Me and Ole Jackie Caudle

Been going through some stuff and found this old pic. Not sure of date (pretty sure date on pic is wrong) wanna say around 12 or 13 years ago. This pic was taken at the hotel, I was up shooting the ibo in wetumpka and man it's was in the 40s and raining, talk about miserable and fun lol. Me and my buddy shot as many as possible, cause we knew come Sunday it was gonna be packed with folks trying to shoot. I don't remember where i placed for that shoot, but I came back and won the advanced hunter the following year.

Cool pic !! Priceless memories!

I met him once hes a nice feller

That Caudle family had some awesome bow shooters in them. Seems like even the women in that family could shoot lights out. Cool pic man.

Dr. B

Definitely some great shooters for sure! I also spent some time talking with Jesse Morehead and that dudes a character

I remember shooting at the old Shelby County range in Columbina with Jesse, Jerry Simmons, Clarence Yates and Eddie Salter. Those were the days.

Me, Delmer, and Jackie used to hunt together. We used to run up to him and yell....Look!!!! It's Jackie Caudle!! Can we have your autograph Mr. Caudle?!! He would roll his eyes tell us we were a couple dummies.
First time I met him at hunting camp, he had just underwent shoulder surgery. He could only pull 45 lbs on his bow and couldn't climb a tree but wanted to kill a doe for his mom some meat. It was afternoon and I told him where I had a ground blind brushed in on the end of a field and if he would go there a doe would come out at 4:30. I had already killed a couple and told him to kill that one for his mom. When I got back to camp after dark he had her on his atv. He said I had her timed just right because she came out at almost exactly 4:30. He was my buddy from that day forward. He's a good down to Earth guy.

I watched Jesse Moorhead shoot one evening at the old Vulcan Archery club, he was a heck of a shot then. Clarence was a heck of a shot also, shot with him a lot in the 60's at Vulcan.

There was a bow shop downtown Birmingham back in the early 90's that I used to go to. I don't recall the name but they had a range and I'd go there and sling some arrows to let off some steam either between or after classes. Seems like the Caudle family would shoot there sometimes.

Dr. B

Clarence Yates had it for a time - Yates Archery - and Charlie Beavers had it before or after, I can’t remember.

I still have a short billed Trebark cap with “Yates Archery “ on it.

I shot there a few times when it was Yates.

Charlie Beavers started that shop. He died of a heart attack at way too young an age. Clarence Yates took it over and moved it across the road, 1st Ave N.

Man that's cool! One thing i miss the most about not shooting the tournaments is the folks I met along the way. But life got in the way, my boy's started baseball, football etc and that was more important to me. But the good news is My 13 year old is showing strong interest in bowhunting and 3D archery, and he wants me to pick it back up again...

Jesse Morehead had the world record for archery distance shooting sometime back in the 90s I believe. I don't remember a target being involved, just pulling all the poundage you could and letting an arrow fly as far as it would.

I was at a Vulcan shoot years ago and and a bunch of us were piddling around on the practice range. Jesse had been shooting a compound and somebody handed him a longbow and issued him a challenge of something like - see if you can pull this - all in good fun. Not only did Jesse pull the bow he nailed the target with the first arrow!

Later I was shooting and displayed my great archery skills by sending an arrow completely over the target and into high grass beyond. Jesse joined me in searching for my arrow for what seemed like an extended time. I was really impressed with the way he engaged with me - a relative nobody that he hardly knew.

I've learned a lot from Mr. Caudle.

The most important listens Jackie taught me was when I was shooting the Buckmasters Qualifier in Birmingham in the early 2000's. I had never qualified for the World and was right on the bubble to qualify going into the last round before the top 24 cut. I was pacing around, checking my bow, counting my arrows, taking deep breaths, to say I was nervous was an understatement. Jackie was in the same boat and what was he doing? Sitting there talking and laughing about hunting and shooting tournaments.

He asked me "why you so nervous?". I was really too nervous to give a reason.
Jackie asked "what did you shoot last round?". I told him I only missed the long runner.
He asked "how far off were you?". I told him I was about 4 inches behind the scoring pad.
With a grin Jackie said "well aim about 6 inches more in front of where you aimed last round and you'll be fine. Now set down here and tell me about how your hunting season went last year".

I sat there and told him about my hunting adventurers and misadventures from the past season until Elliot told Jackie he was on deck. Jackie grabs his bow and arrows and says "well let's go see what I can do". I then realized how I hadn't been hearing the crowd as other shooters were shooting. My heart wasn't racing, my hands weren't shaking, I was calm. By getting me to talk about hunting, he had transported me to a place away from that high stress situation I was in to a place where I was calm and relaxed. The thing is, it was doing the same thing him. By helping this nervous rookie he was helping himself.

Jackie went on the clean that round and qualify for the World. Me? I aimed about 6 inches more in front of where I aimed the last round on the long runner and smoked it to also shoot a clean round and qualify for my first World Championship. Had Jackie not calmed me down who knows how many owls and Ol' Man Treestand stand signs I would have shot.

You must’ve been a nervous SOB in ‘08 then, cause you killed the hell out of that owl.

That there was a trick shot Byron Ferguson would have been proud of...bank off the back of the short runner, nothin' but owl. Now that right there was skill.

Nah, skill is sending an arrow through the fake foliage and taking down the long runner. I did pull a pinwheel shot off on the far cabin on the right once.

I seem to remember a bucket was on the stand for you to stand on so you could see all the targets.

Nope, a folding chair at the world in ‘07. I cleaned the round.

I’ve never shot a clean round at Buckmasters but I did heart shoot the scarecrow. No owls were harmed though.

I think you just earned a new nickname.

See...standing on the folding chair worked.

I think I'll shoot my recurve this year in Buckmasters. I won't score many points, but it'd certainly be something to see. The range crew would really have to be on their toes.

Clarence yates shot a compound bow with no sights, and was the best ive ever seen, he could shoot targets or deer better than any one i ever saw shoot.. he could out shoot most sight shooters, and he was the best deer killer i ever hunted with.

If it wasn’t for taking shots outside of 25 yards, I wouldn’t have a sight on my compound.

Clarence was something else. I don’t remember where we were but he was shooting his compound, barebow, at a 3D elk target 80 yards away. First arrow was in middle of the kill zone - second arrow was so close to the first you could barely tell there were two arrows in the target.