Chambers Co., AL 10/28 & 10/29

This was our morning view!

This weekend John and I headed to East Alabama for a little football and bow hunting. Our plan was to hunt Saturday and Sunday morning. On Saturday morning, after a stop for some gas station coffee, we headed up the road to Chambers County. It was John's turn to launch an arrow and I was running camera. The temperatures on Saturday were in the mid 40's with 20-25 mph gusting winds. It wasn't exactly the most ideal hunting conditions but we were determined. The morning was super slow! We didn't see the first bird or squirrel because of the wind. There were times when I had to sit down in my stand because the wind was rocking our tree so much, I thought I would fall. (Thats why we always wear a safety harness) The morning had been so slow we agreed, that if a big ole doe walked up we would take her. At about 8:50 I saw a doe coming towards us from the east. By the time I had them in the camera frame we realized there were 5 deer in the group running towards us. They moved quickly and we barely had time to capture decent footage. They passed behind a large cluster of small trees and then into an opening. John was able to quickly stop them and sling an arrow. It all happend so fast! We saw the doe lurch like she'd been hit and took off in a different direction from the other 4. We gave her plenty of time before we climbed down. We found the arrow, small blood, and a pile of hair. From looking at the arrow, and going back to look at the footage, we didn't think it was a great hit. We found a good blood trail and proceeded to follow it. About 2 hours and 3/4ths of a mile later the blood trail dried up. Needless to say we were extremly frustrated.

We talked about it later and it all happened so fast. John ranged several of the surrounding trees earlier in the morning to get a good feel for shooting distances. However, because the wind was blowing so hard and it happened so fast, the shot was a little off. I guess that's how hunting goes sometimes! Its tough because John and I know we owe it to the animal to make an ethical harvest, but if you hunt long enough these things happen sometimes.

We cannot dwell on the frustrations of the weekend (got completely skunked on Sunday). Next week the crew heads to Illinois to hunt the rut in Pike County at Harpole's Heartland Lodge. Check them out here http://www.heartlandlodge.com/.

Camera #1 ready!

My view of John.

Gonna be hanging stands this evening in Chambers Co., AL...weather is looking like it could work out perfect.

Checking in on the Arkansas Prairie

This week I had a chance to visit with the guys from Backwoods Duck Club and Lodge in Wabbaseka, AR. They are about 15 miles from Stuttgart and back up to the west side of Bayou Meto. With the reports that are coming from DU out of the Dakota's, these guys are pumped up about the upcoming season. This years forecast is calling for a record increase in most duck species. The guys at Backwoods are even more prepared this year too! They've increased their square footage with the addition of a guide house so that more hunters can stay in the lodge. They have also recently completed a new shop that will be a great place to store gear, dogs, decoys and more. They may even let you build your own duck call on their lathe during your stay.

On top of having the same fields and property as last season, they have added some new private green timber holes. They have the ability to pump and flood these holes if the winter turns out to be a dry one.

The Backroads crew is looking forward to filming at their lodge this season and getting some great Arkansas duck hunting footage. We will be there on opening day and hope to see some smoking gun barrels! There is a link to their website under the "Partners" tab on our website www.huntbackroads.com. Check it out for more information on how you can book a hunt with them.

Here are some photos of the lodge and their new shop!

Some photos of our trip last year.