1999-2000 Archives

And so another "official" hunting season comes to an end in south Alabama. What a fine one it was for us here in the Horn Swamp! We took some impressive bucks and fine gobblers, yet we know too well that the real measure of a grand season is not entirely the game that is harvested, but too the time spent in God's Great Outdoors with family and friends alike.

The last week of turkey season was a quiet one. We hunted a few times, heard a few birds, but mostly the season ended with very little excitement.

And now the long, hot summer begins to set in. Yet in 5 1/2 months bowseason will open and if we are to be ready we will have to start preparations soon, even as the hot sun beats down in the Swamp. There are improvements around the camp to be made, stands that will need repairs, and soon the food plots will need to be turned under in preparation for the fall planting.

We will not entirely abandon the hunting season in the Swamp. Soon we'll turn the dogs loose a few times in search of hogs and we may even work in a crow shoot or two on some of the milder evenings.

On the warmest days we'll cool off in the waters of Lake Dannelly with our friends, the River Rats, and others. On this lake, like many others I suspect, the month of May is an especially good one for fishing the weed beds near dark with topwater lures. Since it is just a few miles from my house and my office, I can be there in time for a couple of hours of fishing before dark. Oh yes, and we've even threatened to put out a few trotlines in the coming weeks. Alabama River catfish are great for those summertime fish fries.

This summer and fall will be a pivotal one for hunters and gun owners alike. As we are increasingly coming under fire in courtrooms and legislatures around the country, it is time to send home those elected officials who disregard the right of the honest citizen to own a firearm. You have likely seen the new page of this site, called Political Swamp. If you haven't, click over to it. Write your elected officials, vote intelligently, and help spread the word to your other outdoorsmen friends. Join those organizations that are fighting for us. To sit idly by is to aid the opposition. There are many in power in this country who do not hold the same ideals of freedom as this country was founded. They respect the rights of criminals more than those of honest citizens, and they will do all in their power to deny you and I our freedoms. We, as a country, have a chance to send them home in November. That sounds like as good a time as any to me!

Special thanks to all of you who regularly visited this site over the course of the fall, winter, and spring, including those that responded to the recent survey. The overwhelming majority of you come here each week for this very page, to get the latest news from the area. Your continued visits have made my efforts seem worthwhile, indeed. The site has recorded over 6200 hits since the first of the year! Amazing. I've enjoyed your emails and photos that you have sent. I've enjoyed comparing notes will you on these animals that we have come to enjoy so much. Keep the emails and guestbook signatures coming!

I have several new pages in mind for this site and will add them as time permits in the coming months. I think you'll enjoy each of them. So stop by when you can. The scrolling marquee on the home page will alert you to any new updates to the site.

And now I've come to the lines that I have dreaded writing. I say "good-bye" to you for the summer. I hope you find time to spend in the Great Outdoors in the coming months and I hope you will join us back here in September as we continue to chronicle the weekly events in the Horn Swamp and elsewhere in the Great Outdoors.

A few days remain of the Alabama Spring Turkey Season and a few hunters are still getting after them. The season closes on April 30th.

I've been twice in the last week and heard birds both times. Armed with my camera I have been unable to get any more photos. These birds are becoming seasoned veterans, a bit call shy, and wary of a hen yelp. But they are still gobbling here in south Alabama. There have been some nice, crisp mornings and some other mornings that have been warm, muggy, and filled with mosquitoes.

My good friend J. B. Travis got his third gobbler of the season this past Saturday. Each of them had spurs of 4+ year old turkeys, quite a collection for a season's work in the turkey woods.

Worth mentioning is the fact that the hottest gobbling I've heard all season came from turkeys reacting to howling coyotes. One such gobbler gobbled seven times in a row without a hint of hesitation in between. He was still in the tree and I wondered if I should run under him in case he passed out and fell to the ground! The coyotes that day were less than 100 yards away. This past Saturday once again we heard howling coyotes and the gobblers answered in fine fashion. I've heard a lot about coyote howlers being used these days for locating turkeys. There's surely some merit to it, but I think I'll stick with something more traditional such as the owl and crow calls. Those birds don't eat turkeys and shouldn't be a cause for alarm. Coyotes do, and I have to believe that a howl from nearby will cause the gobbler to be even more cautious.

Special thanks to all who clicked through the survey on this site. I've enjoyed the comments, suggestions, and replies. I'll use the information in the constant expansion of this site.

I've enjoyed posting the LATEST NEWS here each week. Though the rest of the site will continue to grow, this LATEST NEWS page will pause for the summer Please stop by one more time next Tuesday for a final send-off for the summer.

The fourth week of the season was good to us. Both my father and I took our third bird a piece during the past week, each on very exciting hunts. My father's gobbler sported the longest spurs of any that we have taken this spring, likely a 4 year old or older bird.

Allow me to explain the four photos you see above. Beginning at the top left, that's my father and with our opening day gobblers. On the top right is my last gobbler, taken this past Thursday. The bottom right is my father with his 2nd of the season. The bottom left photo is of our successful guided hunt as part of the W. A. Benefit Hunt.

Big turkey guns. Lots of them out there these days. Used to be a 2 3/4" shell was all you needed. Then we migrated to the 3" and now the 3 1/2" magnum is a very popular gun. I remember the first bird I ever killed. I must have been about 12 years old. I got him with a 20 gauge shooting 2 3/4" shells. I got several more with that same gun before I too upgraded to the 12 gauge. Years later I swapped guns again and shoot a now well worn Remington 870 Express, 3" magnum. It is a cheap gun, though well made, and it will really throw a pattern well. But do we really need such powerful guns to hunt these birds?

The magnum guns and magnum rounds give many hunters a false impression. They think they can easily kill turkeys every time at 50 and 60 yards. But that is not so! My experience has revealed that the 3 1/2" 12 gauges and the 10 gauges really don't add much to the range at which one can take a turkey. They get a little more lead out there and have a little more powder in the shell to make it all happen. But I highly discourage taking marginal shots at turkeys, shots they may end up feeding the coyotes. I would much rather that bird walk off and allow me the chance to hunt him again, rather than taking a marginal shot and wounding him.

The part of the hunt that I enjoy the most is when that gobbler gets real close. When I first see his blue and red head coming my way, the excitement really begins. I know that I must get the gun in position, if not already, to take him when he gets to "my range." He stops, he looks, he gobbles, he drums, he struts. He puts on a grand old show. It's kind of like going to a football game or a concert. Who wants to sit in the seats farthest from the field or the stage. You want to be on the front row! That's how I feel when the gobbler gets close. I enjoy that last 25 yards of his approach and I like to take him at 30 yards or less.

Now, I don't mean to condemn the big guns. Each to his own. But don't magnumize your weapon so much that you take long shots and miss out on the most exciting part of the hunt-------being up close with a majestic wild gobbler!

The season is drawing to a close with only two weeks remaining now. We'll get after them a bit more so please come back and visit us here next week.

If you have a moment please take our visitor survey. We would like to know what you think of this site. It will only take a moment of your time.

We're about half way through the 2000 Turkey Season here in south Alabama. Three weeks are gone and three weeks remain.

By now the south Alabama woods have filled with new growth. The distance in which a gobble can be heard has decreased drastically and a hunter's tactics must evolve as do the woods.

The third week of the season brought some challenges for us------daylight savings time, changing weather, uncooperative turkeys. Daylight Savings Time has shaved an hour off our morning hunting and these days if a turkey wants to be difficult he certainly won't die on a weekday. We have about one hour to hunt from "gobbling time" until time to leave the woods. We left one this week that was fired up and just 75 yards away. Our time ran out and work was calling us. We're having a weather front once every 4 days or so and it has been affecting the willingness of the turkeys to gobble on some days. As the front approaches our birds have been very close-mouthed. The day or two after the front seems to be much better. Then there have been a couple of morning that were just stormed out completely, due to wind or rain or both. All in all the third week was a mixed bag and that bag included no more turkeys for us.

Most of these birds have heard lots of calling by now and they are a bit wary. We've encountered a "henned up" gobbler or two as well. Excuses, excuses! But not really. These are just some of the factors that make turkey hunting unpredictable and challenging---worth losing a few hours of sleep to partake in.

In Tenth Legion, Tom Kelly says, "Killing turkeys is fun. But there is a far more satisfying feeling in driving home, drinking the last cup of coffee you have saved from daylight, and knowing he is still out there in the early sun, feathers gleaming as if he were freshly oiled, light and quick and wild, rather than a bundle of meat and feathers stiffening on the floor of the back seat. But only if he has whipped you squarely. Only if you have exerted every grain of skill, every trick of tactics, played every card you have, and lost."

And so we will, for the next three weeks, continue to square off with these wise and elusive birds, playing each hand that is dealt in the best way we know how. And when we leave empty-handed, we'll rejoice in the fact that our competitor remains aloof and awaiting our return.

Are you having any luck? Send us a line at hornswamp@yahoo.com and let us know how your season is going. We'd love to hear!

The Annual Wilcox Academy Benefit Turkey Hunt was another success this spring, with five gobblers being taken by the 20 attending hunters. There were a few misses and numerous close calls on other gobblers. Overall, the changing conditions as a weather front approached, made the turkeys very unpredictable and for some guides just making a turkey gobble was quite a chore. Two hunters, Barnett Serio, III, and Hank Waldrop, took their first gobblers this weekend.

Don Lauderdale and I guided Hank Waldrop, an Enterprise, Alabama, native now residing in Knoxville, TN, to his first gobbler. Don called a trio of gobblers into range and Hank made a clean shot. Click the photo for a larger view of Hank and his first turkey.

We would like to congratulate a few local outdoorsmen. Don Lauderdale, who helps me guide each year on the W. A. Hunt, recently won the 2000 Alabama State Turkey Calling Championship, held in Jackson, Alabama. That's quite an accomplishment. Here's Don and Hank with the bird from the weekend's hunt.

Also, Scott Alford, of Camden, recently killed his first turkey! Congratulations to Scott and his Dad, George Alford. The passing of time tends to fade from memory some of those hunts of the past. Yet that first gobbler is never forgotten.

Daylight Savings Time has arrived and cut off an hour of our hunting time each weekday morning. The difficulty level has been increased, indeed. If he doesn't come right to you there isn't much time to wait him out. We'll keep after them and hopefully get a few more on film if nothing else. Four weeks remain of the season.

I've compared notes the last few days with several hunters who seem to think the hens are nesting and the gobblers are lonely. We've experienced very little competition from hens this spring which is quite unusual. My good friend Judd Lisenby, hunting in Ozark, Alabama, says he has noticed the same thing this season (He's gotten three already).

Next week we'll have more photos to add and more news and commentary from turkey season. Thanks for your visit.

The first full week of the 2000 Spring Turkey Season was a good one for us here in the Horn Swamp. Seven straight days of great weather yielded us four gobblers, plus these photos shown above. This is most likely a 2-year old gobbler. I found this one gobbling in the Piney Woods an hour or so after daybreak. He came right to me, eventually making a complete circle around me. Having taken two gobblers already I was attempting to capture one on film. These photos are taken from only 12 steps away! I took a full roll of film before he got behind me. For another ten minutes I sat motionless as he drummed and strutted behind me. Eventually he made his way around and to my left side, then back out in front where he started his journey.

We've heard lots of gobbling so far and have been fortunate to "work" several different birds, most of which have not had hens with them. That really throws the edge to the hunter. We've only had one day rained out so far and though we have battled some heavy fog we haven't had much wind so speak of. The temperatures have been cool enough to keep away most of the mosquitoes. However, the weather seems to be changing daily as we continue in the second week of the season with rain and more storms on the way.

We now have less than a week remaining before Daylight Savings Time begins. For those of us lucky enough to be able to hunt most mornings before work, Daylight Savings Time really cuts into the hunt's time. Next week we'll have an hour less each morning to match wits with these wise old birds and that can be enough to foil many morning hunts.

We'll be guiding a hunter this weekend as part of the Annual Wilcox Academy Benefit Turkey Hunt. My expert caller, Don Lauderdale, and I have been successful in getting a bird for our hunter each of the last two years. In addition, each hunt was captured on video by Don. We're looking forward to another successful hunt and will have the results of the entire hunt here at the Horn Swamp Online next week.

Thanks for checking in. We'll keep bringing the turkey news for one more month. Thanks for clicking our way once again!

The much anticipated opening day of Turkey Season 2000 has come and gone. With the 2nd day just hours away, I sit reminiscing those "openers" of the recent past, with a little help from my hunting journal.

There was the first day of the 1990 season when flood water covered 90% of the Swamp. A week before the 1993 season a snow storm blew so many trees across the long, narrow road leading into the Swamp that we almost could not reach the gate a week later when the season opened. Thankfully, the loggers cleared the way the evening before the season opened! In the early morning hours of the 1995 season we had 6 gobblers come to us in full strut. I got one of them and we hunted the other five for the rest of the season. In 1996 the winds kept any gobbling to a minimum and opening day expired with little action. In 1997 an old tom won the battle and would do so for several weeks before we finally got the upper hand. The season of 1998 dawned windy again. No luck. March 20, 1999 was a beautiful, crisp morning. Though we had 4 jakes come to our calls, the old tom wouldn't be fooled on opening day.

All were memorable hunts but none more exciting than Opening Day 2000! Twenty-four hours prior it didn't look to be shaping up as well.

On Sunday morning, Turkey Season Eve, the wind howled a near 40 MPH by my amateur estimation. Strong thunderstorms blew through on Sunday afternoon and by Monday morning, March 20th, the weather had turned for the better.

I just love a 40 degree morning after a front has blown through. The humidity is low, the mosquitoes are absent, and the snakes are slow on the slither. The turkeys just love it!

That's what greeted us for the 1st day of spring. My father and I, hunting in tandem, managed to take a gobbler a piece in the first hour and half. They gobbled and put on quite a show approaching separately. I won't bore you with all the details. If you really must know just send an email.

This isn't the first time we've doubled on gobblers. Though many people jump and run immediately following the shot, our strategy is different if there is more than one gobbler in the area. Call him in close and kill him dead---no questions asked. Immediately following the shot break into a loud series of clucks and yelps, using a mouth yelper. The other turkeys in the area won't know what that gunshot was. They'll settle down and crank up the gobbling once again. You would be amazed at what will happen if you sit tight. Don't let your downed gobbler get away, but if you make a good shot from a acceptable range, you won't have to worry.

Hope your season is starting off well. One day is gone, 40 remain, but what a season it has already been!

More news and maybe a few pictures next Tuesday! We would love to share your turkey pictures here as well. Just email hornswamp@yahoo.com if you can to share with us.

This week we feature photos contributed by Brad Huntington. You may remember Brad's big Slave Lake, Alberta buck from the Feb. 22nd post.

Lee Benefield is shown on the left with another Slave Lake, Alberta buck Allen Little's (right) big mule deer was taken in eastern Colorado.

Brad also forwarded the photos shown below. These pictures were taken on a summer night in Georgia. Brad says these bucks are 1.5 years old, 2.5 years old, and the bottom buck is 3.5 years old.

We'll now turn our backs to any mention of the whitetail deer and instead focus on the majestic wild turkey. The season opens here next Monday, March 20th. Another marathon is in store. For those of us that are fortunate enough to hunt nearly every morning it is another 41 day run, the grandest chess match of all.

Alabama's own Tom Kelly, a resident of Spanish Fort, wrote a masterpiece when he penned his Tenth Legion in the early 1970's. Tenth Legion is not a how-to book by any means. It is a look at turkeys and turkey hunters and the peculiarities of both. Kelly weaves his knowledge of the wild turkey, the south Alabama woods, timber, military affairs, and south Alabama turkey hunters (and I imagine they are alike no matter the locale) into a book like no other I've ever read. The cover of the book reads as such...

In the South Part of the United States the pursuit of turkeys is neither a past-time nor a filler of idle afternoons. It is a subculture and the members of the subculture consider it to be a serious affair and purse their affairs with a single minded dedication and unity of purpose that is sometimes awesome.

Turkey hunting has caused more hard feelings than divorce, and it has caused some of them too.

Many people who hunt turkeys, do it with an attention to detail, a regard for strategy, tactics and operations, and a disregard of personal comfort and convenience that ranks second only to war.

Supremely unconscious of the rest of the world, blind and deaf to logic and reason, they walk along their different roads in step to the music of their different drums.

It is barely possible that they have a legitimate point, and this book proposes to give them the dice and let you watch them try to roll it.

And further, the book proposes to let you hear just one time and however faintly, what so many others hear with clarity and purpose all their lives, the dim and distant music of that other drum.---- Tom Kelly, Tenth Legion.

"The dim and distant music of that other drum," he says. What music? What drum? Well, you just have to be a turkey hunter to fully understand.

I strongly recommend Tenth Legion. It is Tom Kelly's masterpiece and reading it is an annual ritual for me. I read it cover to cover prior to every turkey season. It is a good one, for sure, and it gets me even more fired up about the upcoming season, as if that was actually possible.

Click over the this link a small excerpt of the book. I'll be you've known one of these experts Kelly is referring to!

Tom Kelly has a number of other fine books as well, including "Better on a Rising Tide," "Dealer's Choice," "The Boat," and "The Season."

Turkeys and turkey hunters are strange creatures, indeed. I do in fact understand why the sanity is questioned of any man (or woman) who would rise hours before dawn, walk deep in the woods, side-stepping snakes and swatting mosquitoes all the way, just to match wits with America's Greatest Game Bird. Yet I don't mind long walks in the woods and I don't mind walking around rattlesnakes (I just don't like stepping on them!). I'll admit, mosquitoes and biting knats drive me nuts.

But those discomforts pale in comparison to the crisp, spring mornings in the turkey woods when the boss gobbler pitches down to my call and walks towards me, the sun radiating off his feathers, his gobbles echoing through the hardwoods.

So here we go again, heading to our starting blocks, the race just about to begin. Forty-one days of excitement! Bring on turkey season!

The Alabama Wildlife Federation's recent Monroe County Wild Game Cook-Off was another great success. The AWF is an organization that all Alabama outdoors lovers should be involved with. They are doing great things for this state's vast outdoor opportunities.

The Cook-Offs are a social event, a way to recruit new members and to involve present members. Teams of cooks stir up their favorite wild game recipe and compete for prizes and the chance to compete in the statewide competition held in Birmingham.

For the second year in a row, the "Camden Cookmaster's" team, led by my neighbor Wayne Dunnam, Charlie Gaston, Van Waren, and others, claimed the top prize with their orange marmalade deer tenderloin.

Another Wilcox County cooking team, "Over the Limit," took several prizes including Best Presentation and 2nd Place in the poultry division. Their grilled duck breast was mighty tasty! (see below)

Perfect weather was in store for the Cook-off and a good time was had by all. Get involved with the AWF! For you fellow Alabamians, a Cook-Off is coming to a location in Alabama near you sometimes this year!

(l to r) Lindsay Hollinger, Tiffany Alford, & Ivy Travis
sample some of the tasty wild game dishes.

I've had a handful of promises from those who are going to send me photos of the deer they took this fall, but as of now I seem to be at the bottom of the barrel. We'll have a few more next week, for sure. If you have some to share please let me know. Just email me at HornSwamp@yahoo.com If you happen to have missed this site for the last few weeks, make sure to check out the archives page for some great buck photos.

With a cold, clear afternoon to hunt I was fired up to be in that secluded green field. Just a few days remained of the 99-00 deer season and the rut was in full swing. Surely the monster buck would be stirring.

But an hour before dark I was faced with a "situation." A number of small to medium sized bucks had passed through the green patch, none wanting to feed, their minds focusing on other activities. Suddenly from the rear of the patch six wild hogs emerged from the sage.

So much for deer hunting. Half of the deer ran off. The other half stared in amazement, not knowing exactly what to do. I doubt they were happy as the hogs immediately began to disk the field.

There I sat with a bolt action rifle and six hogs, 125 yards away, were destroying the green patch that I had worked all summer and fall to prepare. What to do?

I drew a bead on the biggest hog (far right in the picture above.) I squeezed the trigger and down dropped my bonus hog. (A bonus hog is an unsuspecting hog that is shot while in a stationary position, as opposed to an earned hog that is shot at somewhere above 20 MPH.)

The remaining five bolted for the woods and I rammed another .270 cartridge into the chamber, put a good lead on one of the fivesome and fired again. Down he dropped!

Again I bolted the rifle and just as the last hog was making it to cover I fired once more. I couldn't believe it as hog number three folded.

I've known some hunters who were talented at making running shots with rifles on wild game. I'm not, and I'm glad that day I had luck on my side. (That greenfield hasn't been rooted any more either. Guess those other three learned their lesson.)

Fast forward four days. It was the final afternoon of the season and the sun had set. I had one more show to watch before I called it a season. This perfectly symmetrical 8-point paid me a visit. It was a fine day to wrap up a fun season in the deer woods. No, I didn't shoot him. But if he puts on any weight between now and next season, he better watch out!

I promise to have a few big kills to show you next week, then we'll talk turkey for a couple of months.

Happy Leap Day! Once every four years an extra day is tacked onto the end of February. Why the end of February? Couldn't it be any month? Why not the end of January! Hey, I like that. That would give us Alabama hunters an extra day in the deer woods as the rut is in full swing. Ok, I'll admit we won't have much luck in getting that changed, but some of us will think of anything to get us an extra day in the woods!

I was invited last week by Hill Robinson to be a guest on the McConnell Automotive Hunting and Fishing Show on WNSP Sports Radio (105.5 FM) in Mobile, Alabama. We discussed the Horn Swamp but mainly the Horn Swamp Online in particular, how it got started, and what it is all about. Hill, I do appreciate the extra exposure and I know we are getting some extra hits this week as a result of the show. I've gotten quite a few emails from outdoorsmen who learned about the site from the show. If you are in the Mobile and Baldwin county areas make sure to tune in each Thursday from noon until 1PM for the weekly show.

Click the above photo for a larger view. Greg Harell poses with an 8 point that he took in the Horn Swamp in mid-January. You will also see two hogs taken by Greg and Josh Smith that same morning.

We're just three weeks away from turkey season here in south Alabama. I've gotten out my calls and amazingly I seem about as bad as I did last year! Some things never change. I'm just glad it doesn't take too much hen talk to fool an old tom.

I haven't yet been out to listen. I don't see much use in it. Either they will be there on opening day or they won't. It is out of my hands. Yet I will get out a week or two before the season to enjoy a few extra early spring mornings. There just isn't a better time to get out and watch the world wake up as this time of year.

Special thanks to Rob Moorer for sending in these two photos for this week's feature bucks. Rob took his buck early in the season near Montgomery, Alabama. Rob told me about another buck that he and a friend, Fleet Monroe, were hunting near Demopolis, Alabama. Before the last weekend of the season Rob was confident that one of them would get a shot at this big, rutting buck. He was right. Fleet downed the 134 5/8 B&C buck on 1/30/2000, the next to last day of the season.

We'll soon have some news developing from the turkey woods. Thanks for checking in and we'll see you back here next week.

Two weeks ago we held our annual rabbit hunt. Neither the hunters nor the dogs had much luck stirring many rabbits. We killed one! But we saw a dozen or so hogs during the course of the morning. This past weekend I spent some time in search of a hog to shoot. Did I see any? No. But I saw a half dozen rabbits! Strange how it works that way!

The local "Longbeards" Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation held their annual banquet this past Saturday in Camden. It was another outstanding success! Long live the wild turkey! This Thursday, February 24th, we'll be attending another fine organization's local annual outing. The Alabama Wildlife Federation's Wild Game Cookout for this area will be held in Beatrice, Alabama. If you are in the area and have not yet gotten your ticket, you need to do so quickly.

I can't say enough about the fine projects that AWF is involved in. Click here to learn more about them. Their Wild Game Cook-offs are lots of fun and include some fine wild game dishes. They are an excellent way to join up with an organization that is doing so much for the future of the Alabama outdoors.

Brad Huntington, one of our regular website visitors, sent me this photo of a buck he killed in 1999 near Slave Lake, Alberta (see below). What a fine buck! Brad has a 168 B&C that he has promised to send us real soon.

Ben Dutruch killed this big 6 pointer in mid-January in Wilcox County, Alabama (see below). Ben shot this mature buck in the eye! He was hunting with Todd Murphy and Brad Powe.

Have you ever shot a buck that you thought was bigger

than he turned out to be? They sometimes can look really big "on the hoof" but by the time you get your hands on him he isn't as big as you thought. Imagine killing a eight point, having his picture put on the internet, then he turns into a spike! Just such a case happened to two south Alabama hunters. You might remember the two eight points that Rodney Allison and Randy Sanspree killed in the Swamp in early January.

Imagine their surprise when they find out what their friend Randy Bell did to their pictures. Click over to Bell's Hunting Camp to see what I mean! As my friend Little Ralph Martin says, "With friends like that who needs enemies?!" Bell's Hunting Camp is located in the eastern portion of our county. Click here to go to their main page.

Thanks for checking in. We still have some good photos of area killed bucks to bring you in the coming weeks so do check back. News from the turkey woods should also begin to filter in as spring turkey season looms just one month away!

It's over! Another deer season come and gone. We hope yours was a good one and, most importantly, that you got to spend time in the great outdoors, regardless of how full your freezer is now.

The last weekend in the Swamp saw 5 hogs taken, the largest being a 175 lb. sow taken by Mark Coffman. No deer were harvested but a few nice bucks were seen still in hot pursuit of does. It was a wet one here in Wilcox County. After raining all day on Friday a heavy mist fell all day on Saturday. The temperature did not rise above 40 degrees until Sunday. It was the kind of weather that we, as hunters, always want for the end of the season. We can put up with the wet stuff as long as the mercury stays low.

Our latest round of pictures has been delayed so we'll wait 'til next Tuesday to add them. We have pictures coming of some of the latest hog kills and a few of the nice bucks taken in the Swamp in the past weeks.

February brings what I refer to as "small game season" in Alabama. Rabbit and squirrel season will last through the end of February. We'll take advantage of that and get out the .22 rifles and the 20 gauges. Hog season never closes and as food becomes scarcer as winter drags on, the hogs will move more and more. We'll get after them some more too. So, even though deer season has come and gone, there is much left to do in the Swamp.

You have heard our stories and seen our photos all season. Thanks! But it is time to let some of you, our loyal readers, to take center stage. Each week we will begin featuring photos of bucks killed elsewhere in the State of Alabama by our loyal readers. If you have a photo to submit of a buck(s) that you took this season please email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com and we can arrange it. You can email the picture to me or mail it to me (William Malone, 14 Woodland Dr., Camden AL 36726) and I will return the picture to you after it is scanned. I have some fine bucks lined up to show you in the coming weeks that range to the mid-140's B&C.

This week our feature hunter is Samuel Primm. Samuel's family land is located near Gordon, Alabama, the southeastern end of the state. Samuel took the deer on the right in the picture below on 12/27/1999. He shot him at 13 steps after watching him for 45 minutes. The buck has a 16" spread, 6 1/2" bases, and weighed 160 pounds. Brad Smith of Dothan, Alabama, took the deer on the left, 18" wide 150 pounds, on 12/23/1999. (Brad also took an 11 point the next day.) Both of these bucks were taken on large greenfields of over 150 acres!

Samuel's property has been very well managed for the last 11 years. They kill between 40 and 50 does per year on 1100 acres and only shoot a buck if it is a "wallhanger." They took four such bucks this season, including a 12 point. Last year they did not harvest a buck. There's little doubt that these hunters know how to manage their herd! Thanks for sharing with us, Samuel, and best of luck next season.

Next Tuesday we'll have more pictures from the Swamp and another hunter (or two) to feature here at the Horn Swamp Online. Thanks for checking in.

And then there was one! Only one week remains of the 1999-2000 Deer Season, one final chapter to write before the books are closed on another season.

Those hunting the Swamp this past week and weekend include Tommy Malone, Wes Mayfield, Billy Barber, Randy Fullerton, Josh Smith, and Greg Harrel. Numerous bucks were seen, most in pursuit of a doe. Billy downed a 7-point and Greg took a 175-lb. 8-pt. These two bucks were the 11th and 12th taken from the Swamp this season.

In addition, four hogs were harvested, including a 200+ pound boar taken by Randy. After several months of limited hog sightings, we are beginning to see them more often and we expect this to continue into the early spring.

We will be posting photos of the latest deer and hog kills very soon so please check back for new pictures.

Our weekly readership at the Horn Swamp Online continues to grow. The site received nearly 600 hits this past week! We will continue to post updates here through April. Our WHITETAIL DEER page has been vastly updated and there are several new pages in the works. Thanks to all of you who have us bookmarked and thanks to all who have shared this site with their friends. I've heard from fellow outdoorsmen (and women) from around the world and just down the street. It has been fun, to say to least.

See you back next week, hopefully reporting the demise of a big 12-point! Keep your fingers crossed!

The past weekend was an exceptional weekend for deer hunting. Cold temperatures put the herd on the move in the Swamp.

Ron Kirby, Roger Liner, and Jim Smith were our guests, hunting as part of the annual Wilcox Academy Deer Hunt. The hunters took five bucks, two hogs, and three does over the course of the long weekend. There was one 6 point taken, two 8 points, and two 9 points. The largest buck was a 118 B&C 8-point (coming next week, not currently pictured). One of the 9 points was aged at 6 1/2+ years old (2nd from right) which makes it one of the oldest, if not the oldest, buck taken in the Swamp in the last 15 years.

Overall the W.A. Hunt was another great success. Approximately 150 deer and hogs were taken including some very impressive trophies. Later this week we'll have photos of the bucks taken in the Swamp on this website. Also, please check out the W. A. Hunt's website later this week to see a sample of the bucks taken elsewhere on the hunt.

The rut is at full steam in this area. We saw new scrapes and rubs appearing daily, even some scrapes made during the night in the main gravel and sand roads of the Swamp. A majority of the bucks seen in the Swamp were on the heals of a doe.

Have you heard the recent events concerning the Mitch Rompola buck killed in Michigan in late 1998? It was reported to be the new world record at that time, threatening to top Milo Hanson's 213 5/8 Saskatchewan's buck. Yet a year came and went and Rompola would not submit the buck to be officially scored. Soon many whitetail enthusiasts began to suspect that the rack was actually a pair of sheds or even synthetic antlers. Rompola's supporters claim he is a very private person and does not wish to enter his deer for consideration. (Yeah, right!) His critics question how a buck could grow so big in an area that rarely produces 140 class deer. Rompola's claims began to financially damage the current official record holder, Hanson, and after a threat of legal action Rompola signed an agreement in November of 1999 that neither he nor his associates will refer to the buck as the "world record," "potential world record," "world's largest typical," or claim any specific B&C score as long as Hanson's buck remains the #1 typical. So what do you think? Is Rompola's deer a fake? I smell a strong fishy smell there myself.

Two weekends of deer hunting remain and, weather permitting, they could be fine ones. There hasn't been as exciting of a time to hunt the Swamp in quite a few years and I feel certain a few more exceptional bucks will be taken before the end of the month. We're on a record pace in the Swamp and are looking to close out the season strong. Here's hoping you do the same...

Two nice 8 points were taken on a mid-week hunt in the Swamp this past Wednesday afternoon. (see photos above) The largest one, a 185 pound buck taken by Randy Allison, had a swollen neck and had the distinct "stink" of a buck in rut. The other 8 point, taken by Rodney Sanspree, was in hot pursuit of a doe. We'll have some pictures of these bucks at this page later in the week.

The hunt came on the heals of a cold front and the deer were really on the move. Between the three of us we saw over 60 deer, including six 8-points and another half dozen or more smaller bucks.

By weekend, as is normally the case, warmer weather had returned and by Sunday so had the rain. Sunday afternoon tornados were scattered throughout much of central Alabama but the Swamp avoided the worst of the weather, getting only rain.

The warm weekend did spell disaster for one hog as he stepped into a greenfield, scattered the deer, and was quickly dispatched by a shot from Mark "Slim" Coffman's .270. Such reckless actions as scaring off a herd of "bait does" during the rut is not permitted in the Swamp. We're starting to see an increase in hog sign and will certainly see an increase in hog kills in the weeks ahead.

The coming weekend will see the greater Wilcox County area hosting Wilcox Academy's Annual Deer Hunt. Over 130 hunters will be in town to enjoy the long weekend's hunt and, good weather permitting, another 100+ deer will be taken by the guests. We'll have the update here on this site. You can also follow the link the the hunt's own site.

I'll reiterate what I said last week. The bucks in the Swamp are rutting at full speed and the main issue for hunters throughout the rest of the month will be whether or not they can get in the woods when the weather is right for the herd to move. The days after a front has passed and cold air has entered the area are the best. The temperature will build as another round of rain gets close. Hunting conditions deteriorate as the next front approaches and do not improve until it has passed through. That's deer hunting in the South.

Did you hear about the big buck taken near Luverne, Alabama earlier this season? Was I the last to hear about it? A 15 year old Montgomery boy killed a monster whitetail near Luverne on 11/21/1999. It was the first deer the boy ever killed, second buck he had ever seen in the woods. It grosses 188 1/2 Boone & Crockett and after some deductions may be the biggest typical B&C ever harvested in this state. The current state record typical was found dead in Lee County-----scored 186 3/8.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A new year has dawned and we have survived the Y2K bug! Bring on some cold weather and the rut-------it is time to deer hunt!

The past several weeks have been quiet ones for the Swamp. I missed getting to hunt during any of our cold weather and instead my hunting days landed on warm and soggy ones filled with mosquitoes and few deer sightings.

Those hunters in the area that did hunt the cold days reported some fine conditions and many were lucky to take some really good bucks. News travels fast even in the rural areas, especially when big bucks are being harvested.

Four weekends remain of this deer season. Just when the good hunting is beginning to kick in the season will be over in a flash.

There are a few very sandy roads in the Swamp that course through young pine plantations. You can walk those roads in November and see lots of deer tracks but few big ones. When I scouted the area over the weekend I saw lots of sets of big tracks, no doubt the mature bucks working their way through the thickets tending scrape lines and looking for does. It happens every year and only the "quick draw" hunters are fortunate enough to take these good bucks. One only has a split second to react-----check the deer, the rack, decide if he is a "shooter," and then fire. If you hesitate you lose.

Monday night in south Alabama a cold front is moving through, bringing with it tornado watches and a bit of rain, then colder weather for the remainder of the week. If the cool weather holds through the weekend we'll have some good reports from the Swamp. If we have yet another hot and muggy weekend as we have had so many thus far I may be in the market for golf clubs! Anyone have a set they would like to sell?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

More signs of the rut are beginning to appear in the Horn Swamp. We've seen the first buck in pursuit of a doe and the scrapes are beginning to show up in the expected locations. The best time to hunt is almost here and the weather continues to cool down.

Things have been rather quiet on the hunting scene overall. We've taken a few more does in the last week and are close to filling our doe tags for the season. Though I have seen some big hog tracks lately, I have not spotted a hog in some time now. They are making themselves scarce and no one is complaining!

There will be no update next week. The next update to the NEWS page will occur on January 4th.

January looks to be an exciting month! The rut will be in full swing and the colder temperatures that usually accompanies January should have the whole herd on the move. We have high expectations of taking a few more really good bucks.

Allow us to take this time to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Y2K! Here's hoping that you will find some additional time over the holidays to enjoy the great outdoors. But in doing so, let's all of us remember the true meaning of Christmas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warm and soggy weekends continue to give us "weekend hunters" a hard time. It is also hurting our doe harvesting as even does are hard to come by on warm December days.

Credible sources from the area tell me that a few bucks have been spotted chasing does in Wilcox County and in neighboring counties. The rut is apparently beginning in some areas. That's good news! I've begun to see scrape activity picking up in the Horn Swamp.

Duck season opened this past Saturday. The dry weather has most of the Swamp's ponds dry and not attracting any ducks. But from the amount of shooting I could hear in the distance somebody was having some luck! Reports from Lake Dannelly indicate that were more hunters seen than ducks. Brad Powe and Jay Beck report a few good shoots over the weekend on small ponds in south Wilcox County.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A warm and humid weekend translated into very little deer movement in the Swamp. On Saturday we tried our best to fill a few doe tags but were able to only get a double. Rain fell on Sunday and unfortunately for us hunters that spend the majority of our days afield on weekends, the cold weather was set to arrive on Monday, just as we settle back into our work routine!
     Several months ago we were excited as the weather forecasters predicted a cold winter. But the latest estimates by those same meteorologists indicate that this will be another warm and dry winter in south Alabama. This season we have witnessed lots of ticks and lice on the deer, certainly a result of the two exceptionally warm winters in a row.
     December in south Alabama is not a very productive month for sightings of older bucks. The season has now progressed for several weeks and these bucks, the smartest animals in the woods, know well what time of year has arrived. The rut will not begin until sometime in January and, therefore, the big racked bucks are quite scarce as December progresses.
     December, for us, is generally a time to fill the doe tags and the freezer and to get set for January which is sure to bring the big boys out of the thickets as the rut gets into full swing.
     Over the course of the last year and a half I've had emails from near and far, hunters from around the world and some just down the road, all of whom found this website. Late Saturday morning I had the pleasure of eating breakfast with a few such gentlemen. Special thanks to Mr. Jimmy Dickens, Mr. Bill Cook, and Reynolds Cook for a fine breakfast and an enjoyable time discussing the great south Alabama outdoors at "Camp Cook."
     Thanks for checking in. See you next week.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A beautiful weekend greeted all for the long Thanksgiving weekend, including south Alabama hunters. A front passed through Thursday and, after a little rain, cooler temperatures arrived. Though a bright moon in the clear skies shone overhead each night, the deer moved well from Thursday afternoon through Sunday.

Six doe tags were filled over the weekend. A total of 25 will be needed to fill all the tags in an effort to maintain the growing overpopulation of deer. We have gotten just over half, thirteen, and will look to fill most if not all of them before Christmas.

I was fortunate enough to harvest a beautiful nine point late Saturday evening. (See picture above) Though his body was small (150 pounds) he sported a fine rack. (16" inside spread, 5" bases, 9" back tines, 21" beams) He is one of the better racked bucks taken in the Swamp over the last few years and one of my best bucks ever. A good rack on a small bodied deer really made for an impressive sight!

It is strange how things play out. The last buck I pulled the trigger on was three seasons ago, a big, wide six point I intercepted on a scrape line in the piney woods one January morning. Since then I have hunted many an "out of way" location----briar thickets, pine thickets, cane thickets, and just about anywhere one would think an old buck would hide. Yet I killed this deer on a lazy Saturday afternoon in one of the most frequented food plots on the property, located less than 400 yards and in view of the cabin. I had no intentions or expectations of taking a good buck. My intentions were to photograph some of the nice bucks that were frequenting the food plot. But this one ended up being a little too good to pass up.

Hope your season is going well. Thanks for checking in. See you back here in a few days.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warm weather and a full moon greeted opening weekend of gun season in south Alabama. A much need rain fell in the Horn Swamp on Saturday morning, bringing moisture to the suffering food plots.

Landowner Josh Smith and friends, Allen and Greg, filled 4 doe tags. Allen took his first deer ever, Greg got his 3rd bowkill ever, and Josh downed his first hog! A good many deer were seen over the weekend but no good bucks were spotted.

We'll be looking to fill quite a few more doe tags over Thanksgiving weekend in an effort to have all of them out of the way when January and the rut arrives. Some cold weather would certainly be nice at any time.

A quick reminder that this Saturday, November 27th, the 4th Annual Hunter Appreciation Day will be held in Pine Apple, Alabama, in eastern Wilcox County. If you are in the area make sure to go through Pine Apple that day for all the festivities. There's a big buck contest too and you need to sign up in advance. Click over for more information on the event and for instructions on signing up for the Big Buck Contest. There's a $500 grand prize! Hunting is a major event in these south Alabama woods and the town of Pine Apple celebrates our rich hunting heritage each and every fall.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past weekend was a quiet one in the Swamp, a calm before the storm. Saturday, November 20th is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most anticipated day of this year in Alabama. More so, in some opinions, than the dawn of the next Millennium. Gun season opens in Alabama this Saturday and after the deer are hunted and the guns are put away for the evening, the most intense rivalry in college football will be played on the turf at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Who will win? The deer or the hunters? The Tide or the Tigers? In a few short days we will know.

In the Swamp there are lots of oaks-----water oaks, red oaks, live oaks, etc. But there is only cluster of white oaks that have ever produced acorns. You can imagine what it is like when those trees produce. This year is one of the years when the big acorns are falling from the high, mossy branches on the riverbank. I climbed into a tree on Sunday afternoon and waiting for the certain arrival of deer. When they appeared I made a good shot on a doe, but a short trail of blood later that evening led me directly down a high bluff and to the edge of the dark waters of the Alabama River. The deer was gone----mortally wounded----but gone nevertheless.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The past weekend was a great one for deer hunting in the Swamp. The lows dipped into the 30's each night and the morning hunting was very productive. Lots of deer were seen moving all day long, even during the warm afternoons..

Two does and one buck were taken from the Swamp over the weekend. The does were taken in the morning and the buck during the afternoon. The buck was a 4 1/2 yr. old 8 point. He is one of the better bucks taken by archers in the Swamp.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first doe tag was filled in the Swamp during the past weekend. That's one down and twenty-four to go. It was a warm and humid weekend but the deer and hogs were on the move. With acorns raining from the oaks the deer roamed the woods during all hours of the day. For the hunters that cared to fight the mosquitoes, hunting conditions were fair.

Monday brought a much needed rain to the Swamp. The winter food plots were suffering from the dry weather and this rain will allow them much growth. It was quite a blessing, indeed.

The coming weekend should be a fun one in the Swamp. Several old friends will be gathering for our annual bowhunting weekend. For two straight days we'll take to the woods to fill a few doe tags and maybe even take a good buck along the way. We'll catch up on old times and maybe even float a lie or two somewhere in the midst! If you happen to know anyone in Canada please ask them to ship us a cold front for the weekend. We'll be more than happy to pay for the shipping!

Tommy Malone, landowner of the Swamp and resident of Tallahassee, Florida, has written a small article about the Swamp. Stop by and check it out if you have a moment.

I hope your hunting season is going well. Thanks for checking in. I'll let you know next week how our weekend fared.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What a beautiful weekend it was in south Alabama! Cooler than normal temperatures greeted all who enjoyed the great outdoors for the past few days.

I finally climbed into a tree over the weekend in hopes of arrowing a deer but it was not to be. Acorns abound in the Swamp and deer are tough to concentrate this fall. Late Sunday afternoon I had several deer feeding around me when a large bobcat entered the scene and the deer headed for the thicket----no questions asked! Bobcats and bowhunting don't mix!

Though we have yet to take a deer in the Swamp, numerous bowhunters through the county are reporting great success early in the season. As for myself, I'm ready for some fresh venison!

Thanks for visiting the Horn Swamp Online! Let us know how your season is going by emailing HornSwamp@yahoo.com and check out the big buck photos at the Hunter's Run website too at www.frontiernet.net/~hunters/ .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After braving many an opening weekend of bowseason in the heat, the 1999 opener saw the Horn Swamp regulars completing work in the Swamp in anticipation of cooler and more pleasant days for hunting. The food plots were planted and other odds and ends were completed. With temperatures in the 80's, it was far from perfect hunting conditions.

A mid-week cold front will create some fine conditions for bowhunting for those who will be able to hit the woods during the week. Us weekend hunters will have to wait for a cold front and a weekend to coincide.

Elsewhere in the area several hunters reported success on the opening few days of the season. With an abundant acorn crop the deer should be well fed heading into the winter, though they will be a bit difficult to congregate with much to eat throughout their range.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bow season opens on Friday! Hurray! But it is not just the opening of the season that excites us hunters, it is the homecoming that lies ahead. It is time to return to those quiet places in the fields and forests that we treasure.

It's time to get back to those hardwood bottoms and pine ridges where the deer travel and feed. It's time to sit quietly while a flock a turkeys feed past. It's time to watch the sun rise and set over the great outdoors. It's time to return to those hunting camps and old friends. It's time to again match wits with that big old buck, a contest in which he nearly always wins. It's time!

With 4 inches of rain falling over the weekend, we have gone from too dry to plant food plots to too wet. We'll try to get them in this coming Saturday which will put a dent in our bowhunting plans for opening day.

Still no hogs have been seen or harvested recently. They appear to be laying low in the thickets and have not yet begun to feed heavily on the overcup acorns that are now falling in the low bottoms of the Swamp.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cool fronts have begun to pass through the South on a near weekly basis, bringing showers and a refreshing change in temperatures. It happened at this week's beginning and will again and again through the fall and winter. That's the way it works here in the South. The cold air that reaches us comes with the weather fronts and within a few days escapes, only to return again with the next front. It is often short lived.

We'll have the food plots in the ground before the week is out and in another week we'll welcome the start of archery deer season. There's much to do on this end before I finally take to a tree and begin looking for my first deer of the season. "Big game" season is on the horizon.

With the ever expanding popularity of bow hunting, squirrel hunting has been almost forgotten. Once a popular early fall activity the squirrel goes much unnoticed these days. My early years of hunting were spent yielding a single shot 410 as my father shook vine after vine through the hardwoods of the Swamp. Those were some mighty fun times! With a large population of "bushytails" the state has been increasing the season in an effort to attract more hunters back to the sport. The season now last a total of five months, from October 1 to February 28. You can bet we'll take some time during those five months to hunt the gray squirrel.

We generally like to plant our food plots on the third weekend of September. That gives them plenty of time to get established before the first frost and before any heavy grazing from the deer. But as is often the case during this time of the year there is just enough moisture in the ground to make the seed sprout but likely not enough to keep it growing without some more rain. It has been an especially dry summer in the Horn Swamp and surrounding areas and we are not taking any chances. The plots are prepared and ready for the seed but we're holding out for a good, soaking rain before we scatter any seed.

Hog hunting continues to be slow. It would seem as though perfect conditions exist to concentrate the hogs but, if so, they are not congregated where we expect them to be. Several hunts have not produced any hogs in and around the shallow ponds and hardwoods.

Something worth noting... We have noticed that the population of armadillos has rebounded. In the late 1980's a large population of armadillos were found in the Swamp. The armadillo, though he does eat fire ants, also disturbs ground nesting birds (turkeys and quail) and is regarded as a pest. We have spent many a day shooting them but we never seemed to put much dent in the population. Then in the very early 1990's at a time when it seemed as though there was a 'dilla behind every tree, the armadillo almost disappeared from the Swamp. Because of the sudden disappearance I expected that a disease was the culprit. When populations get too large nature seems to have a way of correcting the situation. Yet a few years later the armadillo has returned in number. It appears we will need to again bring out the .22s and set our sights more often on these unwanted pests.

Check back each week as there will be much news to report in the months ahead from the outdoors in south Alabama.

The big overcup acorns are falling in the low hardwood bottoms of the Swamp. The hogs will soon be feasting on them and will become easy victims for the hunters. We'll make a great effort to make the most of this grand opportunity and hopefully make a dent in the population. Unfortunately, the last few hog hunts have yielded nothing.

The dry weather that has plagued us in the latter half of the summer was expected to yield some fine hog hunting by now but that has not yet come to pass. In past dry years the hogs congregated around the remaining water sources and were taken in great numbers in the late evenings. This summer it has not worked so perfectly and few hogs have been taken.

The cool night air has folks reaching for long sleeves and light jackets and it is about time for me to reach for my bow. Less than a month now separates us from the opening day of archery season.

Dove hunting in the Wilcox County area has been rather slow as a whole. A few hunts have reported limited success. Overall, not many birds seem to have been taken in the area after two weekends of the season have come and gone.

Thanks for checking in! Come back next week. The action will begin to heat up soon.

Dove season opened in this part of the state this past Saturday. A few small shoots were held around the area and hunters reported some success.

Though the conditions continue to be dry, no hogs have been able to be located around the Swamp's remaining ponds. Several scouting trips have not turned up any hogs, only lots of sign.

Several nice bucks have been seen lately. The antlers are still in velvet at this point and are still growing.

Otherwise, preparations continue in anticipation of archery season opening on October 15th.

     We've finally turned the corner of a long, hot, dry summer in south Alabama. The days are getting shorter and shorter, the nights are getting a bit cooler, and some much needed rain has fallen in the area. Hunting season is on the horizon!
     Bowseason opens in just over one month, on October 15th. There is much work yet to be done before that day arrives. But with a good crop of acorns expected, we hold high hopes for yet another successful season.
     There have been a few hogs taken in the Swamp over the summer. As the big overcup acorns begin to fall in the next few weeks the hog hunting conditions will greatly improve. We expect to take dozens of hogs before Thanksgiving, capitalizing on the acorns which will concentrate the hogs.