Can I just take a moment and say what a blessed man I am. God has placed his hand on me and given me a beautiful, healthy family that I enjoy spending time with and pursuing their passions as well. Our typical week looks something like getting up around 6:30 every morning (after several interruptions of sleep from Baby Presley during the night), working 45-50 hour workweeks, shuttling both boys to different fields and coaching baseball 4-5 nights a week along with every Saturday, trying to fit dinner in somewhere in all of this and then bedtime stories and in bed by 11 to do it all over again the following day. Somehow, someway, Laura has even been able to train for her first half marathon. Don't ask me how she did all of this, but we managed...and wouldn't trade our crazy/hectic life for anything else. All that said, we went to Nashville for the weekend (separately...Grayson had an 8:00 game Friday night that the boys and I stayed for and then drove up, arriving around 12:30 Friday night/Saturday morning). Laura did AWESOME and I am so proud of her for her accomplishment, only 8 months after having Presley. I'm not an exercise guru by any stretch (you can look at me and tell that) but the allure of running one of these is definitely on the radar for next year. Nashville did it up right, with 40,000 participants. It was a lot of fun to see everyone amped up for the race Saturday morning as the sun peaked over the Nashville skyline. We finished up the race mid morning and then spent the rest of the day celebrating our big boy, Grayson, who turned 7 this weekend as well. We had dinner at "The Aquarium" Saturday evening, which he loved, and then took him to Bass Pro to get fitted for a 20 gauge, which is what he wants for his birthday. The doves and ducks better watch out this coming fall! A great weekend spent with family and enjoying all of God's blessings.
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Had a great weekend in Natchez with family and got the opportunity to go up to the farm on Saturday for a little work. Dad and I got the Tractor Shed Field, Owl Field and the Landing Strip sprayed with a mixture of Roundup and 2,4D. That should knock back all of the Fall mix that has been planted since September. We'll give it a couple of weeks and get the ground prepped for putting our Summer plots in. Dad picked up 14 bags of RR Soybeans and a couple bags of Milo on Friday. I'm considering renting the no-till from Devinney in Jackson to see if we can drill it in to help with weed control. We normally don't have much volunteer growth until we break the seed bed, at which time they flourish. I've got a couple weeks to decide what we'll do. Also got to enjoy an almost complete (how long have I been calling it that) camp. Apparently my phone decided to take terrible pictures of everything while I was there Saturday, so please forgive the quality of the photos. I also found an old roadbed while looking on Google Earth one day and was able to walk it out. To say I'm excited, both of the location on the property, as well as how it looked when I walked in there is an understatement. I will likely pull the pecan ladder and place that stand on the roadbed. I've already got a tree picked out. Being able to see more than 40 yards in the WRP is an accomplishment. This will allow me to see 100+ yards in a couple of directions, which should give me a great place to catch the big one slipping in and out of his bedroom. Access is very easy and I can slip in and out quietly. I'm looking forward to getting the stand hung and staying out until October. Next project is to get our millet and milo planted for dove season. I hope to do this early June. A few pictures are below.
Made a family trip over to the farm in order to help dad unload some furniture and get the protein feeders started for the year. It was my first trip up since the kitchen/den area has been started and WOW is all I can say. Dad, Terry and Bryant have done a fantastic job on everything and I can't believe how well it has turned out. There is still about 10% left to finish. Installing a couple of windows, completing the molding and finishing out the tin on the bottom in the den area; as well as installing the kitchen island and cooktop. It's going to be so nice (it already is) once complete and we are completely self contained. We all enjoyed the big den area each night and it was nice to grill some burgers and sausage outside while enjoying the nice spring weather. The boys had a blast with Delta and I was able to get a few new small shooting lanes trimmed out. I even got to ride Laura and Presley around on the Ranger late Saturday afternoon. Presley loved it! It was a little wet to get the tractor and bush hog out but getting to Turkey Track and clipping the old roadbed in there is next on the list of to do's. There are deer all over right now, obviously content with the lack of pressure all around. I saw over 30 deer Saturday while riding and working. We also found 3 sheds just along the roads and I'm sure I could have found more if I had gone looking for them. A few pictures are below. I plan to be back for Easter and will take some final pictures of the finished camp house then. *10/8 afternoon:
Rat Hole: 5 Bucks, 1 Doe Bow Hole: 1 Buck, 2 Does *10/9 morning: Pecan Ladder: 0 Rabbit Hole: 0 *11/9 afternoon: Tractor Shed Field: 4 Bucks, 6 Does *11/10 morning: 3Way: 1 Buck, 3 Does *11/29 afternoon: Owl Field: 4 Bucks, 10 Does Tractor Shed Field: 5 Bucks, 5 Does *12/7 morning: 3 Way: 3 Bucks, 10 Does Owl Field: 2 Does, 2 Hogs (Shot Hog) *12/7 afternoon: 3 Way: 2 Bucks, 6 Does Landing Strip: 3 Bucks, 11 Does Owl Field: 5 Bucks, 17 Does *12/14 afternoon Owl Field: 5 Bucks, 24 Does *12/26 afternoon 3 Way: 1 Buck, 3 Does Landing Strip: 8 Does *12/27 midday Owl Field: 1 Buck, 7 Does *12/27 afternoon Owl Field: 2 Bucks, 13 Does 3 Way: 3 Does *12/28 afternoon Landing Strip: 1 Buck, 7 Does Owl Field: 3 Bucks, 12 Does Tractor Shed Field: 4 Bucks, 8 Does *1/18 Morning Rat Hole: 1 Buck, 1 Doe 3 Way: 3 Does Landing Strip 2 Does *1/18 Afternoon 3 Way: 2 Bucks, 7 Does Landing Strip: 3 Bucks, 16 Does Owl Field: 3 Bucks, 12 Does, 1 Hog (Shot Hog) Tractor Shed Field: 5 Bucks, 10 Does, 6 Hogs (Shot Hog and 3 Year Old Buck) *1/19 Morning Owl Field: 1 Buck, 3 Does Tractor Shed Field, 0 *1/21 Afternoon Landing Strip: 0 Owl Field: 3 Bucks, 13 Does *2014 Totals: 293 Deer in 33 Hunts for an average of 8.87 deer/hunt. *11 morning hunts with a total of 30 deer seen for an average of 2.72 deer/hunt. *22 afternoon hunts with a total of 263 deer seen for an average of 11.95 deer/hunt. *A total of 69 bucks and 224 does for a ratio of 1 Buck/3.24 Does. *We took 1 Buck, 1 Doe and 3 Hogs off of 3F in 2014. Matt H, Matt C and myself left Birmingham around 6:30 Friday evening for the 5 hour trek to the farm. It's always a lot of fun to travel with these guys and the trip seems to go by quickly. We were all on high for the weekend with great weather being in the forecast. The guys weekend is a marked date on each of our calendars and a great way to put a finishing touch on the season that has been. We all rag each other hard all weekend and have a jam up time. I elected to bow hunt for the weekend and was looking forward to toting the stick and string. It is definitely my preferred method of hunting and what I normally have in hand when I'm not "guiding" the boys. I was ready to get rid of all the bad juju surrounding this past season and did something I've never done before. I broke out the face paint for the weekend hunts. It was go time! The morning hunt was fairly eventful. I had a nice high and tight 2-3 year old 8 point walk within 30 yards of me and I was able to get some great video of him cruising the WRP. I hope we're able to meet again next year, my friend. Other than a few deer here or there for everyone else, the morning was all quiet. Both Matt's decided to made mid day sits and were seeing quite a few deer during those hours. Once again, a true testament to the deer on this property having a mid day pattern. One of these days I'll learn to sleep in and hunt the mid-day and afternoon. I hung around the camp helping dad, Terry and Bryant prepping it for the new kitchen/den area that is under way. I finally got settled in the seat of my Ol' Man at 2:00 with anticipation of a great afternoon despite the wind. I ran 2 does, a spike and a 17" 6 point off while coming in that afternoon so I was very optimistic and looking forward to a 4 hour tree side vigil in the peacefullness of the great outdoors. After all, how can a beautiful afternoon spent overlooking this be bad? All was quiet until about 4:45 when a few deer began browsing. I had 4 spikes in front of me and was cussing my luck about not being able to get a doe close enough for a shot. At 5:30 6 deer popped out at 100 yards and I saw a buck in the bunch. It appeared he had broken off his poor side just above the base, but it was a no doubter that he was a messed up racked buck I had been getting pictures of since September. He was on the hit list, although I doubted he would close the distance before dark. He fed contently for a while and began to bump the does a bit, staying over 100 yards the whole time. I began to grunt at him with my mouth and he immediately picked his head up in interest. He started my way, very slowly. I was battling darkness and a cautious buck not to mention a few deer had crossed the bayou and ended up right right under me. Each time I'd grunt at the buck they would look up at me. I felt pretty naked in the leafless tree. Finally after about 5-6 sequences of grunts toward the buck, he decided to come see what the commotion was all about. He got to 12 yards, and miraculously, I was able to get drawn without spooking any of the deer around. It was a chip shot and I let the spitfire eat. He immediately went down hard on his front end and pile drove himself, both shoulders knocked out, down the field edge. He entered the woods about 40 yards from me where I heard him crash and I knew he was done. Praise the Lord for a swift, clean kill. I went and rounded everyone up and we had an easy recovery. There is something VERY, VERY special about sharing a kill with friends, no matter the size of the deer. We didn't care that he was a broke off, one horn, deformed buck any more than we'd have cared if he was a beautiful, high scoring, symmetrical 8 point. We all shared in the experience of a late season bow kill, a wonderful evening retelling the story around the fire pit and it was a perfect revitalization of what I've missed about deer hunting for a few years. I realize I have let myself get carried away in the big buck frenzy. I love growing big, mature deer and that certainly won't slow down anytime soon, but if shooting a 3 year old every once in a while means having as much fun as we had with this "little ol' 4 pernt", I say bring them on! After reviewing him in person he definitely was not the target buck I thought he was when I squeezed the release. He was a 3 year old I had pictures of as well that had only a spike on one side. I felt bad that I had a case of mistaken identity, although I'm certain this buck would have never made much, even at 4-5 years of age. He was the first buck I have shot on 3F and only the second buck we have taken in 3 years. We have let dozens of 3+ year olds walk over that time and it felt really good to zip an arrow through one. Both Matt's saw plenty of deer over the weekend and several decent bucks as well. Kudos to Matt C for restraining on a nice 16", 3 year old 8 on Saturday afternoon. I know your patience will be rewarded soon! This weekend was a wonderful experience with friends and family and enjoying ALL of God's blessings, no matter the size.
The big 6 from the picture above. I missed this deer twice at 280 yards on the afternoon of Saturday 12/28. He was tending a doe and would not leave her to come any closer. It was farther than I wanted Grayson to shoot and I shot under him both times. Hopefully our third encounter will be the one that I'm able to close the deal with him. Matt H, Hayes and myself left Friday night for a quick trip over to Sharkey County. We arrived around 10 that night to 30 degree weather and a 20 mph North wind. It was chilly! We decided we'd rough it in the camp since it was just guys. I had an air mattress and Matt had a foam pad that we threw on the concrete floor. We used a tarp to cover the pneumonia hole opening, otherwise known as the door to the bedroom. I plugged in the 110 volt window unit heater and I thought I heard it laugh at me while trying to heat the bedroom, which by now I'm fairly certain, was giving Antarctica a run for the coldest place on earth. We brought in the big gun, a sideline type heater dad had invested in. Praise the Lord for the jet blower that made it somewhat tolerable. I inflated the air mattress, put our sleeping bags on top, covered those bags with two additional blankets and snuggled in. I immediately heard air escaping through pin sized holes somewhere around the seam and felt myself sinking. After 10 minutes I was completely laying on the concrete slab and my back was developing frostbite. I slung the covers off, grabbed a bunch of clothes and stuffed them back under the air mattress. I inflated it once more and finally dozed off for a couple hours. I was actually relieved to wake up around 4:30 (never mind the plan to stay at the camp to get some extra rest) and go make some hot coffee. We dressed for the cold and headed out. Hayes, bless his heart, has made two morning hunts in the past week and a half. The first consisted of 19 degree weather and a frozen duck hole. This one was 28, cloudy, spitting snow and a 15 mph North wind. He hasn't complained a single time. I'm hard headed when it comes to killing ducks so I subjected myself, once again, to watching fairly empty skies. The allure of an enclosed deer stand with windows and insulation finally won out after an hour and half of that, however. We took the ranger and headed to the Owl Field. As soon as we arrived I saw a hog cross the road, too quickly for a shot. 5 minutes later he came back out and started walking right toward us. I put the cross hairs between his eyes and squeezed the trigger. The initial shot put him DRT and a quick follow up shot assured we wouldn't have to track him. Not 10 minutes later and an even bigger hog crossed the road but once again no shot was given. 10 minutes after that a coyote crossed the road and I made a quick shot at him. I was beginning to think we were on a dangerous game hunt rather than a whitetail hunt in Mississippi. We went to pick up Matt around 10 and came back to load the hog. Matt had a good hunt and saw 13 deer, but no shooters. After loading up and heading back to camp (the frozen tundra) we had a big pot of red beans, rice, sausage and ham and watched football most of the mid-day. Dad came up around 1 and we headed back to the stands. We all saw plenty of deer that afternoon and I also took a quick shot at yet another coyote that was chasing 5 deer. I thought I missed but the video shows otherwise. I'm fairly certain the bullet found the mark and hopefully there is one less coyote around. The bucks are definitely cruising and some are actually chasing. Most deer that we saw were moving, not feeding at all. I saw a couple of really nice bucks but they were too far to shoot. We loaded up just after dark and heading back to Birmingham. All in all, another great weekend. The rut is kicking off with a bang and should be good through Christmas. Now is the time to be in the woods!
I also pulled a few cameras and updated pictures on the links below. http://3ffarms.weebly.com/ni-nis-plot-1130-127.html http://3ffarms.weebly.com/3-way-plot.html http://3ffarms.weebly.com/tractor-shed-field.html What a blessing to have been able to spend the past 9 years with my best friend! There is an old saying of, "Behind every great man there is a great woman." I'm far from a great man, but Laura makes me so much better than I'd ever be on my own.
Laura, you are such an inspiration to myself, our children and people around you. You exude happiness, joy, laughter, generosity and love. God blessed me richly when he brought you into my life. I can honestly say I love you more today than ever and am so happy that our love grows deeper daily. Thank you for walking by my side and living life with me! Happy Anniversary, Princess; I love you! One thing I learned this weekend is that I'm not as young as I once was. I'm sure it has to do with the new baby, the stress of running the office alone since Laura has been gone, no lunch breaks during the day, etc. I had high aspirations of doing A LOT of hunting this weekend since I've only been able to go twice since Oct 1. I guess that changed with the sound of my alarm at 3:00 on Friday morning. Reports were that the ducks were down in good numbers so upon my urging, Pop-Pop, both boys and myself awoke early to make the two hour drive up in time to be in the blind for legal shooting hours. When we pulled in the gate, the truck thermometer read 19 degrees. The duck hole was frozen solid so I did my best to break a small landing zone in front of the blind. That lasted about 15 minutes before it froze right back. The only 5 ducks that were within calling range obviously didn't like what they saw. After a good ribbing about getting a 63 year old out of bed for this "wonderful duck hunt" that I had promised, we all retreated back to the camp by 7:30 to warm up. The boys did great despite the cold. We all had some breakfast and played around the camp for a few hours. We lit the fire pit up and the boys drove their gator around collecting scrap wood and doing their best to see that the fire bordered on taking out all of Sharkey County. Dad and I checked the zero on our rifles and fired off 8 shots down towards Ni-Ni's food plot at the target. As soon as I had fired the last shot I told dad we probably ran every deer within 100 acres off. No sooner had I gotten that out of my mouth and a nice sized doe runs (yes, she actually ran) out into the very plot we had been blitzing with rounds only seconds before and began feeding. Craziest thing I've ever seen. Just goes to show, the sound of gunfire might not have the detrimental effect we often believe. We did a few stand repairs during the day, seeing quite a few deer on their feet during the middle of the day. We even drove up on a pretty nice 3 year old making a scrape that paid us little attention. Some of the bucks seem to be getting ready for the upcoming rut, while some are still running in bachelor groups. We made it back to the camp in time to watch the first half of LSU/ARK and have the obligatory day after Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. We loaded back up around 3 and headed to the stands. The boys and I dropped dad off at the Owl Field and we headed to the Tractor Shed field where the game cam had shown quite a few bucks. (No pics, left the cards at the camp) About 4:00 Grayson laid down on the floor to take a nap and I promised him I'd wake him up when the deer decided to show. About 2 minutes later I looked up and a fair buck had walked out at 150 yards. It was followed by another racked buck. I quietly told Grayson to come sit with me, very calmly as to not get him overly excited right off the bat. As he was climbing into my lap the 3rd, 4th and 5th bucks walked out. We had 5 bucks feeding at 150 yards and an hour and half of daylight left. I glassed the bachelor group and found a really good looking 6 point that was obviously mature. He was one of the biggest bodied deer I have seen since we've had the farm, about 16"s wide and had 20"+ beams and I estimated him at 225 lbs. He was a very solid buck and one that I would have shot had Grayson not been with me. I didn't want Grayson to shoot that far and we had a while before sunset so we watched them and I tried to settle his nerves. Little brother did PERFECT the entire time the deer were in the field and soaked it all in as well. I was beating myself up for having forgot the video camera as it was a beautiful sight to have 5 bucks, sun beating down on white horns, engulfed in the green sea of forage. The lead buck began working away from us after about 20 minutes and I knew the others were going to follow. This is when I began trying to prep him for a shot at this distance. He finally had subsided the giggles and had gotten pretty steady. I actually clicked the safety off and was ready for the shot as the target buck turned directly away from us, now at 175 yards. He never stopped, despite my whistles and a loud "HEY" in his direction. He quartered away from us and entered the woods around 200 yards from the stand. It was only 4:25 and I had hoped for a return visit but they never showed again. Several more does/yearlings worked into the field as the sun set on a wonderful time spent with my boys. We had planned to return on Saturday afternoon to try them again, but as I mentioned previously, my body just can't keep up any longer. Hopefully the camp with be livable the next time we're able to come over and we won't have to worry with the 4 hour drive. Everything is coming along nicely, albeit slowly. Dad, Terry and Bryant have worked tirelessly to get it where it is today and a load of gratitude is due them. We do have power/water, and of course TV right now. We lack getting the fixtures set, boarding up the rooms and laying the carpet. All in all, it was a great weekend spent with family and remembering just how much we have to be thankful for. Wow! It's hard to believe we are already preparing to close the door on another year. 2013 has been very good to our family and we are blessed beyond measure. God has provided each and every necessity for us and continues to work daily in each of our lives. I give Him all the praise and honor for good health, incredible friends, a great place to work and a beautiful family. I know that doesn't even scratch the surface of His goodness, but forgive me for not being able to put into words the awesomeness of His glory. I am so thankful for His grace and mercy that is poured out on me each and every day. I know this is a site that represents just a piece of what He has blessed us with, and I enjoy keeping up with the going-ons of the farm, but if you get anything at all from here, please know that I would love to talk with you about having a relationship with Christ if you don't currently have one. IT IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN EVER DO IN THIS LIFE. God bless each and every one of you that are reading this and I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. |
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