Big Bucks

 Let me start this conversation by admitting my limitations.   I am not a deer expert nor do I pretend to be. I hold no degrees in forestry , agriculture, or wildlife management.   My view points are my own.   I have briefly in the past been the Pro-staff of a couple of operations but am not getting paid and or sponsored by anybody at the present.   Ok, my wife sponsors my hunting.  She is willing to sell me out to any organization willing to give money or merchandise,  HAHAHAHA.

I have worked in the outdoors a large portion of my life and ended up being the risk control/ insurance man for loggers and construction accounts.  I have run a gun business successfully and unsuccessfully at times for the past ten years.  I work hard for what I have but have had the pleasure of  having a career that has allowed me to hunt.  I have hunted  and fished in numerous states  which include VA, NC, AL, GA, KY, PA, and even in FL  When I went into land ownership years ago, that cut out most of my out of state hunting which has kept me from going to the Midwest. Rather than any degrees, I am speaking from experience and what I have learned from my friends and customer's over the years.  I also read way too many magazines and watch way too many hunting programs and youtube videos on deer management and planting for wildlife.  I do follow and consider myself friends with some people that know allot about killing big deer,  as well as  attracting and growing big deer---------------but it doesnt pay my bills to live next to somebody that is rich (thats an old saying.)

LET THEM GET OLD. GIVE THEM FOOD AND PROTECT THEM.

OLD BOYS  I am sure guys in the Midwest can debunk this ,but down south age does wonders.  Let a buck get to 4.5 ,5.5 or even 6 years old.  Its amazing to see how they bust out.  I have seen properties with limited food sources and way to many does produce monsters  I said nothing about raising Pope & Young or Boone & Crocket bucks, but an old buck is cool buck.  Even if some folks consider him a cull.    Just a side point,  some of my favorite hunts and coolest deer mounts were for culls or what somebody told me was one!

Food Plots.   I love to plant.  Some experts say not to plant in the off season to keep the does away and some do say to plant.  I do because I love growing stuff for the wildlife about as much as I do hunting them.  This love can be seen in my gardening.  I take pride in fall food plots and go to great efforts and expense to have them turn out right.  I like planting stuff around the house in the summer because I just love to see the deer, turkey, and birds.  I probably would have stopped hunting over the years if I wasnt allowed to plant oats, wheat, cereal rye,  and Blessed clover for my deer.  BAIT  Hell Yes,  I personally have no problems with it and know some do.  To each his own.  People can preach this and preach that.   Again I hold no degrees.   If they will let you run corn and bait deer, YES.  It works.   I just said I love planting for deer.  If legal, I will probably have bait stations situated somewhere on my hunting properties around those plantings.    Most of my largest bucks were not killed over a corn pile!  Corn however helps hold does and increases the deer sightings.  I went straight to corn.   Yes I run some apples and they work.  I have tried other bait including the blocks but usually end back up the yellow gold.  I have limited knowledge of toasted soybeans and peanuts----I am always willing to learn.  I run corn out of 55 gallon gravity feeders.   I do occasionally run it on the ground and on the cob.  Sometimes I throw it out around my feeders.  Putting out 50 pounds of corn to hunt in 3 days ain't what I am talking about.  Yes BAMA friends with spinner feeders---- I see the benefit of timers.   I struggle with finding economical corn to run through them all the time.  I think I have made my point.  You all are trying to teach me so this may change over time!!

Protection   Everybody knows that you need to give them cover.  It goes further than that.   Most of the guys I see who are real successful stay out of it!   This is my biggest flaw.  I am blessed with hunting land that I own, but I never seem to have enough to hunt-----because I love to hunt so much.  Also you have neighbors who sit on your boarders trying to kill them going on and off your protection and salad bars.  I dont want to own all the land, but just that which borders mine.   Wish I had more to get them older.

Lets put all this together.      Some of the most successful people have seen have a block either large or small that has hunting pressure  less than those areas around it.  They either feed, plant plots, or have agricultural resources.   You Make them feel protected in the property.  Keep your visits to the bait infrequent and dont run a camera anywhere if its going to cause you to visit too often.   Lastly --To me a doe during the rut is BAIT!   I dont shoot does anywhere close to the time I am buck hunting.    Feed them, don't hunt it until things and times are perfect, and hunt smart.  

Have a buddy in Alabama talking to one of his friends.  They both love to hunt.  Alabama bowhunting starts in October and gun goes into February.  His friend loved to hunt like me.  That friend likes to just be in the woods.   Bowhunted, muzzle loader hunted, and rifle hunted as much as he could.  That friend asked them how he killed big bucks?  My friend said "  Feed them,  Hunt a stand no more than 3 times,  don't have hunting buddies, and you will kill a big deer"   That friend was shocked.  It wont make friends but it will help you see more deer and eventually probably a big one.

The Dream I had about the Red Jeep

Preface--I told this story when I had the honor of speaking at my brother's funeral in 2016.  Marvin Kyle Arnold  is my brother  and passed away around this time of the year.  The 25th I do believe. Kyle is what everybody called him.

When I was in college , I had money cause I was going to school, working, and living at home.  I wanted a jeep.  My brother and I found a red Jeep that was all jacked up.  Daddy disagreed with it.   He was right.  I spent money to fix and modify the old CJ5 and then would carry it out and tear it up.  I havent had good experiences with Jeeps over the years and would see one riding down the road and yell "Sell it!"  My dad and brother would get a kick from it.  Kyle and I spent countless hours working on the old Jeep either customizing or repairing it . Finally Sold that jacked up Jeep years ago to Tommy(  hope it wasnt the end of him).   Now your up to speed.

I had a dream  and I told the crowd it wasn't one of those weird dreams so don't be scared, haha.   I was 20ish again.   I was riding in the old jeep from Forest Home to Awin Alabama.  I thought I was cool! haha  I was making the turn off HWY. 10  headed toward Beatrice.   I lost control of the Jeep and hit a old barn in the corner of the intersection (that  building may have just been a dream as it was a dream.)   Shortly there after my uncles Walter Arnold and Joe Arnold pulled up together.   Uncle Walter shook his head and Uncle Joe mumbled and growled at me once they realized I was OK.   We all began looking at the damage to the JEEP and the barn.  My dad James Arnold and brother Kyle pulled up in the old white Ford F250.   Daddy let out a couple of "NOT SO NICE" words.  Kyle looked over in the back floorboard of the Jeep and there was a 6 pack of Beer.  Kyle said "Ah HELL Boy" and grabbed the 6 pack and threw it in the woods as we knew the State Trooper would show up soon.    I remember them all looking at me in disagreement as probably had happened previously.      THEN I WOKE UP!!!  

Not told the day of the funeral----I was upset enough I  told my Mama, Geneva Arnold about the dream.  For a minute, I was back there with them smelling the thick South Alabama air and can even remember the shorts n t-shirt I had on.  It was raining that summer afternoon and I can feel the pavement under my feet as I barefoot.  

Why do I tell this story at my brother's funeral?     I continued the story that day..    I woke up and I was sad.  I wanted to be with them for just another minute. They were all gone.   I ended the story at the funeral by telling family and friends that hopefully these men were looking down on us, and if we lived right, hopefully we could be them one day in a better place.   Mama is gone now as well.   Maybe I can see them one day under better circumstances.

Kyle passed on the 1/25/16 which is why this is heavy on my mind.  Thanks for making it this far into the read.

Is it a Boat or a Truck?

 As the traveling Risk control man for an insurance company,  I once covered  a large portion of the southeastern U.S    It may sound crazy, but I was spending about 50 to 60% of my time in Georgia.  I lived on the road, made some good friends, and met some real good people along the way.  I also met allot of people who may have been a little suspicious as to why I was there.  :)   I often was asked---"they can't find somebody to do this job down here."    I would  probably make things worse  for myself when I would chuckle and say  "Apparently NOT!!" haha  But I digress.

I was somewhere north of Woodstock Georgia and got directions to a logger.  I called the guy the night/day before.   He was suspicious of me with a North Carolina number calling.  After I convinced him that I was not a revenuer,  He gave me directions and said------- "Its a little rough on the way back in.  I am a ways back in the woods but you can follow the tracks."

I was driving a Dodge RAM 4x4.   I loved that truck!  I can remember talking on the phone and getting directions to another one of my accounts as I pulled up on the job.   I pulled up on the guys set-out area ( where they stage multiple trailers so the road trucks don't have to do way back into the woods).   Felt I needed to do that for you Educated / Non-Forestry related folks, haha.  I was talking on the phone and watching a guy hook up to an unloaded log  trailer.   The driver then took off with the set-out truck along the logging road and went around a curve.

One thing the Safety man does is when I have somebody on the phone------ Get Directions!   Especially when you are 6 to 8 hours from the house.  I sat there and finished my conversation, updated the guys operation on the phone, and was ready to go see him after I finished this job.

 I had lost sight of the truck ahead of me but it was apparent where he went.   My wife called as I was going toward the curve and I answered the Hands-free phone.   We were talking as I rounded the corner.  I let out a huge SCREAM!  The sharp turn was followed by a creek.   The truck went into the creek and water went over the hood of my truck and rushed onto the windshield.   I had never let off the gas, the bottom of the creek was hard, and I came out the other side.  On the other side, I got out of the truck and let out some choice verbiage.   I could not believe it.    After I collected myself and realized my truck was ok, I started laughing.   I about drown that truck!!

I did the visit with the account.   He and I even became friendly down the line.  But I could have been in trouble had I had one of those little trucks.   Thanks for reading this funny moment in my past.  These experiences have made me who I am, even if its a little  OFF.  😅

Met some really good folks in GA, AL, FL, MS and SC over the years.  I am glad I don't live on the road anymore but do miss the people.

Picture credits go to Pinterest.