Like I promised, I have a new story from Gillian this Monday morning. She heard the calls and comments for another great feature article, so she got right to work on it. And she wanted me to let everyone know that she truly appreciates all of the support that she has received and that it has really inspired her to write more. She also says that she will consider doing her own blog, but that for now she is happy contributing her work here (and I am happy to have it!). Therefore to make sure she gets recognized for her work, I have started a new page at the top of my site for her contributions. I will continue to post her writings, but I hate when popular stories and articles get bumped from the main page, so I will also put them in there to make it easy for readers to find all of her work in the future.

I also love to hear that she is inspired by everyone’s comments, because I know that I am too! They are what has kept me going over the last year – and 203 posts! I didn’t even realize that it had been that long and that many articles until I logged in this morning. A HUGE thank you to everyone that reads lowcountryhunting.com, especially my fellow bloggers, for your support. I would not have made it this far without you…

And I am sorry that I did not get a good picture of my “giant” bass that I caught yesterday while on a fishing excursion with the family. We hit our friend’s pond for a late afternoon session hoping for some quality family time and hopefully a bite or two. Unfortunately, with the water real low due to our drought, the only bites we were getting were from the sand gnats. So we were about to pack it in when I reminded my wife that we could only leave after we caught at least one fish… that is our rule when fishing or arrowhead hunting. Low and behold, right after I said that, I felt a hit. So I yanked my pole back, set the hook and reeled my monster in… a two ounce bass! My wife laughed so hard at her “great” fisherman/husband that she nearly fell off of the dock. I tell you, she is one hard woman to impress!

A ROMANTIC WALK IN THE WOODS?  No thanks! by Gillian Casstevens

Those who know me well, know I am definitely not an outdoorsey type. Much to my husband’s dismay, I was not reared in the world of outdoors men activity. My father did not take us hunting as kids, as he was a career Air Force man and the most time we all had together was spent traveling and visiting all parts of this wonderful country and a few foreign lands. Learning about different cultures and visiting national monuments was at the top of our list of things to do. My sisters and I were the little princesses and in retrospect, quite pampered little royalty we were indeed. I never had to toil in the yard, never started a lawn mower (that was my brother, the Prince’s job), and certainly never sat down to a meal which included wild game. Never. I do not think my mother (our Queen Mother) would have allowed it in the castle to be quite honest.

Now some of you may think how sad that is…that we never had venison steak or rabbit stew. Never shot a turkey and dressed it for Thanksgiving. Nope. My mother being Assyrian, brought culture to our table in the form of stuffed grape leaves or lamb kabobs, but never deer kabobs, Bambi burgers or Peter Rabbit Stew. While living in Spain, we lived amongst the Spaniards and ate such delicacies as escargot, squid in its’ own ink, and steak tartar, but never wild game.

When I met my husband and we shared stories of how we both grew up, I quickly learned Mike and I were certainly not a “match made in heaven” when it came to hobbies and food. We could not have been more opposite! Mike grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and I grew up all over this country and in Spain. The closest I came to this type of hunting arena was living in Montana and going to college in Great Falls. Deer? Nope, more like ponies with racks! As a side note, I think the deer and wildlife in Montana are much smarter than our whitetails and reptiles here…..you just don’t see the unfortunate roadkills up north like you do here. (Tell me oh wise hunters, why is that?)
As Mike and I dated, I learned hunting was certainly his passion. Toiling in the fields during the hottest months of the year to plan and prepare his food plots, countless hours spent with his toys (guns), and always watching the activity of wildlife. Mike has tried numerous times to take me with him on his walks. Again, those who know me, know my feelings on walking in these woods. It’s not nice. It never ends in exhilaration or a beautiful experience. For me…it leaves me with elevated blood pressure, nervous twitching, lots of cursing, and usually a few ticks!

The first time Mike took me on a walk was during the first year we were dating. Now when I say a walk, I mean a five mile hike with Mike and his extremely long legs. Those of you who know Mike know he does nothing slow. Trust me….he is always in high speed mode. Mike was living at Pleasant Hill Plantation at the time and wanted me to walk through Tara (a gorgeous site). When he called me and asked me to drive out and meet him at Tara, I was thinking he had something romantic planned. Maybe a little wicker basket with some of that good Spanish food I spoke of, okay, cheez whiz and crackers then would have been fine, and a nice cold bottle of wine. Envisioning this, I picked a nice pair of Levi’s and a great blouse, did my makeup and hair, YES, a little perfume and set off for this little walk and anticipated romance.

I pulled up and Mike jumps out of his truck with just a pair of shorts on. No shirt, no shoes. At that point I should have feigned illness and bowed out like the princess I was taught to be, but I held on to that romantic vision as he handed me a bottle of water and said, “Come on, let’s go” as he strode away from me. Again, those who know me know that I have this obsessive fear of snakes. I do not care whether they are poisonous or not. I do not want to see one in a zoo, dead on the road, and especially up close and personal. Not knowing much about snakes I thought if they heard us coming they would certainly steer clear of our path. Mike assured me that we were fine and even pointed out we were on a dirt path and after all, he was barefooted.
After the first couple of miles, I was spent…a complete nervous wreck! I couldn’t look around me and enjoy the beauty because I was just too busy looking down for snakes. I bumped into Mike countless times, screamed at a poor defenseless bird I thought was a snake coming out of the brush, and missed the numerous deer Mike pointed out because I was so caught up worrying. I was drenched in sweat, my Levi’s were like leg insulators, my hair was wild and looking more like a Chia pet with each step, my makeup smeared, and quite frankly, I was one ticked off princess.

As my dad taught me, I kept my shoulders back, chin up and made it through the most awful walk of my life. Miles and miles of sweat and fear! Not the wine, crackers and cheese by far. Finally, seeing my Explorer just waiting for me was literally like my white knight in shining armor. Hopping up onto the cool leather seat, I cranked the a/c, wanted to flip Mike the good ol’ finger and head home. You can guarantee I didn’t yell that ol’ southern saying “I enjoyed it” as I left in a blaze of dust. At that time he had no idea just how close he came to being castrated…from my life, that is. I am sure he laughed all the way home. Me, I broke records getting to Estill without a ticket and dove into the shower. As I was scrubbing my grime away (melted makeup, sticky hair products, and great perfume – what a waste) I calmed down and realized he was just trying to be nice. I could not wait to get out of the shower and call him to apologize for my neurosis. That was until I felt what would become my new obsession……a tick! Yep, right behind my beautiful diamond earring he had given me for Christmas. A nasty little tick settling into my favorite spot to dab perfume….right behind my ear! Hearing my hysterical screams coming from the bathroom, my daughter (yet another princess) convinced me to settle down and not to call 911, however, she would not remove the bugger. I did.
Needless to say, I was done with walking in the country. Take me on a drive, love it, but this girl does not walk in the woods during warm weather. Put me in a deerstand and let me freeze, but just knowing it’s too cold for ticks or snakes warms me right up.

I have learned a lot about hunting, whitetail deer, gators, wild boar, and yes, even snakes and ticks. I have watched my share of hunting programs, read my share of hunting magazines, and recently even attended a Quality Deer Management function. I would say I am a supportive wife of all his endeavors, just don’t suggest a walk in the woods! I immediately start twitching!
To this day Mike still tries to get me to walk out in the woods with him to sneak up on a food plot, or to just walk around a pond, and I still refuse to even get out of the truck if the weather is right for ticks and snakes. However, I have become quite good at removing ticks from my husband’s body…..don’t worry honey, I’ll never tell, just quit asking me to walk in the woods when the temperature is above 65 degrees.

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