June 18, 2012

     The hog hunting show filmed in the Horn Swamp by Leigh and Travis Creekbaum of "Scentblocker's The Chase" will air Tuesday night, September 11th.  This should be a real exciting show.  Look for them each Tuesday on the Sportsman's Channel at 6:30pm (CST) and Sundays at 3:00pm (CST).  You can also catch them Wednesdays at 6:00am (CST).  You will not want to miss any of their season two episodes which begin the week of June 25th.  

May 2, 2012

     The second half of the season had its high points for us in the swamp.  I did not hunt the week after the school hunt until the weekend and it was unproductive.  It is always disappointing to have a day to stay with them and nothing gobbles.  But on Monday, an old bird got cranked up pretty well.  We nearly had him in the sights but he circled us and then we hunted him the rest of the week as he roamed over a large area of the swamp and was in a different patch of woods every morning.  Finally on Saturday morning my father killed him.  He weighed 18 3/4 lbs. and had some big, curved spurs.  There was little wonder why he was so difficult to kill.  He certainly had some age on him.  
      For the next two weeks our hunting was pretty slow.  We had one gobbler that gobbled well one morning but we could not coax him in range.  There were days when we would hear just a few gobbles from a turkey and other days when the woods were silent.  Tracks in the road were telltale signs that gobblers were still there, but using your ears it was difficult to corroborate that evidence.  As the season waned, the gobbling from our birds did as well.  
      On the final Saturday of the season my father killed his second gobbler of the season, a bird that gobbled only once but came to the call after running some jakes around the woods for some time.
       Overall it was a pretty good season as both of us killed two gobblers.  With some pines that were thinned back in the fall, I expected the gobblers to get out in these open areas and really do some talking.  That did not happen.  We heard a lot of gobbling the first weekend of the season and it went downhill quickly from there.  The cool weather that returned in the middle of April was a nice reprieve from the warm and bug filled mornings of late March.  Usually the cooler weather will fire up the gobblers and according to other local hunters it did, but it did not have the same effect on the swamp's gobblers.     

Billy Malone and a boss gobbler.

Nice hooks!

My first turkey of the season.

My second turkey of the season.       

April 5, 2012

     I guided Steve Cosgrove from Detroit, Michigan for the Wilcox Academy Benefit Turkey Hunt.  We gave them all we had but came up short of a turkey when the hunt ended Sunday morning.  Saturday morning we heard only three gobbles from one turkey on the roost but around 8:00AM  we made a circle through the property and located a pair that answered as well as another lone gobbler in a different direction.  We set up between them and the only question was which way to face, not knowing which ones would reach us first.  All three got real close but apparently some hens intervened as they gobbled and gobbled.  Steve was moments away from knocking the safety off and killing his first turkey.  As he looked down the barrel of the gun rested on his knee, I sat around the other side of the tree, looking over his shoulder and coaching him to shoot as soon as one of the gobblers walked out in view on the road in front us.  They never did.  We left them alone for two hours and searched other parts of the property and then returned.  We coaxed an answer from them at 10:30 but they were no longer interested in female companionship.  
       Usually late March and early April afternoons are windy and it is hard to hear for much distance.  This weekend was much different as the wind was calm.  Unfortunately, the turkeys did not gobble at all for us in the afternoon, as is usually the case with the birds in our swamp.  
       On Sunday morning we heard one turkey gobble in the edge of a hardwood bottom.  We circled through a pine plantation to reach the hardwoods and apparently got too close to the turkey.  He shut up.  We searched the property and could find nothing else gobbling.  
        Our turkeys do not gobble much or at all when the weather heats up.  Once the lows reach the upper 60s you can about count out much action from this flock.  Overall the school hunt went well with everyone hearing and working turkeys throughout the weekend but there were only three killed and one missed which is below average for this hunt.
        An Easter cool snap is on the way and it will fire them up again I expect.  I think the weekend looks real good for gobbling activity.    

March 27, 2012

      It has been a good start to the season for me, a season a bit unlike any other that I can remember.  After a very mild winter, spring arrived a few weeks early.  The turkeys started gobbling early and the trees began budding early as well.  When the leaves are fully developed, the distance you can can a turkey through the woods diminishes greatly.  Normally this is a gradual progression through the first half of turkey season and around the first week of April the trees are pretty much full of leaves.  When a turkey hits the ground now, you better not be too far away or you just might not hear his gobbles.  
      I have been fortunate to kill two 3-year old gobblers so far this season and have been on several more fun hunts when the gobbler just did not come in range.  As it appears now we have a couple of gobblers that we are going to match wits with for some time this season and I am interested to see, if either me or my father are fortunate enough to get the best of them, what kind of spurs they have.  I know there are some ancient gobblers down in those woods with some big hooks for spurs.  
      This coming weekend I'll be guiding my old friend Barnett Serio on the 41st Wilcox Academy Benefit Turkey Hunt.  We'll be hosting about 26 hunters from all over the country for this hunt.  A little rain has crept into the forecast but hopefully the turkeys will gobble and we'll have some fun along the way.  Stay tuned.  

March 15, 2012

      Nearly every turkey season brings circumstances that are different that preceding years.  Such keeps things interesting indeed.  This season the mild winter and early spring is the opposite of the two prior cold winters and late arriving springs.  We've cut and thinned timber on our property and that will change up the behavior of the turkeys and where we will set up and call and hunt the birds we have.  It is though the slate has again been wiped clean.  It should be a fun one and I'm looking forward to getting started.
      I was out in the woods Sunday afternoon and thanks to warm weather and ample rainfall the mosquitoes are as plentiful for mid March as I can remember.  Anyone venturing out this season better take two Thermacells and plenty of deet.  I know I will.
      It looks like youth season which was held this past weekend was another great success in our area with plenty of youngsters getting in on the action early.  I'm glad to see that.  I'll try to feature a few pictures of successful hunts here in the next few weeks.  

March 6, 2012

      After a very mild winter we are moving into an early spring and enjoying abnormally warm weather for early March.  The dogwoods in my yard are already blooming which seems to be a good three weeks early.  Last year I recorded a frost on April 10th but I doubt we are going to see anything like that this spring.  I hope we do not.  Once everything buds out, a frost is certainly undesirable.  
       It seems that everyone that has been near the woods in recent weeks has been hearing turkeys gobble and the early gobbling activity dates back even to January.  Even our turkeys in the Horn Swamp have been practicing a little in February and early March.  Normally our turkeys do not get started good until late March and early April, but this season is going to be a new adventure.  Youth season opens this weekend and the rest of us will join in on the 15th of March.  I'm looking forward to it.  
      Our local NWTF Chapter will be hosting its annual banquet this Saturday, March 10th in Camden.  If you are in our area, please come out and support this great conservation organization.  We'll have good food and a good time.  Contact me for tickets at 334-525-0462.  If you are out of our area, I encourage you to look up your closest chapter and attend their banquet this year.  
       For all you hog hunters out there, Park Harris is hosting a Hog Round Up on June 1st and 2nd in Camden.  This event promises to draw hog hunters from miles around.  See his flyer at www.possumbend.com and help us spread the word about this event.  
       The 2nd Annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt is scheduled for the weekend of September 8, 2012.  Keep that on your calendar and join for another big event.    

February 28, 2012

      My friends Leigh and Travis Creekbaum with Scentblocker's The Chase tv show returned this past weekend to Camden for a little more hog hunting in the Horn Swamp.  The hog episode that was begun last September during the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt needed just a little more video to make a great show.  Their producer wanted one or two more kills.  
      I've never done much in the line of baiting up hogs with corn.  My method of hog hunting is to simply find where they are feeding naturally and hunt them there.  But as soon as deer season was over I called our local game warden and got the appropriate permit and then put out 3 hanging feeders at the edge of greenfields that the hogs normally graze in anyway.  I put up Plotwatcher game cameras a week later and began the vigil.  I knew we would have about two days to get something--anything--to help finish the show.  
       As the pictures rolled in I began to get a bit frustrated by the lack of activity during the day and the obvious feeding at night.  There were hogs coming to the feeders but on only one of them did a group come consistently during the day.  
       The weekend finally arrived along with Leigh and Travis, cameramen Ben Richardson and Philip Pitts.  I hate to give away too many details at this point, but I will say my efforts with the corn paid off to some degree and then when things got slow I went back to what I knew would work.  We went into the hardwoods where we found them rooting and hunted them there.  When the smoke cleared---and those muzzleloaders do smoke---we had more than enough video to make a great show.  Both Leigh and Travis got two kills a piece and I even shot one on video that came running in behind us down in the hardwoods.  
       And now the video is in the producer's hands and I can not wait to see how it is put together.  When you take out the commercial time, there are 23 minutes of the show and packed in there will be 9 or 10 kills along with other footage such as The Chase bus rolling into the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt with a police escort.  The Chase is getting over 1 million viewers on The Pursuit Channel right now, but is moving to The Sportsman's Channel shortly.  The new season will begin airing late this summer on The Sportsman's Channel and the Hog Episode will be among the 13 shows produced for this upcoming season.  I'll let you know when to begin looking for it, but go ahead and get the DVR ready to record all of the next season's shows.  They have some great ones in store.  For the actual schedule, go to www.thechaselt.com and also remember to "like" The Chase on Facebook.

With two cameras rolling, Travis literally "smoked" a hog!

February 12, 2012

      The Wilcox Area Chamber's Big Buck Contest awards presentation was held in downtown Camden yesterday.  The winner in the adult division was Kirk Talbot.  His buck scored 158.  Jim Lawler won the Youth Division.  There were prizes given out for the top 5 in each category along with a big buck of the month, a big doe contest winner for December 31st, and a drawing was held for a fully rigged PSE bow.  See this link for photos of the event and photos of many of the winners.  
       I'm in hog hunting mode at the present time.  I've gotten a permit to hunt hogs over corn through the end of the month and have a couple of feeders running in hopes of luring in some swine for some easy shooting.  With the warm weather we have had, the plots are growing nicely and the hogs are grazing them pretty regularly.  According to the Plotwatcher game camera though, they are hitting the corn during the night.  Stay tuned though as before the end of the month rolls around I should have enough video to complete another hog video.  
       Here are some more pictures of deer from the area this season.  

Wes Wiggins killed this buck in the closing minutes of the season, 
but says he wishes he could have given him another year to grow!  Nice buck!

Bennett Long killed this deer near Yellow Bluff in Wilcox County.

Simms Harrison and a buck he killed near Myrtlewood, Ala.
This was Simms first buck while hunting by himself.  Congrats!

February 2, 2012

      After quite a bit of undesirable deer hunting weather in January, the final weekend shaped up pretty nicely.  With lows near freezing and highs in the upper 50s and low 60s, Mother Nature shined on us hunters one final time to close out the season.  I spent much of both days in the tree and saw quite a few bucks--some chasing and some just roaming.  I did not see anything as big as I wanted to shoot but did see a few quality 8 points that just did not quite make the cut.  
       Though we have seen some cold and frosty mornings this winter, overall it has been a mild one.  Trees are beginning to form their buds and farther south of us the azaleas are already starting to bloom.  I've heard more hunters talk of hearing turkeys gobble in late January than I can every remember and I've heard them quite a few times myself in recent weeks.  We are poised for an early spring indeed.
        The Wilcox Area Chamber Big Buck Contest will have an awards presentation on the courthouse square in Camden on Feb. 11th at 1pm.  At that point we will learn the top 5 winners in both the adult and youth categories.  Certainly there were some fine bucks killed in the area this season and I am interested to hear how the winners shake out.  My next update will include the details of the contest winners. 

Larry Howser and buck from the Horn Swamp 
on the final weekend of the season. 

Don Glass and a 9 point killed Jan. 23rd 
near Lower Peachtree in Wilcox County

Keith Dixon and a Pennington, Ala buck

Rich Manry and a south Dallas County bow kill

January 24, 2012

      If the forecast holds, it appears we are going to get in one more good weekend of deer hunting before the season ends early next week.  After sitting in the heat all weekend running my Thermacell to keep away the mosquitoes, I am looking forward to what the weatherman is predicting.  I think we'll have a great weekend to finish out the season.  It should be just cool enough to get the deer moving well.  Many of the best bucks I've seen while hunting have come on the last weekend of the season, therefore, I always anticipate the annual event with great excitement.   
      I spent a lot of time in several different trees over the weekend and saw some little bucks coursing around, tending scrapes, and hooking trees.  I never saw a shooter buck--in or out of range--of my arrow.  A big boar hog slipped by me at 50 yards in the fog Sunday morning but I could not quite get a shooting lane lined up to launch an arrow at him.  I tried.  He was a big target.  
      It seemed that Sunday afternoon the deer moved better than at any time, though I did see movement in the dense fog Sunday morning.  Maybe they were moving before the approaching storm on Monday and maybe it was just me being in the right place at the right time, but from those that I have spoken with since the weekend, it seems they witnessed about the same thing in their hunting.
       Y'all keep the photos coming.  I'm sharing a few more this week and look forward to seeing many more come in from this coming weekend.  Email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com to have yours or your hunting buddy's featured here.  

Shine Hollinger and a Wilcox County buck

John Helmers, Jr. and a Wilcox County buck from
the Darlington area of the county

Doug Talbot and a another nice Wilcox County buck

Dexter Drake and a buck from Marengo County

January 17, 2012

      The 27th Annual Wilcox Academy Deer Hunt was a big success.  Last year I took over the reins of the hunt when Johnny Webb retired after 25 years as Huntmaster.  In this second year in charge I enjoyed getting to know our hunters a little better.  Many of our guests have hunted with us for many years---a few have been with us for 26 of the 27 hunts.  I am in awe and very appreciative of their loyalty.  They traveled here from eight different states and as far as 18 hour drives to get here.  Furthermore, I continue to be amazed at how well our community comes together to host this host.  I had over fifty guides and countless cooks, deer skinners, and others that did simple but necessary tasks to make the weekend successful.  
      We were blessed with near perfect weather.  The cool front that brought lows in the lower 20s got the deer moving and it was evident at the skinning shed.  Ninety three hunters killed 124 deer, 7 hogs, and one bobcat.  There were 63 bucks killed including 18 that were 8 points or better.  One of the most impressive racks of all was a very wide and massive 6 point.  Link over to our Facebook page as the weekend's pictures are already at that location.

Brock Simon of Lake Charles, LA, killed this big 6 on the 
Wilcox Academy Hunt.

        There have been some real nice bucks killed in the area in the past week and we are certainly enjoying the success that the middle of January can bring.  My jaw dropped when Eric Stallings, owner of Venison's Creations in Camden, opened his walk-in freezer Sunday night and show me the stacks of caped heads waiting to go to the taxidermist.  The big racks were numerous and impressive.  
         Sunday afternoon Kirk Talbot killed one of the finest racks I've seen in quite some time in this area.  There have been other deer come from this area that would score higher in recent years, but the width of this deer's rack really increased its "wow factor" to me.  The rack even makes the deer look small, though it weighed 195 pounds.  The buck was a 10 point that will likely score in the 150s and would have been closer to the 160s had he not broken a G2 tine.  From New Orleans, LA, Kirk has been hunting Wilcox County for over 20 years and this is his best buck yet.  He is going to have a hard time topping this one.  And yes, he does have a ticket in the Wilcox Area Chamber Big Buck Contest and I expect this deer will be a contender for the top prizes.      

Kirk Talbot's big 10 from Wilcox County

Kirk Talbot's big 10 from Wilcox County, his son and 
hunting partner for the day, Michael, posing with the trophy.  

Kirk Talbot's big 10 from Wilcox County  

Brett Agee rattled up this buck near Lamison, AL, in late December.   
         

January 10, 2012

      Saturday and Sunday found me in my climber, bow in hand.  I saw a few deer, a few more mosquitoes, and was just glad to be back in the tree as the rut takes shape.  The heat kept deer movement to a minimum, but more chances lie ahead under better conditions and I look forward to the remainder of January.  
       This weekend Wilcox Academy will be hosting its 27th Annual Deer Hunt.  We have over 90 hunters coming in, some as early as Thursday.  The weather is turning cool just in time and I expect the deer to really move.  I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of good bucks come in this year.  I'll have a full report next week.  
        There have been some nice bucks killed in the past week by area youth.  I am happy to report that all three of these youth had tickets in the Wilcox Area Chamber's Big Buck Contest and I'll let you decide which one of these is likely the new leader.  

Taylor Johnson

Emily Smith

Jim Lawler

December 20, 2011

      I got two more hogs over the weekend, each killed on morning hunts in the Swamp.  I focused my attention on the cane thickets in different areas of the property, some larger than others.  At each place I found hogs.  Saturday morning's hunt was perhaps the most fun in a while.  I heard young hogs grunting and went about a thirty minute stalk along the edge of the river, using the steady north wind in my favor.  Rare is a time when we can enjoy a steady rather than a swirling wind and it sure made the difference on this hunt.  As soon as I peeked up over the edge of the bank where it slopes off to the water's edge, I saw a sow and little ones in a nest in a tiny clearing in the cane thicket.  I tried my best to set up the camera before taking a shot but the thick cover and the lack of a manual focus on my camera made it difficult.  I was only 15 yards from then and when it stood up to get a view of them with my back to the river, I am sure my silhouette was visible to them.  The sow stood up and walked toward me, saw me, and spooked, but not badly.  She ran into the edge of the canes and got real noisy.  Apparently a boar and a sow in heat that I heard nearby moved our way and suddenly the cane was full of hogs making a lot of noise.  I stood by patiently, still enjoying the north wind that masked my presence, sending my scent over the river.  I could see the cane moving back and forth 20 yards away but could not pick out a big hog.  The little ones came back and forth to the nest but the sow did not follow.  I wondered what would happen if the hogs knew they had strength in numbers and could overtake me if they wanted.  It was one against many and I had only a bolt action rifle.  I trusted this would not cross their minds.  
        They moved along the edge of the cane and I slipped closer.  Finally I got a tiny glimpse of a large hog which I suspected was the boar and shot him.  Indeed it was the boar and he went down in his tracks.  The other scattered through the cane and down the riverbank.  
       Sunday morning I returned to this area but heard and saw nothing.  I went to another similar area and jumped a couple of hogs, one of which stepped right out in the road in front of me.  Like Saturday, there was not time to turn on the camera.  I quickly decided to kill the hog and raised the gun quickly and dropped it, a sow.  

December 13, 2011

      This week I share some pictures of area kills with you.  Thanks to all who have submitted photos.  Y'all keep them coming.  There will be more action from our woods coming real soon.

Will Waechter killed his first racked buck last weekend near Livingston, AL.

Chris Davis of Franklin killed this 16 point Monroe County buck on
Dec. 3rd on a dog drive.

December 7, 2011

      I should be finishing up the second hog video this week, however, my failure to properly hit record and verify the camera was recording Saturday morning means I am still short a hunt.  Once the shot is fired and you realize the camera was not recording, there is no setting the hog back up for a "take two."  The deal is done.  
      I spent both Saturday and Sunday mornings stalking through some areas of the property where the majority of the hog sign is.  Saturday morning I tipped into a little patch of hardwoods and caught a sow rooting.  It was a cold morning with a heavy dew which kept the crunch of the leaves under my feet to a minimum and stalking pretty easy.  I set up the camera, turned it on and hit record.  I have now learned not to do this with such haste as there is a few second delay between the camera is turned on and you can actually start recording.  I have also learned to verify that "record" is showing on the screen before a shot is taken.  My primary concern was keeping the hog from seeing me and smelling me as it was under 30 yards away.  So the end result was a dead sow but no video of the kill.  It was a fun hunt nevertheless.  
       Sunday morning was warmer with no dew.  I made more noise sneaking through the woods and this time busted two hogs before I saw them.  I did find a really good wallow that I want to go back and hunt this coming weekend.  I think it will be productive.
       We seem to have had more warm weather than cold so far this season, but the rest of this week and weekend should be a great time to be in the woods.  We are getting into the slow time of the season but with this nice cool down you never know what might step into view.  
       Let me remind anyone hunting in Wilcox or a county that touches Wilcox.  The Wilcox Area Chamber is sponsoring a Big Buck Contest with some great prizes for the top 5 kills in both the adult and youth categories.  Make sure to visit the Chamber's site for more details and get your ticket. 
        This week I have a few pictures from our area readers to feature.  Y'all keep them coming. 

Barrett Travis (6 yrs) killed her first buck, a 7 point, near Camden.

Frank Jordan and a Marengo County buck, killed on dog drive.   

Danny Jordan and a south Marengo County buck.
        

November 30, 2011

      Thanksgiving morning I set out in the big pines of the property in search of hogs.  Most of my hog hunts this fall have been concentrated in the hardwoods but this time I had a hunch I would be better served by going to the piney woods and checking for sign in that area.  By the looks of the rooting I quickly found, I knew I was in the right place.  One area of the pines has a lot of cane underneath the trees in an area that can stay a little wetter than average.  I started my stalk in that direction and soon spotted a hog along the edge of the cane thicket.  
      I was working on my next hog episode and so I took my time in slipping closer and setting up the camera for the shot.  The hog, a sow, worked her way out into the big open pines and then back to the cane and then back into the pines.  As soon as I got things lined up I took a shot at a distance of about 40 yards.  She was walking and I had to hurriedly aim the camera, then raise the gun and shoot before she got out of the frame.  I hit her closer to the gut than I had intended and she darted off into the canes.  
      As soon as I got to where she entered the cane, I made an interesting discovery.  There in front of me was a big pile of cane.  It was about as big around as the hood of a vehicle and the cane was piled at least a foot high.  I kicked it and the sounds of little pigs rang out from underneath.  I have seen similar piles of grass that I suspected the hogs were using as a place to have their young, but I have never seen them make such a structure to hide the young.  I have always believed that predators such as coyotes get their fair share of the little pigs and apparently something is pursuing the pigs or else they would not have been hidden in this manner.  
      There were at least eight little pigs about eight or ten inches long that ran out from under the cover after much encouragement from my part.  They ran off into the thick cane.  I tracked the sow and eventually recovered her.  In so doing, I found several more of these cane piles nearby.  None of them held any pigs at the moment, but I suspect they were used in recent weeks.  The whole hunt will be coming soon to a YouTube video, the Second Hog Hunting Episode.  

Hog Nest

Thanksgiving Day hog kill

    Jason Haynes of Marengo County killed this hoss of a buck over Thanksgiving weekend.  This is a "free range" buck killed in the Black Belt of Alabama.  Jason preferred not to disclose the exact location of the kill.  He said that he was hunting another really big buck (but not this big) that he had photos of on a game camera.  He did not not this bruiser was in the world until the day he killed him.  The buck weighed 220 lbs., sported 15 points, and green scored 190 3/8.  

Jason Haynes and a 190+ buck from the Alabama Black Belt
    

November 22, 2011

      The hogs are making themselves scarce these days and my one hog hunt of the weekend turned up nothing.  I did get in one deer hunt.  I saw one small buck while sitting in a little stand of oaks that were raining acorns.  There are so many oaks raining acorns around the property though, it is hard to pinpoint any area that is better than the next.  I am seeing quite a few scrapes which is interesting for this time of the year in Alabama.  
       Thankfully we got an inch and a half of rain this past week which was pretty well spread across the county, so everyone's food plots, including ours, are doing much better.  Though the warm days we have had seem a bit unseasonable for November, they are good for getting these plots going now that we have some moisture.  
       Thanksgiving for me has always been a time to spend some extra time in the woods.  Part of that time this weekend will be a campout at the cabin with two friends and their sons.  We'll have three adults and 5 little boys between the ages of three and six for an overnight at the cabin.  There will be no serious hunting going on, just serious fun.  I'm looking forward to it.  
       Have a great Thanksgiving and let me hear how things are going in your woods.  I would certainly like to share your successes here with our other readers.  

November 15, 2011

      A quarter inch of rain fell last Wednesday after I had planted our food plots the prior day.  I planted in the dust and a quarter of an inch was good but not nearly enough to get the job done.  Hopefully more will come in the next couple of days.  Hunters across our area are wishing for the same thing.  With gun season opening this weekend, very few people have any plots to hunt over.  Those that planted early in September got a good rain from the tropical storm that hit Louisiana and moved this way.  Those plots came up and have mostly hung on through this dry weather.  Those that did not plant at that time do not yet have much green to show for their efforts at this point.  
       Every drop of water on our property is gone.  Thankfully the river provides drinking water for the animals.  Hogs, that really like a good wallow hole, are out of luck these days.  With no water hole to concentrate the hogs and lots of acorns spread all around, the hogs seem pretty much scattered and the overall population is down at this time on the property.  That is a good thing, for all except someone trying to hog hunt.  I got out twice this past weekend and searched for hogs and found nothing.  
       The 3-day youth deer season in Alabama seemed to have gone very well this year with lots of area youth killing deer this past weekend.  I think this is a great idea to let the youngsters get the first crack at the deer before the regular season opens on Saturday.  
       Let me know how things are going in your woods and I'll post it here.  See you next week.  

November 8, 2011

      I finally got the video edited and loaded to YouTube of my hog hunt a week ago.  Go to this link.  Also, take a look at my neighbor, Garrett Gaston, and a video he and Brian Daniels made while bowhunting, called "Dutch Bend Doe Kill." 
      I am looking forward to filming Episode Two of the hog hunting videos but it might be a while before that is completed.  Though the acorns are raining down in the hardwoods, water has gotten so scarce that the hogs are also becoming scarce as well.  We still have the river for drinking, but hogs love a spot to wallow and right now there are not many places left with any water at all.  Unlike turkeys, they don't care for dusting!   
        It looks like that today, barring any breakdowns, I'll finally plant our food plots.  There is a bit of moisture in the ground for the quarter of an inch of rain that fell last week and I am banking on getting a little more on Wednesday.      

November 1, 2011

      I had a good hog hunt on Saturday morning and currently am working on editing the video that I made of the hunt.  Stop by again on Thursday and I should have the video on YouTube and linked from this page as well.    
       Another week has gone by and we have still gotten no rainfall.  The last cold front was yet another dry one and there is not a good chance of rain in sight.  I looks like I'll be setting a record for the latest food plot planting ever on our property.  Stay tuned.  

October 25, 2011

      I spent Saturday hunting near Ozark, Alabama with friend Bryan Deloney.  The weather was cool and crisp and we hunted some beautiful woods but did not get a shot at a deer.  Sunday afternoon I made a quick hog hunt in the swamp and once again saw acres and acres of fresh sign but this time the hogs were nowhere to be found.  
      We still have not planted food plots and I would like to do so on Saturday but this week's rain forecast looks pretty slim and there is not much else in the 10-day forecast.  I don't mind planting in the dust as long as the prospect of rain is good.  Most everyone in our area has planted their plots by now and many hunters tell me their plots are hanging on but in desperate need of water.   I do not believe I have ever planted this late, but there is still time to get it done.  
       For many years I have gotten requests for more information on our permanent hog trap design and in particular, the guillotine door trigger design.  Finally I have put together a four minute YouTube video that better explains the door and trigger.  If you are interested in seeing, just click over at this link.

October 18, 2011

      The first weekend of bowseason brought some real nice weather to Alabama.  Nothing like what we'll have for the second weekend, when temps are expected to drop even more.  I never made it out with my bow, but did take two trips to the swamp to hog hunt.  Stalking hogs is second only to turkey hunting in my book and with acorns dropping and hogs on the move, I could not resist another hog hunt.  In addition, my time to hunt was short and a hog hunt gave me the best chance for some action in a short amount of time. 
       Saturday morning's hunt was to last about an hour.  I made a big loop around the dried up pond we call the Duck Pond and was almost back to the truck when I spotted a group of hogs feeding along the edge of a hardwood bottom.  I quickly dialed in on one and dropped him. The others did not spook but walked a little closer to me and I shot the second hog.  At that point two more smaller hogs broke to run across the bottom in front of me.  I dropped one of them as it raced past me.  On Sunday morning, on another hunt that was  just an hour and a half long, I found another group of hogs feeding on acorns in a different area of the property.  I sneaked close and took out the first hog and again the others held tight though I could not see them through some brush.  I finally did see one and held my fire waiting on a little more video footage before I shot, then something went wrong with the camera and it shut off.  Before I could get it back on the hogs busted me as the wind shifted and they took off.  Some glitch in the camera I had attached to my rifle caused us to miss the video footage of the hunts that I wish I could show you.  It would have been pretty exciting video.  The camera is going to be replaced and the show will go on.  Stay tuned.  Some really cool films are still coming.    
       This weekend I'll finally get to the woods to bowhunt a time or two.  I'll have a report next week.  Here's a few pictures from my hog hunt this past weekend. 
       If you are hunting Wilcox County or a county touching Wilcox, make sure to buy your Wilcox Area Chamber Big Buck ticket.  There are some great prizes this year, paying the top buck each month, the top 5 overall in both the adult and youth categories, a Dec. 31st big doe contest, and a drawing for a PSE bow and accessories for everyone who participates.  Click over to this link for more information.  

Three from Saturday morning

 
One on Sunday

October 11, 2011

      Bowseason opens this Saturday and the weather forecast is pretty seasonable for opening weekend.  We are not expecting that typical opening weekend cold front that has occurred so many times, but lows around 50 and highs at 80 should be reasonably comfortable weather for stirring around in the woods.
       My family went to Orange Beach over the weekend and we stopped by Alligator Alley in Summerdale, just north of Gulf Shores.  Alligator Alley is a tourist destination where you can see over 200 big gators and lots of small ones up close.  The owner, Wes Moore, feeds the gators three times a day in front of a grandstand and puts on a fun little show.  When we were there, he was feeding the last of the hogs he took back from the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt held in Camden a month ago.  Take a look at little video I did of the place at this YouTube link.  Your kids would love to see this place.  
        I am going to mix in a little hog hunting, deer hunting, and work in the Swamp over the weekend.  Let me know how your opening weekend goes and good luck!

October 4, 2011

      Our second hunt in the swamp with Travis and Leigh Creekbaum filming for Scentblocker's The Chase was not nearly as productive as I had hoped, but successful nonetheless.  They squeezed in one more day's hunt before their schedule was booked for the rest of the year.  The woods where I had seen numerous groups of hogs the prior week only gave up one boar to us.  That was, however, a fun and exciting hunt with Travis making the killing shot on this hog.  You'll have to watch the Hog Episode next summer for the remainder of the details of that hunt.  Our plan is for them to return again in February for one more round and I think once that is done we'll have one heck of a show for their second season.  
        When we took photos of Travis's hog, I suggested we have a little fun and set him up in the Hogzilla pose.  Later, we realized we never posed differently for the picture, so here's the only one we have of the hog in the woods.  The next hog you kill, you can have the same fun by making the hog look bigger than he really is.  Just take a couple of steps back from the hog, kneel down, and then let the photographer put the camera close to the hog.  Using depth of field in your favor, the hog will look like the next Hogzilla.  After all, that is pretty much how Hogzilla was born. 

William Malone, Leigh and Travis Creekbaum

      With all the acorns on the trees, I do believe the hog hunting is going to "bust loose" real soon.  Some of the nuts are beginning to fall on their own, but as that pace picks up and the big overcups get on the ground, the hogs will be in the hardwoods and easy to pick off.  I have a new camera (Thanks Leigh!) attached to my rifle that I'll be filming some hog hunts on my own.  Stay tuned for some YouTube videos coming real soonl.  

      This week we give a big "congrats" to Land Reaves, son of Ed Reaves who grew up in Camden with me.  After practicing all summer with his bow, 11 year-old Land went on his first bowhunt in Georgia over the weekend and killed a nice buck.  With Land in a ladder stand and Ed in a loc-on beside him, the buck came in about 30 minutes before sunset.  Land made a good shot at 26 yards and the buck dropped 150 yards later.  The club members had been trying to kill this buck for three years.  It only took Land one afternoon.  Great job Land!

Land Reaves and his first bowkill on his first bowhunt!    
     

September 27, 2011

      For the first time in some years, there have been some landscape changes to the Horn Swamp.  A stand of timber that was roughly 35 years-old was clearcut late this summer.  I have memories as a young child seeing a drove of turkeys feeding in this area amid windrows and bare dirt.  The years that followed saw the area become a nearly impenetrable briar thicket, the home to many deer.  I spent many a day hunting the edges of the thicket, waiting on the deer to emerge, hoping one day the briars would be shaded out and I could easily maneuver into those woods and drag out all the big bucks.  
       The day did come when the pines shaded out the briars and I happily sat down in the open woods with a great view.  Unfortunately, the deer were gone.  As I learned as I grew older, once the cover is gone so are the deer.  Sure, they passed through from time to time and I did have success there, but they now spent most of their time in other areas that now provided more cover and had more browse.  But the open woods did bring turkeys and we had some great hunts in the years that followed.  Then came the first thinning and then the second.  Briars and small saplings returned, not to the degree it was at one time, but thick enough for the turkeys to move out and some deer to move back in.  And then this summer the saws returned.  The cycle will now repeat itself.
       We had another stand that were thinned over the summer months and yet other areas that will be thinned in the coming months.  Deer patterns will change, stands will need to be moved.  Turkeys will be found in the spring in areas we have not hunted them much in the past.  Change has come to the Swamp.

      I had a fun hog hunt on Saturday morning.  Attempting to both shoot one with my bow and film it using the video portion of my point and shoot camera, I struck out through a hardwood drain just after daybreak.  I started seeing hogs right away.  I spotted the first group feeding under a red oak but they began to move away before I could get in range.  On along I spotted another hog and tipped close to him as he was rooting along the edge of a dried up bottom.  With the camera rolling on a tripod I launched an arrow and gut shot him.  The video was nothing special as it was zoomed in, a bit grainy, and he was behind two small trees when the shot was made.  Though you can clearly see the hog, you can't see the arrow hit him.  I tracked blood for a ways and then it played out.  I never found him.  I have some more ideas to do a better video real soon.  Stay tuned for better results. In the meantime if you want to see that little video, go to this link at YouTube.  

       Travis and Leigh will be back at the end of the week to hunt a few more hogs and hopefully wrap up their hog hunting episode.  I'll let you know how that goes next week.         

September 20, 2011

      There's a new online outdoors talk show each Tuesday night at 7pm.  Tune in tonight for Camphouse Counselors with Big Daddy Lawler and Hale Smith.  Go to www.outdooralabamalive.com and follow the links.  The event is broadcast from Marengo County, Alabama and will cover topics of interest in our area.
       From my treks into the woods thus far, I am certain we have a big acorn crop this fall.  All varieties of oaks seem to have a bumper crop.  With plenty of food to eat, this often makes deer hunting a bit tough as there is no single source of food to pinpoint.  I, however, like this scenario as it brings the deer out of the thickets and into the hardwoods where they are easier to hunt with a bow and arrow.  And it brings out the hogs as well.
       I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some moisture this week.  We've had yet another dry summer and with food plot planting time upon us, some rainfall is desperately needed.  Three tenths fell at my house last night and the chances look good for the next few days.    
        The action is about to get going in the Horn Swamp so stay tuned here each week.  

September 13, 2011

      The 1st Annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt was a smashing success over the weekend.  Fifty hunters spent parts of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday trapping, shooting, and using dogs to chase down as many hogs as could be found.  In the end 117 hogs had been brought to the weigh station.  Steven Harvell of Yellow Bluff took home the prize money for two of the categories---most hogs (21) and biggest hog (257 lb.).  Mike Colquett of Monroeville captured the trophy for the ugliest hog.  
       The final event of the weekend was a big cookout and awards ceremony at the Pursley Creek Hunting Club in Possum Bend on Saturday evening.  A crowd estimated at 300+ turned out for a night of fun and food.  The feast consisted of wild hog, catfish, chicken, and the all fixings that accompany such a fine meal.  
        On hand for the weekend were Ron Landis and his partner Jerry filming for their show, In the Woods with Ron and Jerry.  Their show airs on the Sportsman's Channel.  They filmed a successful kill as well as other footage from the weekend that will air on their show next year.  Freelance outdoor writer Clay Richardson came down to do an article for Alabama Outdoor News.  The hog hunting magazine Bayed Solid was also represented and will have an article in their next issue about the event.  The lead "celebrities" of the weekend were Travis and Leigh Creekbaum of the show Scentblocker's The Chase which airs on the Pursuit Channel.  In my opinion Travis and Leigh are the fastest rising stars in the outdoor show arena and it was great to have them here for the hunt.  They had just returned from northern Canada earlier in the week where they killed four caribou.  
       My job was to put Travis and Leigh on some hogs.  We started our hunt soon after they arrived Friday afternoon.  For the past two weekends I had seen hogs coming out in an open, dried up pond in the hardwoods of the property.  We went straight there and quickly found some hogs.  In just under an hour of hunting Leigh dropped her first hog and Travis also got a kill, both good footage for a future show.
       We hunted hard the next morning and found some hogs in the woods but sometimes getting the camera lined up with the shot does not happen as easily as one would like.  With the big event occurring Saturday evening, we did not get to hunt the afternoon which would have certainly been the most productive.  We returned on Sunday morning and found some hogs feeding in an overcup bottom.  We tried to sneak into position as quickly as possible but apparently their feeding time was ending and they walked off toward the river to likely bed up for the day before we could get close enough for some good camera work.  
        We then went to an area of the property that is one of the most unique places I've seen in this area.  A cypress swamp that obviously held water for many decades has dried up in recent years.  It is a somewhat spooky looking place and absolutely beautiful as well with cypress knees rising over six feet from the forest floor.  
        Not long after we dropped off in the bottom Travis spotted a boar working his way along one little patch of water left in between the cypress and gum trees.  The cameraman from Friday and Saturday, Ben Richardson, had to return home Saturday night so Travis was running the camera this morning as Leigh drew down on the hog with her rifle.  At about forty yards Leigh shot the hog just as he emerged from behind a big stump.  Her shot hit a limb and grazed the boar's leg.  He let out a squeal and disappeared, then emerged from around a big cypress and headed right for us.  Leigh shucked another round into the bolt action rifle and dropped him with a head shot at 8 yards.  It made for quite a video and is certain to be seen at some point on the show.  
         Our overcups look to be loaded this year and in about two weeks the hogs are going to be flooding down into the bottoms.  I'm going to let them settle down for a few weeks and Travis and Leigh are hopefully going to get back for another quick hunt and capture a few more kills for a future show.  After that possible date, I look forward to taking some youth back there to have some fun and kill their first hogs.  I do plan to do a little stalking with my bow as well.
        Here are a few photos from the weekend.  See my facebook album at this link for many more pictures from the weekend.    

As the camera rolls, Leigh kills her first wild hog.

Travis Creekbaum, William Malone, Leigh Creekbaum

Sneaking through the cypress knees.

Jess Martin and Mike Colquett and 19 hogs from their 2 traps Saturday morning.

The Chase...headed to Wisconsin...and then all over the country this hunting season.

September 7, 2011

      What a fine weather forecast is projected for the weekend and the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt.  This hunt is the first of its kind in our area, seeking to raise monies for a scholarship fund in the name of our late friend Brad Powe of Camden.  Hunters will be out in the woods on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mornings shooting and trapping every hog they can find to enter in the contest.  Prize money will be awarded to the one who brings in the most hogs, the biggest hog, and the ugliest hog.  Headquarters for the event will be the Pursley Creek Hunting Camp in Possum Bend, on the west side of Camden.  The last chance to register as a hunter is today.  If you are interested please call me today at 334-525-0462.  Please note that you do have to hunt on lands you have access to.   
        On Saturday evening at 6pm there will be a big cooking following by the awards ceremony and performances by local entertainment.  Everyone is invited to this event and the meal is provided for simply a donation to the fund.  Also on hand will be Travis and Leigh Creekbaum who have a hunting show on the Pursuit Channel called Scentblocker's The Chase.  In addition, Ron Landis will be on the scene filming a segment for his hunting show, In the Woods with Ron and Jerry.  Wes Moore, owner and operator of Alligator Alley, in Robertsdale, will be on hand accepting any unwanted hogs to take back to his gator farm for gator food.  On Saturday morning from 7:30 to 9:00 AM, Big Daddy Lawler will be broadcasting his outdoors radio show, Getting Outdoors, live from the scene on WJDB 95.5 FM.    
       I'm looking forward to taking Travis and Leigh to the Horn Swamp on Saturday.  We'll be trying to get both of them hog kills on video.  Leigh says she has never killed a hog but has always wanted to.  They are just returning from north Canada where this past weekend they filled four caribou tags.  
       It is going to be an exciting weekend and I'll have a complete update for you next week.  

September 2, 2011

      Welcome back to all of our readers of the Horn Swamp Online.  As the summer begins to fade away and fall appears on the horizon, I'm looking forward to sharing another hunting season with you. 
      For those of you hunting Wilcox and the surrounding counties, make sure to get your Big Buck Contest Ticket from the Wilcox Area Chamber's Big Buck Contest.  There are two separate divisions this year.  There is an adult division and a youth division (under 16).  There are some great prizes for the top five winners in each category, plus a Big Doe Contest on December 31st, a drawing for a PSE bow, and some other opportunities to win.    
       We had two exciting weekends in mid-August here in Wilcox County as the first legal alligator hunt was held.  Spanning the course of two weekends, the 50 lucky tag holders hit the waters between Monroeville and Selma and killed an impressive number of big gators, including the new state record.  Keith Fancher's 14 foot, 2 inch, 838 lb. gator is the largest gator killed during the alligator hunts that were begun several years ago and also held each summer in the Alabama River delta north of Mobile and on Lake Eufaula on the eastern side of the state.  Keith killed his gator in Wilcox County on the second weekend of the hunt, just downstream of where Pine Barren Creek enters the river.  
       During the hunt, forty of the fifty tag holders filled their tag.  Nine of the gators were at least twelve feet long, five were in the eleven foot range, and nine were in the ten foot range.  The top weights were 838 lbs, 720 lbs. 661 lbs. and 607 lbs.  

Jamie Thomas and friends with a 13 foot, 1.5 inch, 604 lb. gator

Keith Fancher and the new State Record gator, 14 ft. 2 inches, 838 lbs.

      Next weekend I'll be participating in the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt.  A close friend of mine, Brad lost his life this past spring in an automobile accident on the way to his hunting camp in Coy, Alabama.  This hunt will raise monies to fund a scholarship in Brad's memory.  The hunt is expected to draw quite a number of people and will last for three days, concluding on Saturday.  There are three categories --most hogs, biggest hog, and ugliest hog.  Entry fee is $50 per hunter.  Hunters will hunt on any lands they have access to and will assemble in Possum Bend for the weigh-ins.  If anyone is interested in participating with us, please send me an email and I can get a flyer to you with the complete details.  You must enter by Wednesday, Sept. 7.  
       Stay tuned for more updates from our woods.