Posts by Daryl Gay
Alligator Man: The Legend Of Trapper Jack
We go back more than 30 years now, even before the first year he obtained an alligator trapping license, 1989. When I think about him, the word “legend” comes to mind. But every single definition of legend I’ve found includes either “famous” or “fame.” But he never cared for being famous; he simply wanted to…
Read MoreDebacles In The Area
To be (wet) or not to be (drenched, rinsed and wrung)… That weren’t even the question. The question was whether or not to go hunting. Come to think of it, that ain’t much of a question either, is it? Problem was, severe storms were allegedly “in the area.” Just where is that, exactly, “in the…
Read MoreLake Oconee Wintertime Spoon Fishing For Linesides
From the time I was old enough to crawl into a plywood boat on the Ocmulgee River, there’s one thing I was taught NOT to do: make noise. So why is this striper guide constantly rapping on the floor of his Ranger with the rubber-tipped butt end of a sawed-off walking cane? Because he’s learned…
Read MoreJake’s 2022 Resolution
“So, Jake, tell me about your resolutions.” Five. Four. Three. Two. One… “Wal, I jes’ ain’t peeved at nobody.” Five. Four. Three… “You ain’t peeved? What are you even talking about?” “Seems lak to me you gotta be at least a little peevish with a body to start one of them revolutions. An’ I jes’…
Read MoreBorn To Hunt
The race was on, and CB radio voices crackled with excitement as the buck turned and twisted through the south Georgia swamp, hounds swerving to his every move. Pickup trucks whirled plumes of dust skyward as they raced down narrow dirt lanes, hunters going all-out to get ahead of it all and hopefully into place…
Read MoreOutdated And Proud
Are you eclectic? (Go ahead, I’ll give you a minute to look it up so that you can decide. How are we ever going to get you educated if I don’t toss challenges at you once in a while?) OK, got it? Good. That’s what I thought. Me neither. How about erudite? Awww, don’t even…
Read MoreWhat A Drag
This bear-dragging business just ain’t what it used to be. For some reason or other, the last couple of years seem to have brought about either a decided increase in dead weight or a similarly marked decrease in my back’s desire to heave-ho for even a mile or three. Not that we’re talking actual highway…
Read MoreSumter County’s Pound Cake Buck
Debra Durden Sloan cooks a mean pound cake. I know, because I’ve wolfed down a few. In fact, she procures her 100-acre deer lease not with dollars, but “with a couple of pound cakes every year.” Since July, the Americus resident had been watching a certain 12-point buck on that Sumter County property, photos from…
Read MoreBridge Creek Clays
Looking back at it after all these years, it’s likely that a BB gun with no sights was the starting point. Now, Mike Simpson is handling five-figure Perazzi over-and-unders while training Olympic gold medalists. “I learned to shoot by pointing that gun, not sighting it,” Simpson said. “I remember my first dove shoot, at 6…
Read MoreDoves Amidst The Wall Of Lead
“Just once,” I wheedled Dylan. “We’ve never tried it before. There ain’t any other option. And it’s what’s known as an adventure.” Probably should have left off that last statement, because he’s heard it all his life. And our “adventures” sometimes tend to turn out not so sporty… Here’s the deal: I had never been…
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