Land Between the Lakes quota hunts 2 days left to get in the drawing.

Land Between the Lakes

Land Between the Lakes is taking application's to enter the quota hunt drawing through the end of July.  This is a reminder that you have 2 days left to get your application turned in.  This is a beautiful place to hunt and offers hunting on over 170,000 acres.  The application fee is 5$. You can register as a group and if you don't get a draw this year then your group will have a point to carry over to next year.

http://www.lbl.org/newsroom2013/news061813b.html

 

                                                         Land Between The Lakes
                                                         National Recreation Area
                                                          100 Van Morgan Drive
                                                         Golden Pond, KY 42211

                                                        Phone: 270-924-2000
                                                       Toll Free: 800-525-7077
                                                       Email: LBLInfo@fs.fed.us

   

Nutria friend or foe?

The Nutria has went from fur trading boom to swap grass eating doom.  The origins of this oversize rat making it to the shores of the Southeastern United States has been debated.  It's been said they were brought here in the 1930's by naturalist and hot-sauce magnate E.A Mcllhenny.  Mcllhenny planned to raise Nutria in large pens for the fur trade.  The legend has it that a hurricane swept through South Louisiana and the pens were destroyed and the rest is history.  Our climate here in this region is not much different from the fertile grounds of South America where the Nutria are native. This has ensured that the Nutria population has increased at staggering rates.  Some states have introduced a bounty on Nutria but the population keeps growing.  On a hog hunting trip to the Alabama delta this spring we noticed large strips of marsh land that had been completely cleared by the Nutria. So if any of you industrial minded individuals are looking for a turn of the century trade, I hear that Nutria handbags used to be the rage. 

This is a photo of a Nutria we killed while hog hunting.
Notice the grass laying at the bottom of the picture.  This Nutria family had cleared an entire island of reeds and grass.

contact:
alakingfish@gmail.com

Walnut Grove Hunting Products

Walnut Grove Hunting Products

http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/

Walnut Grove Hunting Products has been very kind and submitted a few of the quality products they offer for review on our blog.  So over the next few months we will feature some of the items in a review post.  Get a sneak peek at their web site and check out their cool products. 

Walnut Grove Hunting Products292 U.S. Route 224 - Suite 2
Sullivan, Ohio 44880
Phone (419) 736-3530 or Toll free (877)338-8171
 Web Site

http://www.walnutgrovehunting.com/

Average Joe?

A good friend Joe Perkins has been hunting in Western Kentucky for 10 years now.  He has had some great hunts over the years and has been very successful bringing back 5 wall hangers from 130 class to 160 class deer.  What makes this remarkable is this is not pay hunts he's going on.  Joe hunts with our group on privately owned and leased land.  He has a few traditions he lives by and they pay dividends for him.  He will never make the trip north without an ice chest full of shrimp.  The first year he took shrimp to Kentucky he killed the largest buck of his life.  Needless to say he is in a panic each year when the calendar turns to November to try to locate some fresh off the boat shrimp. 

Joe Perkins with 10 pt.

I wont give up all his tricks but check out some of his buck pictures from the last few years.

Joe Perkins

So come November if you see a truck north bound on the Interstate that appears to be the Beverly Hillbillies.  It might be the LA Hillbillies (Lower Alabama) loaded down with gear (shrimp, pecans, satsumas) and any other items that brought a little luck in the past.

If you guys run into Joe ask him to tell you about his cover scent.

He's definitely not your Average Joe when it comes to hunting.

by: Shelby Byrd

email me at:

alakingfish@gmail.com

Wrong way to deer hunt. Do Not Try This

A friend sent me this story on email it's been around for a while but I still laugh every time I read it.  I've been told it's an Urban Legend.  If you know the author please share his name, I'd like to give him credit for this fantastic story. And remember don't try this at home, I don't think it's legal anyway.

    I had this idea that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home. 

I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. 

The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold.The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it.  It took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope - and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. 

That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer - No Chance! That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals.A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this since the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head had mostly blinded me. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. 

I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At the time, there was no love at all between that deer and me. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back. 

Did you know that deer bite? 

They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go.A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts.The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw

back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. 

It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was

likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be

questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the

tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that

rope loose. 

That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day. 

Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their

back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are

surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a

horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the

best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move

towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can

escape. 

This was not a horse. This was a deer.  So obviously, such trickery would not

work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I

screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been

told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is

a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so

different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as

evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the

head and knocked me down.Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do

instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are lying there

crying like a little girl and covering your head. 

I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I

know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope.  Sort of

even the odds!! 

All these events are true so help me God.... 

An Anonymous Educated Farmer



My First Deer

My Nephew killed his first deer and at the age of eleven. He

 was so excited about it he put a story together for a school project.

My First Deer

By: Colton Byrd

11/22/06

On November 22 my Dad and I decided to take a little hunting trip. It was a very cold afternoon with a hard wind blowing from the North.  We packed on the layers of clothing and were off to spend some time together in the woods.  I was excited to be going to my Grandfathers hunting camp in Stapleton Alabama.  I chose to hunt the large field where we saw many deer tracks in the grass.  We got in the blind about 3:00 pm and a flying squirrel jumped on my back and scared me half to death.  Shortly afterwards we got settled and the deer started moving.  Many deer where eating or passing through the field mainly doe and smaller bucks but we had to pass on them.  After sitting a while longer we could see another larger deer entering across the field.  As the deer moved into the field dad said there's one now get your gun ready.  I could see through the scope it was a nice six point.  I was breathing hard and heavy and my hands were shaking.  I was finally able to calm down, I took a deep breath and got in a good shooting position. I waited for the deer to turn to give me a better shot, my dad was putting up his binoculars and POW!  I got him!  I was so happy to kill my first deer so I got up and ran across the field to see him.  That was the hunt of my life.

When we arrived at Pawpaw's house we took pictures and cleaned the deer. My dad put some blood on my face to celebrate my first deer kill.  We took some pictures and will share the memories for the rest of our lives.  I was so happy that I could hardly sleep that night.
By: Colton Byrd

Colton is 18 years old now and still loves spending time outdoors with friends and family.  He has now graduated high school and helped win an Alabama State Championship in 6A High School football for the Daphne Trojans. He will attend The University of South Alabama this fall. Our family is very proud of him.  Thanks for sharing this story Colton.

Do you have a hunting story you would like to share with our readers?  If so please send them to alakingfish@gmail.com

Thanks for reading.

Shelby Byrd

Outpost Venice La.

Have you ever been on a real adventure.  I'm talking about leaving the country in a small puddle jumper airplane and landing in a place where things are a lot different than the norm.  Well take out the small plane and leaving the country and put in its place a 4 hour ride in a truck to South Louisiana and that's where our adventure begins.  A group of good friends got together and wanted to go on a real blue water fishing trip.  We live in a coastal county in Alabama and could have stayed in state for the trip but the short distance from Venice La. to the fertile sport fishing grounds around the Midnight Lump was an attraction we could not pass up.  We booked a February trip with Capt. Scott Avanzino with Paradise Outfitters out of Venice Marina.  We had a pretty crazy trip getting through New Orleans and all the small Parish towns.  It was Mardis Gras in the Big Easy so we skirted parade routes to south of town.  If you have never been south of New Orleans on Hwy 23 some of the small towns I remember are Port Sulphur, Empire, and Buras.  Hwy 23 runs down the west side of the Mississippi River and for most of the trip you are riding along the side of the flood levy.  It's exactly what you think it would be for the most part until you see the exotic animal farms and the citrus groves.


We arrived in Venice on Saturday evening and our 12 hour trip was set to start the next morning at 6 am.  We had  comfortable lodgings set up by Paradise Outfitters and the Captain and Deckhand of our boat stayed at the same lodge we bunked in. Our vessel for the trip was a 32' sportfisherman 6 pack known as the DELTA DAWN.  Our group picked a huge room at the back side of the lodge that was full of bunk beds.  We settled down about midnight for some restless sleep.  It's hard to rest when your on fire for the trip ahead.
    

Shelby Byrd, Matt Achimon, Rick Gaines,Joe Perkins and Elvin Byrd

After getting to Venice Marina we found the fog to be very thick.  The captain decided to make the short run down the Mississippi River to Tiger Pass and run the bay on out to the Midnight Lump.

River camp on the Mississippi
 

We cruised in the boat for about 1.5 hrs and then set out a spread and trolled the rest of the way to the lump. The seas where pretty heavy and we cold see smaller craft disappearing between the huge rolling seas and returning on the next wave crest.  We dropped the anchor and started chumming for Yellow Fin Tuna

.

  It started a little slow and we had several Black Fin bites and landed many of them. About 3 hours into the trip we started getting the hammering bites that bend the broom stick size rods over to the side of the boat.  Talk about a fight, its a test of endurance when you have a 90 + lb fish with a attitude heading in the other direction.

Elvin Byrd with a Yellowfin Tuna

Shelby Byrd (me) and Rick Gaines with a Large Yellowfin
  

We landed several nice Yellow Fins and Rick had the fight of the day when a 96 lb wahoo hit and  violently screamed the line off the reel for about 10 minutes before all went quite.  The deck hand earned his pay at this point by offering good instruction. REEL,REEL,REEL he said that fish is heading for the boat you've got a wahoo.  Rick double timed the reel and gained ground before the wahoo had a chance to spit the hook.  It made several more intense runs before it was landed and hauled aboard.  Talk about some high fives and pictures flashing.  That one fish made it a trip to never forget.

Rick Gaines with a 96lb Wahoo

I do hope to make that trip again one day and can only hope we have the same results.

   Rick Gaines and Joe Perkins

2 Nice Yellowfin Tuna

Cleaning Stations at Venice Marina

Shelby Byrd on the Delta Dawn

Thanks for reading this short story and join the mailing list at the bottom of the page to follow this blog or join our google plus group. Questions or comments email me at alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

Aqua Webs

A cast net makes me think of a spiderweb.  The fisherman prepares his throw by getting his net ready and in casting position.  Sometimes the fisherman throws blind and other times at movement in the water usually displayed on top with a swirl . The fisherman makes his cast and has to wait for the net to settle on the bottom before starting a slow retrieval.  Have you ever seen a bug hit a spiderweb and the spider come greedily charging out of hiding the second she feels the web vibrate with her prey's movement.  The spider  at that point has no idea whats in her web.  It's the same for the cast net fisherman.  The fisherman usually knows if the cast was a success before his eyes scan the net.  The net fisherman is just like the little spider, he feels the bumping and vibration of the net long before he sees the fish splashing beneath the water.  The size of the fish is usually not that much of a mystery either you can tell by how hard the net jumps with the swimming fish darting around inside.  What can be a surprise is the amount of fish in the net.  As a child I can remember my father one time filling a 48 quart cooler with fish after one cast.  That doesn't happen as often now but sometimes we still get lucky and hit the big cast and catch 10 or more fish.  My family went to Orange Beach on Saturday and we dodged the thunderstorms and threw the net a little.  It was no banner day and we even made a stop at one of the fish markets in Bon Secour on the way home to make sure we had enough for dinner.  Even the bad days fishing are great when spent with family making memories that will last a life time.

Emily, Sydnee and Gavin

  My nephew Gavin wanted to give the ten foot cast net a try.

Emily and her cousin Sydnee playing with a hermit crab.

Emily and Sydnee checking out a small silver mullet

Fish and kabob's on the grill.

If you have questions or comments on this story please forward them to alakingfish@gmail.com

Shelby Byrd

Seeing Red

Have you ever pitched the perfect game or hit a hole in one.  Have you ever done something so memorable that you will never forget it.  It's like a wedding date or a first date.  The memory is like rust on a old pickup truck, you can cover the rust with paint but it keeps coming back.  Every year in the fall I get that feeling, the date is burned in my mind.  This is a story that I've told before but it never gets old for me.  I like to relive that night in my mind.  It's like ripples in the sand on that beach in South Alabama it keeps returning no matter how much time passes by.   

The day began with a beautiful sunrise and a nice southwesterly breeze.  I called the crew and started arranging the plans for the afternoon.  It was going to be a very special day.  After many hours of preparing the rods and reels, finding the mantels for the lantern, and loading up the cart, we were ready to begin the journey.  I picked up my father, George, and we were off to watch my nephew in his last football game of the year.  This was going to be his big day.  Chase had excelled in school all year and won numerous awards so his Aunt Jennie and I promised him a Fort Morgan fishing trip.

The game was a thriller Chase had a huge catch at the wide receiver position, and made numerous tackles on the defensive side of the ball.  My father and I were very proud of his performance. After the game Chase changed clothes and was on his way to the fishing trip of a lifetime.  We met other friends in the area and were off to locate bait.  After several stops and no luck we were beginning to get frustrated when the voice of wisdom spoke up and suggested the perfect spot for finding the silver pogey, which we were hunting.  Elvin was the official cast net slinger, and he lived up to expectation. With the first cast he filled the bottom of the five-gallon bait bucket, and then followed up with the mother load.  Having plenty of bait and a good feeling we were on our way racing against the sun.  Ideally we would arrive at the beach before sundown.

Fort Morgan Alabama at Sunset while fishing.

Along the way we made several stops for ice, drinks and burgers.  In line at the Checkers drive-thru I placed an order for two cheeseburgers, my father ordered a burger combo with fries and Chase ordered a large burger with fries. As we pulled up to the pickup window the inquisitive mind of the youngster went to work, and out came the question, “Uncle Shelby, what are you going to do with that extra hamburger?”  Laughing as we left we were on our way to battle with the prehistoric looking, large scaled fish, called the bull red fish.  The drive from Gulf Shores down to Fort Morgan seemed to take an eternity due to the anticipation of battling with the huge fish. 

We arrived at the rustic old fort about thirty minutes later, and began to load the metal cart, which we would pull through the sand to our destination approximately a mile away.  This is quite a chore that requires a strong back and determination.  The excitement begins to build as you dig your feet into the sand.  The sun had begun its decent into the horizon looking like a huge ball of fire melting into the planet.  You could see the oil rigs standing tall out of the Gulf; each one is a mini city with lights everywhere.  We trudged down the beach, David and I pulling the cart as Elvin was toting his small son Noah on his back.  My father, and Chase had the beach chairs on their backs, and Justin was bringing up the rear with the bait bucket.  There were several rest stops on the way, but not for long as the little guys were ready to go.

As we came around the point we could see several mini camps with rod polls standing tall in the sand.  We had to weave our way through the obstacle course of chairs, rod and reels and the other anglers standing along the beach.  Along the way we passed several people fighting fish, and one fellow landed a small sand shark, which drew a small gathering of spectators.  Our blood began to pump through our veins faster than before, and just then we saw what the trip was all about. There on the beach laid about a half a dozen of the beautiful fish we were after.  It seemed some of the other parties were having good luck.

We had to bypass our favorite spot on the beach since another group had already setup camp.  David and I pulled our cart on around the point to the Gulf side.  Usually the ideal spot is the highest spot on the beach, this gets your rod tip up higher in the air, which prevents the crashing waves from pulling the line in the water, and will eventually wash your bait to the beach.  The spot we picked was directly on Dixie Bar where the surf is the highest.  I started driving the rod holders in the sand and getting the other gear laid out. Chase was on his first trip and was not wasting any time.  I believe he had the bait in the water before the sand settled under the cart.  George and Elvin were baiting hooks while David started the lantern. Noah and Justin were cutting the bait.  It had all started to fall in place. 

George Byrd at Fort Morgan

Before I got the second rod holder in the ground, George yelled “FISH ON”!!!  Chase had the fight of his life before him.  He was holding the eleven-foot rod high in the air as he fought the monster; the fish had headed for the deep water.  A battle of tug of war would ensue.  Chase mastered the technique very quickly, he learned to pull back on the rod and then reel down to the fish.  Shortly after Chase’s battle began George hooked up with a nice fish also.  After a ten-minute fight Chase had landed and released the first fish of the evening.  With a big smile on his face he ran around and gave the group a high-five and grabbed more bait.  David was trying to get the lantern started and Elvin was getting Noah adjusted and in a chair.  Meanwhile George had landed his twenty plus pound fish. The group had planned to rotate reeling in the fish but the bite was too fast.  By the time the bait hit the water the line would pull tight and the reel would scream for mercy. At some point we had five rods out with five fish on. 

Elvin Byrd holding nice Bull Redfish, David Byrd background

My job became fish releaser and tackle rigger.  I released more than twenty-five fish in two hours.  David had brought a fifteen-foot surf rod, which soon earned the name cellular one.  This was in reference to the fact that the rod should have had a red light on top to keep small planes from colliding into it.  Chase was forever looking for a challenge so when the big rod jerked he ran and grabbed it.  The fight of the night was on.  He actually sat down on the beach and planted his heels in the sand to keep the fish, which had the leverage on him, from dragging him in the water.  After a short time he asked for help, which we would not provide.  He eventually landed the fish that was close to thirty pounds.  He then proceeded over to where dad and me were standing and asked, “Uncle Shelby are you going to eat that other hamburger”?  The last thing I remember after that was Chase saying something about the burger being cold after the last bite was gone.

Chase Byrd Fort Morgan Alabama

Everyone’s arms were sore and we could barley stand, so the group decided to leave the fish biting to catch again another day.  We kept a few fish for the grill and took several pictures, and have enough good memories to last a lifetime.  After loading the cart, we started the long hike back to the truck.  When we reached the trucks we said our goodbyes and dad, Chase and I loaded our gear and started the hour and a half ride back home.  I don’t think we made it out of the gates at the Fort before Chase had fallen asleep in the back seat.  I thought several times on the way home about who was the happiest, the grandfather, the uncle or the little boy who had the trip of a lifetime. 

All in all we had caught about 40 fish that night.  The next day would find dad, Chase and me trying to determine who had bragging rights on the biggest fish.

Justin, George and Chase at Fort Morgan Alabama

If you liked this story please drop down to the bottom of this page and enter your email address to follow the blog and get updates when new posts are added.

Thanks for reading.

by Shelby Byrd

Do you have any pictures or stories you would like to share?  If so Email them to me at

alakingfish@gmail.com

Just plain Lucky

Did you ever know a man who had the luck when it come to hunting and fishing?  When I go fishing I find myself developing excuses on why I didn't fill the cooler up with fish.  The classic blame it on the moon "The moon wasn't right I guess".  Or how about this one  "I need to take this cast net and have it looked at, I know it needs some patching".  The same thing can happen hunting.  Here is a classic huntingism "Well I'm going to have to shoot this gun when we get home the scope must be off".  Here is one of my personal favorites "The wind was wrong and that deer smelled me".  No matter what excuse we pull from our arsenal it doesn't change the facts that in the end we failed to execute.  It's rare but sometimes we hear or see people who break the mold and live to a higher degree in the outdoors.  They have a few less weapons in there excuse stockpile.

My father George Byrd (Left) with a 12 pt. in 1964 with Butch Malone

   We call them lucky or as my good friend Joe likes to say "That guy has a horseshoe around his neck".  Or maybe it's "the luck of the Irish".  It could be that those guys don't have a black cat living on their street.  But I think in the end it comes down to execution.  This Rare Breed Outdoors Man takes advantage of the opportunities that come their way.  I was mullet fishing with my father the other day and as usual he was spanking me pretty good.  And I thought about what I was doing different than him.  My net was opening most of the time.  I was casting directly beside him but he was catching ten fish to my one.  I think I realized the difference.  He was throwing a little further out than me and creating his own advantage.  It's the little things we do that make the difference.  This holds true in all parts of life and really shows up outdoors as well.  My fathers old Remington Wingmaster and his Browning Medallion have killed more deer than black tongue.  He's killed deer when no one else was even seeing deer.  I know the secret why and if you keep reading you will too.  Luck might really play a part in it.  What's the old saying "I'd rather be lucky than good any day".  But I think it goes back to creating your own advantages.  Picking proper stand placement for wind direction.  Wearing good cover scent.  Taking the time to put out a good scent attractant for your target species.  If we concentrate more on the little details it will help the bigger picture.  What does our beloved Alabama football coach say "dominate the player in front of you one play at a time".  That holds true in hunting and fishing as well.  I'm going to make this cast count then I'll check the catch in the cooler when I'm done fishing.

George Byrd with 2 nice Bass

    And the main things that you must do to produce is not a secret.  First you must be in the woods to kill a deer.  That sounds simple but it takes some dedication.  You have to hunt when its hot sometimes, you have to fish when the wind is blowing.  It's hard to kill a deer sitting on the couch. When you get a chance on a deer you have to make it happen.  Make the shot count, use good shot placement and know when to take your shot.  That's one of the things that's consistent about my father he just simply doesn't miss when he takes his shot.  I can count on my hands how many times over the years when he pulled the trigger and we didn't have meat on the table.  Over the years growing up we were members in a few clubs and he was called lucky by some and hunt master by others.  But growing up around him and seeing his dedication to his family, faith, hunting and fishing, my brother Leo and I knew the secret and we called him DAD.

George Byrd and Shelby Byrd (Me)

Huge 6pt. for South Alabama bottomed the scales out at 210lbs

11pt. Buck

George Byrd

Nice 9 pt.

George Byrd

If you like what you have been reading about please drop to the bottom of the page and enter your email address to follow this blog.  You will get an update when ever a new post is added.

Thanks for reading

S.Byrd

Blast From The Past

This is a story that I wrote back in 2006 and it was published in a local magazine (Great Days Outdoors).

                                                             Drawing in the Bucks

This past deer season I found myself with a little less time for hunting than in a normal year.  I’d made a commitment to take a nephew of mine deer hunting.  The season had almost slipped away before the opportunity presented itself.   Collin had come over to spend the day with me and his aunt.  We went fishing in the morning and caught a mess of nice bull bream and a few small bass.  After fishing Collin had the chance to pick which shooting house we would spend the afternoon in.  We walked over several food plots and checked a few trails.  When the scouting was over he chose to hunt the 5 acre grass field that always seems to draw plenty of does and yearlings.  The whole area was covered with tracks.   That afternoon we put on all the camouflage and loaded up on the cover scents.  We arrived at the green field about 3:00 and settled in with all the snack and drinks we could carry.  Before leaving the truck I picked up an old black marker and was unable to find any blank paper so my old depth finder manual got stuffed in the pocket for an art canvas.  As the afternoon crept by we ate our snacks and chugged down a couple of sodas which has a not so desirable side affect when hunting.  Needless to say the rear door on the hunting house got a work out early on in the afternoon. 

            Now we were full and a little more comfortable and it was time for a little tick tac toe.  This was a good way to pass the time while watching the rabbits play in the green field.  After I crowned myself the king of the Tic Tac Toe I told him I was the best and would be willing to put the title on the line against his 4 year old sister any ol’ time.  Collin took the marker back a started giving me an art lesson.  He drew a nice Bowie Knife, then a bass boat.  We saw a couple of does enter the north end of the field.  They fed a while and left for greener pastures.  Collin then drew me a picture of a nice Turkey.  About 30 minutes later a beautiful big Tom flew in and landed about 25 yards in front of the house we were in.  It scratched around for about 20 minutes before leaving.  I thought to myself man this has been a good hunt, figuring that Collin would have been asleep. Instead he got to see several animals.   When we got settled down from the turkey visit Collin went back to drawing.  We had filled the little 10 page manual with drawings.  I gave him a piece of plywood that was used to cover one of the openings on wet hunts.  He drew a picture of the hunting house we were sitting in and a few birds flying around with clouds in the background and a pretty 6 point buck.  He showed me the picture explaining what was going on.  He then proceeded to draw what looked to me like a SCUD Missile leaving the shooting house headed in the direction of the deer.

            I looked and laughed and thought man what an imagination.  The sun was starting to set and we were getting ready to gather our gear when we noticed a deer entering the field.  Collin grabbed the binoculars and took a quick look.  I stuck the missile launcher out the window and checked it with the scope.  It qualified so we decided to harvest the deer.  After getting on the ground and looking at the buck Collin said Uncle Shelby I drew a six point and you killed a six point, why didn’t I draw a 10 point.  I thought to myself why didn’t he draw me a new truck. 

She thinks we're just hunting

It's always special to get to spend a day in the woods.  Sometimes we forget the small stuff that can mean so much.  It's really eye opening to take a little buddy along in the woods and see everything through their eyes.  When I go in the woods with my daughter we spend as much time talking about tracks we see and bugs we find as we do looking for game animals.  She actually stops to smell the flowers and even picks a few for daddy.  I think she enjoys dressing up in the hunting clothes as much as going hunting.  I always let her bring some snacks and binoculars to play with.  I want the hunting to be as enjoyable as possible for her.  We are serious about spending time together and the hunting is a bonus.  

I try to make sure she learns something during the trip.  We try to identify different types of animal tracks and see if we can tell which direction they are traveling.  We use cover scent and sometimes we make our own scent blocker by rubbing pine needles on our clothing.  Its fun teaching her about hunting safety and I always make sure she has her own flashlight.  We make sure to both burn a light on the way to and from the truck in low light conditions.  It's amazing how much they listen and how much carry over they have from one hunt to another.  If I do or say something different she will let me know.  Last time you said that was a coon track daddy not an opossum track.

Blake in Kentucky

My buddy Joe's son.  He took his son to a Kentucky Youth Hunt in the 2012 season.

Take the little ones hunting early and often and they might be taking you hunting one day. 

Kaleb with his Grandfather Ron

My buddy Rej shared this picture of his son and father hunting together.



Emily in the Alabama piney woods with her grocery bag.

She takes snacks whenever we go hunting or fishing. 

Jennie and Emily- nothing is getting past these two.

Never to old to stop and smell the flowers.  Yes, Emily picked the flower and took the picture.  Do you have any pictures to share of you and your hunting buddy?  If so please email them to me at alakingfish@gmail.com and if you give permission I may feature you and your buddy on a future post.