Category: hunting

wait it out

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Happy weekend, friends! Anyone teal hunting tomorrow for the early season? I am still up in the air… It is so hot and buggy, the thought of waders seems a bit daunting. Could I just wear shorts underneath them? What if there is an alligator in the pond and what if he decides I look like a tasty breakfast? Is there such a thing as too much bug spray? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. I will keep you posted though as to whether or not we venture into the ponds to take a whack at some early season teal. I could really go for one of these sandwiches, now that I am thinking about it…

Wow. I can get carried away, huh? Back to the story at hand. Wednesday’s hunt started off slow. Real slow. Like, “Dad what are we doing out here?””Bear, I have no idea it is so hot outside and WHERE ARE THE BIRDS?”

But… Like I said. Wait. It. Out. One minute I busying myself taking silly snapchats of myself literally melting into my dove stool while my dad was just laughing at me, and the next – boom. Literally, boom. That’s the sound the shotgun makes, right? We were getting bombed by doves and we were shooting back. The next hour or so was pretty busy, between shooting [at] doves and running to pick them up, and shooting another while we were out searching for the first one. Ok… I am sure I am making it sound like we both limited out in an hour. And I am making it sound like my dad didn’t go pick up my birds for me since we didn’t take Dixie. Not the case, unfortunately. But I did knock down 8 or so, and my dad makes a pretty good bird dog if I do say so myself! He bagged a few, himself as well. You’re the best, Otis!

What’s the moral of the story? Just when you think you should pack up your bag and call it a day, wait. Just a fewwwww more minutes. It was completely worth the wait, and mmm mmm mmm are those doves going to taste good.

Dad’s over/under is ah-ma-zing. So pretty. Guns can be pretty, right?

“Oooooooohhh boy. Ready for fall weather.” Isn’t that what I am saying?

Have a good weekend, friends!

monkey

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That’s what I almost did on Wednesday’s hunt near Camden, SC. As hot as we thought it was on the coast on Monday’s hunt, it was balmy and breezy compared to inland. Even though it only reached the mid 90’s, the heat index was at least 135*. No? Is that too high? Well, maybe I exaggerate a tad, but damn it was a hot one!

But… I have to admit… I would rather be about to monkey in the dove field than be in cool a/c at work. Am I right? Like my dad always says, “You don’t know if you don’t go.” Agreed, dude. It was hot. I missed some easy-as-pie shots. I made some “Wow, did he really just go down?” shots. You know what kind of shots I am talking about? Sometimes, the dove flies by you in such a way that you know he must be asking for you knock him down. And then you miss. Twice, no less. Where’s my automatic with the 3rd shell when I need it?! Alas, I love my over/under too much to not use it every chance I get… Then you make a ridiculously difficult shot, based on instinct, and you realize you don’t actually need that 3rd shot. Completely worth the 4 gallons of water lost because you’re sweating so badly you can’t see out of your sunglasses or remember your own name.

There I go exaggerating again. I think it’s becoming a thing I do. Oh, well. We still had a great time despite the heat. Even though only 1 hunter got his limit, we had some fantastic shots and opportunities. I ended up bagging only 6 or 7, and completely forgot to snap a photo. Still, Dixie was one tough cookie, and never lost her excitement at every retrieve.

Until next time – Happy Hunting!

 You can hardly tell, but Dixie is hiding in the shade back there.
Officially time to go – Dad gets the truck, we hope for one last shot/retrieve.
An ice cold beer never tasted so good 🙂
Saw this guy on the way home, not in the field. Still, very pretty!
What are we doing with the doves from Monday and Wednesday, you ask? Looking forward to little “tailgate” in the country for the Carolina/Georgia game this weekend, that’s what. Can’t wait!

opening day

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Happy dove season, friends! If you hunted opening day, I hope your hunt was a success! We had a great day in Georgetown, full of riding 4-wheelers and shooting at doves.

John took Prine in the field for his first real dove hunt (he was just a little puppy during last season), and it was a lot of fun to watch his excitement as he was figuring everything out. Another friend had his new German Short-Hair, Maggie, out with us as well. She is still too little to really see beyond playing right now, but it was still great to watch. Boy, was it a hot day, too. There was a big storm on the coast that barely missed us, but the clouds and breeze from it was a nice reprieve. We ended up bagging around 70 birds in total – not too shabby for a group of friends hanging out having fun!

I am heading back out this afternoon to hunt with my dad, so stay tuned for another hunting update in the near future! Shoot straight!

 

Prine did not stop moving for nearly 4 hours.

Maggie

Scotch, the hunting machine

Having such a great time!

Just like these guys 🙂

how could i forget?

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Snakes. How could I forget about snakes this time of year? I am not a snake person, and I will gladly admit it. A tiny little green snake? Perfectly fine. I am talking about rattlesnakes and copperheads and lions and tigers and bears, oh my. Yesterday, my dad told me that one of his buddies was scouting deer at our property, and while he didn’t see any deer, noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye near his stand as he was climbing down. Ohh, hello 6 ft rattlesnake, how are you today? Thankfully he had a pistol with snake shot in it… Needless to say, the snake is no longer with us and probably feeding some alligator in the river. Hey, circle of life, right?

This morning, I stumbled across this video on Field & Stream, and it hit me that I didn’t even include snake boots on my lists of essentials – deer or dove. If a dead snake will bite his own body, you know your leg is an even tastier treat. They make a good point in the article below the video, too – if you kill a snake, make sure you’re not putting someone else in danger by leaving that venomous head just hanging around! I have these boots, pictured below, but there are plenty of options out there!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8UqgVK4EI?rel=0]

So I know the guy filming isn’t exactly going to win an Academy Award for filming/narration, but you get the idea. Snakes are no joke! While you may not always need to wear them, it is a good idea to rock them when you can. Talk about things that make you say “bbbbbbllllhhhh.” (No? You get what I mean…)

Get some!
PS – do you like the little update to the site? I decided I wanted something a little more exciting, and that pond is one of my favorite places to duck hunt. Where, you ask? It’s a secret. 😉 Happy {and safe} hunting!

the essentials: deer season {still-hunting}

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I hope everyone is staying dry on this rainy, rainy Thursday… What a way to open deer season! If you’re lucky enough to be a bow hunter, or a gun hunter in a Game Zone that allows it, today is officially the day! In honor, I decided to do a little combo with the essentials of deer hunting and a photo or two as a little still-hunting throwback for #tbt. I don’t typically take a lot of action shots when still hunting, but I guess that is pretty self-explanatory. “Hey! There’s an 8 pt. I am going to take him. Here, hold my phone/camera and take a picture of me while I… Ohh.. Nevermind… He ran off.”

Exactly.

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the essentials: dove season

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Question- Have any of these posts made you just think “Gahh I want to {dove hunt, duck hunt, fish, travel} like right now?” Girls (and non-hunting guys), has the bright side of the road inspired you to get into hunting? For some, it may mean just grabbing a camouflage shirt, throwing on some boots, and walking out of the door straight to the stand. You lucky ducks. For others, it takes a bit more planning and preparation. And as far as planning and preparation go, have any of these posts made you realize something you typically forget, or would like to have, when heading out for your adventures? Anyone who knows me knows that I have an obsession with enjoy making lists… Lots and lots of lists. Sometimes, they’re even color coded. But that is beside the point.

With dove season just around the corner, it’s my dove hunting essentials in a convenient list. Hope it helps!

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snacks for the stand

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Yes, I am one of those. Nearly every time I go dove hunting, at least half of the times that I duck hunt, and definitely every single time I go deer hunting, I like to bring a little snack. The reason? My excuse is that sometimes I am just not quite sure how long exactly I will be out there. What if I sit for 3+ hours and see nothing, and then a monster buck walks out and I take a shot and he runs for a mile before going down and I have to spend an hour finding him, and then drag his heavy self out of there? Hmm? That could totally happen. In which case, I would need to boost my strength and energy in a caloric way beforehand. While that may seem more improbable than not, it helps ease my mind. Mostly, it’s because I can get a little bored when things are quite in the woods. My dad and I like to stop somewhere before we get to the property to grab some bottled water, perhaps a diet coke, and definitely a snack. Fortunately for him, dear Dad still has the metabolism of a high school kid who runs track, and often purchases a candy bar or Moon Pie. I am somewhat less fortunate. While I do my fair share of exercise and running, if I ate a Twix every time I hunted, my bikini-clad self during the summer would not be happy with my camo-clad self from hunting season. The best way to make sure that doesn’t happen? Whip up some easy, homemade snacks to bring along! It’s a great way to control what you’re eating, and definitely makes it easier on the wallet.

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“Got your turkey!”

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Happy Thursday, friends! So, I know I said last week that I would hopefully have a good turkey hunting story for you from this past weekend. It is, with a heavy heart (and an itchy trigger finger), that I must tell you I do not have such a story. As anyone who lives around here knows, it literally monsooned. All. Weekend. Long. Like couldn’t even leave my house, monsooned. Downtown Charleston flooded so badly, there were cars floating down the streets. Anyways, long story short, it was far too rainy to be able to do any decent hunting. Between missing out on the hunts opening weekend, and being rained out this time, I was reminded of yet another hunt missed last year. Which brings us to our #tbt for the week!

For two weekends, my dad and I, along with a handful of friends, tried our hardest to bring down a gobbler at a fantastic place near Georgetown. After many hours spent stalking, sitting, listening, calling, stalking some more, and seeing plenty of birds without ever getting a shot, it was time for me to head back to Charleston and work. Now, as you turkey hunters know, seeing them does not always mean bringing one down. As luck (fate? karma? did I make the hunting gods angry?!) would have it, John went to the same spot my dad and I had last been for his last hunt of the weekend. As I was getting back in my car to return to Georgetown, I got a text message I will never forget. “Uhoh… Got your turkey!” was all it said. Wwwwhhaaaat?! You mean to tell me, that after hours and hours of failed attempts, you went right out there, hit the call, sneaked closer to the gobbler, and brought that thunder chicken to the ground?! Right where I was?! I couldn’t believe it. It was his first turkey, so I was incredibly torn between being all uppity that he got my the turkey, and super happy that he did. Ahh well… C’est la vie.

Happy hunting!

 

 “It was great doing business with you, sir!“

gobble gobble- it has begun!

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Hello all! My apologies for the radio silence last week. I have been a bit under the weather and haven’t been able to do much of anything, particularly on the hunting front. And, silly/sickly me, I didn’t even get to do an opening day post for this year’s turkey season! Last Friday was the day, and I am sad that I had to miss out. My dad was able to go twice this past weekend, though, and boy did he have some stories for me! As all turkey hunters well know, those birds can be quite elusive. With a brain the size of a pea, you’d think we could out-smart them every time, right? Wrong! In my few years of actively hunting turkeys, I have somehow managed to never bring one to the ground. (Gasp!) I know… it’s awful. Believe me- there have been plenty of adventures chasing Mr. Gobbler all over the state. Those adventures include days when I never heard one peep from a turkey, and others when I have seen them literally fly down out of the tree right above my head and sail off to chase hens elsewhere in the woods. I have never seemed to manage getting a decent shot off. Woe is me. BUT! I am really hoping to change that this year. We have some fantastic hunts planned, and I am sure there will be a few impromptu ones thrown in there as well.

As I mentioned, my dad went twice over the weekend. Despite not bagging a bird, he had two very interesting mornings. After what seemed like forever of sitting, calling, and hearing birds far away with nothing happening close by, my dad and his buddy decided to call the hunt. On both occasions, however, they jumped a group of turkeys as they were leaving to go home. How typical, right? I can remember deer hunting for hours to no avail, only to nearly run one over on my way out of the property. Same story here. Although they were not able to get a decent shot, we at least now know there are a good number of turkeys on the property- several gobblers and more than a few hens. Of course, one cannot shoot a hen, but they provide the perfect distraction for an excited gobbler- we know the only thing he is thinking about!

Hopefully I will have some exciting stories for you in the coming weeks. The first chance I will have to hunt is this weekend, so stay tuned and wish me luck!

 Two of my favorite spots to see turkeys.