Son's New Fishing Pole!

Adam Faught said his son caught this fish on his "new" pole recently.  You can tell he's proud of his catch! My congrats to this young fisherman and wishing him many more successful catches with his brand spanking new fishing pole in our great wet and wild outdoors!

Linda Houston's Turkey!

Mike Schmid near Sundance, WY, had a great hunt at the beginning of the week with 67 year old Linda Houston of Tennessee. She has hunted with us for the last 4 years and this little lady has more grit than most guys I have hunted with. Day 1 was a full 14 hours in the field complete with hiking and belly crawling but no turkey. We roosted a bird that night, set up on him the next morning and 3 hours later she killed one of 5 turkeys we had gobbling. She is a trooper and a joy to have in camp.

Let's hear it for the GIRLS!!  (Mike Schmid is owner at Solitude Ranch and Outfitters)

Hunt Spain - Wild Boar

"Little Man" With Spider-Man Fishing Pole

Jason Hair of Long Beach, Mississippi, said his "little man" fought this sheepshead for about five minutes with a three foot Spider-Man Zebco fishing pole!  He said that they had a good time but even better memories. Check out that smile!  My sincere congrats on a job well done for this young fisherman in our wet, wild and wonderful outdoors!  

A nice fresh water Sheepshead or drum fish.

Proud Of Her Fish!

Tiffany Cuevas's little girl was so proud of her fish she caught on the Pearl River in Mississippi this past Sunday. They fought off a water moccasin three times before she caught it and said it's not much room to run on a boat. Afterwards, her daughter insisted that she post it on Facebook.  She wanted to get at least 1,000 likes and was watching it like an election and was so excited.  Today, it's up to over 2,000 likes!  My congrats to this young lady angler in our great wild and wonderful outdoors!

Jo's First Turkey Ever

First time ever for Trey Fulford's 10-year old cousin, Jo, to go turkey hunting and killed a turkey.  What are the odds of that happening?  She was one lucky little girl!  My congrats to Jo in our great wild and wonderful outdoors.  Way to go! 

Happy 3rd Birthday!

Today my youngest granddaughter, Kate, celebrated her 3rd birthday.  This picture was taken of her last year on her 2nd birthday.  Kate lives in Virginia with her Mom, Dad and sister, Emma and last year she was able to come to Mississippi to celebrate.  Her Mom said she had a fun birthday party and got lots of presents.  I want to wish my precious Kate a very Happy Birthday.  I hope next year I can be with her to celebrate her special day.  I love you so much! Gran Gran

One Happy Little Fisherman!

Tyson looks like he had a blast in his hometown of Popularville, Mississippi!  My congrats to this little guy in our great outdoors!

Fishing Is Great @ Grenada Lake

According to Clifton T. Pyron of Grenada Lake, MS, fishing is great at Grenada Lake and has the proof to show it.  

My congrats to Clifton on a nice catch yesterday in our great outdoors! 

Nice size fish!

A table full of fish!

Hot Dog Bait

Jerry Brownlee took his young daughter fishing over the weekend and said that it's a memory that will last forever. 

Daddy's baby girl out did herself with 3 more in the bucket on the right when Momma took the picture before he had them all laid out. She has bragged about this to everyone they know that she out-caught her Daddy. 

He said that she was having a fit because they were using hot dogs for bait.  She wanted to eat the hot dogs, not feed the fish. When she started catching the fish she forgot all about using the hot dogs. 

Jerry said that when she was only three years old she was learning to shoot and is a true redneck.  So far she has killed 4 deer, one an eight point (this past season), 3 hogs with the biggest being 189 lbs. and a turkey in Green County, MS.  

My congrats to this little hunter and angler in our great wild and wonderful outdoors! I'm so proud of her! 

BIG GATOR

VENUS, Fla. -- An 800-pound alligator known for eating local cattle was caught at Florida-based Outwest Farms Inc.,WPEC-TV reported.

In an April 3 Facebook post, the nearly 15-foot alligator is shown hoisted with a John Deere bulldozer. The alligator was harvested during "a guided gator hunt" on the farm. 

According to WPEC, Okechobee resident Lee Lightsey was responsible for killing and capturing the reptile behemoth.

Venus, Florida is located south of Sebring in the agricultural-heavy part of the state, known mainly for large cattle ranches and sugarcane fields.

First Day Luck!

A turkey hunter by the name of Trent had some incredible luck on the first day of the Kansas turkey season, May 2015. It was the perfect set up, camo and decoy placement that worked.  My congrats to Trent in our great wild outdoors.

Full Strut on CarbonTV.com

A Nice Mess Of Fish!

R. J. Tanner killed a mess of fish at Grenada Lake, MS, over the weekend.  I know it will be a great meal for him and his family.  My congrats on catching them.  What a day he had in our great wild outdoors!

Garden Irises & Statue

Beautiful Irises in the garden!

St. Francis of Assisi Statue.

I love the way the sun is shinning on the face St. Francis of Assisi.

My Photo Published

Tight Squeeze:  Marian Love Phillips shot this photo of the American Queen passing between the two Mississippi River bridges in her hometown of Vicksburg. 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.

Yesterday, my picture was published in our hometown paper The Vicksburg Post.  I took it last Wednesday week of the majestic American Queen passing between the two bridges in Vicksburg, MS.  Her passengers had just spent the day touring our historical town.  She was on her way southbound to Natchez, MS.  It was a tight squeeze because the Mississippi River level was 42.24 feet and fell 0.23 foot with flood stage being 43 feet. I was happy to take another picture of the largest river steamboat ever built on the Mighty Mississippi River.

smile emoticon

My humble thanks to The Vicksburg Post for publishing my photo!

Guest Post For Fishermen

Two Powerful, Portable Fishfinders Released by Garmin

Thank you, Marian, for this opportunity to take part in your blog. I figured, with all this hunting going on, there must be some fishermen on here, as well!

My name is David, and I work with Citimarine Store. We try and stay up to date with all the newest fishing technology and electronics, and just wanted to share a couple of very cool, portable fishfinders that were released by Garmin this year.

Even if you’ve never used a fishfinder, and are “technology-averse” (like I am - I started using a smartphone YEARS after everyone else), these are a couple of easy-to-learn, easy-to-use options.

The first one is the very affordable Striker 4, part of Garmin’s Striker series. This powerful little fishfinder/GPS combo has a screen no larger than 3.5 inches, and just a few buttons, but its sonar can reach a maximum depth of 1,600 feet in freshwater and 750 feet in saltwater!

With its CHIRP transducer, continuously sending a sweep of frequencies, you can better identify and separate your targeted fish from other objects. Bottom contours are visible, even at high speeds, allowing you to better fish as well.

The Striker also allows you to mark hot fishing spots or boat ramps/docks on its built-in GPS, so you can return at a later time, as well as navigate waypoints and check your speed.

The next step up is the Garmin EchoMAP Chirp 43/44dv. This one comes with a 4.3 inch screen, and a couple more buttons, but reaches depths of 2,300 feet in freshwater and 1,100 feet in saltwater!

Thanks to the CHIRP DownVü scanning sonar that comes with the EchoMAP, you can view a near photographic image to as low as 750 feet below your boat. You can clearly make out structure, objects and fish, as if watching on a camera.

The EchoMAP 43dv comes pre-loaded with all US Lakes, and the 44dv comes pre-loaded with the entire coastal US. You can upgrade, and add maps as you'd like as well.

Hopefully now you have a good idea of what to ask for for your next anniversary, birthday, Christmas or other holiday (or gift-getting excuse)! Thanks again, Marian, and happy hunting / fishing to everyone!

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!

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.

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

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.