=channel

[For some reason my copy/paste is not working today or I would have had this video up for you to watch]

Eagle Owl In Flight

Eurasian Eagle Owl in flight at 1000 frames-per-second at Turbary Woods Owl and Bird of Prey Sanctuary, England. This AMAZING slow motion camera captured this eagle owl in 21 seconds on November 24, 2009.

Youngsters On The Hunt

Vicksburg's Carson Reid Kurtz, 5, posing with his mother, Jamey Kurtz, took down his first deer while hunting November 30 with a .243 rifle. The buck was a 227-pound 7-pointer, with a 14-1/2-inch inside spread and 19-inch main beams.

Tess Frazier, 12, shot her first deer on November 28 while hunting with her father, Walter Frazier, at the Mis Creek Hunting Club in north Claiborne County. She used a .243 rifle to take down the 135-pound doe from 40 yards away.

Brandon McDuff, 12, took his first deer while hunting at a deer camp in south Warren county. The 8-pointer weighed 175 pounds. Brandon is the son of Veronica and Stacy McDuff.

Vicksburg resident Hunter Hughes, 10, killed this 260-pound buck at Sunflower Wildlife Management Area on November 22. The buck had a 21-inch inside spread. Hunter is the son of Jay Jay and Brooke Hughes. Congrats to all our young hunter in our great wild outdoors!

Cool Deer Mount

I had a friend to send me this recently and if you haven't seen it in cyberspace yet, it is the coolest deer mount ever!

Hunting In The News

Hunter cited for killing two black bears - Baton Rouge, LA - A hunter has been cited by state wildlife agents for killing two Louisiana black bears on the Red River Wildlife Management Area in Concordia Parish. [Thought they were hogs]

Agents cited 62-year-old Prof. Gary Kinsland on November 27.

If convicted, he faces fines of up to $950 per count, or up to eight months in jail. Restitution of $10,000 per bear will be sought.

Maben man killed in hunting accident - Two days into Mississippi’s gun season for deer hunters, a man was killed and two others hospitalized in two shootings.

Oktibbeha County Sheriff Dolph Bryan said that 32-year-old Doug Childs of Maben was killed Sunday morning (November 22) while hunting in western Oktibbeha county.

Bryan said Childs was accidentally shot in the chest.

Bryan said the shooting was under investigation.

In the second case, Harrison County Sheriff Melvin Brisolara said a 41-year-old woman and 13-year-old girl were hit by stray shotgun pellets around 1 p.m. Sunday.

Brisolara said the two were shot while horseback riding on public land. Their injuries are not believed to be life threatening.

Boy, 12, injured in hunting accident on Thanksgiving - A 12-year-old boy was treated and released from the hospital after being hit in the leg with a stray shotgun pellet while hunting on Thanksgiving morning.

Keshawn younger, 6180 Nailor Road, was hunting with family members, including his father, in a wooded area off Grange Hall Road at about 8 a.m. when the accident happened. Warren County Sheriff Martin pace said this morning.

When Warren County deputies arrived, Keshawn’s father, Eric Younger, 38, and others were bringing the child from the wooded area to the road on an all-terrain vehicle.

Pace said the child was taken to River Region Medical Center by ambulance and was treated and released.

Officials believe the shooting was accidental and did not release the name of the person who shot the gun, with Pace saying he wanted to complete the investigation first.

Deputies were working with the MS Dept of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks, and a report will be turned over the district attorney. Pace said

Youngsters On The Hunt

Anden McClurg killed his first deer, a doe, and his first buck within four days of each other. The 10-point buck weighed 135 pounds and had a 13-inch spread. Both deer were killed with a .223, with shots of about 60 yards on both. Anden was hunting with his father, Quinn McClurg, on private land in northeast Warren County.

Matthew Newcomb bagged this 6-point, 125-pound buck with his bow on November 8 while hunting near Bovina. The previous weekend, he bagged a 110-pound doe in Issaquena County.

Austin Magoun, 12, killed a 130-pound doe on November 30th. He shot it while hunting with his grandfather at their hunting club in Utica. Austin is the son of Bo and Kim Magoun.

Karley Whittington, 10, shot her first deer of the season while hunting with her father during the you hunt. She took the 115-pound doe with a .243 rifle from a distance of 100 yards. Karley is the daughter of Daryle and Traci Whittington. Congrats to all our young hunters in our great outdoors. Charming, Just Charming!

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today is my sister, Laura's, 67th birthday. She is my one and only sister. Wishing her a very Happy Birthday and many more to come. Love you much, your big sis! :)

A Close Hog Kill

While we are still on the subject of hogs....a friend sent me this short video Sunday of an up close and personal hog kill. This hunter was pretty lucky the way it ended up...

Feral-Hog Solution...

Talking about hogs...my friend Steve sent me these pictures yesterday on how a west Texas farmer who had a feral-hog problem took care of it - wild hogs will ruin a farm. "HAD" IS THE KEY WORD HERE ! This may be the solution to the wild hogs at the famous Christmas Place! :)

Houston...we have hogs!

Burney with his 175 lb. hog.

Bob and Rex with Bob's hog.

Bob with Camo checking out his 145lb. hog.

Bob's wild boar hog.

Bob and Rex near the North Cornfield Stand where Bob shot his hog!

We had a great afternoon in the woods hog hunting and deer hunting at Rex's famous Christmas Place Hunting Club in the MS Delta. Rex took Bob over to the North Cornfield Stand to hog hunt and afterwards we headed to the Crossover Stand to hog and deer hunt. Bob said that his hog came running out around 4:45 and he shot it at 150 yards. You go Bob! Rex and I saw does and fawns in front and behind us but no hog or monster "Thunderhoof" buck walked out. It was a real treat to hunt together and experience all the animals in their own habitat. As we were coming out on the 4-wheeler we saw two hunters, Burney and Steward, walking towards the main road. Burney commented that he had shot at two hogs, but could only find one of them. Steward had seem a bunch of deer but was to far away to make a good shot. When everyone got back to the camp we all enjoyed telling our stories and what was seen. After dinner, Rex helped Bob butcher his hog as I gather up our hunting gear for our trip back home...as always...leaving with more fond memories of another great hunt with our special friends in the Mississippi Delta. Again, my congrats to Bob and Burney on their hog harvest in our great wild outdoors!