DaveS

This was so funny I just had to share. Well, not so funny for these two Darwin Award winners!   http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/10/09/two-suspected-burglars-killed-when-blow-torch-ignites-fireworks-in-safe/   DaveS

Well, folks voted for CHANGE, wonder how they are liking it now?   DaveS

I always get excited when my guests kill a deer while I'm guiding them or get their 1st deer. Take a Federal Game Warden friend of mine. Jason has killed many, many deer. Trophy bucks in Whitetail and Mule deer. Hundreds of does. He had never taken a deer with Muzzle Loader. I told him I would put him in my stand and he would at least see Does. If he wanted a "big boy" I'd put him down in the "bottoms". Long story short, he shot a doe with his ML. He was tickled to death that he'd finally gotten a deer with it! He got all choked up on me! That's my kind of hunting! I'll try to post a pic of it later on.   The above story of the guy getting his first deer, he's an older gentleman and this was his third year deer hunting. I LOVE IT!!!   DaveS

Are you in Clarksville yet?   DaveS

Hunting permits are required to hunt these areas in addition to your regular license. Fort Campbell $40 - $80,  LBL $25, Cross Creeks $15  TN WMA $17 (small game), $51 (small game waterfowl combo), Big Game $17   Figure out what you want to hunt and where then go from there. Fort Campbell is a little tricky, so be careful around that place. They do not allow scouting! There are ways around that though.   Read the TN regs, then re-read about fifty times...then read again! If you're still confused, I'm we can help you here!   Happy Hunting!   DaveS

That's every where around here. East TN has some pig hunting on WMA's, and you can hunt private land if you find a land owner that will put you on a list to hunt, and/or you can afford to pay him to put you on a list. If you want to pig hunt, out of state is the place to go.   Fort Campbell allows the harvesting of Feral Hogs while deer hunting. There are some fine hawgs out there too!   DaveS

I do agree with a lot of what you say. I kill spikes when they appear to be older deer, not the very young ones. I should have made that clear. Since I too am a "meat hunter" and don't care nothing about hanging any more heads on my wall, any and all deer suit me just fine. Just to let you know, that doe in the above picture was taken after two twin 4 pointers were passed up on.   Not to bust anyone's bubble, but deer hunting is about more than "rack size". Big rack 4 and 5 year old mature bucks are great to kill. Most people however kill them just for that reason. Then they throw them in the beds of their trucks and drive all over town to show their buddies. By the time they make it the Taxidermist it's in bad shape and even fewer make it to the freezer. To each his own.   I however, ignore rack size, and judge my deer based on Tender Loins, Hams, Chops and Burger. I will not shoot a button buck or doe that appears to be under 60 pounds. I do however applaud those that do, because there are way too many of them. And yes, I did at one time "Trophy Hunt". Been there, done that", and have nice things to show for it. It's about the meat now.   Each person that purchases a hunting license has to make no one else happy but themselves. As long as they abide by the law, let them kill what they want. You nor I can change it. Take public land for example; let a little 6 pointer walk away and he'll be dead within 300 yards! May as well go on and get him yourself. Private land? I don't have that problem. My problem is people sneaking in killing my mature bucks.   I have no issues with hunters taking young deer if that makes them happy and it feeds them. We talked to a guy the other day that was plumb tickled to death because he killed his first deer. The little buck had spikes about an inch long and weighed about 60 pounds. To him, it might as well have been a 10 pointer! First thing he said? "Man is that going to taste good"!   With the economy as bad as it is, more and more people out of work, we all can expect fewer bucks making it to adulthood. It's just a fact we have to live with.   Happy Hunting!   DaveS

Every single morning, I wake up and watch Channel 5 News. Every single morning they report that at least 3 people had been shot over night. What the hell?   DS

Two of the WMA's in the area are open for hunting, except during duck season when special regulations apply. Fort Campbell is open for Deer (Bow, Shotgun, ML), and small game. Special regulations apply. Same with Cross Creeks and LBL. The area is full of Rabbit, Squirrel, Deer, Turkey and Hunters. Take your pick. We have plenty of wild pigs running around, but they are protected by TWRA.   Good Luck   DaveS

A good deer herd management program includes the harvesting of certain bucks. You can't harvest only does and be happy. You are not doing your herd justice by that. For every doe you kill during the rut, you are potentially killing up to four deer. Let that bred doe drop her fawns and carry on the genes of your mature bucks. There is nothing wrong with taking a young buck. How about leaving the "big boys" to spread their genes. That makes more sense. I thinned two "scrubs" with jacked up racks off my property last year. I will continue to do so. I have some monsters on my property. I will keep them there for breeding my does.   DaveS

She should be good eating for sure!   DS

My Son took this nice Doe with a 45 yard shot with his bow. This was the 6th deer we seen within an hour of dark yesterday evening. DS

Good laugh...thanks, I needed it!   DS

My Son got a decent Doe yesterday evening while we were out. I'll get out on post with Muzzleloader one day this week. Weather is getting right for hunting now.   DS

Exactly what I was thinking as well....   DS

The dispatcher may be out of work, but there is no phones in the cars. I guess ( I will deny saying this) you could just go on and do ass you wish, even knowing the park is closed. The main highway (The Trace) remains open because it is a state highway.   DS

Law enforcement (Rangers) are still on duty. That's how they make sure the park stays "closed". I volunteer with the USFWS and I'll get in touch with the Warden I do my service work with and see about the range.   DaveS

LBL is closed!   DS

The dead female was unarmed. Her child was also in the car when she was shot to death.   DS

I never got an Engine (pumper) airborne before, but I did manage to hang a curve in our "Heavy Rescue" on two wheels!   DaveS

^^^This too!   DS

Life goes on Buddy....you only live once. I guess how long is up to us! lol   DaveS

OK, round two (promise not to hold this against me).   I was drilling a piece of wood ( 1x2x3) and the bit kept grabbing the wood and spinning it around in a circle. So my brilliant self (I'm world famous for brilliance) decided to hold the piece of wood in my hand to drill. Well...the bit broke through the wood and about 3/8 inch into to palm of my hand. I had to "un-chuck" the bit and off to the emergency room, as I could not stand the pain of reversing that bit out of my hand! A minor surgery was required to remove the bit. Lesson learned: C-clamp.   Last but not least....   Was muzzleloader hunting a couple of years ago when a beaut of an 8 pointer walked within 30 yards of me. I leveled the sights and fired. The buck took off running and stopped about 40 yards away. In haste in reloading the Hawken with the wood ram rod, it snapped and entered the palm of my left hand and exited out the back. So off to the ER with half of a ramrod sticking through my hand. Again, a minor surgery to remove it. While waiting in the ER for the doc to come in I get a text message..."Dad, what do you want us to do with this monster 8 point you killed?"...*&&^&*(*)(&*^%%$^&&*(!!!!!!!!!   My son and his friend really enjoyed all that meat. Lesson Learned: Fiberglass ramrods for hunting and range work.   That's all I care to tell about now.   DS

OK, now that y'all have beat me into submission, I shall confess....   Last year I plugged an extension cord into the wall and then my drill into the cord. Went to drill a hole and the drill didn't work. Went and checked the breaker...all was good. I unplugged the drill and plugged it in another outlet...all worked fine. After a few more tests, I determined that the extension cord didn't work. So I unplugged it. When I went to plug in another one, it wouldn't go in the outlet. After close examination, I found a metal prong from the old cord still sticking in the hole. Well, it had came out of the cord plug and was stuck. So, being the handy man that I am, I reached down and grabbed the metal to pull it out of the outlet. Well, it was then that I remembered why insulated pliers and breaker switches were made!   I have more I will post later...   DaveS

Only you Buddy!  lol   DaveS