How does one find out about this hunt for next year? Might take my grandsons......
the school sends information out to the returning hunters in july. if there are any available spots left, they can be taken in august. call Conecuh Springs Christian School in Union Springs around the 1st of august and they will be able to let you know if they are taking new hunters. most everyone returns to this hunt. over the years, we've lost two of the long time hunters. one fella had been coming for the same amount of time as me. his buddy still makes the trip from louisiana but he brings his wife now. he's our oldest hunter and most times doesn't do too well (think it's his eyesight, as the guides have put him on some jam-up deer but he doesn't connect. sometimes the guide will go with him and take the shot if he hasn't got any meat by the end of the hunt. we usually give him one of our deer). it's like a big family and everyone is real social, 'cept one group from florida. they kinda stand off to themselves and don't really mingle.
back to the hunt
friday morning we were placed south of town down a dirt road. beautiful woods but i have never taken a deer there during the a.m. hunting hours. i keep going back for more in hopes that that particular hunt will be the one. some places are like that - better at a certain time of day. there is a large pecan farm two parcels over from us and it sounded as if there were two hundred crows working those trees. can't have a peaceful hunt for nothing
. i'm listening to those darn things sound off and look up the green field to see a doe crossing the very tip of the east end. i could have gotten a shot off before she entered the woods but i did not. nothing for the remainder of the hunt on this field except a spike. he got a pass also. pete saw a doe and let her go. we normally will take a few does and sometimes, i will take a spike if i haven't got a chance at a better buck. i don't know what it was about this hunt but i just didn't have it in me to drop 'em like flies. i think it was the weather. i don't hunt when it is hot but we had already paid for the hunt so we had to make hay. i did have a buddy that hung around on the stand for close to an hour. he was trying to warm up. the morning hunts were cool. not cold enough for a jacket but cool enough to have on a long sleeve undershirt and a thin hoodie. the afternoon hunts were dang hot and it was short sleeve time until the sun began to go down. you could feel the coolness around 4:30 each afternoon.
my ladderstand buddy
view to my right
stopped at the skinning shed to see what was brought in. i usually hang around to get some pictures of the bucks but just didn't this go 'round
guides/landowners
these fellas make the drive from somewhere north of new orleans
guide/landowner and hunter
hunters - pete is on the left. the one on the right is the one who lost his buddy a couple of years back. his friend was an amputee and i was reminded, during this hunt, about the first hunt's steak night. i offered to cut the gentleman's steak for him. his buddy retold the story before we left saturday night. talk about a flashback. made me teary eyed listening to the way the fella remembered a little kindness showed to his old friend
saturday afternoon hunt. 79 degrees (maybe 77). very light breeze every now and then. i was hunting different area than pete. he chose to return to the happy hunting grounds where he took the nice 8 point the previous evening. i opted for an area that had had a major facelift over the course of the year. landowner did a lot of work on his place. this shooting house was some kind of hot. it wasn't tucked into the trees like the other one was. it was wide azz open and it was a sun attractor - like a lightning attractor, only different
. i had to take the boots and socks off in here. woo-wee, did i mention it was hot?
had a pretty green field in a small holler below
this was the view from the same stand two years ago
