May 24, 2013

      Wednesday afternoon my four year old son Andrew and I headed to the swamp in search of hogs.  The grain is coming to a head in the green patches and this time of year is always a good time to shoot a few in the late afternoons, regardless of the heat and the bugs.  I checked two Plotwatchers on Sunday and saw as many as 15 coming to one plot each afternoon.  Andrew and I sat for just thirty minutes and saw only two but we got both of them and made a fun video in the process, with Andrew being his normal, funny self.  When he is old enough to shoot, I think I will be running the camera exclusively.  He's going to be quite the star and he loves to hunt hogs.   Click here to watch the video.  

Curtis Malone

May 4, 2013

      After three days in a row of being abused by our turkeys that either would not gobble or would not come to my sweet and seductive hen calls, I devised the ultimate plan for the final day on Tuesday. I would simply sleep in. Surely they had marked the calendar for April 30 and devised the ultimate scheme to thwart my efforts but they would perform it without me being in the audience. Enough was enough for me. The woods were theirs and so were the bugs. 
      Instead the morning found me eating breakfast with Alexander before taking him to second grade. My cell phone rang at just after seven. It was a call coming from my cousin Tommy and I immediately braced myself for the news that would come. I did not expect he was calling so early with anything but bad news.  I was right. We had lost cousin Curtis Malone in a car accident the prior evening. 
      My boys affectionately knew him as “Crazy Cousin Curtis” thanks to his great sense of humor. When he came to town each winter with friends to hunt the Horn Swamp, he entertained the boys with funny stories and much, much laughter. He always took such a keen interest in them on each visit, phone call, and email. There was nothing really crazy about the kind, intelligent and talented man from Georgia. 
      The youngest son of my dad’s brother Steele, Curtis grew up and lived four hours away from Camden in Bainbridge. In his younger days he did not make the treks to the family’s property, the Horn Swamp, to hunt deer when the other family members did. Curtis did not get bitten by the hunting bug like some of us. 
      He was the music man of the family  My earliest memories of him were on our grandmother’s front porch in Camden, his guitar in hand. The last evening that I enjoyed his company was last December around the campfire at the cabin, again, guitar in hand.  His band, All Rights Reserved, played in his hometown for nearly forty years.   
      Curtis’s early working days were in banking. He later changed careers and became a respiratory therapist and was now serving as the Clinical Director of the Respiratory Therapy program at Darton State College.     
     Roughly fifteen years ago Curtis started bringing a group of friends each winter to the Horn Swamp to hunt. He was always willing to help thin the hog population but never sought after a trophy for the wall or any meat for the freezer. He hoped his friends would have such luck and often they did, but he just wanted to soak up the peace and solitude that only the woods could offer. 
     A big Star Trek fan, Curtis loved space. He brought a big telescope to my boys a few years ago that they have since enjoyed. Back in December when he and friends hunted the swamp, we sat around the campfire and watched the greatest meteor shower I have ever seen. We had a front row seat, far from city lights, as the fireballs zoomed through the night sky. 
     I have never attended a more touching service than the one held for Curtis on Friday from the First United Methodist Church in Bainbridge. God gave his son Will, daughter Lindsay, son in law Gavin and daughter in law Rebekah, the strength to stand before a full church and remember a man that wrote the book on how to be a great father, husband, son, brother, and friend.  The pastor remembered him as the unofficial mayor of Bainbridge, known and loved by his whole town. The evening before a two hour wake had turned into four. Most of southeast Georgia was there.  Oh how he will be missed by so many.   
      I just wish I could have seen the look on the angel’s face when Curtis strolled through the pearly gates and said, “Hey there, you look like you've been playing that harp a few thousand years.  Mind if I give it strum?”

     (His complete obituary is found at this link.) 

       The Tuesday after the school hunt I found a gobbler sounding off pretty well at daybreak.  He flew down into the same pine plantation where Barnett and I had called up the turkeys a few days before and I set up in nearly the same location.  The gobbler answered nearly every call I made and then finally made a decision to come and check me out.  I first saw him moving quickly from left to right.  He was a wary bird and no doubt one with a few years of experience playing this game.  He began to make a clockwise circle around me at a range of 50 to 60 yards.  I was sitting in a narrow band of hardwoods between two stands of pines.  The woods were more open in the hardwoods than in the pines and as he circled me he began to work his way along the opposite edge of the hardwoods.  The large trees between us allowed me to twist and turn so that when he had gotten nearly behind me, I still had the gun pointed in his direction.  He hit a spot that I was determined to get a shot at him.  I clucked and he raised his head and then as I shot he began to lower it again.  He staggered and took off running.  I jumped up and ran closer as he pitched into the air and disappeared.  I was sick, but had nobody to blame but myself.  
        I really should not have taken that shot.  Deep into the season I was anxious to get a score but this turkey was at 45 yards and with my three inch twelve gauge, that is the outside range at best of this gun.  Had his neck been outstretched the odds would have been much better.  I certainly did not miss but did not get a pellet in the head where it counts.  One drop of blood on a nearby log was all that remained of the gobbler when he vanished into the woods.

      My next adventure with the turkeys came last Saturday morning.  Another cool and foggy moring greeted my dad and I when we got to the Swamp.  We found a turkey gobbling and got close to him and set up while he was still in the tree.  I heard a couple of gobbles off to my left across a pine plantation towards the river from a turkey apparently already on the ground in the fog.  A few minutes went by and as it neared time for our gobbler to fly down, I reached down and picked up my glass call and gave a cluck and small yelp. Turkeys gobbled to my left and close.  I cut my eyes and saw three standing twenty yards away.  That had sneaked up on us without making a sound and I was pinned down.  Though on my knee, my gun was pointed 90 degrees away from where it needed to be to get a shot and my hands were on the call.  Very slowly I began to move my hands back to the gun but the gobblers got wary and started clucking and walked off to a range of 50 yards through the pines.  I began another series of yelps and they answered every thing I threw towards them but they would not come back.  The gobbler in the tree flew down to them and they walked in the opposite direction and never made another sound.  We eventually left in search of another turkey.  
       At nine o'clock I got an answer from across a pine plantation in another area of the property.  We moved closer and sat down and at his next gobble, I moved closer still.  He answered well and moved to my right and then left and then I heard the gobble that sounded closer.  I got the feeling he was coming in.  Then suddenly two deer appeared to my right at 25 yards.  They walked closer, looking at me, and then winded me.  They ran, stopped, snorted, then ran farther.  At that time I spotted the gobbler's red head through the woods at fifty yards.  My heart sank as I just knew the deer had spooked him.  I yelped and he answered.  A couple of pines were directly in front of me and they had fern growing up both sides of them.  They created a barrier between the turkey and myself. I could not tell if he was walking towards me or away or standing his ground but I knew he had not gone right or left.  
        Maybe a minute passed and he gobbled at fifteen yards, still where I could not see him.  Then he walked to my right, in view, and I shot him.  He was so close I had to make sure I was tight on his neck and did not cleanly miss.  

      I have hunted three times since then and heard nothing on two of those hunts.  Our turkeys have been frustrating to hunt this season as half of my hunts have been greeted with no gobbling activity. A few days remain of the season and I plan to give them a few more tries.  Next week I'll let you know how we finish.  Stay tuned.  

       Big news in our area this week occurred when the $25,000 tagged crappie in the Wilcox Area Chamber Crappie Derby was caught.  You can read the whole story at this link.   

       Saturday morning dawned cool and clear.  I refer to it as a roll call morning as it seemed that most of the turkeys in the woods gobbled to begin the day.  There along the Alabama River it was very foggy and I was surprised to hear so much gobbling, even on this cool and crisp morning.  
       Barnett Serio from Natchez, Mississippi, was my guest for the weekend, hunting on the 42nd Wilcox Academy Turkey Hunt.  Barnett has attended the hunt for nearly 25 of those years and he and I have had our share of success together.  Never have we had such quick luck as we did on Saturday.
        Driving in I cautioned Barnett that the fog would keep the turkeys in the tree for an extended time and we would have to hope they would still gobble once the fog lifted and they flew down.  We were running a tad late and as I opened the gate I heard a gobble in the distance.  We entered the property and rolled the golf cart off the trailer and headed toward the action.  Stopping twice to listen again we were soon almost too close to the gobbles rattling through the fog.  To my surprise it appeared several gobblers were already on the ground as we hopped off the cart and walked fifty yards into the woods and sat by a huge oak.  The turkeys were close and if not for the fog, they likely would have seen us sneak in.  I clucked twice and yelped and they roared back.  A few moments later we spotted them through the pines and they appeared to be headed our way.  I gave another soft yelp that they answered again.  A couple minutes later they were standing at twenty five yards.  I clucked and the lead bird raised his head and Barnett closed the deal.  It was 6:26 AM.  We had left the Southern Inn breakfast table just 46 minutes prior and the drive into the Swamp is worth at least 25 minutes.  Sometimes you earn a turkey over hours and hours of pursuit and the woods just will not give him up.  Sometimes the woods will give one up easily.  Saturday was just one of those mornings.    
       It was a gorgeous weekend and the hunt was overall a success as normal.  Twenty two hunters killed six gobblers, missed one, and had numerous close calls with success.  Barnett and I went back to roost one Saturday evening but never heard or saw anything.  Relishing his success on Saturday, Barnett decided to sleep in Sunday and I hunted alone hearing some turkeys but having no luck.  
       Strangely by Monday the turkeys had gone silent and I heard the same report from many other hunters.  In my next update I'll tell the tale of my Tuesday adventure in the woods.  Stay tuned...

William Malone and Barnett Serio

       Our turkeys are gobbling slightly more and more each week and I am cautiously optimistic that the last half of the season will return to some normalcy.  So far it has been pretty dismal, though my limited number of hunts have not helped either in the road to success.  I would not want my optimistic prediction to get back to the turkeys, however, as they would surely clam up for another month if they heard I was talking highly of them.  
        The Plotwactchers continue to watch many areas of the property including several of the greenfields.  A sow and her brood developed a pattern of feeding in one of the fields nearly every afternoon.  Yesterday, John, Jeffrey Boles and myself went in search of the herd and found them right where the Plotwatcher said they would be.  Jeffrey made a perfect shot with my .270 in a quck hunt after work.  We had the hog field dressed and we were back in town before dark.  

Jeffrey Boles and a Horn Swamp hog

      This weekend I will be guiding my friend Barnett Serio on the 42nd Annual Wilcox Academy Turkey Hunt.  Barnett and I have hunted together for many years and I'm hopeful a turkey will cooperate for a fun hunt.  It appears the weather is going to cooperate.  We have a good group of hunters from all over the country attending this year's event.    

       This week I give a big shout out to my neighbors Garrett and Grant Gaston.  Just before turkey season opened, Garrett won our local NWTF chapter's scholarship, presented at the banquet on March 9th.  Then in the first two weeks of the season Garrett killed four turkeys, including a 24 lb. beast of a bird.  He called up another for a friend and then he had his best hunt of the season, calling up his younger brother Grant's first turkey.  I do not know of anyone in the area that has had as good of a March as Garrett has.  I am proud of his accomplishments and wish him well the remainder of the season.  (I may need him to call up a turkey for me too!)

Garrett Gaston

Grant and Garrett Gaston with
Grant's first turkey

       Next week I am going to have you a turkey tale.  Stay tuned.  

       Last Thursday I had the privilege of fishing in the CrappieMasters Media Tournament as part of their Alabama State Championship event in Millbrook/Prattville over the weekend.  I spent three and a half hours learning about spider rigging for crappie with Sonny and Shannon Sipes.  The Sipes brothers are pro crappie fishermen from the Birmingham area and are part of the Road Runner team.  Spider rigging involves multiple poles (in our case it was 8) fished from the front end of the boat.  The poles are held in place by a rod holder rack on the front of the boat and are tipped with two minnows each.  We trolled along the edge of the river bank and also a channel of the creek feeding into the river.  Sonny called it "plowing them up" when the bait would go through a school of fish and multiple poles would get a fish on at the same time.  Indeed we plowed up some crappie and some bass as well.  At the end of the morning we came in 4th place as we weighed in our best fish, a 1.67 pound slab.  The three teams that bested us all had fish over 2 pounds, including a 2.5 lb. fish.  
       The main event started Friday and I was glad to have left the fishing to Sonny and Shannon, as a cold rain fell all day long.  Nevertheless, at the end of the day the Sipes brothers had the lead fishing against the rest of the best crappie fishermen in the country and held on to it through the second and final day of the tournament on Saturday.  Their two day total of 14 fish weighed nearly 28 pounds, including the big fish of 3.01 pounds.

Our 4th place fish in the Media Tournament

Sonny Sipes and the big fish of the Alabama State Championship, a 3.01 lb. slab.

Sonny and Shannon Sipes with the championship trophies.

      Back in Camden on Miller's Ferry Lake Saturday, two bass tournaments were held that saw the winning bag of five fish reach a total of 24 pounds each.  Those are some quite impressive numbers and a testament to the outstanding fishery we have here.  It remains one of the best kept secrets in the southeast, though more and more are beginning to take note.  

Todd Murphy with two big Miller's Ferry bass

       In turkey news, I have very little to report.  I have hunted two properties in the area that are known to have plenty of gobblers, including the Horn Swamp.  None have cooperated so far in giving up more than some hard coaxed shock gobbles.  My father thinned one from the ranks last week but I have yet to get one in the sights.  The Plotwatchers are continuing to capture their sightings which are random at best.  The wet and cold weather seems to be stifling the gobbling activity and if warmth is needed to fire them up, I am not sure when we will see that.  The only good news is that the season is yet young.    

       The season has started pretty slow for us in the swamp.  I have not been every day so far, but when I have hunted I have heard only a few gobbles and those have been limited to mostly shock gobbles from the trees.  None of the gobblers have wanted to do much on their own nor have they gobbled once they hit the ground.  Such is typical for our turkeys this early in the spring.  I expect things will change a lot within another week.  
       One of the Plotwatchers captured this little show of three gobblers hanging out with the flock that includes the two white hens.  This was the only day in two weeks that the gobblers came into the field.  Our birds generally stay in the pines almost exclusively when spring rolls around and if they are not gobbling and giving away their location, they are not easy to kill.  
       Stay tuned as the season is yet young.

       The Wilcox County Longbeards Chapter of the NWTF had another great banquet on Saturday night in Camden.  Our attendance was not as high as some years but the monies raised for the NWTF was quite strong.  Our banquet is always one of the top grossing banquets in the state though we have one of the smallest populations to draw from.  If you are not a member, I urge you to join.  The magazine is great and it is our duty as sportsmen to support the quality conservation organizations.  (If you are a member, make sure to flip to the back of the latest issue and read Tom Kelly's article.  I particularly enjoyed it, though I always enjoy Tom Kelly.)
      I did an interesting time lapse video of the day we spent at the armory.  Our committee members start around 9am in the morning getting the armory ready, unpacking the merchandise, hosting the banquet, and then cleaning up afterwards.  The 13 hour ordeal can be seen in 2 minutes in this video, courtesy of a Plotwacher Pro game camera.    
       Friday morning marks the opening day of turkey season.  The weather looks spectacular for opening weekend and I expect lots of turkeys are going to be routed toward local grills and freezers right off the bat.  Turkey populations are at very high levels all around the state, including our area.  It should be a great spring season for everyone that gets out there.  
        Good luck to all of you and send your pictures this way.  

       I had a good weekend of hog hunting with Travis and Leigh Creekbaum in the Horn Swamp.  The plan I had devised had some pitfalls from the recent flood, continuing rains, and dogs roaming through the property.  However, in the end we killed a bunch of hogs and captured more video for their third season.  Fortunately the rains came through mostly at night and we did not lose any days hunting.  Travis started Wednesday afternoon and Leigh joined in on Saturday.  The final tally had Leigh with three, me with one, and Travis with ten.  We used an assortment of weapons from the .270, Mini-30 carbine, Traditions muzzleloader, and bow.  
       My barrel feeders paid off in some areas where the ground was sandy, however, in the less sandy areas the mud fouled up the feeder, clogging the holes and making a huge mess.  We kept corn scattered in a few of the most frequented greenfields and the hogs developed a pattern of coming in late in the afternoon and feeding all night long.  We often found them in the fields real early in the morning.  We had very little luck stalking them this time, getting only two in that manner.  The hogs had moved out of the hardwood swamps during the flood and had not gone back. Instead they were hanging out in the piney woods where visibility is limited for stalking on film.
      Our most valuable tool was the Day 6 Outdoors Plotwatcher Pros that monitored our best locations throughout the day.  We had the units set to take a picture every 3 seconds from daylight to dark and we knew everything that happened in those locations each day.  As a result we had very few hunts that did not produce some action. 
      I can not wait to see how it all gets put together on the big screen for The Chase's third season.  There will be plenty of action packed hog hunting coming soon to your TV.  Stay tuned.   

Travis and good boar with the Traditions muzzleloader

Leigh killed two in her first afternoon in the stand, both with the Traditions muzzleloader

Travis shot this two on a morning stalk.

Videographers Joseph Maier and Ben Richardson

       Last weekend I made my first NWTF National Convention, held in Nashville at the Opryland Hotel.  A record number of vendors and attendees were in attendance.  I enjoyed seeing what all the vendors had to offer and I can tell you there was more turkey yelping going on in that hotel than likely there was in the rest of the county, including the 8+ million turkeys across America.  You can really pick up some good deals on products at the event and the hunt auction really has some great deals.  These are hunts that are donated to the NWTF and then auctioned.  I do not think hunters realize the hunts that can be purchased for less than half their retail cost.  It is worth the trip just to take advantage of that opportunity.  
       I had a chance to meet Kentucky's most famous citizen, Turtleman.  If you don't have young children, you might not know about his show "Call of the Wildman" on the Animal Planet.  I had a great talk with his banjo playing sidekick, Neil, in the hotel Saturday night as well.  He is really a nice guy.  
       I also had a nice visit with the legendary writer Tom Kelly.  He is as interesting in person as he is in print.  

       After 9.5 inches of rain last week the river rose into the Horn Swamp and covered much of the low land for a few days before receding on Sunday.  The crest was 76 feet at the lower pool at the Miller's Ferry Dam, which is about 12 miles upstream of us.  It was within two feet of crossing the road entering the property and cutting us off from getting in.  
      My efforts to bait up the hogs for "The Chase" hog hunt this weekend was not helped but thankfully not completely ruined.  We have some spots on the higher ground that were not affected.  We are going to dodge some rain as their hunt begins on Thursday afternoon but hopefully we'll have enough dry times to film another hog episode.  The Plotwatcher game cameras have been watching the Swamp this month and here are a few pictures that have been captured.  

Here's the water rising in the Red Field food plot.  

The water eventually covered the field, three feet deep and more in some areas.

A good group of hogs in working this barrel feeder.  Hopefully this crew will make the TV show!

Captured two white hens in this flock of turkeys.  

       The Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce held an awards presentation on Saturday, handing out over $13,000 in prizes to the winners of the Big Buck Contest.  This is the best big buck contest in south Alabama that I am aware of and folks in seven counties are eligible to participate.  Click here to read the results of the contest and make sure to join up next year if you hunt in Wilcox or a surrounding county.  
      I have tallied seven inches of rain in my gauge so far and we are expected to get another one or two inches before this system moves on.  Saturday afternoon Travis Creekbaum and I set up a few more Plotwatchers and feed barrels in the swamp in preparation for their return trip next week to film another hog show.  Last night I scrambled back to the woods and rescued one Plotwatcher and moved two more to higher ground.  Over five inches of rain has fallen throughout the northern watershed of the river and the river is forecast to back onto the lower sections of the property today and remain at least through Thursday.

Rolling barrel hog feeder now partially submerged thanks to 7+ inches of rain.

       It has been quite some time since our woods were as wet as they are now.  All the low areas are now holding water.  We are getting some hog activity at our feeding locations but much of it is at night.  I am getting the feeling that the hunt next week is going to be challenging and involve a lot more stalking than sitting.  
        The extended deer season map was released last week and if all goes as planned we missed the area by the width of the river.  It is going to strange that the area south of Camden will be hunting deer for a longer period of time than others of us.  I do know people with properties on both sides of the line and they will certainly enjoy a longer season starting next year.

       My wife and I are making our first trip to the NWTF National Convention in Nashville this weekend.  I am looking forward to taking in a lot of turkey hunting talk and gear on Saturday.  For those of you in our area, let me invite you to our local Wilcox County Longbeards banquet on March 9th.  The NWTF is the premier wildlife conservation organization dedicated to preserving our hunting heritage.    

       We all would have enjoyed getting out in the deer woods this past weekend as the weather cooperated better than it has for most of the weekends since the first of the year.  Such might be possible for some hunters in the near future.  I was very surprised to hear the news that an extension of the season is looking very possible for a part of southwest Alabama next season.  Where those boundary lines will be drawn has been the source of a lot of debate in our area and even more speculation.  We should know by the end of Saturday when news from the Advisory Board's meeting is reported.  Stay tuned.  
        The Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce will be having an awards ceremony for the Big Buck Contest at 1pm this Saturday in the Veterans Park in downtown Camden.  I do not yet have the official winners but will try to have you some pictures here next week.  
         I am busy getting ready for another hog show filming of Scentblocker's The Chase in the Horn Swamp.  The crew will be back in town in two weeks to try their luck again with the muzzleloaders and the hogs.  Hopefully we will have another great hunt. 
       Here's a fun little video clip done by The Chase's producer with one of Travis's recent kills.  I think you will get a kick out of it.  
        Park Harris is planning another hog hunt on Feb. 27 through March 1st.  Go to www.possumbend.com for more information on that hunt.   
        I have one more picture submitted by one of our local readers. Sam Lawson, Jr.  Sam killed this fine buck in late December.  Congrats Sam!  

Sam Lawson, Jr.

       The weather continues to interfere with the end of deer season as warm conditions plague all the hunters that are trying to finish strong.  I have always said the last day is often the best day and historically I have seen more mature bucks on the final day than any other day of the season.  That might again be the case this year as the coming front will move out and cooler weather will enter Alabama on Thursday, just in time to close out the season.   Gook luck to all who will give it one last whirl on Thursday.
        My cousin Tommy Malone and his group had a good weekend in the Horn Swamp and got two bucks and numerous hogs.  I only saw a few small bucks from my bow stand.  For me, it was a much quieter weekend of activity than the weekend before last.  

Tommy Malone and a buck from the Horn Swamp

Tommy Malone and a Horn Swamp hog

Eric and a fine Horn Swamp buck

        Thanks to Scott Dickens for the two photos below.  Y'all keep them coming for the next few weeks and I'll keep posting them here.    

Jeb Brown and father Eddie, with Jeb's first deer killed while hunting with
Hayden Dickens near Vredenburgh, Alabama.     

    Simms Brown killed his first buck the day after his brother Jeb got his.  This buck was killed on Simms's grandfather's property (Dr. Grayson Simmons)  near Monroeville.  

Caleb Little killed this buck in Butler County.  Caleb won the hog hunt with "In the Woods with Ron and Jerry" during the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt last September.  His hog hunt should be coming on the Pursuit Channel soon.  

       Here are some photos submitted by my friends and visitors to this website.  

Aiden Thionville of New Orleans killed this buck at the end of December in Wilcox County.  He has a ticket in the Wilcox Area Chamber Big  Buck Contest and hopes this deer will place in the top five.

Land Reaves, son of Ed Reaves who grew up in Camden, killed this deer in Harris County, Georgia.  Land needed a little help from his lab in finding the buck after the shot.  Land is a regular visitor to the site.  Thank you, Land, and congrats on another fine buck!

Shawn Jordan sent this photos of his brother, Danny's, 225 lb. 9 pt. buck killed in late December in Marengo County.  Shawn says they had been getting pictures of this deer for three years but could not get a shot at him.  They changed tactics and did a man drive, and the rest is history.  

  

       What a difference in weather we experienced between this past weekend and the prior one.  The bottom of my climber, left in the woods, was icy and slippery early Saturday morning as I climbed up the tree.  I was glad for it to thaw a short time later as the sun began to rise.  I saw quite a few bucks chasing does over the long weekend but nothing that would qualify as a shooter.  There were spikes, fork horns, sixes and small eights in my vicinity.  How fun it is to hunt during the rut!  Once again it seemed the 2 to 3 year old eight points that are not quite big enough to shoot yet gave me the best opportunities for a shot.  Three different ones over the weekend walked by within 15 yards giving me multiple opportunities to launch an arrow.
       Though the temperatures were very good, the variable wind made it tough to hunt a mature buck with a bow and arrow.  Though the forecast always called for more stable breezes, where I sat it shifted back and forth all weekend long.  There was no real way to hunt the wind but merely had to sit and hope for some luck.    
       I have gotten a lot of reports of success from our readers and will compile those and update this site again later this week.  In the meantime, I have uploaded a Greatest Hits video of hog hunting that I think you will like.  See you on Friday with another update and then we will go into the final weekend of the season, a weekend that looks very good weather-wise. 

       Ninety seven hunters attended the 28th Annual Wilcox Academy Deer Hunt this past weekend amid record warm temperatures that sent the mercury soaring to 80 degrees each day.  The hunters tallied 22 bucks, 33 does, 5 hogs and a rattlesnake.  Overall the tally brought to the skinning shed was about 40% of what is normal for 97 hunters to have killed on the hunt.  Nevertheless, a big time was had by all that attended the hunt and the hunters were left satisfied that the guides did all that was possible to make a successful hunt in very tough conditions.  
      This was just the second rattlesnake known to be killed on the hunt but certainly an indicator of the warmth that enveloped south Alabama last week.  The hunter was sitting in a shooting house on the ground and heard something scratching on the outside of the wall and he eventually looked out the window and down and saw the snake that was trying to get in a hole in the stand.  
       The photo below was my favorite of the weekend.  Caden Hutchinson's grandfather, Robbie Hutchinson, has been attending the hunt for nearly every one of the 28 years.  Adam, Caden's father, as also been attending for many years.  This year was Caden's first trip and he was looking for his first deer.  Not only did he get that deer but his friend Brayden Adams, also 7 years old, got his first deer.  These were two happy boys when they left Camden on Sunday morning.

7 year olds and their first deer
Caden Hutchinson (L) and Brayden Adams

Robbie, Adam, and Caden Hutchinson
Three generations of W. A. Deer Hunters

Wayne Dunnam holds the rattlesnake that Wade Courtney killed Thursday afternoon

      My guys did not have much luck in the Horn Swamp seeing antlers but they did take home some meat, having killed two does, a cull 4-point, and a hog.  
       The weather cooled off Sunday night and it has been raining off and on ever since.  We have tallied over three inches in that time period.  Once this system finally clears the area and the weather returns to sunny and cool on Friday and through the weekend, I believe the hunting is really going to be good.  The rut is here and hunters just need some favorable weather to put the deer on the move.  I plan to get after them very hard and with Monday off work, I am fired up about the three day weekend.
       My next hog video is still in the editing phase but I am real close to uploading it to YouTube.  Hopefully by next week it will be ready.  Stay tuned.    

       I put in a little time hog hunting Saturday morning.  I had some early luck in a greenfield and then slipped along the river where I jumped five different boars all bedded in separate locations along the bank.  Though the ground was damp and I was moving as quietly as possible, I never could see them before they spooked.  Trying to video and shoot a running hog is just not possible. I should have ditched the camera and just shot them but I did not.  Nearly noon I found another group in a greenfield and got two more.  In the next week I'll get that video edited and uploaded to YouTube so stay tuned.  It should be another good one.  This will be my last hog video for a while.  With the rut bearing down I have turned to deer hunting until the end of the season.
      At three o'clock Saturday afternoon I finally settled into my climber with bow in hand.  This was the first bowhunt of the season for me and it was great to be back.  But the hogs followed me.  A boar came out of the thicket and into the hardwoods with me and stopped to feed on acorns just fifty yards away.  He spend thirty minutes at that range but never got any closer.  Later another group of hogs came into the hardwoods within sight but not shooting distance with the bow.  
       I hunted again Sunday.  Overall I did see some deer and a few bucks including one medium sized eight point that worked scrapes and made rubs and he worked his way through the woods.  He had that look that he was on a mission, that things are different than they were a month ago.  And they are.  The rut is about to break loose.  
       Wilcox Academy is hosting its 28th Annual Deer Hunt this weekend.  We are looking for nearly 100 hunters in the largest hunt we have had in about six years.  The first round of "early hunters" will hit the woods Thursday afternoon and the remaining hunters will join them Friday afternoon and hunt through Sunday morning.  The success of the hunt is greatly tied to the weather forecast and we have been fortunate to enjoy favorable weather in hunts of recent years. It will not be that way this time around.  Temperatures that are expected to warm to the mid 70s as highs and lows that will only dip to the 50s will not help the overall deer movement.  
       Let me know how things are going in your neck of the woods and send those photos to me at hornswamp@yahoo.com if you would like them featured here, along with the story of your kill.  Thanks for checking in.  Good hunting!  

       I hope all of you had a safe and merry Christmas and had some extra time to spend with your family.  My family started the weekend off Friday night with our annual pre-Christmas night at the cabin.  This is usually the one night of the year my wife joins my boys and I for a night at the cabin.  This year was rather cold with the temperature dipping to 27 overnight.  We had a big time but did not get in much hunting, though I did shoot a hog late on Saturday afternoon.  
       Christmas night, back at home, we spent some time in the neighbor's storm shelter as several tornados took aim at Camden.  Thankfully there was no damage here, but a twister touched down in the Coy community just southwest of the Horn Swamp property.  It was about 300 yards wide at its widest point and traveled northeast about 3 miles before crossing the river.  All of its path was either across a big field, likely the largest one in that area, or through timberland.  It missed demolishing houses scattered through the countryside by just a couple hundred yards in places.  Unfortunately one landowner lost upwards of 100 acres of hardwoods near the river.  The storm went across the river and continued northeast and apparently began to dissipate or at least rise into the air again.  It crossed the road leading to our property about three quarters of a mile from our gate, knocking a few trees into the road and clipping the tops out of a pine plantation.  Had it remained intact it would have passed directly through Camden but thankfully did not hold together much longer.  
       It seems that the deer hunting has been slow in our area which is normal for late December.  However, in just a couple of weeks the bucks are going to break loose and I look forward to spending some time in the tree as the rut comes around.  

       My cousin Curtis Malone and his friends hunted the swamp this past weekend.  They started with some cool conditions and ended on a very warm note just before the rain set in Sunday.  Larry Howser killed the nice 10-point whose photograph was shown here a few weeks prior.  The buck came out late in the afternoon in the same field where I saw him, walked about 250 yards directly toward Larry and he dropped him at a distance of 40 yards.  The buck was traveling with two does.  He scored 126 7/8.    

Larry Howser and a beautiful 10 point from the Horn Swamp

      Though many folks are in the woods after deer right now, there are those that are still out fishing.  What a great area we live in where the weather allows such action as late in the year as December.   My neighbor Jimmy Cook has been wearing out the spotted bass and my other neighbor's brother, Dennis Willett, has been working on the crappie. These two are not alone in reporting a great fall and winter of both bass and crappie fishing.

Dennis Willett and a 2.3 lb. crappie from the Alabama River in December

Jimmy Cook and some December spotted bass from the Alabama River.

       The two inch rain that fell Sunday and into Monday was our best rainfall event in months.  It appears the weather is changing a bit to a little wetter pattern as we head into the new year.    

       I did not get in the woods this past weekend and I did not feel too bad about it considering the warm weather that had been hanging around for the past couple of weeks.  We are now in that middle ground of the season where the bucks are wary and the rut has not kicked in yet.  The number of quality bucks killed around here each week usually declines for the first part of December even if the weather is cool and it has not been that at all.  The number of hunters in the woods will pick back up around the holidays and then around the tenth of January the rut usually picks up steam in our area.  
      Surely the area's thirsty food plots were happy to see the half inch of rain that fell with the passing front yesterday.  That was the best rainfall total that we have gotten since the first of October.  After a record warm beginning to December, the air is much more appealing for hunting outside this morning as most of us head to work. 
       The hog hunting episode of Scentblocker's The Chase with Leigh and Travis that was filmed in the Swamp at the first annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt in September of 2011 airs again tonight on The Sportsman's Channel at 6:30pm.  It comes back on at 6am on Wednesday morning and again on Sunday afternoon.  If you do not get this channel, you can likely pay a small fee ($3 per month for Dish Network) and get The Sportsman's Channel and the Outdoor Channel.  That is not a bad price to see so many good shows that air on these channels.  
       My deer hunt on December 2nd that turned into a coyote shoot is now on YouTube.  You can link to it here.  Stay tuned...there should be much more action in the weeks to come.
   

Andrew and William Malone

        The youth in this area have had a stellar start to the deer season.  This week I have photos of Ed and Rhyne Williams of Selma with two bucks they killed over Thanksgiving in the south Dallas County area of Portland.  Also, 5-year old Harrison Travis of Camden killed his first buck while hunting on the north side of Camden weekend before last.  

Ed and Rhyne Williams

Harrison Travis

       On Sunday afternoon the boys and I were out doing a few chores around the cabin, particularly dyeing our leg traps in preparation of some varmint trapping we plan to begin next weekend.  On our way back to town just before dark, I spotted a whole herd of hogs in a greenfield.  I counted at least 17 grown hogs plus some small shoats in the mix as well.  I got the biggest boar out of the group.  His demise will be featured in the next video.  

       Hopefully we are about to put a little dent in the coyote population.  I have read quite a few recent studies showing what a huge impact that coyotes have in eating young fawns.  Right before our deer numbers dropped off significantly about ten years ago, seven out of ten does we killed had no milk and therefore no fawn.  Something was obviously getting these fawns and I suspect it was the coyotes.  We have a healthy population of the canines, evident by the chorus of howls you hear at night on the property.  I'll keep you posted on our progress.  I first delved into trapping over 20 years ago and had some success.  The boys are really excited about this new venture.   

       The youth around this area continue to hammer their first bucks and some big bucks as well.  You hear a lot of concern about the today's youth spending too much time indoors and in front of video games, however, you can look to Wilcox County, Alabama as a shining star for the future of hunting.  These kids are surely developing a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors and I think the future is in good hands.  If only they would teach us old hunters how to bag the big one!  

Lyston Donald of Auburn killed this buck while hunting on his family's 
property near Pine Apple, Alabama in Wilcox County.  

Jim Lawler of Camden, last year's Youth Winner in the Wilcox Area Chamber
Big Buck Contest, looks to be in the money again this year with a big 11 point!

Lane Jones, brother of Chase Jones who was featured here last week, got his own
fine 8 point while hunting his family's property in Wilcox County.  

November 13, 2012

      The temperatures and overall weather this fall have been simply spectacular.  We have not had too many unseasonably warm days and have had had plenty of cool and crisp mornings.  The weather was great for this past weekend's youth season will be good for this week's muzzleloader days and the opening of rifle season on Saturday.  The leaves in our area are in full color and the woods are as beautiful as they are at any time of the year.  November is surely my favorite month of the year.  
       Our dry conditions continue though as the front that moved through yesterday brought just a quarter of an inch of rain in my gauge.  I had hoped for more as our food plots could surely use it.  They have had two rains in the past month totaling just a half of an inch and could have used a little more but they are surviving nevertheless.
        Here's a video from a hog hunt this past weekend with my boys.  We were fortunate to find a group in a greenfield and slipped up on them right away.  They bolted when the wind swirled but I got one on the run before they got away.  I still have another video in production and will get that uploaded shortly.  Stay tuned and good luck to everyone this weekend.
       

November 6, 2012

      I spent two early mornings in the swamp looking for hogs this past weekend with limited success.  I spent five hours worth on slow stalks through the hardwoods and eventually through some of our pine plantations.  It was great exercise indeed but there were miles trekked in between hog sightings.  The swamp is just bone dry at this point.  I saw just two locations that held any water and that amounted to water that was two inches deep and covered about as much space as an average pickup truck.  Acorns are still falling of course and the hogs are feeding on them, likely a lot at night.  The leaves are in peak color now and it is such a great time to be in the woods.  
       Saturday morning I ran across one boar that saw me before I saw him and then I found two sows and some shoats about mid morning gobbling up acorns under some red oaks.  I should have killed one of them but did not shoot quick enough after setting up the camera.  The variable wind of the morning shifted towards the hogs and they were gone before I could react.  Sunday morning I caught up with a few feeding in a road on acorns and finally got one shot for the weekend.  The video of these hunts and last weekend's hunt is being edited and I should have that uploaded late this week.  
      Our food plots that were in slightly moist ground were growing but really needed the rain we got last night.  At my house, about seven miles north east of the swamp, my rain gauge collected six tenths of an inch.  I would expect we got roughly that same amount on the plots and that should carry them now.  
       

October 30, 2012

      I got in one hunt this weekend which was a Saturday morning hog hunt.  The front began blowing in Friday night here and Saturday morning was cool and breezy.  I though the winds would be blowing acorns from the trees and the hogs would be on the move but I was wrong.  I did see one boar early that I could not get on camera for the shot and then I saw another group of hogs along the river next to a cane thicket.  I got one of those and then spent two more hours stalking before I came across another one.  I got that one too and ended the hunt with two kills.  Those are on video and I plan to get in one more hunt before I edit and upload the video so stay tuned.
       Our woods have really gotten dry.  Every shallow pond that held water in the late summer has now dried up completely.  There are a few stump holes that have water and the hogs are using them as wallows.  Our food plots are beginning to grow thanks to moisture already in the ground when we planted but it appears they will have to wait some more time to get a rain from above.    
       Once again the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Big Buck Contest.  Eligible areas for the buck to be killed are Wilcox County and any adjacent county ( Dallas, Marengo, Clarke, Butler, Lowndes).  There are over $13,000 in prizes.  There is an adult division and a youth division along with monthly big buck winners and a big doe contest.  Tickets are $10 for the adult division and $10 for the youth (15 and under).  See this link to view the flyer for complete information and stop by most any store Camden to buy a ticket.      

October 22, 2012

      On Saturday morning I hit the woods for an hour and a half of hog hunting before planting food plots.  Once again I saw plenty of sign but the hogs were not on the move early, not at least where I was.  I saw one boar but could not get him in the lens and the scope at the same time before he got downwind of me and bolted.  I did finally get our food plots planted.  The weather was spectacular and I know that bowhunters all across Alabama were enjoying the crisp day on the firs Saturday of bowseason.    
      Sunday morning I hunted with Andre Thionville on property he leases north of Camden.  Andre had bowhunted deer on Saturday and had seen a lot of hogs.  We decided to film a hunt.  The property he leases is an absolute hog heaven.  It is wet and has plenty of cover and lots of acorns including an abundance of white oaks.  Our first hour in the woods was uneventful and then we began seeing hogs.  We saw numerous groups and singles as we stalked through the palmetto filled hardwoods.  Andre got two and we had likely would have had more if not for some miscommunication between he and I in regards to whether the camera was on the hog or not when he had it in the scope.  The video is uploading to YouTube this morning so stop by again tomorrow for a link to it. (Here's the link...finally uploaded on Wednesday night.)
        This week we send a big congratulations to Wells Deloney, nephew of my good friend Bryan Deloney, of Ozark.  Wells took his first shot at a deer with a bow this past weekend and connected on a fine eight point.  His 27 yard shot was true to the mark and the deer ran just 100 yards.  I think another young man is hooked for life on the sport of bowhunting.  Congratulations, Wells, you are off to a spectacular start!  

 
Wells Deloney and his first bow kill! 

October 15, 2012

      On Saturday morning I enjoyed another fun morning of hog hunting.  By myself this time, I stalked some areas of the Swamp very slowly, battling a swirling wind, but had some luck nevertheless.  The first hog I saw was a big boar.  I caught a glimpse of him moving through some open hardwoods and quickly got the camera on him and took a shot.  He ran a short distance and piled up.  After a couple more hours of slipping along I finally caught up with two more hogs, both boars as well, in a little overcup acorn bottom.  The video of the morning's hunt is my favorite so far.  I think you will like this one too.  In case you might have missed any of the videos done here in the past two years, I have put a link at the top of the page to take you to a listing of all.  
       Sunday afternoon's hunt was even better though.  I had promised to take Miller Lambert and his dad Les on a hog hunt and for the past month and a half and we have tried to get our schedules together without success.  Finally the date was picked and off we went, with my 7 year old Alexander also along for the hunt.  We got in the hardwoods and then walked over in the now dried up Duck Pond.  We watched a couple of gobblers feed across the end of the pond and then we slipped over in the hardwoods across the pond.  Stepping through the grass at the edge of the pond, we nearly stepped right on a hog that was bedded down.  He ran off and we tipped into the edge of the woods and immediately saw a group of hogs feeding under some huge red oaks.  Miller readied his gun and a few minutes later shot the biggest, a sow that I guessed to weigh about 140 lbs. or more.  I got some video of the hunt but I was sick that I missed the actual shot.  The big sow had gone behind some trees and I knew Miller was about to shoot.  I was trying to move the camera over to get a clearer view and he shot before I got on the hog again.  Our purpose was to kill a hog though and not make a video so the camera work was just gravy.  It is still a great video and I'm not sure which one of us was happier about the outcome.  Here's the video. 
          We headed to another area of the hardwoods where I felt we could find some hogs feeding under some more large red oaks.  Just as I suspected they were there but we had trouble slipping close enough.  Miller tried a long shot through likely a few too many limbs.  That shot did not connect but another hog came running from behind us and Miller's father, Les, took that one down with a head shot.
         Bowseason opens today and just as I predicted the weather forecast for the first weekend looks exceptional.  For those of us returning to the woods Saturday morning, we will be greeted with temperatures in the upper 40s.  That is right nice for October.  Good luck to everyone!  

Alexander Malone (L) and Miller Lambert

October 9, 2012

      I got in a few early morning hog hunts this past weekend and had some success.  The most fun was seeing lots of wildlife as I stalked through the property.  I started the morning Saturday seeing several bucks.  Soon after I found some hogs, then saw turkeys, and slipped up on three coyotes.  Actually, I think I jumped those coyotes but they were not sure what I was so they did not run away quickly, giving me some fleeting glimpses.  If I had not tried to capture it all on film I surely could have shot at least one of them.  I got upwind of an 8 point in a cane thicket and when he bolted for safety, he nearly ran over me.  I heard the racket headed my way and readied the camera, but before I could get it on and recording the buck was bounding my way at close range.  I saw the fear in his eyes at a distance of 15 yards as he changed directions slightly to avoid trampling me.  I appreciate his efforts as that would not have been a pleasant adventure.  Unfortunately, no video was captured of that encounter.  I do have another six minute video up of the hunts so take a look and I hope you enjoy.  
        I sure am sorry that bowseason opens on a Monday.  It would have been nice to have enjoyed another weekend had the season been allowed to open two days earlier on the 13th.  But there are still four weekends of bowhunting prior to the opening of gun season so bowhunters will, as always, enjoy ample time for that early crack at the deer.  There is no better time to see a good buck in the Alabama woods than the first week of bowseason.  
        There is a good acorn crop in our woods and though food is plentiful, I like having acorns which helps get the deer out of the thickets and into the open woods for a bit easier hunting.  So far we are seeing some very cool weather for early October and hopefully the trend will continue.  More times than not we will see a cool snap for the opening of bowseason.  The first weekend of this season might again see such favorable weather if the forecast holds.  

October 2, 2012

      There is not much hunting to report this week, but I did get the video from a hog hunt the prior weekend uploaded to YouTube.  Click here to watch that 6 minute video.  Otherwise, I'm hopng to get our food plots in the ground in the next week as bowseason is closing in on us.  It is great to receiving ample rainfall this fall and I expect everyone's fields are going to do real well.  

September 25, 2012

      Saturday morning I met Charlie Evans at his taxidermy shop in Arlington, on the western side of Wilcox County.  I delivered the hog hunt's youth winner's hog head to him.  Mr. Evans had donated a free mount to the event.  This was my first time to meet Charlie.  I really enjoyed our visit and I was very impressed with his work.  I am sure he could mount anything you asked him to, but certainly what he does the most of is deer and hogs.  When you shoot that good buck this fall and want to put him on the wall, remember Charlie when it comes time to find a taxidermist.  His fee for a shoulder mount is just $275 and I think you will be very pleased with his work.  Check him out at www.charlieevanstaxidermy.com .  
       Friend Terry Sims and I got out in the swamp early Saturday morning for a hog hunt.  Everywhere we went there was fresh sign but they just were not feeding much while we were there.  We finally tracked down one group of hogs and Terry got two in one shot--the kind that are just right for grilling.  I got it on video and should have a link to that hunt for you to watch next week.
       The acorns are really dropping on some of the water oaks.  I think that is the primary reason the hogs have left my barrels of corn alone.  Though we shot quite a few of them around the barrels two weekends ago, they had continued to come to them immediately afterwards.  But now, the activity has declined dramatically.  I think back to the latter half of last September and I had witnessed the same thing.  I put out  a feeder trying to lure in some hogs and it did not work.  Only deer and turkeys came to the corn, though there were plenty of hogs in the vicinity.  One might surmise that hogs like acorns much more than corn.   

September 18, 2012

      The desire for a muzzleloader had never reached my brain until last weekend.  Their only drawback is the speed it takes to reload and their need for extensive cleaning after just a few shots.  Otherwise, they are simply deadly on hogs.  The models Travis and Leigh used had 30 inch barrels and were capable of taking game at 300 yards on the first shot.  After each shot the accuracy declines until the barrel is cleaned from the fouling that occurs to the rifled barrel from the black powder.  The .50 caliber slug, which is twice the diameter of my .270 cartridge, blew some serious holes in pigs.  Rarely did one run after taking that 250 grain slug, but when it did, the blood trail was extensive.  There is also something cool about that big puff of smoke as well.  It can be blinding at times and if there is no breeze you often can not see what happened to the animal you just shot.  But I still like it.  A video advertising the Traditions muzzleloaders that Travis and Leigh use is on YouTube and will be begin playing in Cabela's stores real soon.  Clips from the hog hunting in the Horn Swamp were used in the opening portion of the video.  Click here to view that video.  
       Last Friday evening after work my friend John Barrett Travis and I took my 7 year old son Alexander and his 7 year old daughter Barrett to the swamp in hopes that Barrett could kill her first hog.  We went right to one of the barrels and there were five hogs feeding on it.  We set up and in no time Barrett pulled the trigger on the Ruger Mini 14 and sent a .223 bullet right into the shoulder of a boar.  I captured it all on video and you can watch it by clicking here.  
        I also finally edited and uploaded a four minute video of a hog hunt from last Thanksgiving morning.  This one is uploaded to Vimeo instead of YouTube.  Click here to view that one.
        Thanks for all the messages and comments sent regarding The Chase's hog episode that aired last week.  If you missed it this round, it will air again about the first week of December.  I'll remind you here at this page when it comes on again.  

September 11, 2012

      I do not know when I have had more fun hunting as I did last weekend.  It is also rewarding to see a plan come together.  The Chase cameras rolled, the muzzleloaders belched that black powder smoke into the hardwoods, and pigs were dropping at a regular pace.  Leigh had her first hog within 30 minutes of getting in the woods Thursday afternoon and Leigh also killed their final hog of the hunt Sunday around noon as the hunt was coming to a close.  In between, Travis killed eight himself.  We never went long without any action.  In all 13 hogs were killed on film including three really good boars.  All were shot with Traditions Performance Firearms muzzleloaders.  We had so much success that it now looks like The Chase's third season could have two exciting hog episodes.  Remember to watch tonight as the hog episode filmed in September of last year and in February of this year airs on The Sportsman's Channel at 6:30pm CST.  It will also air again on Wednesday at 6:00am and again on  Sunday at 3:00pm.  We had a premiere of the show to a crowd of about 125 people on Saturday night at the Hog Rodeo and it was very well received.  I think you will like it.  You can link over to my album on Facebook to see lots of the action pictures from the weekend.  You do not have to be a Facebook member to see this album.    
       The 2nd Annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Rodeo was a big success.  Everyone had a great time and we made some money for the scholarship fund.  Though it was extremely hot and humid for most of the time, we were thankful it did not rain.  I tip my hat to Joy and Ed Davis for all they do to put this event together.  
        I will tell you a little more about our hunts next week so stay tuned.

September 5, 2012

      The tropical moisture from Hurricane Issac finally caught up with us and left about 5 inches of rain here yesterday.  You can almost cut the moisture in the air with a knife as humidity levels remain about 95%.  Cooler and drier air can not get here fast enough for my tastes.   
       Hunting is now underway in the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Rodeo.  We ended up with 6 dog teams consisting of 4 hunters each, one trapping team, and six adult stalk hunters.  As of last night the youth hunters were still being tallied but we had at least 15 enter that category.  All in all, we should have roughly 50 hunters taking part in the event and hopefully we will give the area hog population a good haircut.  
        Travis and Leigh Creekbaum will be here Thursday afternoon to begin their hunting and filming of another hog episode.  Filming of their second season took them from northern Quebec to New Zealand and from here to Wyoming.   They say the hog episode filmed here ended up as one of their favorite shows.  It will air on the Sportsman's Channel on Sept. 11 at 6:30pm CST and again the next morning at 6AM.  All those in attendance at the supper Saturday night in Possum Bend will get a sneak preview of the show.  We have our work cut out for us to match the excitement and success of those hunts this time around.  I've got a good plan and between now and Sunday we will see how it works out.      

August 29, 2012

      We're in final countdown mode to the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt next weekend.  We dodged a bullet as Hurricane Issac's forecast took aim at us late last week and then eventually steered to Louisiana.  Downed trees and a whole lot of rain would have really hampered all my efforts in the past two months to get some hogs baited up for the hunt.  As of this morning we've seen only a light breeze and just a brief sprinkle of rain. 
        The Plotwatchers have recorded another two weeks worth of hogs coming to the feeders.  I'm still seeing a number of different groups and some are visiting more than one baiting area which are each located a half mile apart.  At times some really big boars are showing up but they are not as frequent as the others.  Without a doubt, we should be in for some good action next weekend.      
        Anyone who wants to buy a $20 raffle ticket for a youth hog hunt to air on "In the Woods with Ron and Jerry" please contact me (334-525-0462) as soon as possible.  The raffle will be Thursday, Sept. 6.  Youth 15 and under are eligible for this drawing.  Anyone wanting to sign up to hunt needs to do so by this coming Tuesday.  Everyone is invited out to the Possum Bend Hunting Club on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 8th) for a meal, entertainment, and awards plus your chance to visit with Ron and Jerry from "In the Woods with  Ron and Jerry," The Ladies in Camo, Leigh and Travis from "Scentblockers the Chase," and Randy Brown from "Bayed Solid Magazine."  

August 14, 2012

      This week I have another Plotwatcher video from one of the barrel feeders.  The amount of corn had gotten real low and the hogs were having no trouble rolling it around at this point.  Even the smaller pigs could do it.  The pig pipes are working well, though they can drain the corn from one of them in just a few days.  I also got the best picture so far of one of the white hen turkeys. 

August 7, 2012

     I have put two short videos on YouTube showing the results of my hog baiting.  Video One is from the Plotwatcher overlooking one of my 55 gallon drums filled with corn.  The drum has half inch holes drilled in it and is attached to two trees with a rope.  It took the hogs about ten days to figure it out but they have been rolling it back and forth ever since.  The pipe you see in the photo is a "pig pipe."  It is also filled with corn and has a few holes in it.  It is tethered to a small chain attached to a stake and can be rolled around and around in a circle.  This week I moved the Plotwatcher up close to the barrel so next week's update should have some better pictures of the action here.  There are a few pretty big hogs coming to the barrel.  Video Two is from the timed feeder.  There are a couple of groups of hogs working this feeder as well.   
        Stay tuned.    

August 1, 2012

     I've started the updates a little earlier than normal this fall (it is still summer I know).   In preparation for the 2nd Annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Rodeo, I'm starting to bait a few hogs and have the Plotwatcher Game Cameras in the woods keeping an eye on the game.  If you are not familiar with the Plotwatchers, let me tell you a little about them as I am very impressed.  
       First of all I purchased the cheaper models and were not pleased due to the poor battery life.  However, the Plotwatcher Pro is the real deal.  The Plotwatcher is not your regular game camera that is triggered by motion. You set this camera to take photos during certain periods of the day and it will take a picture at various intervals throughout the day.  I does not work at night.  But, what it lets you do is monitor a large area for game movement.  You can watch a whole food plot and tell what time and where the deer are entering.  Expect to get several months worth of photos on one set of batteries.  I set mine to take photos every ten seconds from daybreak until around 9am, then they turn off until 4pm and then go back to taking photos every ten seconds until dark.   
         After just a few days of running one feeder I had a group of hogs, twenty or more, feeding regularly.  Also, a mostly white hen and her brood of little ones showed up as well.  The Plotwatchers are going to be my eyes in the woods and should have us on some hogs by the time the Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt time rolls around. Stay tuned for more photos and updates. 

July 17, 2012

     We're getting ready for the 2nd Annual Brad Powe Memorial Hog Hunt and I hope each of you in our area will join us in Possum Bend, Alabama on the weekend of September 8th for this event.  We lost my friend Brad in a tragic car accident in the spring of 2011 and a scholarship fund was established in his memory.  Ed Davis came up with the idea for a hog hunt to raise monies for the fund about this time last year.  He quickly put together the first event and it was a great success.  This May we awarded the first scholarship to Cade Ingram of Camden, who will be attending the University of Alabama this fall.  Brad loved the Crimson Tide and I know he would be happy that Cade is being helped in his memory.  
       This upcoming event is going to be a lot of fun.  There are three categories that hunters can enter:  trapping, dog hunting, or stalk hunting.  The entry fees are $100 per trapping team (up to 4 members), $100 per dog hunting team (up to 4 members), and $25 per stalk hunter.  Each category will compete for the most hogs weighed in and the winner will receive 75% of the entry fees of each category.  There will be an overall winner of $250 for the longest tusks and $250 for the heaviest hog.  The hunting begins on Wednesday, Sept 5 and ends at noon on Saturday the 8th.  You must enter by Tuesday evening to compete.  
      Youth hunters, those 15 and under, can enter the stalk category for $20.  In addition to the prize money awarded in the stalk category, the youth hunter that kills the heaviest hog will win $100.  Raffle tickets will be sold for $20 each for a youth to go on a hog hunt locally to be filmed and featured on a future show of "In the Woods with Ron and Jerry" that airs on the Sportsman's Channel.  Each youth hunter that enters the hunting will be automatically entered in the drawing, however, youth do not have to participate in order to buy a chance on this opportunity.  
        Headquarters of the event is the Pursley Creek Hunting Club in Possum Bend (near Camden).  On Saturday evening we will have a big evening meal with entertainment and the awards presentation.  Everyone is invited to this event and please come out and show your support.  Last year we had over 350 attendees and we expect a bigger crowd this year.  
       Back in attendance with us this year is the crew from "In the Woods with Ron and Jerry" along with Leigh and Travis Creekbaum of "Scentblockers The Chase."  Both of those shows air on the Sportsman's Channel.  The dog hunting magazine guys of "Bayed Solid" will be here as well as the "Ladies in Camo."  
        If you need an entry form, email me at hornswamp@yahoo.com or call me at 334-525-0462.  This event is open to anyone who wants to participate.  
        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 are now airing.