Hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving 2013! Hope you visited with family and caught up with maybe some friends and family you haven’t seen in a few months or maybe even years. Even though this was the kick off week to the Holidays it was also the opening to most all remaining closed hunting seasons. Many look at the week of Thanksgiving as the kick off to hunting season, especially Duck and Deer hunters.
We started off the Saturday before Thanksgiving 11/24/2013 in Belzoni on a duck hunt. It was raining and cold…..perfect for opening Saturday of Duck Season. My friend from Alabama, Rod Hubbard, met Tray(My Son) and myself for our opening duck hunt of the season. We got there on time but I had told Rod the wrong meeting time so actually we arrived about 30 minutes late. Ducks were already on the ponds and it was 15 minutes past legal shooting time. I put Rod on one pond while Tray and I went down to the next. Ducks were EVERYWHERE! I shot a box and after I decided I was rusty from last season I sent Tray after Rod for some help shooting at the ducks on our pond. Rod showed up and assisted. Bad news is I didn’t take any pictures because it was raining and so cold. Tray was cold and once we said lets go all Tray could talk about was Breakfast at McDonald’s. I can’t lie, I was ready for a hot breakfast myself. Sometimes the fellowship over breakfast is almost……almost as good as the fellowship while hunting.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday it was either raining, freezing, or flooded. So no hunting took place.
11/28/2013
Thursday was the big day so it was spent with family in Raleigh and Florence. While with some family in Florence I managed to go over to my uncle Tommy’s to sight in my 35 I’d won a few months back. I also needed to check the kids 223wssm. Dialed them in and Tray was ready to do some deer hunting.
11/29/2013
Friday Evening we went hunting with my good friend and buddy Forrest. He had called earlier in the week and invited me to bring a kid out to help with the over population of does he has on the place. I asked Tray if he was up for getting a good chance at his first deer and he jumped on it. We got to Friday’s place around 2:30 and to the stand around 3:15. As we walked up to the stand I saw 3 deer already in the field. I knew it was going to be a good hunt. Around 4:30 the deer started pouring in. We waited and watched and when one good sized doe was real close to the stand I told Tray to shoot. BOOM! The 223 WSSM fired… The deer jumped on it’s hind legs, tucked it’s front shoulder and took off just using one front leg. I told Tray, “GREAT SHOT”! He appeared to hit the doe perfect. One problem with a 223wssm is they don’t leave a blood trail. Once the deer reached the sage…..no blood. I was SICK AT MY STOMACH. We had been celebrating in the stand and talking about the different ways we could cook Tray’s first deer and all. Forrest was a GREAT host and invited us back the next evening for a chance at redemption. We thanked him and went on home with our tail between our legs. Pride crushed.
11/30/2013
Chris Watkins, David Irby, and myself headed up to Belzoni to see if all the ducks from the previous weekend were still around. We planned and arrived on time this round and ducks were already on the water and coming in…..DANG IT! We set up and the hunt was on. Long story short, ducks weren’t quite as plentiful as they had been but the geese made up for it. The snows were there by the thousands and thousands. 22 geese were taken on this hunt.
After the morning goose hunt Tray and I headed back to Forrest’s place to try round 2 on our attempt this year to get Tray a deer. This time we changed it up. Tray was upset that he put a good shot on the deer yet we couldn’t recover it. I informed him that my 35 wouldn’t have that issue but it kicked a little. He said, “hey, whatever jack, I want to kill one” so he left the 223wssm at home and brought the 35. Well the wind had changed from the South and that limited the stands available for us to hunt. We were hunting in a more open visible stand this round. If you’ve hunted with a 10 year old you know that sitting still is not a strong suit….lol
Well around 4:45 we had 3 deer walk out. All 3 were the same size and I told Tray to pick the one that was broad side. He took the 35, I pulled the firing hammer back and told him, whenever he put it where it’s supposed to be pull the trigger. A few seconds later…..BOOOOOMM! Dropped in tracks! Tray said, “Awe man that guns kicks Daddy but hey look, that deer is down jack…..High Five” and the congratulations was on. I have to stop and say a HUGE THANK YOU to Forrest for inviting Tray and allowing him the freedom to take his first deer on his place. Most all of us remember where, when, and with who we killed our first and both my 2 older kids will have Forrest’s place as that special place and time in their memories forever. That’s an awesome thing to give to another person, those memories. THANK YOU!
12/1/2013
Sunday morning before church I met back up with David Irby for a local morning duck hunt. Sam, his son, and Russel, David’s brother in law, were there to round out our hunting crew. We met up and rode back to the hole. David and Russel were on one end of the slew while Sam and I went down to the other. Legal shooting time came in and just in time. Splash, Splash…..Wood ducks started hitting the water. Like clock work, Sam and I raise our guns, Woodies flush, BOOM BOOM! Woodies fall. Then the Gadwalls started dropping in. I know many won’t believe this but I actually killed my first 2 ducks with 1 shot. I’ve heard about people doing it but I was able to pull it off and actually had a witness there to see it. The Gadwalls were dropping in and David and Russell fired on their end of the hole. When they did the ducks that were dropping in swooped upward and I put it on the one I had picked out. I pulled my lead and just as I went to fire another duck was flying more upwards and they crossed right were I had pulled to aim and I squeezed the trigger…..BOOM! Two ducks fell. AWESOME! What was just as awesome was the fact that those two finished out my limit for the morning. Sam too managed to limit out. Sam and I came from our end with 12 of the 17 ducks accounted for on the hunt. Yep, it was just that good of a hunt and the fact I was able to share it with David, Sam, and Russel made it one of the best hunts I could ask for. Have to say a big Thank You to David Irby too. He’s been kind enough to invite me to hunt with him at his place the past couple years. It’s a great duck hole but the fellowship and camaraderie are what really make that a special place.
Duck Season closes till this weekend before opening up the rest of the year and Deer season is entering Primitive Weapon stage on 12/2. Hope to get in a rabbit hunt this weekend and get all three phases of my hunt on!
Another hunter was able to bag his first deer over the break. Brad Parker too was able to take his son, Jack, out hunting and bagged Jack’s first deer over the break. Looks like the future hunters are getting their feet wet and will be ready to carry on our tradition soon.
Be safe, have fun, and share the outdoors with someone when you head out. Just like with my son Tray, Forrest opened up and shared his place with us and now that will forever be a special place and person to my son.