Roscoe came for Christmas. Boykin Spaniel Puppy

Emily had been asking for a puppy for sometime and her wish came true on Christmas Eve.  It feels like we have a new born in the house now.   We have to get up during the night and take the little fellow out of his kennel to take a walk.  He will follow you everywhere and chew on anything in sight.  In short he has been a pleasure for our family.  We made a family trip to Pet Smart and had to take a trip to Lowe's for a pet pen.  We chose the 10x10x6 chain link pen kit with walk in door.  The pen came as four panels and went together with ease.  The price was 229.00 on sale for the pen.  Emily named the puppy "Roscoe".  So my wife has been walking around calling him "Roscoe P Coltrane".

Roscoe in his new pen.
 

Roscoe is a Boykin Spaniel.  The Boykin Spaniel is a newer breed 1905-1910 and is a medium sized dog.  It originates from and is the state dog of South Carolina.  Roscoe is 14 weeks old and loves to fetch and is learning to sit on command.  We have a couple of ponds behind the house and look forward to warmer days when we can take him for a swim.  He was born near a huge lake and spent many days splashing and swimming in late fall. 

 

Emily and Roscoe playing.

 

I'm hoping he will be a be a good bird hunting partner and spend many days afield with our family.

 

Roscoe playing in the hay.

 

A little more information I found on Wikipedia.

The Boykin Spaniel is a friendly, social dog that is considered a good family pet.  It is easily trained and eager to work. It is good with, and extremely stable around, children and other dogs. They can sometimes be described as energetic with great endurance that lasts throughout the day. They are extremely adaptable to different environments as long as they are given ample opportunity for social interaction and plenty of time to burn off excess energy. They are not easily angered and tend to be eager to please and friendly, but they love attention. Boykins have great energy reserves and will always outlast you in any activity you choose.

If you have any advice or knowledge on training a hunting dog then please feel free to share.

Thanks
Shelby Byrd
alakingfish@gmail.com

Duck, Duck, Shoot

Duck Hunting Lake Barkley

 

 

Duck season has started in Kentucky and it looks like a great season so far. Here are a few pictures from the Western Kentucky region.  Names and places will be withheld to protect the honey hole.  I'm really hoping to get in on some of this action before the season is over.

Kentucky Duck Season:

Location: Statewide

Season Dates: Nov 28 2013 - Jan 26 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some great pictures Jeff thanks for sharing.  Jeff has started a blog and if you would like to keep up with his time spent in the duck blind then click on the link below and add it to your favorites.

 

http://firefighterduckhunting.blogspot.com/

 

If you have questions or comments please send them to:

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd 

 



View from a deer stand

There is nothing like slipping into a deer stand in the stillness before daylight.  The woods are still asleep and there is hardly any movement.   I spent the good part of a week hunting the woods of Western Kentucky.  My stand was located on a ridge surrounded by a horseshoe bottom.

 The hardwoods had dropped most of their leaves and any movement was amplified by the crunch of footprints on the forest floor. One morning just before daylight I could hear movement in the right bottom and was unsure what was out there. A few moments later I heard the squeals of a rabbit that had been caught.  As daylight moved upon my ridge I saw the predator, a coyote had found his prey and was slipping back to his cover.  Shortly after seeing the coyote the woods began to come alive, the reason was the sun was rising above the ridge behind me.  Its funny how when the sun comes up it wakes up everything, even the wind starts to blow.  I could hear roosters crowing, dogs barking and the squirrels began hitting the ground all around me.

 

From my stand I can see a rodeo bull farm about 100 yards in front at the bottom of the ridge.  It's made up of large grazing fields filled with wooded bottoms.  Many times during the week I would see bucks chasing does across the huge field.  I had a chance to see a pretty good bull fight, and these are some huge bulls, it was quality entertainment.

 

We had 6 hunters on the property and saw many good bucks during the week.  In the end we were unable to close the deal and take the kind of mature buck we were looking for.  The group had out 4 game cameras for over a month and had several deer that made the hit list.  Hopefully some of these bucks will make it through the year and be that much bigger next season.

Picture of a good 10 Pt. at Joe's stand.

Picture of a big body 8 Pt. from George's (Dad's) camera.

Questions or Comments

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd 

LIMB SHAVER, Walnut Grove Hunting Products

Walnut Grove Hunting Products

I had a great chance to try out another quality product from http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/

Our hunting group used the Limb Shaver with Saw attachment for clearing shooting lanes.  This is a fully customizable saw and works very well in many different applications.  What I really like most about the Limb Shaver is the easy way in which it can be packed in a packet or hunting pack.  I cut a small tree down to about 7 ft in length and used it as a saw handle.  This gave me the ability to reach limbs up to around 15 ft high which worked out great.  I would recommend the Limb Shaver with the offered Saw attachment Walnut Grove also offers just the attachment unit to use with your existing saw. 

Limb Shaver with Saw mounted on a 7 ft limb.

Kaitlyn using the Limb Shaver to clear shooting lanes.

Joe and Jeff using the Limb Shaver.

Limb Shaver without saw blade. Photo from Walnut Grove Hunting Products.

Limb Shaver with customer supplied saw. Photo from Walnut Grove Hunting Products

http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/products.html

Click on this link to view the Walnut Grove Hunting Products Web Page.

For question or comments and if you have products you would like to share with our viewers:

Shelby Byrd

alakingfish@gmail.com

Alabama Game Check Now Voluntary



After careful consideration, Conservation Commissioner N Gunter Guy, Jr., with the full support of the Conservation Advisory Board (CAB), has decided to withdraw the mandatory Game Check regulation and implement voluntary compliance. The Game Check system will still be effective Oct. 15, 2013, for the first day of archery season. CAB Chairman Dan Moultrie said, “We are confident that the hunters in Alabama will comply with the Game Check reporting system on a voluntary basis this first year because they know the importance of the information gained through this process.”

For more information go to:

http://www.outdooralabama.com/

For the full version of this article click here:

http://www.outdooralabama.com/news/release.cfm?ID=1180



Take a youngster hunting

If you ever need to feel a breath of fresh air just find a small son or daughter to take hunting.  It will be a trip that you will not soon forget.  I enjoy seeing the woods through the eyes of my 7 year old girl Emily.  She has question about little things that I've not really considered since childhood.  We usually spend about as much time getting ready to hunt as we spend in the woods.  It starts with packing enough snack to supply a small army.

  Then we have to take all the accessories along, deer calls, cover scent, binoculars, face paint, extra flash lights.  You name it and we pack it to the stand.

 

After we get the truck parked and get unpacked we usually have to spray each other with enough cover scent to last the rest of the hunting season and well on into turkey season.  Then we start the march to the stand.  I'm sure we sound like a army marching in procession as we pass by.  We often stop and talk for several minutes about different type of tracks that we encounter on the road or path.  Emily always finds the neatest flowers growing wild along the trail.

 

We sometimes spot endangered bugs and crazy looking worms.  We once found the biggest anthill in South Alabama, you ask how I know because Emily told me so.  At some point during the trip I realize that I don't know half as much about the outdoors as I think I do.  She will ask me,  Daddy what kind of bird makes that noise?  Dadddy what type of bee is that?  Dadddy why can I not shoot that doe?  All great questions and I hope to have the answer someday.  But until then I'll just enjoy making up whatever answer comes to mind.   

  

We like to do some fishing too.

That's me on the Left and Dad in the middle. 

 He spent alot of time taking me and my brother hunting when we were small and now it's something we enjoy doing with our famlies.

question or comments:

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

Fishing and Football

What a great time to live in South Alabama.  Saturday I was able to watch the Alabama Football team end the day with a shut out victory over the Ole Miss Rebels.  My daughter Emily helped me with a little camo paint job on the little river boat.  And on Sunday morning the temperature was perfect for a fishing trip on the Lower Mobile Delta. At 5:30 when I walked out of the house with a pair of shorts, t-shirt and flip flops, it was a little chilly and felt great.  We took Joe's Blazer Bay and launched at the public launch next to Shirley's Live Bait and headed north.

  Beautiful sunrise to the east.

The fish started biting as the tide began to drop out.  We picked up several Red Fish and some nice Speckled Trout and even put a bass in the livewell for a little extra color.

Blake with a Red Fish

Blake with a Speckled Trout

Mobile Skyline from the Lower Delta on the Spanish River.

U.S.S Alabama as viewed from the boat. 

There must have been 30 boats fishing in the deep hole just south of the Battleship.

We brought the fish home and cleaned them for a little fish fry out in the barn.  We could hear the pounding of the shot guns as many of our friends and family shot doves in the fields around our home. It was a busy weekend and I enjoyed spending a little time outside. Roll Tide Roll.

Joe cooking his "Birthday Eve Meal" in my barn.

The old camo boat Emily helped paint.

alakingfish@gmail.com

Questions or Comments

Shelby Byrd

Catfish Roundup

15th Annual Catfish Roundup

Our family and friends, with the help and support of our community and many volunteers, have a day of fun in the sun for some very special people.  It's called the Baldwin Catfish Roundup and it is a chance for many people who spend the majority of their lives inside to enjoy some fresh air and a shot at catching a fish.  This is the 15th consecutive year that the Roundup has been held on a private pond located in Stapleton Alabama.  My grandmother Jeanette Grimes Cabaniss started this event to honor her beloved husband who had built her the fishing pond on the back side of their farm.  The event started out small with 250 volunteers and participants and has grown to over 1200 now.  It takes a lot of work to organize an event of this size and we have as many as 6 meetings a year to help organize the troops.  We have a live blue grass band,  the "Unknown Bluegrass Band", that donates their time and talent to the event.

                                    

  This gets many of the participants out of their seat and up buck dancing.  Several clowns usually show up and perform face painting and balloon tricks.  And I mean real clowns not just a bunch of my kin folks but the cousins do plenty of clowning around as well.

 

We have several hundred fishing poles that we have to repair and keep in operation during the event.

Many of the participants have never been fishing and get a real kick out of catching that first fish.  Visitors come from many different states and places.  Some of these include many of our country's veterans who live in veteran homes.  Others come from nursing homes and families come as a group to celebrate the outdoors and an escape.  We cook the fish caught and grill hamburgers.  Everyone who wants gets to participate in a cake walk and wins a whole cake.   They leave with a smile on their face and a free T-shirt and cake.  We have several groups who have been to all 15 events and it is a circled date on the calender for them each year.  

A large group of volunteers pictured above waiting to help unload the buses and find a fishing partner for the day.

If you would like to help with this worthy event then feel free to contact me

alakingfish@gmail.com

The Baldwin Catfish Roundup will be held on October 19, 2013 in Stapleton Alabama.

The event is always looking for new sponsors and volunteers and all donations are tax deductible if you would like to donate.  Come October if you hear twin fiddles and a steel guitar and the sound of people cheering and laughing it might be our family and friends having a grand time at the Roundup. 

Primos Ultra 35 Game Camera

I got my hands on a new game camera this week and plan to deploy it in Kentucky in early October.  I'm going to set the camera up and place some of the ConQuest Scent Products near by.  The camera is a Primos Ultra 35 Truth Cam.  This camera is a last years model and comes in at a good price point. Academy Sports has it on sale at $99.00 and it's regularly $119.00.  Primos now has a Truth Cam Ultra 46 that's priced around $150.00.  The Ultra 35 claims to have a 9 month battery life on the 8 AA batteries.  It also has a video mode that records audio as well.  And an HD Time Lapse Photo mode which might be fun to use in long range application where the motion sensor might not be tripped. 

Do you have a favorite Camera that you like to use at a value price? 

Questions or Comments?

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

Kentucky Bow Season.

Its official, bow season has kicked off in many parts of the country.  September 7th was the opening day in Western Kentucky and some friends of the blog have already kicked the season off.  Rej Jones was kind enough to share some pictures off his game cameras.  These pictures where captured on his new lease in Kentucky.  I'm sure he will keep the interstate hot this season after seeing what the new property holds.  Many people don't see the benefits of game cameras but I feel it can only help in deer herd management to know how many and what caliber deer frequent your property. Its a good idea to place cameras in feed areas and on isolated trails.  Often the larger bucks will shy away from any human scent in feeding areas and it may be easier to get a picture of them on a trail when your scent dissipates a few days after hanging your camera.  Do you have any thoughts or successes you would like to share with our viewers?  

Good long tines on this buck

Keep counting plenty of points.

This buck has a forked brow tine

10pt.

Good Luck Rej maybe you will be sending in a photo of you holding one of these nice racks.

Thanks for sharing the pictures.

alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

DEAL ALERT!



Check out this Guide Gear Tree Stand at Sportsman Guide. Members get it for $67.49 I've never seen a tree stand for that price. Also comes with a full body harness.  I'm sure that deal will not last long.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/guide-gear-extreme-deluxe-climber-tree-stand.aspx?a=1505470

Use the above link to view.

Let us know if you purchase one of these stands.

If you see what you think is a great deal send us a link at:

alakingfish@gmail.com

Thanks

Shelby Byrd

Alabama to implement new game check law for 2013-2014 season

https://www.outdooralabama.com/images/file/2013-14%20WFF/Game%20Check%20Handout%207-9-13.pdf

                                         New Mandatory Game

                                             Check System for

                                          2013-2014 Deer and

                                              Turkey Seasons



   Accurate data provided by hunters through the Game Check system will allow the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to more effectively manage deer and turkey populations for the future according to the Outdoor Alabama website.  You can go to the above link to read this article or here to the check your game:

                            http://www.outdooralabama.com/gamecheck/



ConQuest Scent Sticks

We have some Exciting News!

ConQuest Scent Sticks shared some of their products for our blog to review.

http://conquestscents.com/

ConQuest is a leader in the market and has developed some awsome products for many different hunting applications. If you have a dog to train for bird hunting (quail,duck,grouse,pheasant) or even coon hunting you need to check the ConQuest web site: http://conquestscents.com/product-category/hunting-scents/dog-training/

Look for reviews in the next couple of months on these great looking products.

This is the Ever Calm Deer Herd Scent Stick.  This product is a great alternative to liquid scent.  You rub this stick on a tree, rock, maybe a fence post and it will last longer than a traditional liquid.  This seems to me would be idea for scouting and use in front of a game camera.  I plan to put it to use in the near future and see what shows up.

Ever Calm Liquid Deer Herd

This is a calming liquid scent and is used in a hanging Stink Stick.

This is a resealable hanging dispenser and looks to me to be well sealed and very durable.

Conquest Scent Sticks has a lot to offer the average hunter.  They have cover scents, predator scents, pig scents, and several others.  My little hunting buddy Emily said she can't wait to try some of ConQuest Venison Meat Sticks.  Man do those Venison and Jalapeno Cheese Sticks sound great.

Check out the ConQuest Web Site:

http://conquestscents.com/

or reach them by phone or mail:

                                                           Phone: (888) 653-2759
                                                            Fax: (810) 653-2809
                                                              ConQuest Scent Sticks

PO Box 219 Davison, MI 48423

Thanks for viewing our blog

alakingfish@gmail.com



E-Z CINCH TREESTAND LIGHT



                        E-Z CINCH TREESTAND LIGHT

The new E-Z Cinch Hunter's Safety Light is a must for everyone! It attaches with adjustable hook/loop straps to your wrist, treestand or anywhere you need a light. Works well on the water while fishing or boating too. Now you'll never be caught in the dark....

Walnut Grove Hunting Products was kind enough to share this sporting light with our blog.  I've had the light for about a month now and have found several great uses for the light.  It has been in the boat with my family and been used in several applications while fishing.

Emily doing a little night fishing on the pier in Orange Beach.

This was a great application for the "E-Z Cinch Light".

 It works great for situations where you need to be able to use both hands and still support a light.  It's designed to be used on your wrist and has an adjustable/bendable head for just the right angle.  It's very compact and light weight which I've found to be a real asset.  When I pack my gear for the treestand it will most certainly make it in the pack.  Check out their web site for this great little light and other items as well.

http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/

E-Z Cinch Light also has a red laser pointing feature as well.

Thanks to http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/ for allowing us to review some of your products and share our finding with the readers.  If you have any products you would like to submit to the blog for review please feel free to contact us below.

Thanks,

Shelby Byrd

www.rarebreedwhitetailhunting.blogspot.com

alakingfish@gmail.com