The boys, Presley, Laura and myself left Birmingham at 9:30 the morning of the 25th. We would be the only ones at the camp for a couple of days, as mom and dad had flown to Charlotte to see Ryan and Brigette. The temperature was cool and skies were overcast as we made our way into the Delta around 2:00 that afternoon. As we pulled into the gate at the homesite, a nice 6 point was carelessly feeding in Ni-Ni’s plot a mere 200 yards away. He paid us little attention as we unloaded our gear, groceries and 3 kids. The boys and I got dressed and headed to the Tractor Shed field, leaving the ladies at the camp to stay warm and get dinner going. We ran deer off of the Landing Strip, the Owl Field and the Tractor Shed field as we made our way in. It was obvious the deer were moving early that particular afternoon. We sat until dark and saw 8, but only one small buck. We spent the night enjoying the country life that the farm offers. It’s such a contrast to the neighborhood scene we spend each day in, but very much the life that both Laura and myself grew up enjoying. Laura and I spent several minutes outside just in awe of the stars, the sounds and the beauty of being away from the city lights. It was a cold, crisp, 29 degrees that evening and we saw several deer grazing behind the camp that evening. The next morning I woke to cold, clear skies but I just couldn’t make myself get the boys up and going very early. I went back to bed and we all got moving around 8. We made a quick trek into the 3 way, but the only movement we saw was a big raccoon. We eased back to the camp around 10 and had a nice breakfast and just enjoyed the solitude of being there. There is a cleansing to the spirit that comes at the farm…almost indescribable. We packed up and departed around 3 that afternoon and headed to Natchez to be with family through Friday morning.
I beat the alarm on my phone that I had set for 3:00 Friday morning by 10 minutes. I quickly dressed, made some coffee and roused the boys. We were all excited to head back to the farm for the next couple of days. We made the 2 hour trip uneventfully and pulled into the camp at 5:30 and began gearing up for a morning duck hunt. There were a lot of birds, but once again, we are subject to little water with the dry fall we’ve had and only managed a couple of wood ducks. It was still a beautiful sunrise with a clear, cold, 28 degree morning. The boys decided they wanted to go sit in a deer stand around 8 so we loaded up and headed to the Owl Field. They napped while I watched for the next hour or so. It was very eventful mid-morning sit, as we saw 14 deer by 10:30. They, and I, were ready to head back to the camp to rest a bit and grab some breakfast. Mom and Dad flew back in that morning and joined us around 2. We talked a bit and then all headed to our afternoon stands. The boys and I decided to go to the Rat Hole, as the sign there was unbelievable. We saw 6 deer heading in and began seeing deer within 5 minutes of getting settled. Hayes drifted off to sleep again, leaving Grayson and I to watch the small field. Around 3:25 I looked to the south and saw a big bodied buck and a doe at about 75 yards. I moved Grayson into position and got him settled. He did fantastic at calming himself and taking his time. Finally after about 3 minutes (it felt like an hour) the buck turned broadside to us. I told Grayson to gently ease back on the trigger and the sharp crack of the rifle broke the calmness of the crisp afternoon. I heard the bullet hit and the buck reared back on his hind legs and took off, keeping his shoulder tucked into his body. I knew Grayson had made a great shot, although I lost the buck as he made his way through the thick WRP. Grayson was tickled to death and couldn’t quit laughing and I was shaking like a leaf. Little brother slept through the entire episode, and only when we woke him a half hour later did he even realize what had happened. We made our way down to where the buck was standing when Grayson shot and I saw him laying only 30 yards away. I didn’t mention it to the boys as I wanted to let them track him themselves. It only took a moment or two before Hayes saw him and both of them took off in a sprint towards the downed buck. High fives and hugs were abundant as we admired the deer. Grayson had made a perfect shoulder shot and we had a quick, clean kill. I said a prayer of thanks to The Lord for providing us with such a wonderful blessing. The buck was a heavy 3 year old. He pushed the scales down to 190 when we hung him that evening. Grayson has been beside himself since he got another buck and he is becoming quite the little hunter in his young age. Of course, Hayes is now ready to challenge big brother and will be the trigger man as we anticipate making our way back to the farm for the holidays. He has not killed a deer before, or even shot at one, so it should be interesting to say the least! God bless and I hope you and your family had a Happy Thanksgiving.