2002-2003 News Archives

2003-2004
News Archives

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May 2, 2004

     In order to describe my last week and a half of hunting, let me introduce two of the main characters in the following stories---Spooky and the Dry Pond Gobbler. Spooky spends most of his time, from what I can tell, in the piney woods portion of our property. He gets him name from his tendency to stand on the limb much longer than the average bird. This season I’ve known him to remain in the tree, gobbling, until 7AM and one day as late as 8AM . The other turkey derives his name from his favorite roosting spot in the area of hardwoods that often fills with water in the wetter months of the year we call the Dry Pond and hence, the Dry Pond Gobbler.

     Even before the final days of the season Spooky had heard a lot of me and my antics. I had tried to corner him numerous times in the first couple of weeks of the season while bowhunting. He had a few younger gobblers that hung out in his midst I did eventually kill one of them, my second of the season. The Dry Pond Gobbler quite possibly saw two birds get shot this season, one that I took and another that was killed by Barnett on the W. A. Turkey Hunt. I don’t think this bird was a real old turkey but certainly wise beyond his time.
     The weekend of April 17 and 18, John Turner and I concentrated on the demise of old Spooky. Saturday morning we set up three different times on the rascal but could never call him into range. On Sunday morning we sat in the pines in amazement as he remained in the tree until 8AM gobbling continuously. His cohort roosted nearby flew down at the expected time but even he couldn’t lure old Spooky from the limb. He finally did come down and gobble once before he disappeared into the timber.
     I spent the first few days of the next week having little luck in hearing anything on the other side of the property. I returned to hunt Spooky the following Tuesday morning, bringing my friend J. B. Travis to assist in the calling. We agreed that there was no need to make a sound until he did fly down, provided that was before lunch and we were still in the woods to witness the event. We carried out our plan and at 7AM old Spooky was still there on that pine limb gobbling at will. He eventually got quiet and when and if he flew down we never knew.
     Wednesday I returned for the same old routine. I didn’t make a sound until about 7AM , then began a little clucking and then walked away from the pesky gobbler. That pretty much had a negative effect on him, causing him to get a bad case of lockjaw.
     Thursday, completely fed up with Spooky, I was relieved to hear the Dry Pond Gobbler a quarter mile away and I set off to him. The hardwoods in which he was roosted is bordered by a stand of 15 year old pines and using them as cover I worked my way into position. It was late before I finally got where I wanted to be and I knew he would fly down at any moment. I needed to leave the cover of the pines and get farther in the open hardwood bottom but there was no time. I decided to stay on the edge and take my chances. That decision would save the bird’s life.
      Once I heard him gobble on the ground I offered several seducing yelps and he responded with great excitement. I soon saw him heading my way, stopping to strut, drum, and gobble. He hung up about 75 yards away and treated me to a grand show for a period of about ten minutes. There wasn’t a green leaf between us, nothing but dead leaves and hardwood trees. He could see perfectly well past my location and he never saw a hen. Finally, he turned and passed in front of me, moving toward the pines and seemingly keeping a 60 yard buffer between us. Right before he walked off into the pines he stopped and triple gobbled, then disappeared into the timber and was never heard from again that day.
     That next morning, Friday morning, as I sat drinking my coffee at home well before day, I derived a plan that would surely put this gobbler in my hands. I had to get there early to get set up in the right spot before too much daylight crept through the trees. With the video camera and tripod I would film the hunt myself.
     I got to my strategic location before the sun ever thought about rising and began my wait. Once he gobbled at the crack of dawn I would move forward and get into the final position. I would wait for the gobble to assure myself of where I would need to be. And then he threw a wrench into the plan. He never gobbled.
     So there I sat expecting to be at least 100 yards of where he was roosted, waiting on a gobble. My video camera was on the tripod and in my lap, my gun on the ground beside me. I was a bit disgusted that so much effort was being rewarded with silence.
     At that time I heard the flapping of wings and down came the gobbler, lighting just 50 yards from me!
     He took a few steps forward before I could believe it was really happening. When his head went behind a very large hardwood tree I did some quick maneuvers and got the gun in position to bushwhack the bird at 40-45 steps. But I couldn’t do it. I wanted to call him up and beat him at his own game. With a week of the season left I would not murder him, would not accept a bushwhack.

      So with the gun in my lap I began rolling some film of the gobbler. He walked to the left, behind several large trees. I offered a few light clucks and he finally moved back to the right and stopped behind a tree, crooning his neck around the side and cautiously looking my way. Finally he walked back to the left and behind the cluster of trees. A lone hen pitched down in his vicinity and he quickly concentrated on her. The following photos are of the film I took as he moved into the other direction in pursuit of the hen.

After a few clucks the bird walked to my right
and stopped behind this tree, crooning his neck
around to look for the source of that clucking.
He was about 45-50 yards away from me.

He eventually walked to my left.

He sees the hen now that has just
pitched down from the tree.

      I went out of town Saturday and Sunday and then Monday morning brought needed rain. So it was Tuesday before I returned to hunt the Dry Pond Gobbler. He was right back in his normal spot, flew down and gobbled a while but would not come to me nor in view of my camera.
     Wednesday morning he hit the ground and took off on a big walk to the northeast, ending up in a young pine plantation when my time to hunt ran out. Both mornings I had set up to the west of his roost. It appeared that that easterly set up might be more productive.
     So on Thursday that’s what I did. But the dang bird stayed in the tree until at least 7AM , using some of Spooky’s tricks of the trade. I had crept to within 75 yards of his roost, using the now thick canopy of the forest as cover. I saw a hen walk right by his tree and felt sure that would lure him to the ground. He didn’t fly down to her as she eventually made her way off into a pine plantation where she obviously has a nest. I eventually gave up and looked toward one final morning to hunt him.
    Thursday afternoon and evening brought much needed rain---nearly an inch. The final morning dawned partly cloudy and a bit warmer. Having not heard Spooky gobble all week, I made the obvious decision to begin the morning in pursuit of the Dry Pond Gobbler. He was a no-show. No gobbling. Nothing.

Cloudy skies on the final day.

       I eventually waved the white flag and wished the old bird good luck, knowing he was somewhere in that hardwood timber lying before me, grinning like a donkey eating briars. The victory was all his.
       I began my long walk back to the truck, passing through Spooky's favorite pine plantation. It was there that I looked down to see fresh gobbler tracks in the muddy road. I could not have been more than 30 minutes behind the maker of these tracks.

Fresh gobbler tracks!

      In my mind I could imagine a few yelps and then this bird would come right to me in the final moments of this month and half long season. Stepping off the road into the bushes I systematically pulled out each of my calls, each mouth yelper and each slate call, and offered a few more enticing calls. Each and every one was greeted by a deafening silence. It was as if they were saying, "Go home, it's over." And so I did.
       Do I regret not bushwhacking the Dry Pond Gobbler when I had the chance? Nope. Not one bit. Would I have bushwhacked him the final day of the season if given the chance? To be honest, probably so. Sometimes timing is everything.

       So I ended up with two gobblers by shotgun and another lost by arrow. We took five from the Horn Swamp and gave a world class education to a handful more.
        It was a season marked by extraordinary weather. We experienced what must be one of the driest turkey seasons in a half century or more. By my estimation less than 3 inches fell in our Swamp during the entire months of March and April. We felt many more cool, crisp mornings than usual here in the deep South in the spring. For five straight nights in early April the mercury dipped into the 30s. The cool, dry weather surely beat back the mosquitoes. Some seasons I'll go through a whole can or more of mosquito repellent but this season I used less than a quarter of a can.
       It was a great year for turkey hunters in the area too. Many got their 5 bird limit and most folks reported hearing lots of turkeys throughout the season. The wild turkey is alive and well thanks to the efforts of many.
      So now I've washed my camo, oiled my guns, and put them away for the summer. My bow is tucked away in its case. Here comes the long hot summer. But I've got good news. Bowseason is only 166 days from now. It'll be here before you know it. Have a great summer and see you back here in September.

Please see the story below submitted by one of our loyal visitors, Ray Lynch, of he and his son's double this season.

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By Ray Lynch...


     Opening weekend my plans were changed at the last minute. I got a call from my old friend that has a primitive camp in Franklin above Monroeville. He wanted me to come up & visit, but he also wanted me to bring his 85 yr. old dad with me. So after spending some time convincing the elder that he should come & rough it with us for a few days we were on our way. My friend only has a few huntable acres but borders the Corp of Engineers land at Haines Island & it is bow hunting only so the challenge began. Sat. morning I had one gobble on the roost only a short dist. from the camp, unfortunately it was henned up from the start & that was about it for Sat.
     Sunday was entirely different. 3 birds started up early & one was interested. He came readily but hung up at a creek drumming & gobbling. Meanwhile I was trying to conceal myself with a bow in an area that was entirely too open. Without realizing it 2 hens came up from my rear & busted me but the gobbler kept on sounding off. He was fired up & wanted it badly but wouldn't cross the creek. We had a pretty intense courtship for about 30 minutes that finally ended when my friend decided to chop some wood for the fire as I was only a short distance from camp. So much for my bow hunting adventure.
    Next Sat., I did as you & got out the shotgun but we were hunting right here in Florida. I took my friend, who has never hunted turkey. He was to be the shooter & me the caller. We got in the woods just in time & one was gobbling on the roost. We set up & he immediately responded but again we had some hens that were close. He gobbled repeatedly & finally we heard him pitch down along with several other birds (we were very close). I called & he answered but so did the hens & as it turns out 2 jakes as well. They all put on quite a show, he was chasing hens strutting & gobbling but at a distance of 50-60 yds. & they were staying put. Finally after about 30 min. the courtship died down & one of the hens & the 2 jakes started our way. The big bird would come our way but always went back to the other hens even though he wanted the other hen as well. The jakes came up to us & eyeballed us pretty good but didn't bust us from about 20 yds. The big bird finally came towards us but again stayed just out of range. All this probably took place over an hour's time or longer. Finally the thrill was gone & they all wandered out of the area. The wind got up & we could not relocate them or any others, but a great show nonetheless.
     Last Saturday the ice was broken with a double & a first kill for my 14 yr. old son. We finally got to my lease in Butler Cty. 3 weeks into the season. It is approx. 10000 acres & basically a pine tree farm but there are plenty of turkeys. We started out in a place where I had seen some gobblers during deer season & sure enough one gobbled at first light. We had moved through a couple hundred yards of cutover to reach the treeline when suddenly I realized that I had left my fanny pack with my turkey calls in the car. So, I leave my gun with my son, haul it back to the car uphill all the way without having a heart attack, get my pack and run back to the wood line, this is at first light mind you.
    We get into the woods & set up on the gobbler & he is close. He gobbles once & then shuts up. I was afraid he had busted us, that we had gotten too close. I called twice more but no response. I thought we had blown it . I had set my son up in front of me & motioned him to come back to me as I thought it was over. He sat down next to me & we waited to see what developed. Well I was WRONG. As soon as I turned around I saw the turkey sneaking in but I had put my son in a position where he did not have the shot so I waited till the bird got in range & I popped him. I was glad to get the bird, a nice 8 inch beard but frustrated that I had blown my sons chance at scoring on his first bird.   But it was still real early. I shot that bird before 6 o'clock .
     So, after gathering my bird we heard another one in the distance & tried to get on him but he was moving the other way. We gave up on him, returned to the truck & moved to another area. All was quiet initially but as we moved through the woods we finally got one to gobble. We hurried into position up about 30 yds. & I called once more. No response. We waited a few minutes & finally we heard him drumming & getting closer. I hit my box call one more time & here he comes gobbling & drumming.
     The dilemma this time was that we had set up in a depression ,the bird was coming in from the wrong direction & my son couldn't see over the top to shoot. The bird was right on top of us, 10 yards or less as it turns out. I tried to get my son to crawl up the bank which would have been a mistake because he was so close. Instead he crouches up spots the bird and snap shoots, makes a perfect head shot and kills him instantly. I couldn't see the bird, my son just sits there after he shoots & I finally ask him,"Did you get it?" Mr. Cool replies, "Yep!" And that was it, he had his first bird, a young one with a scraggly 7 in. beard but it was a trophy to him.
    We moved on to Forrest Home in Butler County & hunted a beautiful cedar forest on Sunday. We had great action but no kills. Good Hunting.

-------- Ray Lynch

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April 28, 2004

     Just two mornings remain and you won't hear me complain about that. It has been a fun season and I've spent many mornings in the woods. However, I've about had my fill of turkey hunting for the spring.
     The last couple of days have really been pleasant and the birds that I have been pestering for weeks now are still gobbling a little here and there. I'm mostly hearing tree gobbles and the birds have not gobbled for long after they hit the ground. I got some great video of a gobbler late last week and have a story to accompany the pictures. Let me wrap up these last two mornings and I'll have a big update posted this weekend.
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April 19, 2004

     After taking last Sunday through Tuesday off from the woods I returned on Wednesday and was welcomed by several gobbling turkeys. I set up on what I thought were two gobblers. One flew down and moved off to my right and the second tom appeared to hit the ground and move away a short distance. I moved closer and yelped, realizing the second bird was closer than I thought. He gobbled and it almost blew the cap right off my head.
      He worked his way around from my left to right, with me just able to catch a few glimpses of him through the underbrush at a distance of about 40 to 50 yards. He moved into an area where I could not see him, then he got quiet for about 10 minutes. I offered another soft yelp on my slate and that sealed the deal.
     The surprise came when I saw him coming through the pine timber at a distance of 30 yards and closing. He was followed by two more gobblers right on his heals. They stopped at 20 steps and finally offered an open shot but I had to work to get a shot at only one without risking hitting another gobbler as well. The opportunity finally presented itself and my load of six shot from the 12-gauge put down gobbler number two of the season.
       He wasn't a big bird at all. He was a 2-year old with an 8 1/2" beard and weighing only a light 14 pounds.
      John Turner and I returned on Saturday and proceeded to set up 3 different times during the course of the morning on turkeys that quickly answered our yelps but held fast in their stubborn ways and remained clear out of sight. I was hoping to film John taking a gobbler and to at least get some good footage but it was not to be.

       On Sunday we went back to a pair that we tangled with on Saturday and they again amazed us with their antics. The pair were roosted about 50 yards apart. One gobbler flew down at the time expected but the other bird remained in the tree until at least 8AM. That was the last time I heard him gobble and I know for a fact he was still in the tree at that point.
       These birds have the benefits of having won many a battle with us hunters through this year and the years proceeding and are having much success in using their tested tactics in order to avoid the gun. The season is waning. I would like to get one more.

       After having grilled the first gobbler I got this season, I decided to fry the other one. This is another simple way to enjoy the wild turkey breast. I like to cut the breast in small cubes or strips, batter it in flour, and fry it.

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April 11, 2004

     Saturday morning was a nice change of pace for me. I spent Friday night in Birmingham and at dawn my brother in-law, John Turner, and I were in the woods of Talladega County hunting property of his family's. For a flatlander like myself, this was a different game. This property had a little of everything---pastures, a beautiful creek, and the rising foothills of the Appalachian mountains. The dogwoods were in full bloom and the woods were absolutely gorgeous. The property borders part of the Talladega National Forest so we could stray across the line and hunt public land as well.
      We heard a turkey gobbling early and moved in his direction. He sounded to be at the top of a big ridge but by the time we wound our way around to him the only gobble we heard was down into the valley on the other side. I still don't know if that was the same one we originally heard or not. In our Swamp I can just about tell how far a turkey is from where I am standing, knowing the timber that is between us, the thickness of that timber, and how well sound carries through it. Here it was different and I was certainly out of my element.

Crossing a little creek on the lower
elevation section of the property.
     We eventually heard a shot and that gobbler was silenced. He was apparently on the public land and went home with a lucky hunter. We walked more on this property and then went back to another tract of land in Shelby County and though we saw lots of sign including big gobbler tracks littering the roads, we neither heard or saw any more longbeards.

Nothing like a monster pine tree to block a hunter's silhouette! This one is bigger than most I've seen.

     Meanwhile in the Horn Swamp my father was dealing with the same old clammed up gobblers. They didn't gobble much for him as seems to be the trend these days. In an article in the Mobile Register on Sunday, Joe Champion, manager of Mossy Oak's hunting lease in south Dallas County also says their birds have slowed their gobbling from a strong start at the beginning of the season. Click here to read that interesting article.
      There's just under three weeks left of the season and tomorrow I'll get back after them. Stay tuned...
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April 9, 2004
     This has been a very slow gobbling week. I thought it was bad last week. This week has been much worse. I got in the woods on two mornings and heard about 5 gobbles one morning and nothing at all Thursday morning. I took Friday off and will look to get back after them on Saturday. Hopefully the gobbling will resume soon.
      It is still dry here in the Swamp. We got a sprinkle of rain through the county this week and even some damaging hail in some areas Wednesday night.

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April 6, 2004
     We almost got a first gobbler for Matthew on our Saturday morning hunt. But I've never eaten a turkey I've almost killed and never had my picture taken with such a bird either.
     At dawn we set up on a gobbling turkey and I liked where we were. I had hunted these birds several times right here this season and we were sitting right where they liked to walk. The primary tom gobbled about 20 times on the roost and in the meantime I heard one lone gobble come from the trees about 100 yards to our right.  The primary tom proceeded to fly down and quickly move the other way, offering a half dozen gobbles just to let us know our hopes were slim on taking him anytime soon. I told Matthew that I knew that one other gobble might be a bird that had been silenced by the dominant gobbler and that he just might slip in on us unannounced.
     Ten minutes passed and I was resigned to chasing the primary gobbler and ready to move closer to him and try to turn his retreat. Matthew saw the silent gobbler approaching to our right before I saw him.  He was angling toward us through the thick, 15 year old pines.  Matthew twisted around with the help of our makeshift blind and readied for a shot. The bird stopped at 28 steps, behind several trees. I could only see part of him sticking out around a big sweetgum. Matthew could see no more of him either. The bird stood and apparently looked for the hen for about a minute, then turned and walked back in the directly he came.  He began clucking and I responded with some clucks of my own but to no avail.
     Matthew was shooting a 20 gauge and I wanted the bird within 30 steps before I gave the order to shoot. This bird was close enough and he needed only to move about 4 yards closer to offer a clean, unobstructed shot. He didn't and today, as far as I know, he is still tipping around in that Swamp somewhere.
     We heard the primary gobbler a little more and moved closer, getting him to answer several times. But he apparently had hens and we eventually gave up and went looking for a more interested turkey. We found none.
     I slept in for the next three days, having hunted 19 of the first 20 mornings. I plan to get back out there on Wednesday morning in hopes the warming trend will jump start some gobbling. The past week has been somewhat disappointing in terms of hearing much gobbling.
     I believe we had 5 mornings in a row of sub 40 degree temperatures.  We don't see that happen very often in late March and early April here in south Alabama.
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April 2, 2004
     It has been another gorgeous week for turkey hunting. On Monday I hunted with a friend in another nearby riverbottom swamp. We heard several but there were too many low bogs between us and the gobblers and when we did try to move closer to one we must have spooked him there in the open area of the woods. Where we hunted was a beautiful stretch of hardwood timber with countless cypress knees rising up from the forest floor as shown in the accompanying pictures.


     We got a little shower as the front pushed through in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The rain and clouds were gone by dawn but we heard very little from the turkeys.
      We did better on Wednesday as my father downed a gobbler that we had set up on for the second time. On our first set up we couldn't talk the pair into coming within gun range. They liked the way we sounded but not where we sat. When they moved off we moved up and talked them into returning.

     Thursday, with a light frost on the ground for possibly the last time this spring, we heard a turkey gobble pretty well but he was determined to go the other way. On Friday, for whatever reason, all was pretty quiet though another beautiful morning was enjoyed.
      I don't think I can remember a full three weeks of turkey hunting in such fine weather. The highs haven't been too high and the lows just low enough to keep the bugs at bay. The skies have been mostly clear and the wind has spared us nearly each day for at least the first couple of hours of the morning.
      On Saturday morning I'll be guiding Dale Cole and his son, Matthew, in hopes Matthew will get his first turkey. This gentleman donates his time as auctioneer of our local NWTF banquet and we exchange a deer or turkey hunt with him each year. I'll never again be able experience the excitement of killing my own first turkey, but I can relive it through the eyes of another. I hope an old tom will at least oblige us with a good hunt and maybe we'll even bag a big bird. It is going to be a beautiful weekend to be outdoors.
      The time changes on Sunday and we'll have one less hour in the morning before work to chase the longbeards. That makes it tough on those days when you can't be late to work. But the days will grow longer and we'll gain back a small portion of that lost hour, little by little.  Today's sunrise was at 5:36. Our birds have begun gobbling about 25 minutes before sunrise or about ten after five. On Monday---new time---they will begin about 6:07. By the 15th of the month that moves back to 5:55 and by the 25th you can expect to hear him sound off around 5:43.
     My wife and I enjoyed the wild turkey breast this week that I bagged last Friday. My favorite way to cook wild turkey is to cut the breast meat into cubes and wrap them in bacon. I prefer turkey bacon as it is much leaner. (The bacon I used this time was a little thicker than I normally buy. It seems the thinly sliced is the best to use.) I then marinate the meat in Italian dressing for 2 to 3 days before grilling it. It is best to cook the meat over indirect head to keep the marinade and the bacon from causing too much flaming. You also don't need to cook the meat for very long at all. Be very careful not to overcook it as it will dry out quickly. The meat will get done before the bacon. Be sure not to cook until the bacon is crisp!

Turkey breast cubed and wrapped in bacon

Completely cover in Italian dressing

Cook slowly over indirect heat

Doesn't that look good?
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March 28, 2004
     My turkey season took a change of direction on Thursday morning, Day Eleven. I set up on a gobbling turkey on the roost. He flew down and came my way. I worked him for an hour and half at a distance of 60-75 yards. I was positioned behind a fallen pine tree so that he would need to walk within range to see if a hen was really there. Finally he began a circle of such around me. He passed by the front window of my blind at about 40 yards, turned and began to make his way down my right side. He was certain to pass within range.
      I would have a narrow shooting lane and this time I was determined to make the most of it. When he passed into it I was at full draw. He was 22 steps away. I clucked and he stopped. I launched an arrow.   He offered a side shot and the arrow hit him a few inches behind the base of his wing, about 3" or so toward his back from the sweet spot that would have downed him immediately.
       He took a couple of steps forward and took to the air. He got to a height of about 10 feet and came crashing back to the ground. I thought I certainly had him. I rolled out from under the blind so I could go after him. He quickly righted himself and took off running through the pines.
       I decided to let him go for a few minutes and then go looking for him. After gathering my gear together I followed after him eventually walking right up on him crouched behind a pine tree. He let me walk within 10 steps of him before I noticed him. When I did see him he knew it and hopped back to his feet and took off running again, back toward a bahai grass field.
      This time I waited 30 minutes before searching again. I spent another hour and half canvassing back and forth through the woods and the field looking for any sign of him. He was nowhere to be found.
      The broadhead passed completely through him and fell to the ground about 10 feet past where he stood. One blade was bent revealing that it hit some sort of bone on the bird. My guess is that it broke a wing.
       I have always been very efficient in dispatching turkeys that I have chosen to shoot with a gun. I take high percentage shots and nearly always come home with the bird. My records show that in the past 15 years I've retrieved 97% of the toms that I have pulled the trigger on. The more I consider the bow hunting of turkeys, the more I question how efficient I can be in getting the bird rather than wounding him.   I have discussed my pursuit with many so far this season and have crossed paths with a number of hunters who have shot turkeys with arrows and also lost them.   It is not that hard to hit the bird but quite difficult to hit the grapefruit sized vital area and not good odds to be lucky enough to hit the spine. I debated what to do for much of Thursday and by the evening I decided to return to hunting with my shotgun. I can't have fun wounding turkeys like this. If the bow was the only weapon allowed then the debate would be easily settled. But it is not and so for now the bow is tucked away awaiting deer season on October 15th.

A pile of feathers was all I had of the bird.

A small wing feather, indicating a possible broken wing.

This was my view from the window of the blind. I had one narrow opening to shoot, as shown by the yellow cross. He was walking left to right.
I clucked and stopped him in the lane.

     Friday morning I struck out to a gobbling bird that was a long walk from where I had parked. By the time I reached him he was already on the ground. He was in a pine plantation and I was able to walk right close to him---almost too close, in fact. As soon as I sat down I heard him drumming.
      I offered a few seducing yelps and he answered and quickly moved my way. Moments later I realized there were two birds instead of just one. One was silent and the other handling the gobbling duties. Visibility was short in this area and they were at 40 yards before I could get glimpses of them. I decided to take the silent bird as I needed to leave the gobbling one for a hunt on Saturday. The gobbling bird walked to about 15 steps with his silent buddy crossing in front of me at 20 steps. I fired and bowled over the silent bird with a load of 3" 6-shot from my trusty 870 Express. A few clucks and yelps later and the other gobbler settled down and walked off, offering a few gobbles as he went. He didn't know what the big boom was nor why his buddy lay flat in the pine straw. He did know it is breeding season and he had work to do.

     The weekend arrived and I was to guide a hunter on the benefit hunt for our private school, the 33rd annual hunt. Barnett Serio, III from Natchez, Mississippi would again hunt with me. This was to be his 14th year on the hunt, having taken a nice gobbler the past year.
      We had a great hunt Saturday morning amid cool, crisp weather that kept the mosquitoes at bay as it has for much of this season. Two gobblers worked within 60 yards of us but were hidden by a thick area of the woods. I thought it would work in our favor. They answered everything that I threw their way and must have gobbled 200 or more times. About 7:30, after having stayed in one spot for over an hour they began to circle us. I yelped and they answered, then proceeded to disappear into the timber. We never saw nor heard from them again.

      Sunday morning, the second day of the hunt, would bring more excitement and yet another challenge. Ken Fleming, filming for Outdoor Alabama, a show sponsored by the Department of Conservation, was in town for a few days of hunting with Don Lauderdale. The show has previously featured only non-hunting activities and has been broadcast on public television. Starting in April it has been moved to the Outdoor Channel with a national audience. In the future the show will feature about 60% hunting and fishing in Alabama. The hunters had gotten turkey footage on Friday and Saturday but had not pulled the trigger on a tom and didn't yet have a successful hunt from the area for a future show. We accepted the challenge.
     And we accepted a little pressure as well. We were hunting for pleasure. Ken was working and he needed a good hunt on video. I really did not want him to leave Wilcox County empty handed.
      We got to the Swamp a little earlier than usual as we had a three-quarter of a mile walk to where I expected a turkey to gobble. We had some heavy equipment to carry as well which would slow us down a bit, plus we had some discussion and preparation to do before the hunt. The camera weighs 25 pounds and the tripod that it rests on about 15 pounds.     It takes a lot of coordination between the gunman and the cameraman to bring the hunt together and lots of communication is needed to insure success.
      We were fortunate to hear a gobbler a little deeper into the property and I knew he was in the hardwoods, an area that would offer better visibility for the camera. We hustled to him and set up right after he hit the ground at about 5:40 AM. As it worked out there were two gobblers here together. They worked toward us and away from us--back and forth--staying in the open hardwoods no closer than 150 or so yards. With four of us to hide and the camera set up we had to start farther from him than I would on a normal hunt. Even the yelping of Don, a former Alabama State Champion turkey yelper, would not bring the birds to us and after an hour they began to move the opposite way.
      We picked up and began to follow behind, using some nearby pines as cover. We finally caught up to the birds, with them in the hardwoods and us in the pines. They continued to gobble on their own pretty well. We pressed on quickly and returned to the edge of hardwoods in front of the birds. Again we set up the camera and got Barnett situated for the shot.

When we made our move on the birds through the pines we stopped and began to set up in the pines. We found a prime strutting area here along the road with lots of strut marks in the sand. However, better judgment prevailed and we decided we better get back in the
hardwoods and try him there.

       Don and I set up behind and began some calling and quickly the birds responded. Soon we heard drumming as they moved closer. Fifteen minutes passed and they seemed somewhat hung up. Don and I decided to moved farther down the hardwood drain, using the pines as cover, to convince the gobblers that the hens were on the move.
        That seemed to work and they quickly moved closer. Finally about 8:40 AM to two gobblers along with a unknown number of hens came onto the scene of Barnett and Ken. Ken got what we hope to be some great footage of the toms as they strutted and gobbled. One of the hens got close and threatened to spook. Barnett had to take a shot longer than what I am comfortable with, as the closest gobbler was at 44 steps. Thankfully his 3 1/2" magnum did the trick.
       Don and I saw none of this from our position another 50 yards down the hardwood drain. We heard the gobbling and drumming and by the sound of the drums we knew the turkey to be within 50-60 yards of us and we kept waiting anxiously for the shot. Finally it came and it was true. We had a bird for Barnett and a video for Ken and I can assure you there was great excitement in the woods amongst the four of us.
      (Important Note: Separating in the turkey woods is extremely dangerous and can lead to someone getting shot. Always use extreme caution if you ever use such a tactic. I won't go into further detail, but rest assured we did not move into a position that could have in any way gotten us caught in the crossfire.)
       The difficulty of filming such also includes the fact that it is best for the camera not to be pointed into the sun. Unfortunately, this final set up only allowed for such. In the morning you don't want the camera facing east. In this instance it was facing a southeasterly direction. Hopefully the footage will be worthy of inclusion on a future show. We'll know in the coming months. If so it will be on a show in the spring of next year.
        We collected the bird and gathered around for a short interview for the camera, discussing the hunt and reminding the viewers that sometimes even the best of callers can't bring in a gobbling tom.   Sometimes you must use the lay of the land to your advantage and get where he wants to go.
        Watch for the new and improved Outdoor Alabama show on the Outdoor Channel at 6:30 PM, CST, on Friday nights. It debuts on April 2nd.

Don holds the gobbler as the camera focuses in.

(L to R) William Malone, Don Lauderdale, Barnett Serio

We even let Ken, the cameraman, get in this photo.
(L to R) Barnett Serio, Don Lauderdale,
Ken Fleming with Outdoor Alabama.



     And so the first two weeks of the season have concluded. It has been a memorable two weeks for me with hopefully many more great mornings in the woods in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned....

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March 23, 2004
     If we were using a scoreboard the turkeys would have lots of points on their side and I would have none on mine. However, I've had several memorable hunts in the last few mornings and feel that I'm getting closer to a successful one.
      Late Saturday morning I yelped into a stretch of woods where I knew there were a few gobblers and sure enough two gobbled right back at me. Unfortunately they were so close that I only had time to sit down before one was standing at 25 yards looking for me. My blind was still on my back and all my arrows safely tucked away in my quiver. Seeing no hen, they eventually left and didn't return when I did get my set up ready.
      Sunday morning I did slightly better. I went to a gobbling turkey about 8AM and set up where I knew he was going to walk, along the edge of a low area that is holding a few inches of water. We were both moving toward each other and when I crawled under the blind I instantly realized that I needed to clip about a dozen little sweetgums in front of me in order to clear a few shooting lanes. It was too late. The bird was close. As it turned out there were two toms traveling together. They passed by at 18 steps exactly where I expected. In the little pines where I was positioned I had only one narrow shooting lane and couldn't get off a cluck and shot at the right time.
      On Monday and again today, Day Nine, I've been close to gobblers but have not gotten another opportunity for a shot.
       Elsewhere around the area it seems that local hunters are having a lot of luck. Some nice gobblers have been killed and the season is yet young. My father got a 3 to 4 year old bird on Saturday morning.
       The weather continues to be pleasant for the turkey hunters. This morning's mid-30 degree temps kept the mosquitoes at bay and that always makes for a pleasant outing.

---------------------------------------------------
March 19, 2004
     The highlight of Day Three was the near opportunity to arrow a hog. After hearing just a gobble or two in the early morning I moved to several other areas to do some yelping in hopes of stirring a willing gobbler. I stopped in a patch of hardwoods next to a hole where the hogs have been wallowing. I looked up to see a boar at about 75 yards coming right to the water hole. I jumped behind a big oak, dropped the blind from my back, strapped on my release and nocked an arrow just as the hog reached the water hole. He was less than 10 steps from me with the tree separating us. Just as I was ready to peep around the tree and fire the arrow he apparently winded me and took off in a big hurry. All the commotion between the time I first saw him and when he spooked was less than 30 seconds.
     On Day Four I finally set up the blind on a turkey that began to gobble about an hour after daybreak. I called a hen right to me, no less than 10 steps away, and was pleased to see that the blind did not scare her. The gobbler missed a great opportunity to join us but though the hen and I called to him he would not come closer than about 100 yards.
     On Day Five (Friday) the birds had moved a short piece into a block of hardwoods. They began the day with more excitement than the past few days. The lead bird gobbled a good 20 to 25 times on roost. I set up on the north side of them and as soon as I heard a ground gobble I let them know a willing hen was just a short walk away. One tom answered and then they walked due south and lived another day.
       And now the weekend is here and I'll have a little more time to devote to the chase. I'm trying not to give these birds too much of an education until I have the opportunity to set up on them in a location that will allow a great chance of success. Stay tuned...

--------------------------------------------------
March 16, 2004
     Day One of the season was uneventful. With cloudy skies overhead I heard a few gobbles but nothing to work with. The slow morning gave me an opportunity to work with the blind in hopes that all the equipment will be ready when a gobbling bird presents itself. I am so far pleased with the blind and feel that it will be an asset in the turkey woods this spring. I still wonder what a turkey will think of it at close range. Hopefully I will find that out very soon.
     When I awoke at 4AM this morning, Day Two, it was raining and the wind was blowing. The radar showed the rain would likely be gone by daybreak but considering how little our turkeys gobbled the day before, I decided to sleep in.    The rest of this week looks to be fine weather and I think the birds will begin to get cranked up. I don't normally hear a lot of gobbling the first week or so of this now very early season opening.
      I'll update a few times per week through the season so stop by for more than your regular Tuesday update.
      I am pleased to be able to feature a few pictures taken this past weekend by my neighbor Harvey Crawford. Harvey, a student at Troy State, is an avid outdoorsman and is quite accomplished in capturing deer and turkeys on his video camera. He was with a friend in the eastern end of Wilcox County this past weekend and captured three gobblers that came within 7 yards of him.
     The video offers a better view of the spurs than do these still pictures. They were all long-spurred turkeys though one appears to have some sort of beard rot that has limited his beard length. Hopefully we will have more of Harvey's past and future results to feature here this spring. In order to give full credit to the photographer, the "HC" will appear on each photo that was taken by Harvey.

The bird on the left apparently has beard rot.
The video shows he has spurs of at least
an inch and a quarter, maybe longer.

Those are certainly not two year old
spurs on the strutting tom.

You get another glimpse of one of the
big spurs in this photo.

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March 11, 2004
     This string of pretty days, though some have been a bit cool, have the turkeys talking quite a bit. I'm not one to get out much prior to the season to listen but my friends do and keep me informed. The time is almost upon us.
      As banquet chairman of our local chapter's NWTF banquet, I've been quite busy preparing for the coming banquet this Saturday night in Camden. This area really supports the NWTF and we are appreciative of that support.
      Monday morning will see the beginning of the long awaited season. I'll be there for sure. Look for updates to increase during turkey season to twice weekly as I attempt the difficult task of arrowing a gobbler. Wish me luck. I'll need a lot of it.

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March 3, 2004

     Continuing our discussion concerning my turkey by bow adventure, it is time to talk hardware. I've collected a couple of items that will hopefully aide in my eventual success.
      First and foremost I have bought a "tent style" ground blind. There are numerous models on the market and prices range from $50 to $400. I chose a more economical model, the Doghouse made by Ameristep (about $70). This blind sets up in less than a minute and can be folded up and put back in its carrying case in less than 2 minutes. It has three windows in which to shoot out of, with the capability of having a see-through mesh over the openings. I have decided to use the see-through mesh to partially cover the openings while still affording the maximum viewing capability. Since I have decided to shoot expandable broadheads I won't shoot through the mesh but will shoot through the remaining small opening.
      You forget just how much space you need to draw a bow until you get in a confined area. This blind is 60" wide and that is just barely enough to draw and fire. I'll have three main shooting lanes and if he doesn't allow a shot in those lanes there will be no shooting done. As compared to sitting by a tree with a gun in your hand, this greatly reduces even the chance of a shot, much less a successful one.
      I've found a light, portable seat in which to rest until the magic moment. The seat is the perfect height to allow a shot through the windows of the blind. It can easily be carried in the bag with the tent.

      I have chosen to shoot wide, expandable broadheads.  Expandable heads fly more accurately and in this endeavor every inch will count. In deer hunting you might be off several inches, even as much as a foot, and still take down the deer. Not so with turkeys. The shot must be near perfect. Since penetration is not an issue, I'll shoot heads that expand to a full 2" after impact. This should help to do enough immediate damage to the bird's vitals that he will die quickly. The brand that I have chosen is Rocket Hammerheads.
      I have much to learn about different techniques that might be necessary while hunting in this fashion. Yet much will remain the same. The turkey will still have to be called to within range. However, the location of the set up will likely take more thought. I can't shoot through anything with an arrow so I'll need open spaces between me and the approaching bird.  Our turkeys spend very little time in our little fields so my hunting will be almost exclusively in the piney woods or hardwoods of the property. I certainly won't be quite as mobile hunting out of this blind as I normally am either. I wonder how the birds will respond to the blind and if they will be at all wary of it? You and I have both seen videos of turkeys that didn't mind the blinds at all, however, many of the those turkeys are not as wary as these south Alabama birds.
      There is much to be learned and much of it will likely be learned at the soon to open, Horn Swamp Gobblers School of Hard Knocks. That's the school where the turkey wins all the battles and you go home defeated, frustrated, and somewhat mad at the world. That's the one where the turkey falls into a pattern and just when you go to use that pattern against him, he completely changes his tactics. That's also the one where it will seem that every animal in the woods is telling the old gobblers just where you are sitting each morning. But what the heck, I'm ready for class to begin.

      February was surely a cold, dreary month. Actually, that is what February is supposed to be. After all it is still wintertime. February of 2003 was much more spring-like and that seemed to really fire up the birds a little early. I think these clouds are good to hopefully keep some of the gobbling bottled up until time for opening day. Sure, quite a few folks have been hearing some gobbling activity already but those mornings have been more of the exception than the rule.

      If you have not already gotten out your turkey calls you might want to consider doing so immediately. The season begins in less than two weeks. If you are like me you tend to buy a new mouth yelper or two or some other call every year to add to the arsenal. If you have hunted turkeys for very long you have quite a stash of calls, more than what can be carried by the average man into the woods.
       There are so many calls on the market today that when you do go to purchase a new one the choices can be confusing. Let me tell you about the Woodhaven Custom Calls. I have found their friction calls to be among the best made.
       I am particularly fond of my "Glass Call" made by Woodhaven. It has a rich sound that has fooled quite a few birds the last two years. The secret to getting the best sound is to separately purchase the "Three Strikes" laminated striker. This striker is absolutely amazing. Used on the numerous other slate and glass calls that I have it improves the quality of the sound reproduced on every one.
       If you are coming through my hometown of Camden you can get one of these calls at McDonald's Grocery & Sports Store, located on Highway 10 west of town. If you are out of the area, you might try your local sporting goods store or you can order directly from Woodhaven. These calls are made right here in Alabama.

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

March 1, 2004

     There has been a lot of talk recently about another push to legalize some form of hunting over bait in Alabama. Senator Myron Penn (Union Springs) has introduced a bill in the Legislature that would require all supplemental feeders to be licensed (aka taxed) at $25 each per year and would allow the hunting over these feeders, subject to certain unenforceable restrictions. This is simply an attempt to circumvent the Conservation Advisory Board and put a very bad law on the books.
       I have always felt that the good hunters didn't need the aide of bait to harvest deer and turkeys. The poor ones require it and apparently are getting tired of running from the few game wardens that we have and are continuing to press for its legalization. The argument is that every other state allows it so why not in Alabama?
      Well every other state doesn't have a three and a half month long deer season, buck a day limits, no tagging system, no check stations, and game wardens that are as scarce as pink elephants. If we want to adopt another state's complete regulations then let's do it, but we don't need to take bits and pieces from one state and bits and pieces from another and put it together to form a very bad system.
       Furthermore, Senator Penn's biography states that his hobbies include "reading, writing, fishing, physical fitness and sponsoring youth activities." This guy does not even claim to be a hunter and he alone sponsored the bill! Good grief!
      So what chance does this have in passing? Some folks tell me about 50/50. Others say that it has a far less chance of passing. I really don't know. The Alabama Wildlife Federation, the state's premier wildlife conservation organization, has lined up to oppose it. You can read their views here.
       But it is a known fact that more members of the Conservation Advisory Board today are in favor of baiting than were a decade ago. The days when you can legally sit on a pile of corn and kill turkey after turkey could be closer than we think. And that is a shame.
     I'm providing Senator Penn's email address in case you should want to pass on your comments directly to him. myronpenn28@hotmail.com If you oppose the bill, like me, you might want to contact you Senator or Representative. The bill will also be introduced in the House.

---------------------------------------------------------------
February 24, 2004
SPECIAL:
MONSTER BUCK SCAM REVEALED...

     A month ago I told you about the picture of a very large buck circulating on the internet. The buck was reportedly killed in Butler County, Alabama and would score 200+ B&C points making it the next state record. The picture was also posted on a hunting lodge's website, along with a disclaimer. I doubted the legitimacy of the rack for many reasons and told you so in my update. However, there did remain an ever so slight sliver of hope that some truth did exist to the story.
      That slight sliver of hope is now gone. A shoulder mounted buck sporting a rack matching the Butler County buck has just sold on Ebay for the sum of $560. (See this link for the sale details). The seller states that the rack is a reproduction and scores 205 B&C points. I learned this information this week from the aldeer.com message board. I have checked the sale at Ebay and indeed it is true. Below are the pictures of the Ebay buck and the Butler County buck. I think you will agree that they come from the same mold.
      So what happened? Well, I have heard a story that a taxidermist in the Butler County area ordered the rack and then took the photos with the rack on a doe's head. A little digital editing later and along came the hoax. There was and is no crime in what was done. However I can tell you that there were people that took the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
       So what should have tipped you off? First, the largest buck to have ever been killed in Alabama is not going to come from a deer as scrawny as the one in the picture. That deer weighs about 100 pounds soaking wet. Secondly, Butler County isn't really known as a hotbed for Boone & Crocket bucks, much less a deer that will beat the state record by another 13 points. Thirdly, if it had been legitimate it would not have been kept secret. Someone would have stepped forward with the rack for at least one credible person to inspect and verify that it was legitimate. And lastly, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.
     Want to own this rack? You can! Go to this link and you can purchase a reproduction rack from a taxidermy supplier for $189.99 plus shipping and handling.

Fake rack + dead doe + digital editing = hoax
Not a bad job done in putting this photo together.

Sold on Ebay for $560

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February 24, 2004
     For the past couple of years I have pondered the idea of attempting to take a turkey with my bow. The consideration of this new challenge reminds me a lot of my first experiences with a bow which eventually led to my pursuit of deer with this primitive weapon. I was about 14 when a older friend gave me a used compound bow and encouraged me to try it out. I was not interested. The bow sat there a few months and gathered dust. Finally I picked it up and took it out back to the 40 acres behind our house and began shooting arrows. I did not have a target but easily found a steep hillside that I could fire the arrows into. It was fun.
       Soon I realized that some other friends had bows too and by the time the next bowseason arrived we were all primed to go after the deer. Brent Blackmon was a year older than I and he had his driver's license at 16 and wheels to get us to the woods. We had plenty of time after school to hunt and hunt we did. Deer were very plentiful in those days and we split time between the Horn Swamp and some property Brent hunted in the Snow Hill area. We shot a lot of arrows and scared a lot of deer but didn't kill (or even hit) a single one that fall.  When gun season arrived we put down the bows and picked up the rifles.
     The next October I recorded my first archery kill, a spike. The next year we learned about releases and peep sights and soon our accuracy improved to the point we were taking deer with confidence.  I eventually began to hunt with my bow deeper and deeper into gun season, relishing the added challenge. This past season, for the first time ever, my rifle never went hunting.
     Since that first spike I guess I've taken sixty or so deer, a dozen or so hogs, and countless other small game---squirrels, rabbits, armadillos, and such. But I've never drawn back on America's greatest gamebird---the wild turkey.
      Prior to last turkey season I thought hard about taking the bow to the turkey woods. But I was unhappy with the bow that I was shooting as the draw was too long and my shooting not consistent as it should be. That factor led me to me put off the adventure for another year, with time to replace the bow and gain confidence through a complete deer season of its use.   And now the time has come.
     It isn't going to be easy. Come to think of it, it almost seems ridiculous. Most folks these days have progressed to bigger shotguns, tighter chokes, and more firepower. And many of these same folks---friends of mine---still manage to actually miss countless big old tom turkeys each and every spring. And here I am about to spend the better part of 46 mornings in the woods with nothing but a bow and arrow for a weapon against a bird that can spot the slight movement of a grasshopper at 500 yards------blindfolded!
     The good thing is that I don't have to kill one. That takes the pressure off immediately.  I hunt for the excitement and sometimes the excitement does involve the shooting of a turkey. But I don't hunt because of some inner need that requires me to kill turkeys. I don't have an ego to stroke and don't have to be the first hunter in the county to get his limit each spring. I have plenty of beards and spurs in my possession and even have a turkey breast or two in the freezer that I have not yet eaten. I'm telling you...I don't have to kill another turkey.
     But I sure as heck would like to, if it entails an archery kill.  It has been done many times before. A very few others will do it right here in this county this spring. But I have not and most folks have not and most folks never will.  I am confident that at some point I will.  The day or the hour or even the year is not known. Sooner or later it will happen.
     We don't hunt over corn here in Alabama and we are forbidden to use decoys, therefore, this adventure will be as "fair chase" as it comes. Legendary author Tom Kelly once wrote something like "the turkey has all the good cards and he can see your hand as well." The only thing I could do to give the turkey more of an advantage would be to hunt in full blaze orange and I refuse to go that far!
     The tactics for the adventure will involve some slight variations from the usual methods that I have grown accustomed to. I'll talk next week about what I think I'll need to do differently to get a bird by bow. We have just about 20 days left to sleep late and then the big day will arrive.
--------------------------------------------------

February 18, 2004

      I salvaged 8 photos off the roll of film that had taken 24. All the rain that has fallen in the last few weeks might have damaged one camera beyond repair.   It did fail to rewind this roll of film and therefore I opened the camera and exposed most of the film. I took it into the closet and rewound it and that apparently allowed us to salvage a little of it. Of the 8 pictures, 4 were of bucks. I have included the best 3 below.

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

February 17, 2004

      A malfunction on the camera resulted in the failure of the film to properly rewind. When I opened the camera most, if not all, of the film was exposed. I'll get it processed today and will let you know if we have anything left to show.
      I got out for a little while Saturday afternoon in search of hogs but came up empty. I found fresh sign but not any animals. Eventually the rain set in and I called it quits. Speaking of rain, the woods have really gotten wet in the last few weeks. I'm seeing water standing in low areas of the Swamp where it has not held all winter.
       We are really experiencing "winter like" weather these days. Cold temperatures and cloudy days seem to be the norm. However, turkey season opens in less than one month and to me that signals the beginning of spring. We'll still have some cool if not cold weather after March 15tth but most will be behind us at that point. It is certainly time to begin preparation. Next week I'll talk about my quest to take one with a bow this season. It is going to be an interesting spring indeed, and likely a frustrating one too!



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

February 1, 2004

      Thursday afternoon I left work a little early, in time to get to the Swamp for a late afternoon hog hunt. I saw two nice bucks on the way into the property but the hogs were on my mind.
       The vast majority of the hogs are across our property line in a hardwood swamp that has been heavily thinned and now sports plenty of briars underneath the remaining hardwoods. My plan was to work the property line in hopes that some stragglers would come across. Some did. One died.
       The first hog I saw was a boar. I was slipping along and heard him in the leaves before I saw him. He stepped out of the canes along an old cypress swamp and moved toward me quickly. I had the camera up and quickly snapped this photo. Just as he went behind the tree I dropped the camera to my side and raised the bow. He stepped out from the other side and looked right at me at a range of 25 steps. I was at full draw but he only presented a head-on shot. He busted me, turning and moving off in a slow hurry.
      Hogs have poor eyesight but when stalking them it is always best to stop with a tree to your back. Standing alone without something to break your silhouette can result in failure as it did in this instance.

This boar was coming right toward me---a gift you might say. But he caught me in the open and knew something was up. Hogs have poor eyesight, but sometimes it is good enough to live another day.

      Just before sundown I heard a large group of hogs moving toward our property. I positioned myself to intercept them and soon a sow came into view and offered a passing shot from about 35 steps. I obliged, sinking an arrow into her forward gut. She ran 50 yards and disappeared into a little thick spot. I didn't feel good about my chances of recovering her but she actually fell in about the same spot I last saw her. The shot was a little far back it would appear but it quickly dispatched her so something but have gone right.
       As darkness closed in it was as if the woods turned into hogs. They were everywhere. I had 5 big hogs, 125+ pounds each, pass by at less than 20 steps but it was so late I could barely see my pin and I did not take a shot. I heard many more squealing and grunting in the near distance. I'll go back, and soon. This is really fun!

The 5th hog that I have brought down with the bow since October 15th. This one fell just a short piece away, despite a shot that appears to be more gut than vitals.

I have found hogs to be tough to bring down with an arrow unless they are hit perfectly. Obviously the tip of the arrow got something good. This hog (#5) and the last hog were both downed with a Snyper mechanical broadhead. This was a 35 yard shot.

     And then it came down to Saturday. The weather was great and I was thankful for that. I saw a number of bucks, all chasing does, including one shooter---an 8 pt.---that I believe was a Pope Young quality buck, scoring 125+. He came within 75 yards but no closer. The experience provided one last bit of excitement before the sun finally fell behind the trees and darkness closed in.
       As I sat there those final few moments before climbing down the tree I thought about the shots ringing in the distance. Folks were taking deer in the last hour of the season. Were they settling on small bucks or were they they finally dropping the hammer on that big, mature whitetail they had hunted all season long? I'll never know. But I did wonder.
       I could still hear deer moving about in my vicinity as I packed up my gear and began my climb down the tree. Whatever they were they were now safe. For me, an exciting season had come to an end. I did not take a big set of antlers but had enjoyed taking 10 deer and 5 hogs since mid October. I had learned a little and hopefully became a little better hunter in the process.

       The game cameras have slowed down in getting photographs overlooking scrapes. I did not have a full roll to process so there are no pictures to show this week. I did post some pictures to this page and the Swamp Sleuth page late last week. The cameras will stay out in the woods for another month or so. The rut is peaking right now so hopefully we'll continue to get some buck pictures and they move about.

       Now that deer season has closed I look forward to taking care of some chores that have been put on the backburner for the last several months. But I do plan a few small game hunts as squirrel and rabbit season continue through February. This is also a great time of year to hog hunt and I intend to launch a few more arrows at the resident swine in the coming weeks. That should be enough to occupy me between now and turkey season which begins March 15th.

      Please note we will become a little more casual with the updates for the next month and a half. Don't expect something new every Tuesday as there simply may not be anything new to add. I expect to have numerous updates through this period but will only post something when it is available.
       If you have photos to share from deer season please do so. You can email them to me at hornswamp@yahoo.com or if you would like to mail them and have me scan and return them to you please email me and I'll provide a mailing address.
       Thanks for stopping by.

___________________________________

January 29, 2004

      The game cameras continue to snap photo after photo but we can't seem to get a sure 'nuff big buck in the sights. The latest collection is shown below. I should have another roll to show you on Tuesday from the camera that last took the photos of the bobcat. Saturday, the final day of the season, looks to be a pretty one. I plan to spend all day in the tree. Maybe something good will happen!

1/22/04 - 3:41 AM

And 3 minutes later along comes a small buck...

1/22/04 - 3:44 AM

1/23/04 - 1:48 AM

1/19/04 - 1:11 AM

1/10/04 - 5:15 AM

1/14/04 - 2:00AM

1/13/04 - 6:47 AM

1/15/04 - 5:17 PM

1/11/04 - 11:47 PM

1/17/04 - 11:47AM

A doe (above) and then 12 minutes later a buck (below).

1/17/04 - 11:59 AM

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January 26, 2004

      I got in a Thursday afternoon hunt on a beautiful January day and also a Saturday hunt that ended in rainfall. Thursday afternoon I set up on the edge of a small green field, hunting from an Ameristep ground blind. I'll be using this blind in an attempt to take a turkey by bow this spring and thought I would give it a trial run in pursuit of a deer. I saw three does and one spike chasing one of the does, shown in the photo below.

      Saturday morning, back in my climber, I set up on the riverbank in a band of hardwoods between a dense pine thicket and the river. A good rub and scrape line follows a trail here that parallels the river and it is one of the more deer dense areas of the property. I saw four does and another big spike chasing one of the does. None came quite close enough for a shot. I climbed down about 11AM for lunch as the clouds began to roll in.
      I was back in the tree by 2PM overlooking another heavily used trail between a pine thicket and hardwoods. I saw one button buck and by 4PM the intermittent rain that began an hour earlier began to steadily fall. I heard sounds of hogs in the near distance and I decided to investigate using the rain as cover.
       A short time later I found a group of hogs and began a steady stalk toward them as they rooted in the hardwoods and along the edge of a pine thicket. This area of the property has seen a thinning of the hardwoods and briars have grown up in areas here. The hogs dearly love this type habitat. The wind was barely detectable but I could tell from the fog of my breath that my scent would blow from the west to the east. Keeping the hogs upwind I tipped closer and closer and finally got off a shot at a big sow about 30 steps away. I had to shoot through a few briar stems but the arrow appeared on target and the hog squealed and jumped into the thick green briar patch, ran a few yards and appeared to stop.
       I knocked another arrow and moved closer. At that point I saw another sow step out of the briar patch into the open hardwoods. She offered a quartering shot at 30 yards. I drew and fired. The arrow hit her low in the gut and appeared to angle forward into her lower chest cavity. She ran 50 yards to the edge of another patch of briars, stopped, and then walked into the briar patch.
      I knocked yet another arrow and went back to investigate the first hog. I found nothing. No arrow, no blood, and no hog. The briars would have torn me and my clothes to shreds if I had tried to walk into them. Fifteen minutes later I gave up and went to look for the second hog. I found her dead a few feet into the briar patch where I last saw her.
      Bowhunters know there are two styles of broadheads---fixed and mechanical. A drawback to the "switchback" style of mechanical broadheads is that they perform poorly on quartering shots as one of the blades can grab and open before the others, throwing the arrow out of balance. Rocky Mountain Broadheads have developed an expandable head called the Snyper that is advertised to perform well not only on broadside shots but on quartering shots as well.

     My experience with this hog is a pretty good testament to this claim by the manufacturer. As the photo below shows the shot was at an extreme angle, yet the head penetrated the hog's thick hide, remained on course, and mortally wounded the hog. Though I can't confirm it, I assume that either the heart or major blood vessels in the bottom of the chest cavity were hit. About two thirds of the arrow penetrated the hog. I backed out the arrow a little in this picture in order to better show the angle.

      Thanks to Randy Chastain for sending me these two pictures (below) of their hunt in the Swamp the weekend before last with my cousin Curtis Malone.

Bob and a 7 pt. from the Swamp

Randy and one of 18 does taken from the Swamp this season.

      I have one more day to deer hunt and look forward to giving it one last try, weather permitting. Hopefully there will be time for a rabbit hunt, squirrel hunt, and more hog hunts in February while we await spring turkey season beginning on March 15th.
      I have another roll of film from a game cam being developed tonight and will post those pictures here later this week. When you are out surfing please stop by on Thursday to see what the latest roll contained.
      There has been quite a stir caused by a photo of a big buck circulating via email and on hunting message boards. This buck is reported to have been killed in Butler County, Alabama, though many, including me, are highly skeptical. The guys at Cedar Creek Plantation have this photo on their website. It reportedly nets about 200 B&C which would make it the new state record by a 13 point margin. However, naysayers simply say the photo has been digitally altered. The body of the deer appears to be the size of a doe with a head like a doe. The rack's base also appears too large for the small head. Check it and make your own decision. Don't take it from me.
       You may have also seen the picture of the man holding a big cat that was said to have been killed recently in Millbrook, Alabama. As I originally suspected this was a hoax. The big cat was killed in Washington State in 2001, a far piece from Millbrook, AL.
       Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to forward any photos that you would like to share with our other readers.

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January 23, 2004

      These are some of the pictures recently submitted by our readers. Special thanks to all who have contributed. Keep them coming.

Frank Martin took this 220 lb. boar from
south Wilcox County in Dec. of 2003.

Frank Martin and a cull buck from Wilcox Co.

Conner Martin and a buck from Coy, AL.
Wilcox County

Killed by J. J. Helton in Monroe County, AL
Photo submitted by Dickey Andress

Pat Eiland and his first buck!
Taken near Livingston, AL.
Photo submitted by his guide, Hill Robinson.

Kevin Rawson of Fairhope with a buck also taken near Livingston, AL. This 10 point was taken about 10:20 AM while chasing a doe. Thanks to Hill Robinson for sharing this photo as well.

This buck was taken near Drewry, east of Monroeville, AL.
The buck was taken off a scrape line at 7:40 in the morning. He has 5 1/2" bases and scores 138 B&C. Thanks to Dickey Andress for sending it. I do not know the successful hunter who bagged it.

Richard Strong downed this doe chasing 7-point in Wilcox County while hunting with his son-in-law, Kirk Talbot. Thanks to Kirk for the photo.

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January 21, 2004

      My cousin Curtis Malone and friends Bob, Chad, Randy, and Walt hunted the Swamp this past week and weekend. They experienced fair weather until the rain arrived Saturday. They saw a good many small to medium sized bucks working scrapes and following does. Chad saw one real big buck on the riverbank but was not able to get a shot at him. Bob had great luck rattling in a number of bucks though none that he wanted to shoot. Overall they took four deer, two does and two bucks. I'll hopefully have a few pictures to share from their hunt as soon as they arrive via email.
       With the day off Monday, my friend J. B. Travis and I spent much of the day in the Swamp trying to arrow a good buck. The day began with a little rain but that quickly moved out and gave way to clear skies and wind. I had hoped the wind would lay for at least the last hour or so of the day but it did not. I spent a total of 7 hours in the tree and saw one deer, a 5 point. J. B. likely saw this same buck chasing a doe near him and he saw what appeared to be a good buck right at dark. We were hunting a transition area, the edge of the big hardwoods in the Swamp and a pine plantation. Scrapes line the edge of the pine plantation and I have seen mature bucks work this edge before. I could shoot an arrow into 5 different scrapes from my stand. Maybe next time.
      I was surprised to find one of the game cams had taken a full roll of film in just one week. Because this camera overlooks a scrape on the north side of the property in the exact location where I photographed a big buck two years ago, I was anxious to see what had posed for so many pictures over the week. I found out. It was a big bobcat. Why he is paying so much attention to this scrape I have no idea. It does leave me scratching my head. But I have 8 different pictures of him on that one roll. He's a pretty animal indeed. The roll had two bucks and several does and also the back half of four more deer of unknown sex.

Jan. 16, 2004 - 6:30 AM

Jan 16, 2004 - 7:26 AM

Jan 14, 2004 - 3:37 PM

Jan 16, 2004 - 5:20 AM

Jan 14, 2004 - 3:36 PM

Jan 15, 2004 - 3:00 AM

Jan 16, 2004 - 4:49 AM

Jan 16, 2004 - 5:53 PM

Jan 19, 2004 - 1:22 AM

Jan 19, 2004 - 5:06 PM

      Thanks to all who have forwarded pictures to me in the last week or so of deer they or their friends have taken. I will have a special update on Friday to feature those so please stop by later this week again.
       My opportunities to take another deer this season are dwindling. I always hate that the season closes just as the mature bucks really begin to move. Last year the last weekend of the season surpassed the entire remainder of the season for mature buck sightings in the Horn Swamp. I imagine this year will be no different. For me, I have three days left. I have formulated a game plan for a few hot areas to try in those days, weather and wind conditions permitting.
      Remember to stop by again Friday for pictures of deer killed in the area.


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January 13, 2004