Borrowed Rifle Leads To Late Season Christmas Present Buck

We all know late season can be feast or famine for Georgia deer hunters. After several hard weeks of vigorous rutting activity in November, mature bucks that have managed to avoid hunters have a way of getting extremely scarce. As soon as the peak of rut has waned and no more receptive does can be…

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Come November: Journey Proud

  Of all people, Mama was the one to notice the odd detail that showed up so plainly in the trail-camera photo. After the incident on Saturday with the two trespassers, who we knew had to be Clarence and Dace Maxwell, Mark and Luke had gone back the next day and set up two card…

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2024 SCI Youth Deer Hunt

One moment I was among a large group of camo-clad hunters I’d never seen before. A few minutes later, it was like I had known these special people all my life. That was the general atmosphere on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the annual Foundation for Outdoor Kids Youth Hunt sponsored by the Georgia Chapter of…

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Come November: Campfire Magic

The smell of fall was finally in the air, and it was coming fast. You could feel the first real chill of autumn in the light breeze, and it was making the fire crackle and pop. The warmth felt good contrasted with the cool air. “I love it this time of year,” Charlie said. “You…

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Come November: Seize The Day

It was opening day of rifle season, and our family celebrated by pigging out on some scrumpdillyicious pork and ribs at Sprayberry’s Barbecue in Newnan. Once we were all sitting down together, my three brothers praised Charlie for what she had done. “Baby sister, we’re all mighty proud of you for the way you handled…

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Come November: Charlie’s Fabulous Opening Day

It took Dace a good 30 minutes to field-dress Charlie’s doe. She made him go slow because she wanted it done right. We had walked out to the edge of the soybean field and around to one side where we found the doe piled up about 20 yards inside the woods. As the three of…

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Come November: A Troublesome Opening Day

Papa says I have the biggest imagination he’s ever seen and that I see things in the woods that aren’t really there… like big ol’ gnarly bucks, for instance… Now I was wondering if that was true. It was opening day of gun season in October, and I wanted to see a big buck in…

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Big Bucks Are Individuals

Somebody had opened the flood gates, and it had been raining cats and dogs all morning long. At about 9:30 a.m., I was slowly sloshing my way back to camp along the top of a steep hardwood ridge that dropped down into a narrow wooded draw. Suddenly the bottom fell out. I was wearing an…

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Red Oaks Plantation

When you turn off Highway 300 onto the picturesque winding driveway next to the large white barn that marks the main entrance into Red Oaks Plantation, you quickly find yourself transformed into another world. Located just south of the small community of Oakfield, Red Oaks Plantation is a deer hunter’s paradise. Just being in northern…

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