2000-2001 News Archives
May 16, 2002
Last night I enjoyed some of the rewards of a successful turkey season. Fried wild turkey breast is one of my favorites. I think I'll grill the other half of the breast of this last turkey later this week.
After taking my third gobbler on the 25th of April I went out one more time in search of a longbeard. On the last morning I trudged through the woods in hot, humid weather and heard but one distant gobble. It was as if the turkey told me that more did exist in those woods but it was time for me to lay off for this season. It was the last day and so I had no choice but to take his advice. It was a fun season and it was also now over.
In retrospect the first half was fast and furious. Those first three weeks were successful for me and then that fourth week the woods turned quiet. It picked up a bit for the last two weeks but I don't think I heard as much gobbling as I am used to. Certainly not as much as I wished for.
The end of turkey season also marks the end of the annual hunting season. What began last September with a dove shoot, then spilled over into bow and squirrel season in October, then gun deer season in November, and turkey season in March, has now completed its run. I'll count it as a good one as I most always do. Just getting out in the great outdoors and spending time with family and friends is rewarding enough. Bagging my best buck by bow and three longbeards this spring was nothing but gravy.
And so we embark on the long and hot summer here in the Deep South. I'm sure that you, like me, will begin almost immediately looking toward this fall. Maybe its some new gear that you want to have in place by that time and maybe there are improvements to your hunting property that you intend to make. Maybe you have plans for both. Regardless, the summer will pass quickly and another hunting season will be upon us.
Have a good summer and I look for all of you back next fall. Thanks for all the recent emails and guestbook signatures. I have enjoyed sharing with all of you and so glad you enjoy this website.
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April 25, 2002
It is not something that I typically get involved in but it is legal and ethical nonetheless, but only if done correctly. And I felt like the time had come to try it. For turkey season was winding down and I had butted heads with several difficult turkeys during the second half of the season with no success.
As the last week arrived I focused on two gobblers that were living together in the hardwoods of the property. One did most of the gobbling that was done and the other provided back up when it was thought to be needed. They roosted on the same acre on each of the 4 prior mornings that I had worked them.
Wednesday was fifth time I went to them and this time I got within 75 yards of the gobbling bird. He gobbled about 30 times on the roost, pitched down and gobbled once. I waited a minute and floated a few clucks and yelps toward him. He did not answer and one hour later I left without any sign of him. This was typical of what had happened on our previous encounters, though in the past I heard a few more gobbles from the ground and had been answered several times each morning.
So as I left Wednesday morning I decided it was time to give him a try in the afternoon. After all, I knew nearly exactly where he typically roosted. I’m not a fan of afternoon turkey hunting. Our turkeys don’t gobble much in the afternoon and I like to hear them gobble. But it’s legal and as I stated earlier, ethical as well but only if the turkey is not merely bushwhacked.
The plan was hatched and I returned after work on Wednesday evening. I quietly made my way to his favorite haunt, got comfortable at the base of a large red oak, and at 6:10 PM I began my vigil. Knowing he was likely coming to that acre of woods it would be necessary for me to yelp several times at 15 to 20 minute intervals to prevent a stealthy slaughter of such a magnificent bird. If he was too wary of me or of my calling to roost in his favorite trees then he would be the victor.
I kept my end of the bargain. At dark, with a full moon overhead, I got up and returned to the truck. The 10 minute hike out gave me time to question where in the heck he roosted. I had heard no gobble, no yelp, and no flapping of wings when he roosted. Nothing. I couldn’t wait to return the next morning and find out where he was.
At dawn this morning I found the answer to my question. He gobbled four times from the tree, three to four hundred yards by my estimate from where he normally roosted and much too far for me to have heard him fly up the afternoon before. The major problem was that he was now roosted quite a stretch across the property line. I decided to sit and wait. After all, his favorite haunt was on our property and he might move my way eventually.
His first ground gobble seemed so far through the thick undergrowth of the forest that I barely heard it. But the next one was closer. I pulled out my box yelper and he answered it. Things were looking up. By the time he gobbled again he had put several hundred yards of turf behind him and was now squarely on my side of the property line, having performed a semi-circle around me.
I moved 30 yards to better position myself, sat down and yelped with my diaphragm call. . He answered, now about 60 yards in front of me. Ten minutes passed without any action. I yelped again and he nearly blew the cap off my head. I saw him through the weeds to my left 30 yards away and at a much farther angle to the left than where I anticipated his approach and not in the direction that my gun was now pointed. He walked behind a few trees and I was able to reposition the gun. He took a few more steps and at 31 steps I closed the deal. It was all over.
As I stood up and made my way toward him another gobbler, the other gobbler that provided the occasional back up, ran, then flew. My bird had a 9½ inch beard and 1¼ inch spurs. He was heavy and healthy though I didn’t weigh him.
And now you have read the story of my 3rd kill of the season and the most successful hunt that I have had in nearly three weeks. In the past two weeks I have worked several turkeys, including the ones mentioned in the story above, but have had little success in calling one to the gun. They have answered well most of the time and have projected the notion that if I wanted to come to them they would accept me but they sure as heck were not going to come to me. A pretty good first half of the season gave way to a frustrating second half.
Yet several friends hunting in various areas of the county continue to have success. One friend completed his limit of 5 birds yesterday and others report they continue to hear several gobbling turkeys. The overall consensus, from my unscientific sample is that the turkey population is in fine condition in and around the county.
I hope to have photos of some of the successful hunts this season to share with you in the next few weeks. The season closes on Tuesday and I'll be back late next week to wrap things up.
April 15, 2002
This second half of the season isn't shaping up to be very successful on my end. In the past eight mornings I have heard a turkey gobble on only one of those mornings and even on that day he only spoke a few times from the limb. Never once did he gobble on the ground. This cloudy and humid weather is not preferred for turkey hunting. The end is getting close and I'm not optimistic that we're going to break out of this funk.
For those that are out trying to locate a turkey, things have gotten tough. Adding to the difficulty the woods have really greened up and one must be rather close to even hear a turkey when he does gobble. I happen to know where a few turkeys are and know for certain that they are there---they have left plenty of recent clues---but they just aren't interested in being very vocal. Of course by this time of the season some low life redneck has usually slipped in off the river, taken his life into his own hands and risked a load of six shot in his face, and stolen one of more of our turkeys. But they haven't gotten them all and what's left has most certainly become tight lipped.
I promised some more details on the turkey rodeo I attended the weekend before last. This fun event was begun in 2001 by my good friend Judd Lisenby. This year we had seven two-man teams hunting the turkey filled woods of southeast Alabama. We arrived on Friday night and enjoyed a fine meal and then got a bit of sleep before the alarm clock began the day early Saturday. We could hunt until noon and we then returned to the base camp. Two turkeys were brought in on Saturday. We did not hunt in the afternoon but returned to the woods again on Sunday morning. Sunday morning netted two more turkeys for the group. Every team anted up a fee that included the costs for the weekend's food, beverages, and t-shirts. The turkeys were scored using the NWTF scoring method and the remainder of the fee went into a pot that was awarded to the team with the highest score. My team didn't kill a turkey but we hunted a beautiful piece of property and heard several turkeys. We came real close to taking one Sunday morning but a pack of hens interfered. The winning team members were added to a plaque along with last year's winners. It was a lot of fun indeed.
Later this week I'll give you an update on our luck. Hope your report is better than mine!
April 11, 2002
This past Sunday morning was the 24th day of the season, exactly mid ways through the 47 day spring turkey season. We're now closer to the end than the beginning.Last week my father bagged a fine turkey, his first of the season. The bird sported spurs of exactly one and a half inches. We set up on a bird that was really gobbling well on the roost. That bird answered well but was not working our way at the time that another turkey began to respond over our right shoulder. He had not gobbled on the roost which made me think that he was not a dominate turkey. He eventually came to us and my father made the shot at just over 35 steps away.
Tom Kelly is one of my favorite authors. Mr. Kelly's vast knowledge on many subjects, his past experiences in the turkey woods, and his wit makes his books entertaining and informative. If you are not familiar with this Spanish Fort, Alabama resident and his writings I suggest you log over to amazon.com and search for him. He hasn't written a bad one yet and I don't look for him to. Last week a friend of mine gave me a new CD that Mr. Kelly will have for sale very shortly. It includes 7 stories of his, some published and some not yet published. That last one was about a man that Mr. Kelly claims, in his opinion, was the "best turkey hunter of the last three quarters of the 20th century." I was shocked to learn that the gentleman was the late Jim Hart Andrews of Camden, Alabama. "Mr. Jim" as I knew him retired back here to his native Camden after many years of working in the wood products industry, in the same company that Tom Kelly worked for. I never knew "Mr. Jim" was a turkey hunter. Apparently he didn't hunt as much in his later years. Mr. Kelly says that he based his claim on two criteria. Mr. Jim killed his turkeys on public, not private land, and had an incredible record with "give-aways," those turkeys given to you by someone else because they could not kill them. The story is much deeper than this and to tell you any more would spoil it for you. I suggest you purchase a copy of the CD and enjoy each of the stories told. If you are not a reader of Tom Kelly's books I highly recommend them. They aren't "how-to" books. They are about southern folks, the outdoors, and turkey hunting. I don't know of any better topics.
I spent this past weekend participating in the 2nd Annual Wiregrass Invitational Turkey Rodeo. I'll tell you more about that next Tuesday. Stop by then for the latest from the turkey woods.
It appears that we are going to have ever changing and some less than perfectl weather to deal with through the weekend. But it's turkey season and we have to go, rain or shine. We can't do this but 47 days a year and by golly I'm going to do it every day that I can.
April 5, 2002
We have a great few days of cool, crisp, sunny and calm days ahead of us. It started this morning (Friday). We haven't seen a good string of prime gobbling weather like this all season. I think it's going to be a great weekend of turkey hunting and a great weekend to hear some gobbling down in the turkey woods. I'm looking forward to getting out and staying with them "'til something gives."
Hope you get to do the same. See you on Tuesday and let me know how your weekend goes. Email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com.
April 2, 2002
For me the turkeys have been most uncooperative lately. They gobble a little on the roost, fly down and do their own thing. Oh they will answer my calls from time to time but they aren't beating down a path to me. That's ok too. If they weren't tough to harvest it wouldn't be so much fun.
The gobblers appear to be splitting up a bit but still have lots of hens right with them. We could sure use three or four good cool, crisp spring days to get the gobbling really cranked up. This morning was a good start.
I've had a few experiences with coyotes this season that are interesting. We seem to have quite a few of them. Earlier in the season a gobbler was hung up in front of me at about 50 yards. A coyote started howling several hundred yards away. That turkey hadn't gobbled in 20 minutes but when the coyote howled he triple gobbled! This morning at about the time turkeys should start gobbling, a large pack of coyotes began howling. Just two to three hundred yards away two turkeys started gobbling and got real fired up early. They eventually flew down and went in the direction of where the coyotes had been. One might think the howling would have spoiled the hunt from the beginning but thankfully that was not the case.
I'll try to post a late week report on Friday. Hope you'll stop by then.
------William Malone, Jr.
March 27, 2002
I live for the weekends. Most of us do. But I'm beginning to enjoy Wednesdays more and more. The second Wednesday in a row has found me hiking out of the Swamp with a turkey in my game bag.
It was another fun hunt. I had earlier declared a gobbler dead as soon as he had pitched down. Now I know that one shouldn't do that but heck, I had him cornered. He flew down on a ridge (a ridge in a swamp can be a piece of land 6" or more higher than the ground surrounding it...ridges are dry, bottoms are not) and he had to come my way. I yelped and clucked as soon as he tucked his wings under him from the trip down from the limb and answered me right back. A few minutes later I called again and again he answered. He was 75 yards away and getting closer. A few hens flew down across the shallow water from him and he would have to walk around the head of that shallow pond to get to them. His problem was that my 12 gauge would greet him before he made it to the hens. I soon got my first glimpse of him headed directly my way. No doubt he was a dead turkey in just a few more minutes.
He kept looking at those hens across that shallow water sixty yards from him and he turned into the water and began walking toward them. It went from two inches deep to four inches and he took flight, sailing right to the hens. They disappeared behind some palmettos and I lost sight of the flock.
Fifteen minutes later I heard another gobbler in the distance and went to him. He was alone and looking for some company. He got more than he bargained for but I got what I had wanted, having arisen at 4AM and made the 2.8 mile round trip hike to bag him.
For the sixth time in a row, my hunter on the Wilcox Academy Turkey Hunt bagged a bird. Congratulations to Lathrop Smith on an excellent shot! The streak was kept alive once again by Don Lauderdale's excellent calling. Don is an Alabama State Champion turkey caller and has a first and second place to his credit in the World Owl Hooting Championship. When Don yelps turkeys take notice.
I'm hearing reports of some hefty birds being taken in the area. We're talking 21 to 23 pound birds. One hunter said a gobbler he killed last week had 7 acorns in his craw. The heavy mast of last fall is likely the reason for these fat turkeys and don't think for a minute that these acorns have spoiled and are being shunned by the wildlife.
Our gobblers are still covered up with hens. But soon the hens will go to lay and action in the deep woods will pick up a notch or two. That should begin happening near the end of the first week in April.
Thanks for stopping by. Let me know how you are doing. Send me an email at hornswamp@yahoo.com. I'd love to hear from you.
-------William Malone, Jr.
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March 20, 2002
Finally. At 6:40 AM this morning I got my first look at a gobbler down the barrel of my 12 gauge. He's in my refrigerator now, at least the edible part of him is anyway. I have been chasing a couple of birds that gobbled well a few days before and for the first two days of the season but got very quiet from Sunday through Tuesday. They cranked it up again this morning, which happened to be the usual "opening day."
I was thinking that it was going to take a weather change to stir them up and get the gobbling going again. I still think that will help. The turkeys seem to like a crisp morning rather than the hot, humid ones of the last week. I like the crisp, spring mornings as well. I'm tired of sweating before the sun even begins to shine. I've done a lot of that in the last six mornings.
Several hunters in the area have taken very "good" turkeys, turkeys with spurs greater than 1 1/2". Another young hunter, Townshend Owens of Camden took his first gobbler on his first hunt ever last Saturday morning. His father told him that "it usually isn't this easy." Townshend will find that out over time, but until then a big congratulations is due that young man.
It has been nearly 10 years now but there was time when Daylight Savings Time did not take effect until late April. When it changed to the first Sunday in April, a lot of "before work" turkey hunting was eliminated. Shaving off an hour of weekday hunting time saved a lot of turkeys and hindered many a turkey hunter. That was the argument used to persuade the Conservation Advisory Board into opening the season 5 days early, giving hunters a bit more opportunity to pursue America's Greatest Gamebird and keep the boss happy as well. And this year the first Sunday in April will fall on the 7th, giving us three good weeks of hunting before the clock becomes a greater factor.
Trees and bushes are budding here in Wilcox County and in the next 10 days those of us that are in the woods on a daily basis will witness a transformation of the forest. The dead of winter is giving way to the green of springtime. It's a great time to be out and about.
Hope all is well with you. Let me know how you're doing. I'll be back with more next week.
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March 14, 2002
Once again I am here apologizing for the lack of updates to this part of the Horn Swamp Online. Frankly I have been so busy that it just has not happened. I look forward to doing better through the end of turkey season, the last day of April.
I have some bad news about the results of the survey. They were compiled on the Zoomerang website. A change in that website's policy since my last survey only saves the data for 15 days. I did not get the results copied before they were lost. Many of you took your own precious time to complete the survey and I know you wanted to see the results. I apologize for not having them saved and posted here before they were lost. It is water under the bridge at this point, unfortunately.
Though I can't quote specific numbers I can discuss the results of the survey in general terms, having reviewed the results on the last day of the survey time period. We had about 75 people that responded. About 85% of the respondents say that they are selective on the bucks they take. Most of that 80% judged a shooter buck just as we do, by considering the overall quality of the rack and not just by the number of points. Most of the respondents either hunted owned or club property.
I was surprised that a greater number of respondents did not see an increase in buck sign and an increase in bucks chasing does. Less than 30% saw an increase in these areas. I certainly know I did!
The vast majority of the respondents, mostly gun hunters, did see fewer deer in their greenfields than they normally do. Time was spent pretty equally between greenfields and hardwoods with only a few saying they hunted pines or thickets. Most said that they had an average season.
Again, I'm sorry that the precise results are not available. Between my day job in insurance sales, my evening job of maintaining several dozen websites, and holding the Banquet Chairman responsibility our Wilcox County Lonbeards NWTF chapter, life has been pretty full here lately. The good news is that the banquet is behind us and it was a great success. We packed 275+ into the local National Guard armory last Saturday night and raised a lot of money that will benefit America's Greatest Gamebird. We worked our tails off but had a good time in the process. The wild turkey has a lot of friends in Wilcox County, Alabama.
And speaking of that large feathered bird, the season opens tomorrow, March 15th. I've been out to listen twice so far and heard a few birds each time. I'll be in the woods nearly every morning between now and the end of April and I look forward to the time I will spend there. I'll hope to take a couple of birds and shoot some pictures of some as well. I care not how many I kill but I do love to draw them in close and enjoy their presence. I'll have a turkey tale or two for you as the coming Tuesdays roll around. Promise.
Alabama's season has been moved to the 15th this year from its traditional opening day of the past on the 20th. Do you know why? I do. Stop by next week and I'll tell you more.
Be careful out there and good luck with your turkey hunting.
February 5, 2002
And so another Alabama deer season comes to a close. Deer season is one of those long ordeals that most of us are glad to see come and glad to see go. No longer will we feel that we MUST get into the woods at every opportunity because this may be the day that that buck of a lifetime strolls by our stand without a care in the world. If we aren't there to shoot him, everything that we have worked for our whole lives will be lost. It is over. Now we can get on to other things. Yet, as we get on with other things, we will soon begin to prepare and look forward to next season.
I got out one more time on the last afternoon of the season. It was warm and the mosquitoes were stirring. I sat on the ground in a forest of 24-year old pines. Not long after I sat down a doe ran by, followed by a six point in hot pursuit. They circled all through the woods often looping back by me. I slipped back to a greenfield just before dark. A few does were tipping back into the woods when I got my first glimpse of the one-acre patch. I soon realized why. Three big hogs were eating there in the corner. I found a good rest and dusted the largest one. The other two ran and stopped and I dropped another, then the last one as well. So as the last rays of daylight on the last day of deer season faded to the west, I stood in short sleeves swapping mosquitoes, with burned gun powder in my nostrils and pork on the ground.
1/31/2002I am asking all of our readers to click over and complete a survey with questions about your deer season. This survey will run for 10 days. Two weeks from today the results will be posted here. I am interested to see how my observations in the woods this winter compare to the observations and results of my fellow Alabama hunters. I think you will share that interest. Please take a moment to complete the survey. If you hunted even one day in Alabama this season please do so.
2001-2002 Alabama Deer Hunting Survey
I refer to February as "Small Game Month." Squirrel and rabbit season remain open until the last day of the month and since no big game season is in this is an excellent opportunity to get out the .22 rifle or the scatter gun and really have some fun. Turkey season opens five days early this spring, on March 15th. That leaves just two weeks with no game to hunt between now and the end of April. Of course there are no closed season on hogs.
I'll be taking a week off from updating this site so our next post will be on February 19th. I'll have the results of the survey on that date. Maybe we will have a few more deer photos to share as well. If you have a good south Alabama buck to show please email it to me at hornswamp@yahoo.com.
Congrats to Linda Hughes of Dothan, Alabama on this fine buck killed in Portland, Alabama (south Dallas Co.). Thanks for sharing the photo with us.
(L to R) John Coffman, Malcolm Smith, Linda HughesAgain, we'll take next week off and return on February 19th with the survey results and maybe a few more deer photos from the 01-02 season.
-------William Malone, Jr.
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January 30, 2002
Hunters in the woods for the last week of the season have had to deal with unseasonably warm weather and a full moon. Both combine to limit daytime deer movement.
This past weekend I traveled to Ozark, Alabama to hunt with friends there in the southeastern part of the state. Our group of hunters saw a number of bucks but did not get off a shot at any "shooter bucks." We saw quite a few small bucks. I saw one fair sized 8 point as well. One of the better bucks seen by our group was rattled in but due to the thicket my friend was hunting in he was not able to get off a shot at the buck. You can be assured nearly every one of these bucks was chasing a doe when they were seen.
There's an interesting movement there in Dale County led by my good friends. The Dale County Quality Deer Management Association has been formed and is gearing up to educate the hunters in that area on the importance of passing up young bucks. Their motto is "Let him go so he can go." They tell me that a lot of hunting goes on there on tracts of land that are 100 to 250 acres. A deer that is passed up on that sized property can easily wander to the neighbor's property and get shot. They are seeking to get everyone on the same page of deer management. They have had several meetings and even one Youth Hunt so far. The overwhelming majority of deer hunters in Dale County are behind this organization. I wish them luck in their endeavors as it is certainly a worthy and just cause.
I made it back home to hunt the Horn Swamp on Sunday afternoon. My cousin and fellow landowner Curtis Malone and two friends had hunted from Friday afternoon until noon on Sunday. They were successful in taking two bucks, a 10 and an 8 point. I hope to get photos of those bucks to add to the website in the near future. From what I understand the 8 point was a fine one, taken in the piney woods in the midst of numerous scrapes.
My Sunday afternoon hunt was a warm one and I fought quite a few mosquitoes as dark neared. I saw three bucks, all chasing does either in the edge of the hardwoods or through a small field that I could see from my climber.
Unfortunately the Swamp Sleuth has quit working and the camera has been sent back to Moultrie for replacement. I hope to have it back in the woods soon and it will continue to be used through early March.
I am planning one more hunt to close out the season tomorrow. When guests come to visit for a few days you may not spend every waking hour with them, but when they leave it is always courteous to walk them to their car and wave as they drive out the driveway. That's how I feel about deer season. Though I rarely feel the need to be there on opening day and I don't hunt every day of the season, it is always nice to watch the last sunset of the season from a tree stand.
Next Tuesday I will have a link to a survey that will be posted on this page. I urge you to make sure to stop by next week and link over to fill out these 15 or so questions regarding your deer season. If you hunted even one day in Alabama this season I want you to take the survey. Questions will range from what you saw this season to what you killed and what type management plan your club/property adheres to. This survey will run for 10 days only and the results will be posted on the website immediately after the 10 days are up.
Next week we'll wrap up deer season here at the Latest News and I'll show you a few more recent photos.
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January 22, 2002
We are now down to one final week of deer hunting in the 01-02 season. The season closes next Thursday, January 31st.
Warm weather arrived towards the end of last week and that put a damper on the deer movement. Saturday brought another day of rain here. Overall, hunters in the Swamp saw a decent number of small bucks but did not take any deer during the past week. Most of these bucks were seen working scrapes and chasing does. These bucks were in the 1½ to 3½ year age group, not quite "shooter" bucks. According to the scouting reports, there exist only a very few hogs in the Swamp at the present time and none were seen this past week and weekend.
I've been promising to show you a photo of John Powell Webb's strange buck and finally here it is. Damage to this buck's testicles caused a hormone imbalance and the resulting rack that did not harden as it should have. The antlers were hollow and quite brittle on this Wilcox County killed buck. He sported at least 30 legal points and was killed in late December 2001.
John Powell WebbWe're giving them a day or two to rest and then we are going to give them one last hard hunt before the season goes out. If the weather cooperates the hunting should be excellent. I hope you find it the same where you are.
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January 15, 2002
The Wilcox County/Camden area was buzzing with hunters this past weekend participating in the 17th Annual Wilcox Academy Deer Hunt. With all but one hunting camp reporting their harvest, one hundred and seventeen deer and twelve hogs were taken by the 122 hunters participating.
This past extended weekend of hunting saw both weather extremes of south Alabama deer hunting. The hunt began on Thursday afternoon in 70 degree heat which continued into Friday. Rain arrived in the Swamp just after 8AM on Saturday and finally quit an hour before dark, just as the fog began rolling in. By Sunday morning the temperature had dipped to 31 and a heavy frost was on the ground. Most of the better bucks taken on the hunt were brought in on Sunday morning.
In the Swamp we got two bucks, an 8 and a 6 point. We saw very little overall. The most deer seen on any half day hunt was 14 with the average sighting on a hunt more like 2 or 3 deer. That's pretty slow compared to what we are used to. Numerous small bucks were seen chasing does and the rut appears to be in full steam. I witnessed several medium sized bucks on Sunday afternoon in hot pursuit of does.
I'm waiting on the pictures from the W. A Hunt to come in and hope to share a few with you in the coming weeks.
Late December is often a slow time in the south Alabama deer woods but December 2001 was certainly not for slow for my friends and fellow Camden residents John Barrett Travis and his wife Ivy. John Barrett downed a nice buck and a few weeks later Ivy followed up with a kill of her own. At first glance you will think that the hunters are posing with the same buck. They even have matching brow tines. But indeed these are two different bucks. These two hunts were captured on video. The bucks were killed in the northern end of Wilcox County.
John Barrett Travis
Ivy Travis
The Swamp Sleuth is really struggling this winter. I've gotten lots of doe pictures and a few small bucks, but nothing to get excited about. The camera is still at work and maybe we'll have something interesting to share in the near future.
More news and photos next week. The south Alabama deer are in full rut and if you are going to be in the woods between now and the end of January, make certain you have a cartridge in the chamber and don't fall asleep. The big ones are on the move!
If you have a buck to contribute to the "Latest News" page please email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com.
Thanks for tuning in. See you next week.
January 8, 2002
We had no luck this past week in the Swamp. We saw a few does and a few small bucks but saw much less deer activity overall than we would like to see this time of year. I don't know where the deer are and why we are not seeing them. We are not in the boat alone. I've heard the same from many, including a reader from Autauga County that assured me that the slow activity in our Swamp is not limited to this property only.
Some are having luck. My friends over at Pursley Creek Guide Service tell me that their hunters for the weekend, who came all the way from New York, saw several big bucks and though they didn't bag any they readily booked their 2003 trip. Native Wilcox Countians Stover Perryman and his younger brother Calvin each killed impressive bucks last Friday afternoon. We hope to show you a photo of those bucks in the near future.
My one bit of excitement for the weekend centered on finding the match to a shed that had found earlier in the fall. The sheds were dropped 100 yards apart and happened to be about 200 yards of where the Swamp Sleuth took this photo last February.
When the photo was taken I guessed the buck to score about 130. It appears from the photo that he is an 8 point. However, the sheds appear to be from the same buck as in the photo. The photo obscures his last point on either antler. He's a typical 10 point and has a kicker extending out between his base and a brow tine, making him a 11 point. And you know what, he does score right at 130 B&C points.
Here are the sheds but where's the buck?When your feet get cold, your butt sore, or you just get tired of sitting in that stand, it pays to know that a buck like this is out there. You remind yourself that he didn't get that big by making mistakes. He's likely been big enough to jeopardize someone taking a shot at him for several years, yet not a sole has seen him that I am aware. Indeed they are amazing creatures.
Bud MeadowsWe normally only feature south Alabama bucks here, but I wanted to share this photo with you. This skilled hunter, Bud Meadows, hunts here in Wilcox County and also in his home state of Illinois. He took this 10 point in Illinois while bowhunting. The buck grossed 162 P&Y points. He tells me that he is after a much larger 10 point there in Illinois that he estimates will score 175. Here's hoping your arrow finds its mark!
Wilcox County will be hosting over 100 hunters this weekend taking part in the Wilcox Academy Benefit Hunt. I'll have some photos next week of some bucks killed on the hunt.
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January 2, 2002
Cold weather has certainly arrived just in time for the last month of deer season. And indeed the last month has arrived.
Deer hunting in the Horn Swamp was rather slow during the last week. We saw a few deer here and there but nothing to get too excited about. I took some time yesterday morning to do a lot of scouting in preparation for the last few weeks of the season. Nearly 100% of the hunting so far has been bowhunting, but the remainder of the season will see a good bit of gun hunters. Wanting to make sure that we have some ladder stands in the choice areas, I scouted out some likely spots that stands should be moved to. During the course of my looking around I came to a quick conclusion. There are more scrapes and rubs in the woods right now than I have seen in the past three to five years combined. In some areas there is literally a scrape under every other tree and a rub within sight at all times. There is no doubt the bucks are heavily in rut and have been for some time.
So far the Swamp Sleuth has not produced any photos worth sharing. I have a roll being processed right now that hopefully will be better. So far I have photos of small bucks, does, rabbits, and a bobcat. It is also having some technical problems that may result in it having to be sent back to the manufacturer. Next week I'll share a few of the photos that I have taken so far.
Kirk TalbotKirk Talbot killed this fine buck the day after Christmas just outside the city limits of Camden. Kirk says he wasn't chasing a doe at the time but his glands were stinking like a rutting buck.
Gregg RafalskyGregg Rafalsky, of Hoover, AL, sent this photo of a buck he killed on December 22nd on the Lowndes/Dallas County line. It was the only deer he saw during the afternoon hunt overlooking a sage field.
Chuck TrexlerChuck Trexler shot this buck at 17 yards while hunting in Wilcox County.
John Powell Webb took quite an interesting buck last week. The testicle-less buck's rack was partially covered by velvet and sported a lot of points of his non-typical rack. You could count 15 points by one method and as many as 30 by another. I'll try to get a photo in the coming weeks to share with you. You'll want to see this one.
The bitter cold has put the hogs to move as well. I've seen quite a few (out of range of the arrow) and heard many more. We're going to bust some of them real soon.
Cold weather and rutting deer are going to result in the harvest of some more fine bucks before this month concludes. Hopefully a few of those will be in the Horn Swamp but certainly a plenty will be in the south Alabama area. We'll continue to bring some of the photos and stories to you each week. If you have one to share, please don't be bashful. Contact me at hornswamp@yahoo.com.
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December 25, 2001
Just when we thought we were going to have a balmy Christmas, Mother Nature delivered some real winter weather. It should be just what we need to get the deer moving better. Deer hunting seems to be a bit slow but has no doubt picked up considerably with the arrival of the cold air. Yet, December is always a bit slow.
We have not had much luck in the Horn Swamp here lately. During most of December local hunters were saying that the deer were not coming to their greenfields, likely because of the many acorns in the hardwoods. The warm weather doesn't present much of a need for the deer to feed or move much at all. That should be changing immediately.
In the last few days I have not had much of an opportunity to hunt but look forward to getting back in the woods in a day or two. It is hard to believe but in just over a month the 2001-2002 deer season will be history. I'm not ready to see it go.
I would imagine some fine bucks are being taken during the holidays by our readers. Please send me a photo of your south Alabama kill and I'll feature it here on the "News" page. I am still expecting the arrival of several promised photos and look forward to showing you them by next week, hopefully.
I'm seeing lots of duck boats coming in and out of the river landing (Miller's Ferry Lake / Lake Dannelly) just down the road from my house. They aren't seeing many ducks at all. We've had over 10 inches of rain in December which should be helping the fill the low bottoms of which most all contain a lot of acorns. The cold air is just what the duck hunters have been hoping for as well. I expect they'll finish strong.
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December 18, 2001
Warm weather persists and deer movement could be better. There are still some good bucks being taken in the area and I have promises of photographs so we'll hope to have those here next week.
I do suggest you click over and take a look at the big buck taken by James McEvoy of Camden. You can see it at the Wilcox Black Belt Hunting website. James' buck has been added to the home page, the first page you see when you click on the site. His buck is the top right photograph and was taken in December of this year.
I was invited to hunt a different piece of property this past weekend and arrowed my second doe of the season. I shot another that, unfortunately, got away. I made the shot at 4PM and had evening plans that would not allow me the time I needed between the shot and tracking it. If I had waited until the next morning to look for it the meat would have spoiled. So I gambled and tracked the deer after giving it as much time as I could allow. I followed a lot of blood to where it had bedded down but jumped it and eventually lost it. The shot apparently missed the vitals but I do believe it would have died right there if only I could have afforded two or three hours to let it lay. It was one of those unfortunate circumstances but it could have been avoided if the shot had been better.
Away from the Swamp I did not get a chance to get the film from the Swamp Sleuth. I promise to have those next week.
See you then.
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December 11, 2001
Deer hunting weather has finally arrived but for how long it will last only time will tell. The mid-50 degree highs are certainly a welcome relief from the 70+ degree heat that we have been experiencing. This should help the hunting if only it will last.
I've got two good bucks to show you this week. This first one was taken by Joe Duckworth. This 16 point non-typical scored 155 B&C and was killed right outside the city limits of Tuscaloosa, Alabama!
Joe DuckworthThis next buck was taken in Portland, Alabama (extreme south Dallas County) near the end of November by David Thibadeau.
David ThibadeauI finally killed another with my bow. This one was a doe, the victim of a well placed arrow from 20 yards away. It was a fun hunt indeed.
I continue to get reports from south Alabama that the bucks are rutting. Big scrapes, swollen necks, and stinking tarsal glands all point to that. No one can remember it ever occurring so early or offer any valid reasons why. We might need some help from a REAL biologist.
The Swamp Sleuth should have a full roll of film to show you next week. I'm anxious to see what is working those two big scrapes that it is scouting for me.
More to come next week.
--------William Malone, Jr.
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December 4, 2001
Though a full moon hung overhead each night of the past weekend, I saw deer each day. Not a lot of deer, but more than I have seen on some of the warm weekends of the recent past. I am also seeing lots of scrapes and even witnessed one buck chasing a doe.
I began my hunting on Saturday morning, sneaking into the edge of some hardwoods hoping to intercept the deer as they made their way back to the nearby thicket after a night of feeding. Though it was well before "daylight" it was quite bright in the woods thanks to the moon. I scattered deer everywhere as I made my way to the tree I would climb. (I'm still bowhunting, hunting from an Ol' Man climber.) I hunted there until nearly 11AM. I saw a number of does and had two small bucks under my tree. Another 8 point with a spread of about 15" passed by at about 30 yards. I watched him freshen a scrape at 9AM.
For the afternoon I set up on a trail leading to a greenfield. Four does came along the trail and stopped in range. Before I could get off a shot I heard another deer approaching. It turned out to be a spike, walking along with his neck outstretched as bucks do in the rut. He chased the does into the greenfield and continued to run them until dark.
The next morning I climbed a tree in another stretch of hardwoods bordering yet another big pine/briar thicket. I saw several more does, quite a few turkeys, and watched a 5 point freshen two scrapes. These two scrapes were 15 yards from my stand on either side of me. There were a few young gobblers in the woods and they must have gobbled 20 times early in the morning.
Sunday afternoon I moved back into the hardwood bottom where I began on Saturday morning, hoping the deer would come to feed before dark on the many acorns covering the ground. It didn't happen. I didn't see a deer.
I continue to be amazed at the number of scrapes that I am seeing and the attention that the deer are giving them. They seem to be working them regularly. Also, seeing bucks chasing does in earnest is strange for early December. Normally that is something I don't even look for until after the first of January. No, I'm not complaining! I just find it interesting that such is happening at this time.
Our motion sensored camera, the Swamp Sleuth, is back at work. While scouting an area the weekend before last I found two small scrapes along a trail that borders a thicket. If I was an old buck this thicket would be my #1 hideout. I went back on Saturday to set up the camera on that trail and found those two scrapes were now twice the size and had been worked very recently. Hopefully next week we'll have a photo of the buck(s) responsible. We'll have them here so make sure to stop by.
I heard lots of distant shots this weekend. Somebody was having some luck! Let me know if it was you. Send me a picture and we'll show the world your success. Hunt safe and see you next week.
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November 26, 2001
Saturday night I threw in the towel. I hung my stand in the shed and racked my bow. The hot and humid weather had stifled the deer movement.
Looking back over the past week, the weather turned cool last Tuesday and the deer began to move. My cousin Josh Smith and his friends Greg, Lance, and Clay had seen a lot of deer before departing at mid-day on Wednesday. They took a few does but did not harvest a shooter buck on this trip. A heavy frost was on the ground Thanksgiving morning when I reached the woods but the day quickly warmed and would remain that way through the weekend. Much needed rain --- 2 1/4 inches worth --- fell on Friday and Saturday.
I hunted the edges of greenfields and I hunted hardwood bottoms filled with acorns. I saw very few deer. A week's worth of hunting pressure and warm temperatures, especially the humid air, kept the deer movement to a bare minimum.
The strong storms that spun tornadoes through much of the South arrived in the Swamp after lunch on Saturday. While cooking lunch at the cabin I heard the distant rumbling of thunder as the storms approached. Gusty winds were eventually followed by hard rain and some lightning. I settled into the old recliner inside and pulled out a few Outdoor Life magazines from years past. I made it to the second one before the rain on the tin roof caused my head to get too heavy to hold up. When I awoke an hour later the rain had stopped. Rubbing my eyes I stepped onto the front porch and there were two bucks standing in the yard not 20 steps away. Several great acorn producing live oaks border the tiny opening where the cabin sits and the deer don't mind feeding right up to the cabin door even with a truck parked outside and hunter asleep inside! Both were small racked bucks. All three of us froze and began a staring match. A half minute later they gave up, trotting off into the woods.
I took that to be a good sign that the "deer were moving!" And since the storms had subsided I quickly headed off to climb a tree for the remainder of the afternoon. But no sooner than I had climbed 20 feet up a tree trunk the lightning returned and I gave up.
One thing that I continue to notice is the number of scrapes in the woods right now. In late December of 2000 I searched high and low for a few good scrapes for the Swamp Sleuth to concentrate on. They were nowhere to be found. But this year in late November I'm finding large scrapes filled with tracks and droppings. So, this weekend the old Sleuth himself will be put back into action.
Our regular readers will remember the Swamp Sleuth as the motion camera that I first put into action in early January of this year. I had a good bit of success with it overlooking hot scrapes. I learned a lot in the little time that I used it and look forward to adding to that knowledge in the coming months. I certainly recommend them, though pricey as they are. I have the low end model, a Moultrie brand. It does the trick, though the time and date stamp is not working correctly at this time.
I was amazed at the numbers of bucks using the same scrapes. I photographed 8 different bucks using the same set of scrapes over a period of one week in late January. I also found that the majority of the buck activity was during the nighttime. However, the two best bucks that I got on film were photographed during the day. Both of these by my estimation were in the 120-130 class.
And now a few days of much needed calm in the Swamp have begun. The weekend's forecast is calling for some cooler weather and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the forecast is correct.
---------William Malone, Jr.
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November 20, 2001
As I write this latest update at mid-day on Tuesday, the weather in Camden has turned much cooler. The mercury has not budged from its early morning location at 55 degrees. The front that passed through last night brought a light shower and a nice weather change, the first one in quite some time. Those that have a chance to be in the woods this afternoon and tomorrow should find some great hunting conditions.
I did not make it to the woods this past weekend. However, my cousin Josh Smith and a few friends are currently hunting in the Swamp and I'm hoping this cool weather will bring them some luck. They arrived in time to hunt Sunday and will depart on Wednesday. In next week's news I'll let you know how they did. I'll be back in the woods on Thanksgiving hoping that I have not used up all my good luck for the season.
Brad FishThe photo shown above was sent to me by Brad Fish. Brad killed this buck in the Snow Hill area of Wilcox County on October 27, 2001. He made a 35 yard shot to down this buck at 6PM. The buck was working toward a greenfield, following two smaller bucks, when Brad's arrow found its mark. Thanks for sharing this with us, Brad. Check out these Wilcox County hunters at www.cedarlakelodge.com.
Thanksgiving holidays has always been my favorite time of the year to hunt. It has always been a productive time as well. I hope you have a chance to get out there in God's Great Outdoors very soon.
PS: The photo of my buck is loading correctly now so please scroll down to see last week's update that now includes the photo.
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November 12, 2001
I regret that for the last few weeks updates have been unable to be made to the site. We contract with an internet hosting company to host the site. For a fee they allow us space on their internet computers. The company that hosts this site is having some reoccurring errors in their internet servers that have kept us from accessing the files. I appreciate the inquiries that have been made into why the updates have not been made. It lets us know how much we are appreciated! Now, back to the fun stuff.
Since our last update we've drawn blood in the Swamp. I gathered a few old friends the weekend before last and all killed deer except me. In all four antlerless deer were taken. We saw some small bucks but nothing to get excited about. It was a warm weekend with a full moon and we were quite content with four deer.
My luck had been running pretty sour until about 6:30 am this past Sunday morning. I had spent quite a few hours in the tree during the past three weekends and had not had the opportunity to fire a single shot at a deer. On Sunday I chose an old favorite stretch of hardwoods, one where I had arrowed my first deer some 15 years ago. The hardwoods border a planted field and a big pine thicket. The ground there under those big oaks is covered with acorns. I saw quite a few scrapes there when I briefly scouted the area on Saturday.
The first and only deer that I would see that morning appeared just before 6:30 am. He was feeding along at a distance of about 75 yards and it appeared that he would pass by no closer than that. I knew he had a decent rack but I did not study his rack any further. When he got to a slight ridge he abruptly made a 90 degree turn and began walking towards me. At 10 steps away I drew and fired. Since he was walking I aimed for the middle of his shoulder. Precisely according to plan the carbon, Thunderhead tipped arrow passed through right behind his shoulder. He made it about 150 yards before falling. He would have been a 10 point but lacked one brow tine. His inside spread is 17½ inches. He's not the biggest buck in the woods but for a guy that's happy with taking a doe, I'm not complaining one bit!
4 1/2 yr. old 9 point - Taken 11/11/2001In retrospect I found it interesting that I never had one touch of buck fever prior to the shot. The action here was so fast that it never registered what had happened until it was all over. If I had missed and he disappeared into the thicket I could not have told you how many points he had. I never counted them until I found him dead.
Changing the subject, it sure is dry around these parts. This past Saturday made four weeks now without a drop of rain and it looks like we'll make another week before any of the wet stuff returns. Acorns, particularly the red oaks, are as thick as I can remember seeing them and they are falling in great numbers.
We have two excellent deer processors here in Camden. I dropped off some meat on Monday at one of them, Venison's Creations, and they told me that things were real slow for them. Not many deer are coming in and apparently the hunting is a bit slow around the area for now. A weather system would be welcomed by all at this point.
Internet servers permitting we'll have more next week...
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October 30, 2001
I'll blame it on Saturday's wind and the full moon overhead. I didn't have much luck. I had more opportunities to take hogs than deer but failed to bring home any meat. On Saturday I stuck a large boar but the arrow failed to exit and he escaped into a pine thicket, leaving no blood trail. On Sunday I nearly got another shot at a big boar. I drew the bow but could not get off a clean shot as he quickly moved past me, avoiding my best shooting lanes.
I saw numerous small bucks and a few does. The wind really had the acorns raining from the trees. I have another full weekend of hunting planned and will have some photos for you next week. Thanks for stopping by.
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October 23, 2001
A decade and a half ago Wilcox County was known as a prime destination for those seeking trophy Alabama bucks. But as bean fields were planted in pine trees the deer herd failed to find the nutrition they once thrived on and the county's reputation suffered. Through intense management practices we are certainly seeing a rebound in the quality of bucks taken. The first week of bowseason here provided two prime examples.
This week we are proud to show you two fine bucks taken in Wilcox County during the opening week of bowseason. This first buck was taken less than 5 miles from the city limits of Camden. This buck gross scored 159 B&C points. His back tines were 15" long! This almost perfect 8-pointer will have some shrinkage occur and a few very slight deductions but look for his final score to place him as high as the 4th best "typical" buck taken by bow on record in the State of Alabama!
Photo by Joseph WhibbsThis second buck grossed 141 B&C points. As you can see he still has some velvet on his antlers. He was taken on just the second day of the season. Let's hear it for Wilcox County, Alabama!
With a cold front on the way for late in the week, I'm really looking forward to my first hunt of the season now just a few days away.
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October 16, 2001
Bowseason opened in Alabama yesterday and was greeted by cool, crisp weather. I am hoping this cool weather will continue. So far so good. This should be a real good bowseason.
The final weekend of the pre-season was a time to perform a major cleaning of the cabin and do a few other last minute chores in the Swamp. The time to hunt is now upon us.
I'm excited that our food plots look better than they have in years. They have had two good rains on them the deer are not quite hammering them yet. Hopefully they will get a little growing in before a lot of heavy grazing. We'll see how it goes.
October 9, 2001
We're less than a week from bowseason now (Oct 15th). This cool weather has local bowhunters anxious for opening day to arrive.
I was thankful to get our food plots planted last Thursday and Friday evening. I had planned my days to plant over a week in advance and it just so happened that the rain came at the most opportune time. I put out the seed on Thursday afternoon and covered some of the plots, then finished covering the following
evening. Just as I finished covering the last plot raindrops began to fall. The front passed through during the night and dropped 1.6" of rain in the Swamp. These sunny days will have seed sprouting before the week is out.
We don't plant anything special in our plots. This year we planted two-thirds wheat and one-third oats at a rate of 200 pounds to the acre. We used another 200 pounds of fertilizer to the acre as well.
Saturday was a leisurely day to tie up some loose ends before the season. When the rain moved out about mid-morning I scouted a few of my favorite bowhunting locations. Acorns are beginning to drop and the deer are aware of that fact. That was evident by the amount of droppings concentrated around the hot spots. I found some trees that were absolutely loaded with acorns and many other trees that produced a lesser amount. I saw one average buck, an eight point in velvet.
During the course of my scouting I found a few hogs rooting in the edge of a shallow pond. After checking the wind and getting some cover between us, I sneaked to within range of my .40 caliber pistol and managed to drop one of the hogs, a 75 pounder.
I even took a few minutes to look for artifacts from the Swamp's bowhunters from the past, the Native Americans that once made this land their home. A recent rain on freshly plowed ground makes for superb arrowhead hunting and I took the opportunity to do some searching in one food plot adjacent to the river where we had quite a bit of success in the past. I found a couple of broken arrowheads, a few pieces of pottery about an inch square each, and one arrowhead that was never finished. But this time I did not find any perfect arrow tips as I had hoped.
A busy schedule will prevent me from spending much time in the woods until the first weekend of November. By then the deer will be in a real habit of making their way to the acorns and I will hopefully have some success.
I hope your preseason preparations are going well.------------William Malone, Jr.
_____________________________________________October 1, 2001
Five months have passed since we signed off for the summer here at the Horn Swamp Online. We're glad to be back, just in time to welcome another hunting season.
The great anticipation of hunting season was tempered for me---and likely you too---two weeks ago. It left me with a sick feeling. It still does. My thoughts turned from bow tuning and food plot planting to the families of the victims and our country's future battles. I'm sure you were no different. We got caught sleeping but sleeping we are no more. In time, we will prevail.
Tragic events make you appreciate the finer things in life---like family, like friends, and like getting out in the woods to enjoy nature. So we move ahead.
Hunting season is south Alabama officially kicks off with dove season in September. Our local NWTF chapter cooked lunch for two local youth dove shoots coordinated by the Alabama Dept. of Conservation. I applaud those guys for a job well done. Getting the youngsters involved in the outdoors is the key to the future of our wildlife.
Last summer's terrible drought, the worst in 50 or more years, was followed by a summer of near normal rainfall in 2001. That's good news for the wildlife. In our area we received almost weekly rains throughout the summer and I expect the wildlife, especially the deer, benefited tremendously. And we have a bumper crop of acorns on the trees as well.
There was lots of talk of global warming last summer and I was beginning to wonder about it myself. After all, we had record heat for quite some time, with the mercury reaching as high at 108. But this summer it never saw 100, thanks to the clouds and rain. And then the last few days of September brought cool weather that we crave for even November. From hot and dry to now cool and moist. What a relief! I hope it lasts.
And little by little I'm getting more and more fired up about deer season. Each weekend we make a little more progress bushhogging, cleaning out roads, clearing shooting lanes around stands, etc. It's all coming together. And while bushhogging last weekend, I glanced down at a fine shed---an antler with 5 points. With another just like it and an average spread, this buck would score about 130 B&C. I think I know where he's hiding and bowseason is going to be the time to see him.
We're going to try to keep it interesting here each week at the LATEST NEWS page. Oftentimes, it can be a daunting task to do so. But we'll let you know how we are doing so you can compare notes with your experiences in the woods. If you have a story, a tip, a photo, or a tidbit to share please do so. You can email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com. We ended last season getting 400+ visits per week to the site. Thanks to all of you who have emailed and contributed. Keep it coming.
--------William Malone, Jr.
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