# Two Weeks in the Swamps  (The Horse Creek Chronicles)



## ChrisSpikes (Nov 1, 2009)

As the first rays of light reach their hot, sticky fingers across the morning sky, I strain my eyes to try and get a view of the ground some 20 feet below me.  It’s gonna be a while before I can see.  With sweat streaming down my face, I lean my head back against the tree and listen to the constant, annoying, almost maddening drone of swarming mosquitoes.  The heat and humidity of this, the last morning of my hunt, stands in stark contrast to the cool, comfortable temperatures I experienced when I first arrived nearly two weeks ago.  With time to kill, I recount the events of the past 12 days.



Monday, October 19th
Day 1

I got all of my junk together and headed over to Horse Creek WMA around lunch time.  RC wasn’t going to arrive until Tuesday, but I wanted to go ahead and get camp set up, cut some firewood, and do some scouting.  About 45 minutes after I left home, I was there.  I signed in at the kiosk, and drove on down to the campground.  I was the only one there.  I took a quick glance around the campground to make sure there weren’t any deer standing around that needed killing.  I didn't see so much as a hair, so I picked a spot to pitch my tent, got it set up, and threw all of my other stuff out.  The weather was cool, and I knew we would need some firewood, so I brought my chainsaw.  I drove around and found a couple of trees near the road to cut.  After sawing and stacking it in the truck, I headed back to camp to unload it.  Once that chore was complete, I changed into my camo, and headed to the swamp.

I decided to head down to the west end, near the duck impoundment, and see how the acorn crop was looking.  With the river rising hard, I also wanted to see how much water was in the swamp.  I walked down close to the gate at the end of the road, and cut over to the grassy road.  As soon as I crossed the grassy road, I spotted a group of pigs down in the bottom.  I had  my treestand on my back in case I found something really hot to climb on, so I slipped it off my shoulders, and unbuckled my butt pack.  The wind was pretty good, so I started closing the distance as quickly as I could.  I had one big, open patch of sunlight about 10 yards wide that I had to pass through.  Being up on the hill, I was afraid they would see me so I dropped down and belly crawled through the “spotlight”.   Once I was back in the shadows, I regained my feet. 

This was a good group of hogs, maybe 10 or so, and most of them were good size.  I took a line straight toward the middle of the group.  They were feeding to my right, and were getting closer and closer to heavy cover.  I had to move swiftly.  I was working my way toward a large water oak tree, and several large pigs that I wanted to shoot, when I noticed a small boar about 15 yards away.   I figured I had better shoot him rather than taking a chance on him spooking and blowing the whole group out of there.  You know what they say about a boar in the hand being worth more than a boar in the bush.  I watched him feed around for just a few seconds, then suddenly he was broadside at about 12 yards.  I drew my bow just as he walked behind the trunk of a small tree, and just as he cleared it, I shot him low, tight behind the shoulder with a TreeShark.  He let out one short, almost muffled squeal before running all of 3 yards and piling up.  He was stone dead within 15 seconds.  I nocked another arrow, but the rest of the group was a little too boogered and hastily retreated into the clearcut.  

I walked over and found my arrow.  This was a lucky arrow with a lot of mojo, having been through 3 deer and, now, a pig.  I would wash it off when I got back to camp, and it would go back into my quiver.  I looked at the pig and saw that the TreeShark had made about a 3.5” gash upon entry.  I don’t know how, as the pig was broadside at the shot.  I took some pictures, did my show and tell, and field quartered him.  It was nice and cool, so I knew the meat would be fine.  It was 3:30, so I decided to go ahead and make a quick loop through the swamp and check some trees.  

I had intentions of coming back and hunting another spot near camp that afternoon, but it took longer to circle through the swamp than I expected.  I ended up climbing about 100 yards from where I killed the pig, over a red oak that was showing some sign.  There were also 3 big swamp chestnuts within shooting distance of the red oak, and they were just starting to drop.  At 6:25, I saw a big boar moving through about 60 yards out.  I got a little video of him before he got downwind of me and spooked.  I sat until dark, but nothing else happened.  There was decent sign here, and it was sort of a funnel type area, so I decided to hunt here again in the morning.







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## WarrenWomack (Nov 1, 2009)

Great story, Chris.... with a perfect ending.  

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the "The Horse Creek Chronicles".

I'll download the video clip tonight and check it out in the morning.


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## fountain (Nov 1, 2009)

glad to see you came home!  i was gonna call and check on ya but i was worried i might mess you up.  good start to a very long story.

had a good time the short while i was there and good to see you and all the others that were there.


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## BGBH (Nov 1, 2009)

I've been waiting to hear about yalls hunt....gotta lot so work right now but I'll be back later to catch up on it...


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## fishbait (Nov 1, 2009)

Most excellent Chris.  Sorry I didn't get to speack to you while I was there.  Can't wait for the rest of the story.


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## LanceColeman (Nov 1, 2009)

geesh itsa bout time! what really happened?? too many buzzards swarming over the carcasses you left behind for you ta find a tree to hang in?? dang man yer Like Warren Womack JR!

OH and BTW never sharpen my knife again! you owe me a finger


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## SELFBOW (Nov 1, 2009)

Cool Start!


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## BGBH (Nov 2, 2009)

Alright,I'm caught up now & ready to hear some more....congrats on the pig....


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 2, 2009)

Tuesday, October 20th
Day 2

Morning:   The weather was perfect, in the low 40’s and clear.  The walk in was just a little over a mile.  I packed my extra clothes so as not to work up a sweat, and walked in wearing just a t-shirt and pants.  The first 5 minutes of the hike I almost froze to death, and by the end I had almost broke out in a sweat.  I waited until I cooled down to slip into my wool jacket and pants, and then settled back and waited on daylight.  It was one of those perfect mornings where you expect to get covered up, but I sat until 10:00 and didn’t see any deer or hogs.  I did have a pair of wood ducks come up the slough next to me at 7:50, and I got a little video of them.  Then I got a glimpse of a hen turkey at 8:00.

Here’s a little video of the boar from yesterday afternoon (you‘ll hear a gunshot at the beginning), and the wood ducks from this morning.  I also threw in a little footage of a squirrel.  It’s nothing special, so don’t pull your hair out trying to get it to download.

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Midday:  After climbing down, I returned to camp and grabbed something to eat.  I expected RC to be there by then, but he wasn’t.  I decided to go ahead and hit the swamp and walk hard until I found something.  On the way, I stopped by Warren’s water oak to check it out.  The acorns were dropping and there was a little feed sign, but what caught my attention were the two fresh scrapes.  They looked to have been hit within the last 24 hours for sure.

I drove on down to the spot we call the sawhorse, and struck out through the swamp.  I remembered a swamp chestnut that was dropping early last year and I wanted to check it.  It wasn’t doing anything, but I found a white oak nearby that looked pretty good.  Mentally, I marked it down as a place to hunt and then continued searching for something else.  I made a BIG loop and checked tree after tree, without any luck.  I jumped a spike buck on a small island around 12:00.  I circled back out of the swamp, checked some spots up on the hill, and then dropped back down in the swamp again.  I finally found a water oak that was showing some sign.  It wasn’t hot, but it looked way better than anything else I had come across.  I took a compass bearing back to the road, and returned to the truck with intentions of returning for the afternoon hunt.  I passed RC on the way back to camp and I told him what I had found. We talked for a minute, and he headed on down to the swamp to do some scouting of his own.  I headed on back to camp to rest a bit.  Counting the 2 miles I had walked on the morning's hunt, and the scouting, I had covered 6 miles today.  

Afternoon:  I got back to the water oak around 5:00.  I had a good wind, and really expected to see something.  I sat until dark-thirty without any action.


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## WarrenWomack (Nov 2, 2009)

HookedN21 said:
			
		

> Counting the 2 miles I had walked on the morning's hunt, and the scouting, I had covered 6 miles today.  QUOTE]
> 
> My friends, that effort, made by Chris, to find a high percentage hunt is the answer to the question.... What separates an exceptional, successful bowhunter from an average bowhunter?


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## Jeff Kitchens (Nov 2, 2009)

I am really enjoying this Chris.  Keep it coming.


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## LanceColeman (Nov 2, 2009)

WarrenWomack said:


> HookedN21 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## hogdgz (Nov 2, 2009)

Cool story and video Chris! You and RC are a deer and hogs worst nightmare. LOL


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## Stump Shooter (Nov 2, 2009)

Great job Chris.


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## BGBH (Nov 2, 2009)

Alright Chris,you've had plenty of time for supper & a couple glasses of  sweet tea....I'm ready to hear somemore..lol..


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## fishbait (Nov 2, 2009)

Man 2 weeks in the swamp. An now 2 weeks to tell the story.


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## ky_longbow (Nov 2, 2009)

BGBH said:


> Alright Chris,you've had plenty of time for supper & a couple glasses of  sweet tea....I'm ready to hear somemore..lol..



yeah bring it................ im ready for the "rest of the story".....


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## SELFBOW (Nov 2, 2009)

fishbait said:


> Man 2 weeks in the swamp. An now 2 weeks to tell the story.



The good thing is if he goes back hunting we may have a never ending story....


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 2, 2009)

Wednesday, October 21st
Day 3

Morning:  I left my stand in the tree yesterday afternoon, and returned to hunt it this morning.  I always like to give a spot a morning and an evening just because I’ve seen places that were hot for one time period, but pretty much dead for the other.  At 8:00, I heard what sounded like someone throwing a bowling ball in the slough about 150 yards behind me.  At first I thought a limb or something had fallen, but a couple of seconds later I heard the unmistakable splashing sound of either a group of deer or hogs crossing the slough.  I kept a close watch back that way, but didn’t catch a glimpse of anything.  About 5 minutes later, I heard a single animal cross in about the same place, and the first thought that came to my mind was a buck following does.  I sat with high hopes, but nothing else happened for the rest of the morning.  When I climbed down, I followed the edge of the slough back toward where I had heard the commotion, but couldn’t see a well defined crossing.  I looped back toward the truck checking every chestnut I could find, but none were dropping yet.

Midday:  Went with RC scouting during the middle of the day, and we found several promising spots.  

Afternoon:  Just before time to head out, we were trying to decide where to hunt.  I told Robert to pick where he wanted to hunt, and I would choose from what was left.  He was trying to decide between Warren’s water oak, and a good looking water oak he had found in a bottom near the duck impoundment.  He finally decided to head to the impoundment, so I chose to hunt Warren’s oak.

When I got there, I had a hard time deciding which tree to climb.  The wind had my choices narrowed down to 3 trees which were pretty much in a line.  I spent nearly 5 minutes contemplating my options.  The front tree wouldn’t provide me with enough cover, but I would have plenty of shots.  The back tree was a double trunk, and would have the best cover, but I wouldn’t be able to shoot through all the limbs on the other two trees.  I settled on the middle tree and drilled my holes.  It was a good compromise.  It would give me some cover, and I would have a couple of good places to shoot.  I had to let cover determine how high to climb.  I couldn’t have been over 14 ft. high.  I got settled in around 5:30.  The wind remained fairly consistent all afternoon.  When it started getting late, something told me I needed to go ahead and stand up.  Just as soon as I got to my feet, I was scanning to my left when I caught a glimpse of a tail flicker about 40 yards out.  I was afraid it may have seen me, so I froze and waited on it to move.  It began easing toward me, and in just a minute I could tell that it was a spike.  I turned on the camera and got into position to shoot.  He worked his way toward me, and eventually made it to the scrape that was about 10 yards away.  I saw my opportunity, so I drew my bow and picked my spot.  I watched the feathers disappear into his side, and he tore out running hard, low to the ground.  I heard him go down.  I glanced at my watch and it was 6:54.  I decided to sit until dark just in case another deer decided to show up.  Nothing else happened, so I climbed down and took up the bloodtrail.  It was a pretty good one, so I decided to go back to see if Robert wanted to look at it.  When I got there, Lance had made it into camp.  We met and shook hands, and then all 3 of us went back to get the buck.  I had already found the deer, but we re-trailed him so they could see all the blood.  In spots it was over waist high and probably 4 ft. wide.  He had gone about 75 yards, crossed over, and fell right next to the road.  We took some pics and video, and then loaded him on the truck.  I didn’t want to stink this place up so, back in camp, I quartered him on the tailgate and then hauled the carcass off.  








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## fishbait (Nov 3, 2009)

Keep em coming. Boy this is getting good.


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## dpoole (Nov 3, 2009)

Chris great hunting and fine stories. Great shots on those critters also!!


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## Elbow (Nov 3, 2009)

Chris, as usual, great stories and great hunts! 
Awesome job guy!
Keep it coming! 
El


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## Necedah (Nov 3, 2009)

I love the stuff. Keep telling the story Chris. 

Dave


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## turtlebug (Nov 3, 2009)

Chris, this is worse than waiting on Christmas. 

Loving it. 

Now finish it!    







Like danged Harry Potter all over again.


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## Elbow (Nov 3, 2009)

TBug your too funny! It is like those HP books! Can't wait for the next one to come out!
El


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## SELFBOW (Nov 3, 2009)

Sorry bout the arrow, you'll find an even better one!


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 3, 2009)

Thursday, October 22nd
Day 4

Morning:  I had decided to hunt over a good looking water oak tree that RC and I had found, near the NW corner of the WMA, while scouting  yesterday.  I slipped in, drilled my holes with my Woodpecker drill, and hung my stand before daylight.  I had built up some heat while climbing, so I sat in just a t-shirt until I cooled down.  There was still a bit of a nip in the air, and at 7:45 I began to get chilly.  I eased up, and turned around to get my jacket out of my pack.  I put it on slowly, and then glanced around to make sure there weren’t any critters around before I sat back down.  When I looked behind my tree, I saw what looked like part of a deer about 35 yards out.  I watched it for probably close to a minute before I ever saw it move.  It was a big doe.  The way she was pointed wouldn’t bring her in close enough for a shot, but I hoped she would circle in to the feed tree.  There had been a heavy fog during the night, and water was dripping from the trees.  Everything was wet.  While I’m standing there looking over my shoulder at her, I hear a slight crunch of leaves, and glance down to see a yearling walking by me at 5 yards, directly behind my tree.  I quickly turn the camera on, and get turned around just in case I get presented with a shot.  I’m up a double trunked sweetgum tree, and can’t shoot until they clear the trunk that’s on my right.  As I’m watching this one walk by, another yearling follows in line behind it.  Just as it hits the opening where I can shoot, it runs on up to where the first yearling is.  I look back to the doe just to keep tabs on her, when I hear, and glance down to see yet another yearling following in line.  This one doesn’t run, but stops perfectly in the opening at 8 yards, quartering away just slightly.  I raise my arm to take the shot, but can’t get my bow around far enough to get on the deer.  I'm talking fractions of an inch.  The hood of my bow quiver is hitting the trunk of the tree!  I try my best to make it work, but it’s just no use.  About that time, one of the first yearlings gets my wind, and the whole group trots off.

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Midday:  RC and Lance headed out to check some places, so I figured I may as well do some scouting too.  I stopped and walked out several places up on the hill, but finally ended up back down in the swamp with the intention of checking just as many swamp chestnuts and white oaks as I possibly could before time to hunt.  I had covered a lot of ground when suddenly I came across a group of pigs.  The wind was swirling bad.  I picked out the closest one, which just happened to be a boar, and he looked to be about 70 lbs.  He was moving to my left and I moved to cut him off.  He walked in front of a blowdown tree, and I thought that I had him cornered.  I got about 15 yards from the tree, but couldn’t see him.  I waited for him to move, and the next thing I know I see the palmettos shaking on the other side of the log.  He had found a place where he could crawl under the log, and had slipped out the back door.  I looked back to my right and saw several more pigs.  I started toward them.  One by one, they were moving to my left toward where the boar had went.  I tried to hurry up and close the distance.  One pig got by me, then another.  Just before the next pig to even with me, I felt the wind shift and hit me on the right side of my neck.  It was now blowing directly toward the boar.  I knew everything was about to unravel.  When the next pig walked broadside into an opening at what looked like about 25 yards, I took the shot and watched my arrow sail right under its chest.  Pigs exploded in every direction.  I quickly nocked another arrow.  Two pigs circled around to my right and stopped in an opening at what looked like about 30 yards.  I thought about what Mr. John Bookhardt says, “Ain’t nothing’ dyin’ if the arrows ain’t flyin’!”, so I reached anchor again and cut another one loose.  It was like an instant replay, with the arrow passing just under the pigs chest.  This time they were gone for good, so I walked over, picked up my arrows, and continued on with my scouting.  Before I was done, I had probably checked somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 different trees, and none of them were showing any feed sign.  Finally, I walked up on a swamp chestnut that looked decent.  It was right on the edge of the outside slough, and was about 8 ft. from the edge of the rising water.  I figured I had a couple of days before the water would be up to the base of it.  I marked it mentally , and headed back to camp.

Afternoon:  I went back to where I had hunted this morning.  Shortly after I got settled in, I saw two turkeys pass through about 50-60 yards away.  Later on, just as it’s starting to get into gray light, I hear every squirrel in the branch start screaming bloody murder, and see the biggest bobcat I’ve ever seen moving up through the branch.  I couldn’t get the camera turned on quick enough to get any footage.  Right at dark, I had at least 3 deer come in and trap me up the tree.  I couldn’t see well enough to shoot, but I could hear them crunching acorns.  They weren’t feeding on the tree I was set up on, but on another water oak that was about 25 yards away.  I stayed up in the tree until I heard them leave, and then slipped out.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 4, 2009)

Friday, October 23rd
Day 5

Morning:  I return to the same place I hunted yesterday afternoon, but this time I climb a different tree that allows me to shoot to both the tree I was hunting over originally, and the tree that appears to now be the primary feed tree.  I get settled in, and have a hard time keeping my eyes open.  We stayed up late the night before shooting the bull over the campfire, and now it’s telling on me.  I’m sitting there with my head leaning back against the tree when I hear a crunch-crunch of leaves behind me, and very close.  I slowly swivel my head around to glance over my shoulder.  I immediately see a deer out of the corner of my eye, not 5 yards away.  It’s heading toward the primary tree.  It’s right at first light, 7:30, and I can barely make out the spikes on top of his head.  He eases into the tree and picks up an acorn or two, and then moves on away like he’s got somewhere to be.  I got a little video of him, but it didn’t turn out well enough to post because it was very low light.

Nothing else happens for the next hour and a half, but at 9:05, a group of pigs comes in out of the pine thicket behind me.  I get stood up and get the camera rolling.  They come directly in to the water oak and start vacuuming up the acorns.  I single out the biggest one in the group as the target.  They’re constantly moving.  I get a clear broadside shot at the hog, and begin to draw my bow.  Before I can reach anchor, it turns quartering towards me.  I let back down and look for another opportunity.  It finally gets broadside again, and this time I reach anchor.  I burn a hole low in the pigs side just behind the leg, and the arrow is gone.  The shot felt perfect, my arrow flight looked perfect, but the hit wasn’t.  At 8 yards, I managed to miss what I was looking at by at least 6 inches!  I had to shoot through a softball sized hole in some limbs, and want to blame it on clipping a branch, but I didn’t see it happen.  I’m still clueless as to what happened.  The arrow impacted in front of the point of the shoulder, up in the neck.  The pig ran hard for about 25 yards until the arrow fell out, and then stopped.  It stood there for a few seconds trying to figure out what had happened, and then trotted off like it was just spooked.  I knew it was a non-fatal hit, but I got down and followed the bloodtrail until it tapered off to nothing about 75 yards out.  It was just a muscle hit, it’ll live.

(NOTE:  After reviewing the video in slow motion, it appears I may have clipped a limb.  Y’all look at it and tell me what you think.)

This would have been some good video if there had been a dead pig at the end of the trail.  Listen closely and you can hear them busting and popping acorns.

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Afternoon:  I returned to the same spot for the evening hunt, but only see one turkey pass through on the way to roost.  This place needs to rest for a couple of days.


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## beretta (Nov 4, 2009)

I call interference!!! Great video!!!


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## rapid fire (Nov 4, 2009)

Interference.  You're doing good Chris.  Keep it up.


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## dpoole (Nov 4, 2009)

keep em comin these are great !!!!   I greatly respect some one willing to tote camera equipment and film their own hunts. Getting on critters and getting a shot with trad equipment is tough. Then adding in working a camera at the same time also, triple tough!!!!!


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## hogdgz (Nov 4, 2009)

Awesome stories and videos Chris, keep them comeing!


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 4, 2009)

Saturday, October 24th
Day 6

Morning:  I decide to head to the chestnut that I had found earlier and see what happens.  I drive to my parking spot, get all my gear ready, and start what would be just shy of a 1.5 mile walk in.  I get about a half mile into my walk when it starts to rain.  Me being colorblind, it wasn’t hard to decide to turn around and head back to the truck.  I got soaked before I could make it back.

Midday:  I drive back home during the day to wash all of my hunting clothes as I’m down to one clean set.  As soon as I get them done, I’m back on the road to Horse Creek.

Afternoon:  I think over the options, and settle on hunting the water oak bottom near the duck impoundment.  Robert had found a hot tree in here earlier in the week, and had tried to explain to me where it was.  When I got there, I tried to let the sign on the ground tell me if I was in the right spot, but the rain from this morning had everything muted.  I walked around and around for about 10 minutes before I could decide which tree to hunt over, and then picked a suitable tree to climb.  I used my hooks, and was about 20-22 ft. up the sweetgum tree in no time.  I hung my stand and got settled in.  Right at dark, a deer came in from my right towards the grassy road.  It fed for a while under a water oak that was about 20 yards off to my right.  Once or twice, I had the deer at about 16-17 yards, but never had a clear shot.  It started feeding on out toward the middle of the bottom, and was about to step into the open at about 15 yards, when all of a sudden it turned around and went back under the oak.  I listened to the crunch-crunch-crunch of the water oak acorns for a solid 5 minutes.  Darkness was quickly swallowing the deer up, and I could just make out where the front leg was when it cleared the limbs that had been blocking my shot.  I drew, and picked a spot as best I could before sending the arrow on its way.  I never saw the path of its flight, but feel pretty sure I missed low.  It was probably close to a 25 yard shot.  The deer hopped off about 15 yards, stood around for a minute or two, and then I heard the crunch-crunch as it went back to feeding.  I waited until I couldn’t hear it anymore, and then climbed down and slipped out.


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## fishbait (Nov 4, 2009)

Chris I hope your writing all this in a journal for future use.
Don't feel like I need to scout the place to know the lay of the land. All I need to do is follow your a counts. Some of the best reading I've done in awhile. Keep it coming brother.


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## SELFBOW (Nov 4, 2009)

I'm not used to hearing about all these misses....


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## huntingonthefly (Nov 4, 2009)

Awesome thread- you're definitely in good company with RC and JB- good Christian folks and two of the best hunters I know. If we ever meet prolly be three. It was great seeing the videos from a WMA Ive tromped thru for many years. If you're wondering I'm still using training wheels, lol. May have to try trad one day. What kind of cam gear do you use?


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 4, 2009)

huntingonthefly said:


> Awesome thread- you're definitely in good company with RC and JB- good Christian folks and two of the best hunters I know. If we ever meet prolly be three. It was great seeing the videos from a WMA Ive tromped thru for many years. If you're wondering I'm still using training wheels, lol. May have to try trad one day. What kind of cam gear do you use?


They're definitely good folks, and I'm proud to know them.  RC has taught me alot in the last couple years.  He puts me on a lot of these deer too, so don't nobody go to thinking it's all me.

The camera I'm using is a Canon ZR960.  It's a miniDV format.  Great little camera for the money.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Sunday, October 25th
Day 7

Morning:  I still wanted to hunt the chestnut that I had headed to yesterday morning.  While I was home yesterday, I had checked Google Earth (I use GE a lot for my hunting, it’s a great tool) and found another route that would knock off about a half mile of walking.  It had been 1.48 miles and would now be .88 miles.  Over a mile less walking round trip.  I got in there well before daylight.  I checked under the chestnut with my flashlight, and it didn’t look nearly as good as it had a few days ago.  I picked out a hickory tree, and walked up it with my hooks.  I sat in the dark for quite a while before it started getting light enough to see.  Nothing was happening.  The woods seemed dead.  I never heard a swamp chestnut acorn fall all morning.  Sometime around 8:30, I glanced over my shoulder back toward the grassy road and saw a deer about 60 yards out.  It wasn’t headed in my direction, so I wasn’t too excited.  All of a sudden, it turned and started straight for me.  My heart rate doubled in the span of a single breath.  I just knew that it was coming to the chestnut.  I was standing with my bow in my hand, looking behind the tree I was up, trying to see which side the deer was going to pass on.  It was coming so straight toward me that I couldn’t tell.  Finally, when it got to about 20 yards, it veered enough for me to see that it was going to pass on my left.  Naturally, I was facing to my right and would have to turn all the way around.  As I was half way through my turn, I reached down and turned the camera on and hit record.  I tried to get it on the deer, but it was coming so fast that I couldn’t find it on the screen.  I glanced from the camera to the deer, and saw that it was now about 5 yards away.  Still coming.  When its nose was about 18 inches from the trunk of my tree, it apparently got a whiff of where I had climbed, and turned inside out.  I forgot all about the camera, and drew my bow as it hopped off.  It only made a couple of bounds before stopping, quartering away sharply, at 10 yards.  I picked a spot and dropped the string.  The feathers disappeared into the deer in a flash, and I immediately thought I had hit it too far back.  It looked like it had gone in about 4 inches in front of the ham.  I could only hope it had come out through the liver.  I watched it run off, and expected to see it stop, hunch its back, and walk off, but it never did.  It did pause for a second about 80 yards out, then it continued on off at a trot.  I marked the last spot I saw it, and dug my compass out of my left cargo pocket and took a bearing.  I had lost sight of it about 120 yards out.  

It was 8:38.  I sat for a while thinking things over, and decided to climb down and see what clues I could procure from the arrow.  There was very little blood on the shaft.  I was surprised there was any.  The feathers were dry, almost clean looking.  There was no odor.  The first thing I thought was a high gut hit.  I hoped I had hit a kidney.  The lack of blood on the arrow pretty much dashed my hopes for a liver hit.  I decided to cut a wide circle around where the deer had gone, and try to slip out without disturbing it.  I would talk it over with Robert and Lance and see what they thought.  I wanted to give the deer plenty of time.  When I told them what had happened, and showed them my arrow, we decided to wait until lunch and head back to take up the trail.  

We headed back to the swamp around noon.  Robert wanted to loop in to my stand and check some spots on the way.  We dropped off a narrow ridge and into a bottom, and immediately got into a group of pigs.  Robert let Lance take the lead, and I would be videographer.  Lance worked his way in to about 12 yards of a pig, but it never would give him an angle for a shot.  They finally spooked, and when they stopped at about 25 yards, Lance….(release required prior to disclosure).  We moved up the branch a little further, and found a swamp chestnut dropping and showing a good bit of sign.  Robert marked the tree with a piece of flagging tape he had pulled down on the walk in.  We then headed down to, and across the grassy road.  We didn’t go far before we found a red oak tree that was on fire.  It would be hard to sit over this tree without seeing something.  We then went back to the grassy road, and headed toward my tree.  We hadn’t gone far when Lance spotted a pig ear sticking up from the grass in the middle of the road.  It was bedded down.  Once again, he stalked and I videoed.  Just before he got close enough for a shot, the pig got up and went into the woods a little piece and bedded back down.  Lance eased on up, got into position, and made a good shot.  After a few pictures, Robert and I left him with my ALICE pack to do his field quartering, and headed on over to start looking for my deer.  

When we got there, I showed Robert where the deer had been standing at the shot.  He told me to take my compass bearing, and he would walk out and I could keep him on line with arm signals.  While I was waiting for the compass to settle down, he said, "Here's blood.", and it was good blood.  There was good, steady blood all the way to, and across, the grassy road.  I was already feeling better about the odds for recovery.  About that time, Lance caught back up with us.  We were expecting the deer to bed down in the first thick cover we came to, but it never did.  It just kept going and going.  We trailed it through some thick stuff which finally opened up into a bottom.  As we were trailing through the bottom, Robert looked ahead and saw the swamp chestnut that he had flagged earlier.  The bloodtrail passed within 5 yards of the flagged tree!  We had walked all over the blood earlier, and just failed to see it.  It went on across the bottom, into another thicket, and back into another bottom.  We found a bed in this bottom, but it had gotten back up and crossed a little creek, and was now headed up toward another thicket near where I had parked my truck this morning.  The bloodtrail actually passed within 50 yards of where I had parked.  We were on hands and knees several times as the trail crossed pine straw and other tough spots.  At one point, we lost the blood, so Robert circled ahead and found blood coming out of a thicket about 50 yards away.  It was like he knew what the animal was thinking.

We started getting into some very wet blood.  Earlier, we had heard a squirrel barking, and Robert said he thought we may have pushed her.  It looked like he was right.  We stopped for a minute to think things through.  Robert said that we could back out and wait until morning, but the dew would all but erase any trace of the bloodtrail.  He thought we would have better luck if we kept pushing her.  He said if we could get close to the deer, and get it surrounded, we would get her for sure.  We followed the trail for another 30 yards and found a blood clot the size of your fist.  Another 25 yards, and we heard the deer explode through the brush just ahead of us.  It didn’t sound like it went but just a little piece before it stopped.  Robert told us to flank out ahead to the left and right, and he would stay on the blood and push up the middle.  Lance went left, and I went right, which brought me back into an open bottom.  After we had advanced about 50 yards, I heard Robert say we should be getting real close to her (he later said that, at that time, he had found a huge pile of blood).   About that time, I saw a deer run into the bottom, and straight away from me.  I lost sight of it about 100 yards out.  I yelled to Lance and told him I had seen a deer, but wasn’t sure it was mine because it was running too good.  He cut over to me, and immediately cut a great bloodtrail, so there was no doubt it was my deer.  When I had last seen it, it was moving slightly to my left back toward the thicket.  I figured she’d head in there and bed back down.  Robert went on up ahead to try and cut her off before she could break out of the thicket.  Lance and I were moving along trailing the blood, when suddenly I heard Lance say, “Chris, do you want to shoot your deer?  Shoot her, shoot her now!”  I looked up and couldn’t believe my eyes.  She was lying there in the wide open bottom, not 10 yards away, glaring back at us.  I started drawing my bow, and couldn’t believe I was seeing a hole in her right behind the shoulder!!  I shot her again, and actually hit the same hole!  This time, it broke the front leg, and she exploded out of her bed so fast that neither I nor Lance can remember her getting up.  She went about 25 more yards before going down for good.  What had started from a tree had been finished on the ground.

In all my years of bowhunting, my eyes have never lied to me about the location of the hit.  I had never misjudged where I had hit a deer so badly.  Maybe a few inches, but not this much.  I had hit her right behind the shoulder, but with the hard angle, had only gotten one lung.  The arrow had come out through the brisket, which had apparently squeegeed most of the blood off the shaft.  My second shot had been at 5:35, nearly 9 hours since my first.

This was the most impressive bloodtrailing job I have ever seen.  I later measured the bloodtrail on Google Earth at just over 2000 yards!!!  I had used up all my tape videoing Lance killing his pig, and didn’t get to do show and tell.  I had extra tapes in my tent back in camp, bud didn’t have one in my pack.  I got a still picture, and then field quartered her and packed her out.

(The video ain’t much, but the audio is pretty good.  Listen close and you can hear her walking right from the start of the video.)

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Afternoon:  We all missed the afternoon hunt, but agreed that it was worth it.  This was a special day, and a bloodtrail we'll never forget!


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## BGBH (Nov 5, 2009)

I want the first autographed copy of your book when it comes out...I'm really enjoying this....we gonna get to see Lances video.......


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## LanceColeman (Nov 5, 2009)

OK OK OK disclosure permitted!! when limpy finally got away after they had done spooked and were leaving, they stopped dead still for a second to see what was going on. hey 25yds broadside.. I knew the chances of piggy still being there when arrow got there were slim to none, but hey!! it was a pig and it was standing there!! never know til ya try!

Just glad I redeemed myself on the next pig we came across cuz I was sorta gettin a raw spot from where Carter was ridin me fer missin!

That was one of the absloute funnest hunts I've been on in a long time. And they day spent stalking pigs and following the batan death march blood trail?? I would not trade that day for a pope and young buck. It was just.. well........ It was just a real good day! we brought pork home, we brought deer meat home, we laughed, we learned, we joked, we got down on our knees and worked our butts off with every thing we've picked up through years of hunting, from minute spots of blood to patience to wisdom deemed on us by those with more knowledge than us. It was just a good day. A dang fine day.

I couldn't think of any two a finer fellas to have spent it with either. I've known Carter for several years now. But this was the first time he and I got to really spend a lengthy amount of time hunting together. And Chris?? We shook hands for the first time Wed. Night...... By the time I left, it was like we've known each other for most our lives.

And I honestly thing RC is half beagle or sumpin. Never saw a fella blood trail that well in my life.

I just can't wait til next year.

Next year I'll be there pitchin a tent as soon as the WMA opens up! And I aint takin it down until the end of the hunt!


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Monday, October 26th
Day 8

Morning:  I headed back to the hot water oak where I had seen the spike buck, and made the poor shot on the pig last Friday morning.  At 8:00, I saw a deer moving through about 50 yards away.  I noticed that it kept putting its head down ever so often, and thought that it may be a buck.  Just as soon as he got out of sight, I reached into my pack and grabbed my rattling antlers, a set of horns off of a McKenzie 3D Deer, and slammed them together.  I hadn’t rattled for more than 10 seconds when I caught movement, and saw the deer coming back to me.  It happened so fast, I couldn’t hang the antlers up, but had to lay them in the seat of my stand.  I picked up my bow and turned and got ready.  I couldn’t tell what it was until it got in to around 25 yards.  It cleared some brush, and I could see it was a spike buck, probably the same one I had seen on Friday.   He stopped and scanned the area for several minutes before turning and leaving.   I watched him walk away, and tried to film him a little, but he was moving at a steady pace and I had trouble keeping the camera on him.

Afternoon:   Robert, Lance and I decided to hunt close together this evening.  Robert was headed to the hot red oak we had found, Lance went to the chestnut my deer had bled under, and I hunted in the water oak bottom where I had missed the deer Saturday afternoon.  The deer must not have moved much this afternoon because we were all sitting on pretty good spots, and nothing was seen.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Tuesday, October 27th
Day 9

Morning:  I hunted a white oak tree up on the hill that Robert and I had found earlier.  Robert had already hunted here several times, and said he was tired of looking at it.  Shortly after daylight, it began to rain.  It was just a light rain, so I decided to sit it out and hoped that it would pass.  Well, it didn’t, and pretty soon the rain started to accumulate and began dripping off the leaves in the trees.  Before I knew it, I was soaked, and figured I may as well ride it out and see what happened.  It was all for naught, as I didn’t see anything the entire morning.

Afternoon:  With heavy rain moving in, I decided to head home to get a good nights rest.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Wednesday, October 28th
Day 10

Afternoon:  I missed the morning hunt, but made it back in time for the evening hunt.  Again, I hunted the white oak.  When I parked the truck and got out, I took a 4 or 5 practice shots before I headed to the tree.  I got into the stand and was setting up my camera when I heard, and then glanced up and saw, a deer running off.  It had been coming in and had seen my movement.  I looked at my watch, and it was 4:27.  If I had been there 5 minutes earlier, I may have gotten a crack at this one.  Maybe I shouldn’t have taken those practice shots?!

Nothing else happened until right at dark.  I first heard, then saw a deer coming in.  It came head on to me, and then at about 15 yards, locked up.  I don’t know if it got a whiff of me or maybe caught my movement as I tried to get into position to shoot.  It spooked back to the edge of the branch, and then walked off to my right.  A few minutes later, I heard deer come running into the branch.  There may have been more, but I could only make out two.  They passed in front of me headed to my right.  A second later, one of them trotted back the way it had come from, and I could hear the other one continue walking around on my right side.  I waited a good 5 minutes after I couldn’t hear them anymore, and started coming down.  When I was about half way down the tree, I had two more deer blow at me off in another direction.  I slipped out as quietly as possible, hoping I hadn’t spooked them too bad.  I left my stand on the tree and planned to return in the morning.


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## Necedah (Nov 5, 2009)

The blood trailing episode is classic! 
This has really been a good read.
Thank you for taking the time to share. 


Dave


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Thursday, October 29th,
Day 11

Morning:  I got back into the branch and was settled in WAY before daylight.  I wanted to make sure everything was calmed down by the time it got shooting light.  At about 8:15, I heard a squirrel barking up the branch about 75 yards away.  I had a feeling something was about to happen, so I went ahead and stood up.  I kept watching the firebreak that ran along the edge, and in just a minute, saw a deer approaching.  I turned the camera on and started videoing.  About the time I got the camera going, a squirrel in the branch right in front of me started barking at her.  She had white oak acorns on her mind, and came straight in to the tree.  I filmed her for about 11 minutes, and 10 of those minutes she was inside 10 yards.  There were a lot of limbs and leaves in between us, so I waited patiently for the perfect shot.  She finally got in the clear, and broadside at about 10 yards.  I drew to anchor, but just as I hit full draw she turned towards me.  I had to let back down.  Around and around she fed.  She kept getting closer, and soon she was less than 5 yards from my tree.  The way she was headed, if she walked past the white oak, she would cross where I had walked in this morning.  I didn’t want to shoot her that close, but I couldn’t take a chance on her busting me.  She finally got turned right, quartering away slightly, and once again I drew the Predator to the corner of my mouth.  My heart was pounding.  The 10 minute wait for the perfect shot had put a strain on my nerves.  I tried my best to hold it all together.  I really bared down on a spot, and this is what happened.

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(I kept scratching my head because the sand gnats were tearing me up.)







Afternoon:  I hunted once again at Warren’s oak.  The wind was perfect.  Right at dark I heard what sounded like two deer tearing their way through the thick brush along the edge of the branch.  Once they got in, I heard just a little bit of walking in the leaves, and then, nothing.  They were about 35 yards away, and I never saw them.  I waited a full 10 minutes before climbing down, and didn’t spook anything.  I guess they moved off without me knowing it.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Friday, October 30th
Day 12

Morning:  This morning I decided to hunt the swamp chestnut where Lance had hunted Monday evening.  I got in there early and climbed with my hooks.  The acorns were falling good all morning, but nothing ever came in.

Midday:  I checked the red oak where Lance had hunted down near Staves.  The water had dropped out enough that I could get back in there.  The red oak wasn’t showing much sign, but there were a lot of tracks at the swamp chestnut right next to it.  

Afternoon:  I came back to camp, took a shower, and returned to hunt the chestnut.  It rained just a little bit, and then eased off.  I really expected to see something, but I sat until dark and nothing ever showed.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 5, 2009)

Saturday, October 31st
Day 13

Morning:  That brings us back to where we started.  I had left my stand in the tree yesterday afternoon, and returned this morning for my final sit.  There was too much sign here for me not to see anything, but that’s exactly what happened.  I stayed until 10:00, but it was a dry haul.  

I returned to camp, broke my gear down, loaded the truck, and headed home.  I’m really looking forward to next year’s hunt.

THE END​


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## fishbait (Nov 5, 2009)

No NO NO say it ain't so. It can't be over .  So when you going to start a new chapter on a different hunt? That was some good reading and made me feel like I was right there with ya the whole time. Your camera skills a most excellent also. You keep these up and hopefully we'll see you on tv one day. 

You and R.C. are still my Hunting Heros.


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## turtlebug (Nov 5, 2009)

fishbait said:


> No NO NO say it ain't so. It can't be over .  So when you going to start a new chapter on a different hunt? That was some good reading and made me feel like I was right there with ya the whole time. Your camera skills a most excellent also. You keep these up and hopefully we'll see you on tv one day.
> 
> You and R.C. are still my Hunting Heros.




Well why don't you just invite them to come stay with us and hunt Doerun.  Ya know, 800 acres of archery only, hardly ever more than 5 or 6 people. 

That IS an idea guys.


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## wd40 (Nov 5, 2009)

A Great Read Chris!  I know its got to be hard to video your hunts as well as you do....Skyler says Hello...


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## LanceColeman (Nov 5, 2009)

outstanding Chris!! And man ya gonna hafta getta slower bow or bigger brighter feathers!! ya zipped her sa quick I barely could see impact!! great shot man... broke that offside leg didn't it?


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## huntingonthefly (Nov 5, 2009)

Man, loved those chronicles! What camera arm or mount do you use, iff'n u don't mind me asking? Are ya'll sure that ya'll only trad hunt for the challenge. Man, the comraderie and sharing the experiences among these group hunts has got to be the best!


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## Jeff Kitchens (Nov 6, 2009)

Way to go Chris.  Really enjoyed you taking us all along.  Hope to get down to Horse Creek and hunt one day.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 6, 2009)

LanceColeman said:


> great shot man... broke that offside leg didn't it?



Came out tight to the leg on the white hairline.  Remember how we were talking about impact?  The blade was vertical when it hit.  I don't think she had a clue what happened.


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## Dennis (Nov 6, 2009)

Man that was awsome!!!


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## LanceColeman (Nov 6, 2009)

yep remember that very conversation. I'm working on offsetting some prototypes right now bro.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 6, 2009)

huntingonthefly said:


> What camera arm or mount do you use, iff'n u don't mind me asking?



Don't mind a bit.  I have a 6" hinge bolted to the front of my stand.  It folds up for packing.  The mount is just a standard tripod with the legs removed.  I had a fab shop weld a piece of bar stock in the bottom of the tube, and it's drilled and tapped for the 1/4" carriage bolt.  It ain't fancy, but it works.


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## ChrisSpikes (Nov 6, 2009)

LanceColeman said:


> I'm working on offsetting some prototypes right now bro.



I can't wait to try that wide 2 blade.


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## huntingonthefly (Nov 6, 2009)

Thanks bud for the cam info!


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## LanceColeman (Nov 6, 2009)

Only thing on the 3"ers though Chris is managing wieght. we're talking BIG vents for a head of that length and width. We'll see though. I dang sure aint gave up on it yet. definately gotta 2 plus working out to wieght/width/length though.


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## SELFBOW (Nov 10, 2009)

Awesome Chris. That was a great 2 weeks!


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## stick-n-string (Jan 18, 2011)

man Chris, i forgot how good this read was!!
Good job man! i know I am a year late, but i am sure there are several that would love to see this again!


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## hogdgz (Jan 19, 2011)

stick-n-string said:


> man Chris, i forgot how good this read was!!
> Good job man! i know I am a year late, but i am sure there are several that would love to see this again!



Dang Jonathon, you really dug this one up from way back, you must be bored at work, LOL.

Chris is the critter getter.


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## fountain (Jan 19, 2011)

hogdgz said:


> Dang Jonathon, you really dug this one up from way back, you must be bored at work, LOL.
> 
> Chris is the critter getter.





Why ain't u working? ...that's the question ...


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## Jayin J (Jan 19, 2011)

I tried that workin' stuff one time and I didn't like it.


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## Necedah (Jan 19, 2011)

I enjoyed Chris's Chronicles more the second time than I did the first 

You're a very good writer Chris. You make me feel like I'm right in the stand with you.

Dave


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## blocky (Jan 19, 2011)

It was a great story and I felt like I was there with him. I really enjoyed reading it. Hope i can shoot like that one day!


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