Girls can Race too!!

The races season is opening a little early this year.  Our church has decided to have a church wide derby race this Sunday that includes anyone who wants to race.  Kids, adults, novices and professionals like myself. :)  As many of you may recall, my son and I won the RA derby event last year and of course we are entered to race in this event.  But little sister decided that she wanted a car for this race and big brother is a little worried as the pretty little pink and purple mustang that you see above is primed for an upset.  Reid will be racing the legendary Under Armour car and his title is on the line.   Stay tuned for race results next week!

RA Champs 2012

Oh, and by the way....Dad has a little something to run down the track as well.....

This is gonna be a fun ride!!!

The Hunting Life

The first hint of cooler weather has tickled South Georgia and the trees are slowly staring to show signs of shedding their green leaves.  The corn has been picked and the fields have been host to early season bird shoots with the popping of shotguns ringing over the horizon. The peanuts are being turned over daily in preparation for the thrashing they will receive when they are harvested with red and green combines spitting out discarded vines and dumping the nuts into waiting wagons.  The cotton has been sprayed and the dried up leafy foliage is opening its camo curtain to reveal fields of snow white bulbs that will be gathered around the same time hunters are climbing into their tree stands in October.  All of this tells me that fall is here in South Georgia and my heart knows it's hunting season.

It is very hard to express the feelings of those who have the pleasure of living "The Hunting Life".  People outside of our world do not understand the emotional ties and bonds that we as hunters feel with the outdoors and the game that we pursue.  I am never more at peace with myself or my world than I am when I am outdoors with a fine gun cradled in my arms walking along with my dog hunting wings or sitting in a tree stand watching the sunset as deer are feeding along in a dark green food plot that I prepared.  Being outside in this environment for me is being as close to God as I can get.  I know me made this world and I am more than happy to allow myself to be immersed in its beauty that can be found on a pine hill in South Georgia or a 2 mile long field of Milo under the bright blue skies of Kansas.

But I don't just get caught up in the moments that I am in the field.  The Hunting Life consumes me in just about everything I do.  If its not hunting season, then I am waiting for hunting season. From September through March when one season ends, I prepare for the other.  It's the summer months that are hard to live with as I wait for fall to arrive.  I often find myself  cleaning my guns as I recall great hunting memories with each one of them. I constantly scan magazines and read about hunting all over the country.  I sit up late at night and watch the Outdoor Channel to see them chase long beards, big bucks, and fast flying game birds.  I long to be a part of it.

 

Sometimes as I sit and "look for answers that ponder me so" (a little Jimmy Buffet reference for ya), I find myself wondering why the Hunting Life gets to me so.  I think I know the answer and I will give it to you, but I would also like to hear what the Hunting Life means to you my fellow blogger.  I challenge you to write your own blog about your Hunting Life and what role it plays in your life.  I think the self reflecting will do all of us hunters some good and it might just be a little fun.

 

 

 

Here is why I think the Hunting Life tugs at my soul.  Memories of the perfect hunt!  We all have memories of perfect days in the field.  Those kinds of days where we think that it just can't get any better than this.  But you know what we do?  We go hunting again and try to relive those precious memories afield and at the same time we are constantly creating new memories.  It is a never ending cycle.  Each and every hunting experience has the opportunity to be our next "perfect" hunt.  I have so many perfect days stored in my memory banks that I can recall on a regular basis. 

 

- The first time I sat by myself on a dove field.  I killed two doves with a single shot 410.

- The first deer I ever shot and how I yelled with excitement ruining the rest of the hunt for other hunters in the area.

- The first time I ever killed more birds than my Dad.

- The deer hunting trips with a camper full of friends.

- My first turkey hunt is one for the ages!

- Every time my Dad and I "double up" on two big toms. (It's happened 4 times)

- Killing an 8 point while Reid was in the stand with me.

- And on and on and on....

 

If you think about the adrenalin spent on these hunting adventures and the excitement felt at the end of the day, then it is easy to understand that a hunter's body and soul could just possibly crave and need that rush.  We want it and we want to share it with others, especially those that we love.  During the off season we spend time away from the sport that we love and we start to miss it.  By the time fall comes around our craving for the outdoors and a shotgun in our hands has reached a fever pitch and we are over come with anxiety and a strong need to get back out there and do the thing that we love most!  That's why I'm glad I'm a hunter!  That's why I live for fall!!

 

 

I live the Hunting Life.  How about you?

 

It's a Snake eat Snake World!

This one is for a certain buddy of mine from Maine!  Enjoy Tony!!

What Have I Gotten Myself Into??

I have never really been much of a Pro Football fan.  The college life has always been better suited for me.  Here in the South, college football is a religion and people pull for some great football teams.  Pro football in the South gives us the Falcons.  Do I really need to say anymore?  The Falcons are enjoying a little success lately, but have you ever noticed that when highlights are played for other team's greatest moments that the opposing team is always the Falcons?  That's because that have historically sucked!  Our one and only Superbowl appearance found our starting defensive back trying to hook up with a prostitute the night before the game.  Needless to say, John Elway and the Broncos trounced us pretty good on their way to the title that year!

Sunday afternoon football has always been nap time at my house, or work time in the shop, or play time with the kids.  I don't know that I have watched more than a handful of games over the past few years.  I get my football fix on Friday night and all day Saturday.  But I have a feeling that is all about to change.  I have a new hobby.  This new hobby is seeing just how bad my new fantasy football team can perform with me as its General Manager.  I was stupid enough to allow the Downeast Duck Hunter to talk me into joining a Fantasy Football league and my limited knowledge of the Pro game came through with shining colors this past week. 

- I finished dead last in points scored this week
- My bench players scored more points than my starters
- My number one draft pick didn't show up for practice until two days before the first game
- I was a 24 point under dog before the first snap
- I asked for insider help from ESPN and it caused me to do worse
- I was awarded the LIMP Award this week by my league for the poorest performance

HOWEVER, I did watch more Pro football this past week than I have in the past 10 years!  I'm not sure that is a good thing!!

So I will go into the second week of Fantasy Football reading all of the projections and trying to field a team that might actually score me some points.  My competitive side of me will not allow me to give up and my commitment side will not allow me to not finish what I started.  Please note however that I will play the remaining part of this season under protest.  DDH I told you I didn't want to do this!  I like the REAL world!

Oh look, I'm favored by 4 in week two!!!!!!  Look out boys, the Brave Eagle is back!!!!





Legends of the Fall!

 

Once again all is right in the world!  Dove season is open here in South Georgia and the Luckie boys hit the corn fields this weekend for an early season shoot.  The weather was overcast and rainy, which allowed me to take Josey the Wonder Dog with us.  The temperature was in the mid to high 80's, but the wet weather and plenty of drinking water kept Josey from getting over heated as she earned her keep picking up bird after bird.



It was a good shoot and I got my limit in pretty good fashion.  It was the first time I burned any powder this season and I shot fairly well.  I missed some I should have hit and hit some I should have missed, so it all worked out in the end.  We finished the day cleaning birds and I fired up the grease out in the shop.  We watched and listened to college football and enjoyed eating the days harvest while Josey took a well deserved nap on her bed under my work bench.

As as was cooking I received a call from an experienced bird hunter and dog handler that had been on the same shoot.  He called to tell me how impressed he was watching Josey retrieve birds.  I told him that she was no where near a "finished" dog, but he said that he was most impressed at how well mannered she was and how well she did at staying with me and not running all over the field.  Josey is very good and staying at "home" near the blind and will quickly come "here" when she is called.  She wore her e-collar but I only had to give her a reminder beep once.  She did really well on her first hunt this season and I was a very proud Daddy after that phone call!

I'm looking forward to cooler days and more dove shoots this fall and winter!  There is nothing better than hunting with my son and father and watching a good dog do what it was meant to do!

Here Josey!  Good girl!!

Raise 'em Right!

 

 

Saturday was the opening day of college football and there was really only one place to be!  That would be Statesboro, GA and our team The Georgia Southern Eagles was in action.  My buddy Hal and I decided to take our boys to the game to enjoy a great Saturday Southern tradition.

 

After a trip to the bookstore, the boys were outfitted with everything they needed including new hats, shirts and some ink!

 

 

The boys in blue put a whipping on the visiting team winning the game 58-0.  We had a great time.  I would like to thank WSIZ, one of our local radio stations for providing me with our tickets and allowing me to represent the station for affiliate day.  The A/C in the suite was VERY nice!!

 

 

 Here's to a great season!!