Category Archives: Hunting

Is January A Good Time To Scout For Deer and Prepare for Next Season?

Walter Gary called last week from Berry’s Sporting Goods to remind me this is an excellent time to scout for deer and get prepared for next season. That may seem strange since deer season just ended and won’t open again for almost ten months, but preparing now can help you get your deer, and insure it is a quality deer, next year.

The deer have had almost a month to calm down since season ended. They have returned to their normal patterns for this time of year. This weekend would be an excellent time to scout and find fresh signs after the rain in mid-week. If you feel foolish scouting for deer now, carry along a .22 and hunt squirrels while you look for deer signs.

Feeding areas will be different now from what they will be next fall, but bedding areas and travel routes can give you an idea of what the deer will be doing then. They will be eating winter browse like honeysuckle and greenbriar now, and looking for acorns next fall, but they will frequent the same areas. When looking for sign now, think how it will change with the changing seasons.

You can sweeten your chances next year by planting winter food for the deer and keeping it growing as the seasons change. Winter peas should still sprout during warm spells like we had last week, and you can follow up with hot weather peas later in the spring. Keep food growing where you want the deer to be next year when season opens. Insuring they have plenty of food now will help the does as their fawns develop in them, and will also help the bucks recover from the rut. All the deer may need help during a rough winter.

If you put out mineral blocks, now it a good time to get them out and let them be soaking into the ground. Although the deer will not lick them much until later in the spring, you can have them out when they get ready for them.

As a bonus, you might find shed antlers in the woods now. Bucks drop their antlers around the first of February and, if you are lucky, you might find one. Squirrels and other rodents eat the antlers for the calcium in them and they don’t last but a few days after being shed. You have to be in the right place at the right time.

Get out this weekend. You might find the woods hold more interest than the Super Bowl – if you know where to look.

How Is Shooting Pen Raised Quail Different from Hunting Wild Birds?

A few years ago I did something I had not done for 30 years. And unlike last April when I went horseback riding for the first time in 30 years – and fell off! – this experience did not hurt a bit.

I won a half-day quail hunt at Barksdale Bobwhite Plantation near Cochran. Although I had not shot at a quail since I was 16 years old, many of those old memories of quail hunts with my father are still strong. With great anticipation of the upcoming hunt, I drove to Barksdale Saturday morning. My day was to included a fried quail lunch, shooting my 10 quail limit, guide, trained dogs and field transportation.

When I was growing up my father always kept a couple of pointers. We hunted quail almost every Saturday during season. There were many acres of farms around ours we could hunt. Although I hardly ever killed anything with my .410, I enjoyed following the men around and watching the dogs.

The best hunt I ever had growing up was one afternoon after school. I got the 12 gauge, some shells and the dogs and went by myself. It was one of the first times I had been allowed to use the bigger gun. That afternoon I got up five coveys and killed one bird from each. I did not know what I was doing well enough to find any singles, but five birds was a lot for me!

Last Saturday, I killed 10 quail. I was worried that I would not be able to hit them after such a long time, but I shot only about 15 times. Pen raised quail are a lot easier to hit than wild birds. I should not have missed the four or five I did not hit.

My guide was Tony Taylor, a teacher in Dodge County. He brought his four English Setters along and we drove to a nearby open pine and field area. Soon after letting the dogs out, they locked up in the edge of some broom straw.

I was shocked to see two quail on the ground when we got to the dogs. I don’t ever remember seeing wild birds on the ground in front of dogs. One flushed and I hit it. After it was retrieved, we went back where one dog was still on point on the other bird. When it got up, it flew right in my face, over my head and right toward Linda where she was taking pictures. I could not shoot.

Tony said pen raised birds were unpredictable. Some get up in front of you, others you almost have to kick to make fly. You never know where they will go when they fly. It was very different from my hunts 30 years ago.

Birds had been put out in pairs in the area I was hunting. A couple of times we got up 4 to 6 where they had gotten together between hunts. By the time we found the third group I was into this kind of shooting, accepting it as different from what I remembered, but still very enjoyable.

Hunts like Barksdale are about the only kind of quail hunting left. If you have dogs, they have special prices for you to hunt your dog without a guide. Or, you can be like me and have everything done for you. Barksdale also has chukar and pheasants if you want to hunt them. Sporting clays, skeet and a five stand range are also available.

I really enjoyed my trip. You might want to check it out if you like quail hunting. And the meals were excellent!

Hunting and eating pen raised quail are both a lot different from hunting and eating the wild birds I grew up on. The pen raised birds stay on the ground longer, fly lower, slower and for a shorter distance, and are easier to hit. Their meat is not as white or quite as tasty as what I remember from my youth.

Quail always were white meat much like a chicken breast. Dove were darker, stronger meat. The pen raised quail I have eaten from Barksdale Bobwhite Plantation are not all dark meat but they are not as white and mild as I remember. I still have not turned one down when put on my plate, though!

Shooting quail at a resort is still a lot of fun even if different from the good old days. Although expensive, you should give it a try if you get a chance.

Eating Strange Wild Critters

Tree Rats

Fried squirrel. Squirrel stew. BBQ squirrel. Squirrel and dumplings. Baked squirrel. Squirrel enchiladas. Squirrel chill. Squirrel cacciatore. Squirrel fricassee. Just how many ways are there to cook tree rats?

All the above recipes can be found on the internet, and I have tried many of them. But the best squirrel I ever ate was way back in the woods by Germany Creek. Joe and I had been camping for four days and had been eating nothing but the C-rations he brought and some loaf bread and peanut butter and jelly I supplied.

I had my .22 along for snake control and decided to shoot a squirrel one afternoon. We boiled that critter in my mess kit pot in creek water. No salt, no seasoning, no nothing added. But the meat was the first solid meat we had had, and when that juice was sopped up with the bread it was fantastic.

I was 16 at he time and had been eating squirrel all my life. Back in the late 1950s and early 60s when I was growing up, it was a rite of passage for boys to go squirrel hunting. From the time I was eight years old I was roaming the fall woods looking for targets in the trees for my .22 or .410. And I killed a bunch of them.
It was an unbreakable rule we ate everything we killed back then, so I had to skin and gut the squirrels when I got home and mom would cook them up the next day, after soaking them overnight in saltwater in the refrigerator. And she could cook them in several ways.

One of my favorite meals was fried squirrel with gravy, served over hot homemade biscuits.
She cooked chicken the same way and both were good. And the whole family ate the squirrels, with no complaining. We were just happy to have lots to eat.

I still kill a lot of squirrels and eat them each fall and winter. They gnawed into my attic so I keep a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with #6 shot by the door and shoot every one I see. I would rather shoot them with my .22 but there are just too many houses around for it.

Recently I smoked a squirrel and it was delicious! I put it in the smoker with lots of hickory for a couple of hours and the smoky flavor was great. I ate it as a snack rather than a meal because it was so good I ate the whole thing when “sampling” it!

I don’t really like cleaning them but it is pretty easy. When I was a kid pulling the skin off was a chore, and as I get older it seems to be getting harder again. But so far it is not too much trouble to be worth it.

One critter I ate was very good, but I will never try to skin one again. I shot a beaver in one of my ponds several years ago and decided to eat it. I didn’t think I would ever get it skinned. I had to cut off every tiny bit of the skin, there was no pulling it off. Starting at the lower legs I slowly trimmed between the meat and skin until I got the back half done. At that point I decided the front part didn’t have enough meat to mess with.

That was the reddest meat I have ever seen. I boiled it first, then floured and sautéed it in olive oil. Then I put it in a pan with potatoes, onions and carrots and baked it. It tasted just like a beef pot roast to me. From now own, since I can say I ate a beaver, I will buy a beef pot roast!

Gar also are tasty but very hard to skin. You can’t scale them, their scales are like armor plating. I was shown how to use tin snips and cut up the back, then peel the skin and scales to the side and cut out the meat down the backbone. It is tedious, hard work.

The meat sautéed in butter tastes like Florida lobster to me, kinds of chewy a little with some slight smoky fish flavor. But I found an easier way to cook them. I cut one gar into foot long chunks with a hack saw after gutting it then put it on the grill.

When it was cooked the skin and scales peeled off easily and the meat was even better! From now on, that is how I will cook them. If you run trotlines, jugs or bank hooks with live bait you will catch a bunch of them and you can also shoot them with a bow!

Give some unusual critter a try. You might find it tasty!

What Does Ducks Unlimited Do In Georgia?

Last Saturday I met a couple at Lake Eufaula to get information for a Georgia Outdoor News article. One of the places we fished is a popular creek called “The Witches Ditch.” Near the mouth of the creek is a riprap levee with a diesel water pump on it.

The levee and pump are there to pump water out of a big area behind the levee. In the spring it is drained and food sources for waterfowl is planted. Then in the late summer the area is allowed to flood, offering ducks and geese perfect feeding areas.

This project is part of the National Wildlife Refuge located in Georgia and Alabama on Lake Eufaula. There are several other similar places around the lake where this is done the same way, with levees and pumps.

These wildlife areas benefit waterfowl and many other species of wildlife, from deer to alligators. Such improvements in natural areas are critical for survival of some species and help others thrive. Much of the work on these kinds of conservation projects is funded by Ducks, Unlimited.

Ducks, Unlimited is a worldwide organization of sportsmen and conversationalists that work to fund such projects. Almost all of them are hunters and they know waterfowl and wildlife needs special help since so much habitat is being destroyed.

The organization has completed over 20,000 projects involving more than 12 million acres. Each year many of these projects are in Georgia. Duck hunters here in Griffin benefit from these projects, but all wildlife and anyone valuing conservation of natural resources also benefit.

One of the levee and pump areas on Eufaula was funded by Ducks, Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was completed in 1995. It restored 450 acres of moist soil habitat by installation of a 24 inch pump station and rehabilitation of existing levees. The goal of this project was to enhance habitat for mallards, wood ducks, gadwall and green winged teal. It also provides for hunting opportunities.

Closer to us, a project at Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area near Forsyth included the installation of a water control structure and dike around an area. The field is planted with millet and corn to provide winter food for wildlife. The project was in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

At Lake Oconee 150 acres of habitat has been conserved with the installation of six water control structures and the renovation of some dikes there. This project is also managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and provides forage for migrating waterfowl near Lake Oconee.

There are many other Georgia projects. Over the years more than 20,000 acres have been conserved through projects in Georgia. Since Georgia is part of the Atlantic Flyway, it provides winter habitat for waterfowl that migrates through the area and is very important for their survival.

Money for all these projects is raised through local banquets and other events. Members pay dues and volunteer their time, but the local events are critical for continuing to conserve the environment. And the money is used for projects, not administration of the organization. More than 80 precent of money raised goes to conservation projects, making Ducks, Unlimited number 115 on a list of almost one million non profit organizations in the US in terms of efficient use of money raised.

Young people are the future of hunting and conservation and Ducks, Unlimited works hard to educate them and help them become involved. Greenwing membership for $15 per year is available to those 17 years old or younger and includes four issues of Puddler Magazine, a magazine just for youth, as well as six annual issues of Ducks, Unlimited Magazine.

Adult membership is $35 per year and includes the Ducks, Unlimited magazine and members only web access. They are also offering a free gift to new members right now. Various levels of membership and sponsorship is also available for varying amounts.

If you value conservation and wildlife, and want to help, visit the Ducks, Unlimited website at www.ducks.org to find out more. Join an organization that works to further your goals of conservation, whether you are a hunter or not.

Why Are Animal Rights Fanatics Going Crazy and Facebook Removing Kendall Jones’ Pictures?

Animal rights fanatics get all worked up about a hunting trip and Facebook removes Kendall Jones’ pictures.
from The Fishing Wire

And finally – I wish it were a “finally” for these sorts of stories – a personal note on the brouhaha that erupted when 19 year old Kendall Jones posted harvest photos from an African safari.

Animal rights folks have succeeded in getting her photos pulled down on Facebook and they’re all fired up thinking they’ve scored a great victory of some sort.

They haven’t. But they’ve proven that the same irrational fear and overreaction that caused the Salem witch trials isn’t far beneath the surface in some people. Their celebrating the digital lynching of a 19 year old girl whose only crime is liking to hunt and having the money to pursue her passion- legally- is yet another reason we all should be afraid for our country.

When an entity like Facebook – which has recently admitted it jacked around with the emotions of their users by essentially using them as lab rats to study how people respond to news -is so concerned with political correctness that it pulls down hunting photos, it’s time to be concerned.

The lynch mob isn’t extinct in America -it’s just re-labeled as online campaigning for causes, allowing the nameless, faceless, and the gutless to call names, throw digital rocks and then drop back under their rocks until the next time they get a chance to take a shot at someone.

It’s about time someone said “enough” and counter-attacked. But we wouldn’t want to be called mean-spirited, would we?

Food Plots and Tracking Deer With Dogs

Each year I have the Georgia Forestry Service plow my food plot and fire breaks so I can plant winter browse for the wildlife. They provide this service at a reasonable hourly rate, using their bulldozer and a heavy harrow that really breaks up the ground.

I was a little late this year planting but it has been so dry I may have waited until the right time. Last Thursday Ken Parker harrowed for me and I got winter wheat, Austrian Winter Peas, Durana Clover and chicory planted. That night and the next morning I had an inch of rain on the newly planted seeds. They should sprout and provide good food in the cold months when other natural food sources are scarce.

Right now deer are eating acorns. It is amazing how many are falling in certain places this season. After the late freeze last spring wildlife biologists were worried about the acorn crop, and some trees aren’t producing, especially further north at higher elevations, but some oaks are producing bumper crops.

Deer fatten up on acorns to help survive the winter. They will eat them and ignore everything else. I put out corn in one corner of my field and deer have been feeding there all summer. But a week or so ago when acorns started falling they stopped eating it. They prefer acorns to corn.

The acorn crop can be a problem for deer hunters. With so many acorns falling from some trees deer won’t need to move much. Bucks may bed down in thickets near productive oak trees and not move far from bedding area to feeding area and back. Hunters might have a hard time finding them until the rut starts about the end of the first week in November and bucks lose their minds.

If you are lucky enough to get a shot at a deer but unlucky enough to make a bad shot, Ken Parker can help you out. Ken has tracking dogs and will help you find your deer for a small price. The day he plowed for me he had been out until 1:00 AM trying to find a deer shot by a bow hunter.

The call he got last Wednesday night was his ninth this year and he has been able to recover 4 of the deer he tracked. All too often a wounded deer will cross property lines and he can’t continue to track it without permission. That is the number one cause of not being able to find a deer.

The best thing you can do is make a good shot. No hunter wants to wound a deer but all of us can make a bad shot. If you do, call Ken at 770-468-5459. You can also see pictures of his dogs and read about tracking stories on his web site at http://www.hillockkennels.com/

When you shoot your deer field dress it quickly and get it to a good butcher. Venison is fantastic when the deer is processed right. Last weekend I got a deer roast out of the freezer, the last one from last season, and put it on my smoker. After four hours of hickory smoke flavoring the roast I put it in the crock pot for a few hours to make it tender. I don’t think anyone that eats meat would turn down a helping of it.

I love venison and cook it any way you cook beef. I like the ground meat fried in patties and put on a bun. I prefer frying them since grilling tends to dry them out too much, even though they have beef fat in them to help retain moisture.

Cubed steak floured and fried is hard to beat, too. Make some milk gravy to go with it and serve it with mashed potatoes and English peas and my eyes roll back it is so good. I just with I still had fresh tomatoes to go with that meal all winter long.

Another favorite of mine is to put cubed steak or chops, or both, in a crock pot with onions, peppers and tomatoes. Adding a can of tomato sauce makes a good thick sauce with it. Cook it until the meat is tender and serve it with rice, steamed cabbage and corn bread. My momma would be proud of my cooking when I fix it like that.

With a limit of 12 deer a year there is no need to ever run out of venison. Linda and I eat about three deer a year, depending on their size, so I try for that many each season. I don’t care about big bucks, preferring does since I think they have a better flavor. I also like younger deer since they are more tender.

No matter why you hunt treat the carcass right and you will enjoy great eating all year long.

What Is It Like To Be In A Deer Camp?

Deer Camp

Deer camp. Those two words can conjure up many different meanings for different people. You can really know what a deer camp is only if you have spent time in one. And not just a day or so, but days at a time, year after year for many years.

There are always a few workers that show up early and get things set up, clearing debris, cutting grass, stocking the cook tent and generally making things right for everyone. They are the ones you call on when you need something done because you know they are dependable and will do what needs to be done.

As the rest of the club members trickle in, there are time worn greetings, often repeated by the same people to the same people year after year. New members are greeted somewhat warily, with long-time members slowly testing them out to see how they fit in. It can be worse than a fraternity rush!

By mid-afternoon on opening day of camp there is a roaring fire going, a requirement of all deer camps. Never mind that it is 85 degrees and sunny, you gotta have a fire. And everyone sits around it, close if the weather is cool and way back if a typically hot Georgia weekend greets you.

One member of the club is responsible for the fire. Not an elected position, someone just assumes the job of stoking the fire and keeping it going. He will usually be one of the first ones up in the morning, adding firewood until a bright blaze greets the rest of the club. Sometime the job is formalized with a title, but usually it is just acknowledged by long standing habits.

The fireman’s job also involves keeping a kettle full of water boiling over the fire. Sometimes the hot water is used for washing dishes, but often it just boils way, only to be replenished to boil away again. Sometimes peanuts are added to the water for wonderful snacks for those sitting around the fire, but many times the boiling water is as useful as boiling water at a birth.

At some point the story telling starts. Members who have been in the club for years nod in anticipation of highlights because they have heard the same story every year. But everyone pays attention because something new is sometimes slipped in, but seldom will anyone argue a point, even if they were there and know the truth. Fishermen have nothing over hunters when it comes to tall tales about the size of the one that got away.

Good natured ribbing is always part of the conversation. Hunters shooting a small deer are repeatedly reminded of it by statements like “We searched and searched for that deer, and finally found it when we turned over a leaf” or “remember, he toted it out of the woods by the hind legs like a rabbit.” The object of the story always just grins and bears it, or the ribbing gets even worse.

Kids are an integral part of a good deer camp. After all, they are what it is all about. Without kids coming up to learn the traditions of the camp it will end at some point. Youngsters usually sit enthralled with the stories because they want to be like the adults and experience the excitement the story refreshes. And they haven’t heard the same story dozens of times.

Food is always fantastic in camp, partly because anything just tastes better when cooked and eaten out in the woods. But there is often one member of the club that is a good cook and takes care of the kitchen, making sure the roast is put on and taken off at the right times and bringing the chili to just the right temperature to cook and not burn.

Each member has his specialty for food, too. Everyone eagerly anticipates the unveiling of the carrot cake, a treat no one wants to miss. And the brownies are jealousy watched as they are passed around to make sure no one hoards them or gets more than his fair share.

Deer camp means tradition. It is the passing on of a way of life that people cherish and want to preserve, especially for their children. No matter how hectic and troubling the world gets, deer camp tradition means some sane part of what is important to you will always be there. It is a way to save what you value most.