Local hunters looking for a cheap wild hog hunt over the holidays might want to consider a GA neighborhood near Savannah.

TheCoastalSource.com is reporting that the feral hogs have moved into a Southside community and are now tearing up all of the lawns. The news is also reporting that the neighborhood association has hired a trapper to try and remove them, but that the homeowners have taken to shooting them with archery equipment to speed up the process of getting rid of them.

So if you are looking to add some wild pork to your freezer over the holidays, you might want to check around this neighborhood to see if you can’t be of some assistance.

Now I just hope that they move in to MY neighborhood

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Will & Bo Hunt

Amy, Bo, Will and I all want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

We also want to ask everybody to not only enjoy your time with your friends and family this holiday season, but to remember to help those that are less fortunate  – Because there is no better gift to yourself than to give to others!

As for the Hunt family, we are going to get up, let the boys open their presents and then have a nice lunch with family. Next, we are going to drop off all of their barely-used toys at a local church, then probably head hunting since all I want for Christmas is a couple of more deer for the freezer. Because this year I am thankful to have a new house, jobs that pay me to write, take picture and hunt, a beautiful wife and two healthy boys. I am also thankful that I have a great mom that raised me to be the husband, father and hunter that I am. What else could I want?

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Bo and I with our first deer

Ever since Bo was born four years ago, I have anxiously awaited the time that we would be able to hunt together. That time finally came in late September when we hit the woods for our very first hunt, and what an unbelievable experience we had. Unfortunately a slight glitch occurred when I actually went to shoot a deer (read about it here, it’s pretty funny), so we ended up not getting our first deer together on our first hunt.

But that didn’t bother me, or Bo, a bit. And I was even a little glad that we didn’t get a deer on our first outing so that it didn’t seem like hunting was too easy. As a matter of fact, that is why we were even in a stand, because if all I wanted to do was kill one with him, I could have shot one right out of the back yard.

But, like I said, I did not want him to get the wrong impression that hunting was easy or that you didn’t have to work for your deer. Well, after hunting 8 more times together and either not seeing anything at all or having them step out to far to really get a good view of the deer and my shot, I think that I accomplished my goal! As a matter of fact, I think that Bo was thinking of hiring a new guide since his was obviously not very competent if he couldn’t put him on a deer in almost 10 tries.

Luckily, his guide got with the program and asked Mr. Danny (Cypress Creek Hunting Lodge owner) if we could please go over to Pleasant Hill Plantation to shoot a doe. It is a unbelievably beautiful place, there are tons of deer over there, and they have had little pressure – all things that make for a great hunt. And since we don’t have any more hunters booked on that tract this season, he said “yes”…

It was there Monday night that we were able to finally kill our first deer together. And what an experience we had. A cold front had moved in, so the temperature was just above freezing and that had the deer up and moving. We had several young does and small button bucks come out to the food plot and feeder at the Primus stand that we just enjoyed watching. Then a huge doe joined a couple of them, and Bo asked if I was going to shoot one. I told him yes, and asked him to cover his ears. When he was all set, and the doe had turned broadside, I took the 175 yard shot with my 30-06.

The doe jumped straight up into the air, came down, then sprinted across the field to the woods to the left of us. I was sure of a good hit, and Bo agreed that it must have been since she jumped so high. Bo then informed me that we needed to go and find it so that we could go home and show mama as well as take pictures of our “big mama doe”.

So we packed up all of our stuff and climbed down the 20 foot tower to begin the search. As we did, four of the deer that had run away at the sound of my shot came back out. So as to not spook them, we looped down and in to the pines towards the spot she had disappeared and started following the main trail that went back in towards the bedding area. And there, about 75 yards deep into the pines, was one of the biggest does I have ever seen. She easily went over 120 pounds.

Bo was ecstatic over “his” first deer and so was I! We hugged, checked out the animal that had given us its life so that we could eat, then started dragging her back towards the road. When we got there, we tagged her and loaded her up in the trunk of my Toyota Corolla for the ride home. There we showed her off to mama and took a few pictures before I skinned her out. And to preserve the memory, I also caped her out so that we could mount her.

Monday afternoon’s hunt was something that I had dreamed about for 4 years, and it was truly one of the greatest moments of my life… I will never, ever forget Bo and I killing our first deer together.

Now I just have to wait one more year so that I can do it again with Will. I have already been looking forward to it for 2 and a half years…

Jeff

PS. A huge, sincere Thank You to Danny and Becky for the opportunity to shoot our first deer on Pleasant Hill.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I friend sent me these neat shots a while back of a beautiful, baby Muntjac deer, and I thought that I would share them with everyone…

I also thought I would google the pictures to see what the story was behind them, and you can read it and see even more pictures HERE. But basically Rupert was born prematurely at a vet in the UK after his mom was hit by a car; that was where the pictures were taken. The folks at Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital tried to save him, and he even made it a few days, but finally succumbed due to problems with being born too soon.

I hate to hear that, but at least the vets tried. Mother Nature can be cruel, and usually doesn’t even give second chances. Rest in peace Rupert. Your pictures will help preserve your memory.

Jeff

PS Please note that I have several posts going up today, so please keep checking back.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The 2008 South Carolina deer season hasn’t even ended yet, but I have already had quite a few emails from hunters asking about hunting leases that will be available for the 2009 season.

I am happy to help direct them to two of the best South Carolina lowcountry deer hunting lease providers: Morrison Forestry and Wise Batten, Inc. Both are located in Estill, and they both have lots of great land available for hunters. Hunters can find more information on these two great hunting lease providers by checking their websites. Wise Batten, Inc’s site is www.wisebatten.com and his phone number is 803-625-4256. Morrison Forestry’s site is www.morrisonforestry.com, and hunters can reach Michael Greene there for more information at 803-625-2757.

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Well, I finally killed a deer last night. And while it certainly wasn’t a monster, the young doe sure will eat good over the coming months.

The warm weather and hunting pressure has really kept the movement down, so the hunting has been tough lately.  But it’s really my own fault. I passed on hundreds of deer over the season, mostly looking at them through the lens of a video camera, in hopes of a giant. So to now have to shoot a couple for the freezer during the hardest time of the year is what I get.

But I figured that with this cold front dropping in on the lowcountry this week that the deer would be moving, and they were. I ended up seeing 3 deer total, which late in season after they have been shot at for 4 months, is pretty good for our little spot.

I even had one get me before I could get the gun up, so I was pretty irritated with myself. I am normally pretty quick on the draw, but this deer didn’t even slow up as it crossed my shooting lane. And after hunting all of last week without seeing a deer in range, I really thought I was going home again without a deer. But fortunately a few minutes later, two young does ambled across my path at about 75 yards. I checked for buttons, and when I didn’t see any, let the second one have it… She barely made it 25 yards before falling over right behind the stand.

Unfortunately Bo wasn’t with me, so we will be going this afternoon to see if we can’t get one together. As a matter of fact, the deer that got by me was actually right in front of the blind that the two of us hunt in together (about 300 yards down the road), so hopefully it will return for us this afternoon. Then instead of a long shot, I will have just a 40 yard shot, and Bo can have a front row seat.

Of course, that is if he gives me the go ahead to shoot it. The other night we were hunting and had two button bucks come out, and he flat out told me “don’t shoot those young bucks dada. Then they can grow up and become MONSTERS!”.

I hear you son! We will give it another try this afternoon…

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Greenefield Hunting Lodge 8 point

I saw the Vice-President of our QDMA’s Salkehatchie Branch the other night at his party. There Michael Greene told me about a couple of the great bucks that his hunters had killed at his Greenefield Hunting Lodge here outside of Estill…

And he wasn’t kidding! Look at these two monsters – both will go over 130 inches.

I sure could use one about that size right now. Bo and I did manage to see a couple of button bucks last night, but chose to let them grow. That way, one day, they can look

Greenefield Hunting Lodge 9 point

just like these two.

Thanks Michael for sending us the shots!

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I love getting emails from people that read this site. It doesn’t matter if it is just to say that they like the site and my stories, or if it is a question about hunting that I can possibly help them with. I love them all! And I especially love getting emails from people that have found a story and/or pictures on here that have touched them deeply.

I have had two of these lately. One was from a gentleman that used to hunt around here, and he somehow found the site and emailed with questions about food plots and my involvement with the Quality Deer Management Association. In my reply to his email, I let him know that I knew many of the people that used to hunt here, and that I had even posted some stories and pictures about them… Well, he read those articles and looked at those pictures, and then he called me and we talked for a long time about all of it. To say that he was moved would be an understatement!

After we spoke, he left a comment under the stories that I had written about our old friend Dwight (click his name to read it or click Photographs from the Shooter to see them all of the pictures from him). I thought that I would include it here for everyone to read since Chris has promised to write up some stories from that time. And if you are new to this site, please take a moment to read the articles and look at the old hunting pictures that he was referring to. They are an important part of our lowcountry hunting heritage, especially Hampton County’s!

Jeff,

What a great story.  I grew up in the seventies hunting with major jones’ club;  my father took me there when i was six. One of the first men i met was Dwight Moore (camera man) as we called him. And that part that you tell about him teaching kids how to hunt is true.  He always had me on a great stand and always took care of me, and on Sunday morning he was always at church and he made it a point after church to come back by Brighton to say by before we headed back to the upstate to go home.

Some of the pictures on your post bring back so many memories; its great to see those pieces of time. I can’t wait to make a trip over that way to go through his hunting log. As a kid all of these guys molded my life as a child.  joe hadwin,  maj. jones, mrs chris, the whole crowd around dog hunting. Nothing like a cold autumn morning and hearing the whoops of Dwight and Joe and Jimmie Spearman through the forest. Their voices rang out and a strong pack of dogs coming your way -  you just knew that something was gonna bust through the brush at any second.

It’s a lost sport that was a lot of fun and fellowship. I will dig up some old memories and post them soon. Thanks a lot Chris  (smokeyjoe)

Another of them was from the niece of a Southern hunting celebrity that died a few years ago named Ken Tucker. I wrote this piece about Ken and his outdoor show The Sportsman’s Showcase, and his niece happened to find it. She wrote me the following email:

Hello! I know that you don’t know me, but I just wanted to let you know how nice your article was about Ken Tucker. I always referred to him as my uncle, even though him and my aunt Charlotte were never married (i guess dating for 20-so years is close enough!). He was always the one person in my family that I felt like I related to the most, and to hear someone else say that he touched their life like that means alot to me. I was gonna call you on the number from your website, but I couldn’t really think of what to say then. I guess what I just wanted to tell you is thank you. I haven’t been able to watch any of his videos since then, but I guess after almost 5 years, I may break out my vcr too! Its kinda weird how I found your site. When Ken passed away, he left my parents a good bit of his hunting gear, and since no one else in the family bow hunts I figured it would be a waste to let his bow sit out in our storage house. So I got out his bow and brought it back to my house only to find out that it’s a little hard for me to pull back. it’s been hard when i’ve seen his tapes and stuff before, but I was trying to search online for his old sponsers to see if they might know where to find those parts, and I just stumbled upon your site, and i’m very glad that i did. It was nice thinking about all the time that we spent together, and even though I miss him, just seeing what you wrote kinda makes me feel like everyone’s memories of him make him live on. So, thank you again. Hopefully you and your family will get some “big game” hunting in this year!

I just can’t tell you how it feels to have touched people with this site and my writing, and I truly appreciate everyone that visits here. Please keep sending the emails…

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The Hog Killing Machine

I have checked with both of our boys about what they would like for Christmas, and they have decided that they would like to go on a hog hunt.

Specifically, they would like to drive the Hoginator and make a stack of dead hogs like in the picture. I have volunteered to chaperon the trip!

Hog Hunting Texas Style

Anybody else up for some serious hog killing?

Have a great Tuesday! And if you have a minute, please check out The Skinning Shed at www.cypresscreekhunting.com/blog to see some of the nice bucks we have been killing at Cypress Creek Hunting Lodge late in the season.

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Bo and Will in their new truck

Our oldest son turned four yesterday, and he got what I have always wanted – a monster truck. His mimi Theresa and papa Danny gave it to him when we were in Florida last week. And so it is only holds 100 pounds and can’t squash cars, he still has a big Ford 150 and I don’t

Bo also got a super cool remote-control car and some new tools to “fix” his new truck from his pop pop and mimi Brenda as well as a bike and a big buck blanket from my mom to wrap in on the sofa when he watches the “Creek” hog hunting video. So, as you can see, he really made out.

I just can’t believe where the time has gone. Just the “other day”, we were bringing him home from the hospital! I tell all of you dads with babies (Arthur and Brad), you had better watch out or they will grow up on you.

To celebrate Bo’s birthday, we went out to lunch with my mom and then came back to the house so that the boys could rampage through the woods in their new truck. Then Bo and I went hunting for the afternoon.

Bo and Will Hunt

The weather was cool and rainy, but we managed to get to a covered stand in between showers to sit for the last 2 hours of the day. Unfortunately, just like the last few times we have gone together, nothing came out for us to shoot and make in to meat. But that is REAL hunting…

We are going to give it a few more tries before the season ends on January 1st. However the weather is supposed to turn warm for the next week, so if we aren’t seeing anything at our little spot in the cold weather, I can’t believe that the warm air is going to help. But maybe not having the biggest full moon of the year glowing over us will counter the warm temps.

Fortunately, while he asks why no deer or hogs came out for us, Bo still enjoys going hunting… And that is all that matters. Happy Birthday Bo “Monster Buck with Crab Claws” Hunt.

PS Click the link on above to read how Bo got his Indian name if you don’t know the story.

Jeff

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!