Muzzleloader Buck...a production of K&J Barwick Enterprises, LLC

Georgia’s muzzleloader season has come and gone, and so has another buck! I was very fortunate to take 2 bucks this year, with my muzzleloader. More importantly, I took these two deer with my nephew, Ethan.

Midway thru the week the weather finally turned a little cooler, around 46 degrees, and we were out there ready to go. I dropped Ethan off at good spot where we had found a lot of acorns dropping, and I had previously killed a buck (2006), and I went about 120 yards farther down the creek bottom.

The spot I had scouted for myself was a small point of land, coming off a thicket, that leads deer easily to the creek area of the swamp. This point of land has several oak trees, white and water oaks mostly, and they were dropping nicely.

In the darkness, waiting for the woods to wake, you have time to think about many things. Too often, these thoughts take away from the hunt and are a distraction. Today, I was full of memories about those hunts of the past....and was very proud to be toting an old Buck 110 folder on my belt. Daylight came quickly this morning.

After daylight, I heard and saw a flock of turkeys down past my position, got them on video too. The turkeys passed out of sight and I heard footsteps to my immediate left. I couldn't turn and look for fear of it being a deer. Sure enough, it was a deer, but I could only get a skewed look from the side. White oak acorns were surely on the deer’s mind this day, because I could hear the acorns being crunched.

Behind my ground blind, I reached up and turned on my video camera, mounted to my rifle with a Deer Ridge Innovations Gun and Bow Camera Mount. The deer still had no idea I was there, and was feeding at about 9 yards from me. There was a big tree right next to the deer, but I could not tell from my angle if the deer would pass on the other side of the tree, or on my side. (the video really shows how hard I was breathing at this point). Thankfully, in just a moment the deer walked by on the other side of the tree….giving me a chance to raise the rifle and get ready. The first thing I saw come past the tree were antlers, then head and neck, and then chest…nothing else came past the tree because I shot very quickly. The buck dropped where he stood.

After checking out the buck, I walked down to get Ethan and start the work of getting my deer out of the woods. That was one happy kid when we reached my buck and this made me really glad that I squeezed the trigger. Sure, I used my second and last buck tag on this deer, but killing it with Ethan present made it a great day for me.

The video for this hunt will turn out great, though I only have about 5 seconds of live footage before the shot. Please check out the video and pictures. Ethan was very happy for my success, and gladly ran the video and still cameras to get some memories down for good.

Throughout our lives, change seems to constantly surround us and cause us to make alterations to our life plan. Suddenly, we grow apart from those we are supposed to be closest to, and see one another less and less over the years. Hunting, for us, has become the bridge that really joins us. Now, I make a concerted effort to hunt and fish with my guys (On the Ground, Outdoors Field Staff) several times a year. Also, throughout the rest of the year we stay in constant touch......trail cam photos and our theories take up alot of cell phone minutes. I would be lost without my hunting time with these guys.....Brian, Ethan, Will, and Farrell (all Field Staff). They have added more value to my life than they could possibly know. My advice, hunt with someone close to you, and you won't grow apart. Please enjoy the video and pictures......I hope they make you want to get out there after em'.







Thanks for hunting with us today. Please come back and we’ll go again. Good luck this season, and when you can take someone your close to hunting, it could be the best day of your season.

Jeff
Hunting Our Heritage, One Memory at a Time

On the Ground, Outdoors Strikes....Muzzleloader Buck

Georgia's muzzleloader season began on October 11th, and it was a good day! I picked up my nephew Ethan, at the airport around lunch and ran back home to try to get in a hunt before dark.

After dropping him off at a climber stand in water oaks, I headed to a lock-on stand also in water oaks that bordered a 3 year old clear cut. We were running late to hunt and it was warm and humid, as a result I wore no camo shirt or gloves or face mask....anything to ease the heat.

About 6:15 this spike walked out and broadside at about 40 yards. All I was really able to tell was he seemed to be a full grown deer, with "something" on his head. One shot from the Encore .50 cal and it was all over but the work.

Now, many folks would have let this "little" buck walk. A deer this large with only spikes does not need to be left in the herd. More importantly, Ethan came to Georgia to hunt deer with me...to me this means we were out there to kill deer together. I think he was more excited than I was. Indeed, this hunt will be with him forever, a memory has to be made....they do not just happen.

This deer hunt was also captured on video using a Deer Ridge Innovations Gun & Bow Camera Mount, purchased at the Georgia Wildlife Perry Buckarama. This article will be updated soon with that video.

Please come back and hunt with us soon, and please enjoy our videos.

Thanks,

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Black bear on a trail camera!!!!!!

Everyone, please take a look at this bear picture. My nephew Ethan was fortunate enough to get this photo a few weeks ago. Our question is, is there anyone out there who can give a realistic estimate of weight and size? A couple thoughts, this is an August picture of a bear from mid-state Vermont.

Please, if you have an idea or thought, leave a comment on this article.

Thanks for the help, and have fun.

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Deer season is here!

Finally, archery season has begun. I have only had a couple of chances to get out, but we have finally had a hint at "less hot weather" (if not cooler). I got out today for 3 to 4 hours and walked around a good bit, looking for sign. I was able to come up with a few white oak acorns and loads of water oaks.

Those water oaks will prove to be a good spot, and I have prepped a tree for a climber. This spot will come into play a little later when blackpowder season opens, in about 3 weeks, when my oldest nephew Ethan will come in from Vermont to hunt whitetail. Wish us luck, and check back to see how we did.

Thanks for checking in today. Come again and we'll hunt some more.

Jeff
On the Ground, Outdoors

Deer season almost here!

"Deer management. You have heard the words before, but what does it mean to you? To different people it means different things. To pure hunters, deer management revolves around harvest management. You either shoot to get the deer population down or you lay off the herd to let the numbers grow. Sure, harvest management should be an important part of any comprehensive deer management plan, but keep in mind that it’s not the only thing.It’s real easy to talk about deer management, but there is talking the talk and walking the walk. White-tailed deer, like all animals, have three primary needs: food, cover, and water. This seems easy enough, but there really is a big misconception among lots of folks about what deer actually eat. If you don’t already know that deer eat primarily forbs and browse, then you have some homework to do because the words “browse” and “forb” mean absolutely nothing to you. But it’s not a big deal because it’s relatively easy to learn about and research the important deer browse and forbs in your area. Once you know what deer eat, the next step is to figure out how to provide more of those foods through proper habitat management."

Great article at Buckmaster...check them out for the rest of this article.

Thanks for stopping in. Come again.....we'll be adding hunting video.....as soon as possible.

Jeff
On the Ground, Outdoors

White River, Vermont

My recent trip to fly fish took our group to the White River, near central Vermont. The White is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon. I have fished here many times before, but this time with fly tackle......and this trip was very special.....I was with my brother and his two sons. Now let me tell you, fly fishing is brand new to me, but these guys were born with a fly rod in one hand and an Orvis tattoo on the other arm. (They love this stuff).



The lesson learned on this river could be life altering. Here goes........While on the White, and other rivers in Vermont, Brian showed me many different types of aquatic life, especially mayfly and caddis nymphs under many rocks. Also, I was able to see a few stone fly nymphs.......(small mouth bass love to attack stone flys). The point is that every life in the river is there to serve another.....as food. The circle goes around and around. In fact, in a wider view, we can see the river itself as a living being, full of energy and power. Understanding our place in this landscape is the great lesson.


By learning about and participating in this "food chain", how much can be learned about the world we live in everyday? If every being in the river is food for another, what were we born to feed? What's our purpose?........ The food chain is a deep pond to leap into, but looking at the living river, a flow of water controlled by gravity, with the strength to be unchanged, unstopped, despite the best efforts of man.......I have discovered the river to be PATIENT, if nothing else. ..the water finds it's own place to exist.....it's own time....the determination a river must have.




The lesson I learned is that we only have one life time to create a legacy.....some sort of impact....the river has no such time limits......eons of time will pass and the water will still flow....cutting rock and earth....reshaping it's path.

The trip to the White culminated with William catching a fine rainbow trout......the video of his fish is below.



Fishing with these guys was a great trip. I learned plenty, and hope I taught a little.

Thanks for coming along on my fly fishing trip to Vermont, I hope you had a great time. Stop by again for more pics and stories from the Green Mountain State.

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Rainbows of Vermont

The waters of Vermont are clear and cold. This particular year has been very wet, and until just prior to my trip, most rivers and streams were virtually un-fishable. I was glad to find the water level had been dropping, although I believe the quality of the fishing was affected by all the recent rainfall.


Out of the gate, we started our fishing at Plainfield, Vermont. West of Plainfield, on Hwy. 2 we parked on the highway and dressed in waders and boots. Excited, the four of us made our way to the river. Brian has a favorite set of ripples on this section of water that seem to always produce a good fish………today was to be no exception.



I had fished Vermont waters years before, but not with fly tackle. Not knowing what to tie on, I first used a tungsten bead caddis pupa wet fly. The general idea was to cast across the current and let the fly drift downstream and down in front of yourself. The trick is that you have to “mend” your line up river of the fly to create a realistic drift of that fly, (here’s a great article describing mending). I made several casts and picked up the technique, somewhat, pretty quick. The idea is to make that cast and drift several times, hoping for a bite. After a few tries with no bite, I’d move down river a few steps and begin the process over again, basically trying to locate the feeding zone of a trout. I did manage one bite, but no hook up.

My oldest nephew, Ethan, fishing the same ripple I was, did manage to hook up on a nice rainbow and land the fish. We took several pictures of this trout before release. I learned that these wild trout don’t want to leave……we pulled the trout back and forth thru the water several times to aid in oxygenation, and yet when totally released, the fish stayed right there. During the week long trip I saw this repeated many times, and was always amazed.




The reason for this trip was fulfilled almost immediately.....on our first excursion, as darkness overtook the land, as the air became suddenly cooler, Ethan hooked into this fish. I think both of us will remember his fish for a long time.


Thanks for coming by the blog, stop by again and check out the next installment of our fly fishing expedition to Vermont. Coming soon, we'll post some fishing video that really shows some beautiful water in Vermont.



Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors

Jeff's fly fishing journal...a week in Vermont.

My trip is finally almost here!!!!!!!!! yeah!

Shortly, I have a trip scheduled to go to Vermont and fly fish for a week. This trip has been on my radar for a long time now, and I have been trying to get out here in Georgia and fish all I can this summer to get prepared. My plans are to chronicle the trip day by day here on the blog, with still photos. When I return, I will quickly have video footage online to further document the action on the trip.

I am truly excited to get in the Green Mountain State and chase some trout. I cannot wait to get into the cold water streams and rivers, running clear and clean. Also, the dark shade of the Vermont woods and timber will be a welcomed change from the heat and humidity of Georgia. I have included a picture of the results of some practice.

Traditionally, we start each AM off in pursuit of coffee....so I will also start off each day with you, tagging along, looking for a cup of Joe. From there I hope to take you to the White, the Winooski, and the Dog rivers. Too, still water fishing at Greenwood lake in Woodbury, Vt. will be a treat, too.

Please check back in the next few weeks and catch up with us on our expedition. Too, be sure to stop by the blog to look over our fly fishing videos.

Thanks for reading today,

Jeff

On the Ground, Outdoors