Happy Place

I haven't posted in a long time. I recently remembered just how much I love the water whether it is fishing, boating, swimming or just sitting by the water and enjoying the tranquility and beauty. Sometimes we get busy and don't take time to do what we love. I love fishing with my son and swimming and boating with my daughter. Of course spending time with my family is special regardless of how it is done, but sharing my passion with them is very special.

Some of my best memories revolve around water for most of my life. My parents tell me of the time I put a picture of a pool on the floor and pretended to swim. I have also been told of me holding a stick with a string on it in a puddle of water pretending to fish. I can't remember a time I didn't enjoy fishing or swimming in the river. Fishing on the bank was wonderful, but fishing in a boat or just riding in a boat was icing on the cake.

Throughout my life I have camped, fished, skied, swam, and just generally hung out by the river. I love the interesting ecosystem of the river and would love to know even more about the intricacies of this fascinating world. I even enjoy driving over the river on a bridge, but it does make me a little envious. I guess if I grew up on the coast I would have the same love of the ocean, but growing up six hours from the nearest coast the Tennessee River was my passion.

I have read how sailors loved the sea and I can truly understand their longing for being on the water. My family is the only thing I love more than spending time on the river. If I had not been fortunate enough to have met my wonderful wife, I may have easily been a river hobo. In spite of how much I love the river I have been so busy doing other things I have not spent time pursuing my passion. I am not sure how much time I will get to spend on the water, but I will certainly savor each moment I have the opportunity to spend on the magical liquid.

Outdoor Life

I enjoy being outside and love outdoor activities. I love hunting, fishing, and just generally being outside. We have a few acres and some goats and chickens so my outdoor activities for the last couple of years has been limited to bushhogging, mowing, and weedeating more than leisure activities. Howerver, my goal is to spend more time hunting and fishing. I have succeeding in hunting and fishing enough to develop an interest in my son, but we don't go nearly as much as we would both like to go.

We love college football and spending time with the ladies in our life, my beautiful wife and daughter, and between all of our family activities time to hunt and fish is limited. We still try and carve out some quality time to spend together. As a father I love spending time with my family so even if the actual hunting and fishing time is lower than it once was, the end result is still building memories.

Dove Season

Dove season is right around the corner in Alabama. I have never been a big dove hunter but it kind of kicks off hunting season. It is a good time to spend a little time with family and friends. Unlike deer hunting, dove hunting is a good time to have good conversations with your hunting buddies. Unfortunately the place I hunt there usually isn't a lot of action so the fun is the people with whom you are hunting. We could visit several of the paid hunts but they are usually very crowded and you aren't really sure who is hunting beside you or more importantly in front of you.  Good football game on the radio and good friends makes for a good day.

Stripe Fishing

Got hung a few times, threw at least a thousand casts, but caught a few stripe with my favorite fishing buddy. We started about daylight, though I did oversleep a little, and fished to mid-afternoon and although we didn't catch a lot of fish we had a great time. The boat finally seems to be fixed and didn't leak a bit thanks to my neighborhood mechanic who does a great job.

We weren't ready to quit so when we got home we did a little bream fishing in the creek behind our house. We didn't catch any fish but were able to get a small fire started jus to hone our survival skills and to pass some time. Gas in the boat- fifty dollars, a few snacks- ten dollars, seeping time with my son- priceless.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/evangelista73.html

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/evangelista73.html

Snake

I have been spending a little time outdoors behind the house and had a recent encounter with a little snake hiding on a limb. I was able to get quick picture before he slithered off into the branches. 

Short Fishing Trip

Boat under repair, work on the farm, vacation, and long work hours have all contributed to my recent lack of fishing. My son and I recently took a short, early morning, bank fishing trip. We started fishing in the tailrace below Wheeler Dam. We fished with several artificial lures and redworms and only caught one small largemouth.

We changed to fishing a small cove and my son caught several small bream to finish our fishing trip. We didn't catch a lot of fish but we did have a good time enjoying the great outdoors. We did have an encounter with a house cat while getting a snack at the Dam Store located near Wheeler Dam. We left the window down while getting our snack and came back to find a cat had jumped in our truck due to the smell of our worms in the front seat. To say I was startled when I opened the door and the cat jumped out of the truck. My son and I had a good laugh at my reaction to the cat flashing by me unexpectedly.

It just goes to show that you never know what is going to happen on trip to the great outdoors.

Seasonal Square Bill Strategies

Seasonal Square Bill Strategies

Back Pack Essentials

Infographic from the Backpacker Checklist on OutdoorPros.com

The Swedish Log Candle

The Swedish Log Candle

Waterfowler's Notebook: Off-Season Scouting

Waterfowler's Notebook: Off-Season Scouting

Meat For The Freezer

We haven't done a lot of hunting this year but we finally got to go and my son got a doe which will help stock the freezer. He made a very clean shot and I was glad because it was getting a little frosty. He was very excited and to make the day even better we had bought his first pistol earlier in the day so it was a very good day. I haven't shot at anything for several years and in fact I don't even carry a rifle but seeing the excitement he gets from hunting is better than killing a big buck.

First Buck

My son has been hunting with me for several years and we have had a great time and he has killed two does, but wasn't able to see a buck. It finally happened, he killed his first buck! He was a very excited little boy and it was a great day. He had never even seen a buck in the woods and he took advantage of the opportunity with a single shot.

The buck was a big bodied dear but the antlers were stunted; however it was a buck and made a little boy very happy. The shot was a little off from where he was aiming, but it dropped in its tracks to it was effective. Everything came together perfectly for the first hunt of the year. We have meat in the refrigerator and the pressure is off to kill a buck.

Getting Ready for Hunting Season

Cool weather means hunting season is just around the corner. It is important to check out all your equipment to ensure a safe hunting season. One of the most important things to check is your tree stand. Cord and ropes can rot and chains can rust. It may also be time to move a stand based upon the new travel patterns of the deer. There are many more things to check but many hunting injuries occur because of tree stand incidents therefore checking tree stands is crucial.

It is also a good idea to make sure the guns are in good working order and of course make sure those scopes are set correctly. You certainly don't want to miss a shot due to the scope being off. A little target practice can be a good idea as well. Due to the high price of shells, some general shooting with a 22 can help hone your skills but some shots with your hunting rifle is also important.  Taking shots from different positions is important because deer don't always show up at just the right spot for an easy shot.

Many more things need to be done and future articles will mention these things but it is never too early to prepare. Of course fish are also biting so windy, rainy days are good times to prepare for the upcoming hunting season.

Following a Blood Trail

If you have ever deer hunted you have probably tracked a wounded deer. Here is a good article to help you. Click here for the article.

Worms

Here is a little article about keeping worms alive while fishing. Click here for the article.

Drop-Shotting Panfish - Out In Michigan

Drop-Shotting Panfish - Out In Michigan

Fishing Trip

Fishing with a 1977 bass boat can be quiet trying to say the least. Limited number of fishing trips a year makes a person not want to waste any time messing with the boat. My son and I had a pretty good trip going when we realized by the smell of electrical shortage that the trim motor was having difficulties.

In spite of technical difficulties my son managed to land a few bream and we saw a deer while at the river. We spent some quality time together and learned some life lessons about how to handle things when they don't exactly as planned. Good trip, but I think it is time to get rid of the ole boat.

Great Fall Fishing Article

Here is a great article by Hank Parker about bass fishing in the fall season.

Southern outdoors: The good days are great

Southern outdoors: The good days are great: Last minute trip I ran to the lake yesterday afternoon to see if I could catch a few fish before Hurricane Isaac brought rain to the en...