Fall Fiction: Coon Dog Cemetery Hunting Club Part 2

As Dexter’s truck rounded a curve on the narrow dirt road, a large, black squirrel suddenly ran across in front of it. After unpacking and listening to Dexter’s crazy story about Dillon and his Jeep, Dexter and the boys had hurriedly headed out to scout for two good opening-day stand locations. Because of school, the…

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Coon Dog Cemetery Hunting Club

Long ago they had named the club ‘Coon Dog Cemetery’ to honor the legendary dogs, hounds with names like Run-Around Sue, Ol’ Rip, Kentucky Mike and Wrong-Way Pete. Dogs that had found their final resting place in a small, sacred plot of ground at one end of the property. Over the years, as the deer…

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Putman Phantom: Spunky Thornton’s 1983 Record Buck

Fate often plays an important role in the outcome of notable happenings in our lives. So much so that when we look back, it sometimes appears as though some strange force has carefully laid out a pre-determined series of events. The end results seem almost predictable. Despite the mystery of it all, this turned out…

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David Saville Story Continues With His First-Ever Turkeys

It’s hard to say whether hunting or college football comes first with David Saville, of Norcross. He’s carved out a unique life for himself in both areas, but not in the usual sense. David, 29, was born with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that causes delays in physical and intellectual development. Hunting has played an…

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The Way of an Old Master – Conclusion To “The Shotgun”

Mr. Peterson started talking, and he didn’t stop for two hours. During that two hours, I learned about the extraordinary life of a unique individual who dedicated the better part of his adult life to turkey hunting. “Tom Dixon loved turkeys and turkey huntin’ more than anything else in the world except his wife,” Mr.…

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Education Of A Turkey Hunter – Part 2 “The Shotgun”

Conditions were perfect. It was cold and clear. I was leaning against a large pine, well camouflaged but a little chilly. A light breeze was blowing, and the temperature was probably in the high 30s. My knees and feet were pulled up tight against my body, and the old 12 gauge was resting across my…

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The Shotgun

It was one of those spur-of-the-moment, mostly impulsive things we do every day that seem so insignificant at the time but they turn out to change our lives. I had driven by the pawn shop a million times and never stopped. For some reason, the big sign out front with “Guns” written on it in…

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Tom Cooper’s Silver Bullet Buck

Tom Cooper was living in Lilburn and was 33 years old when a chance happening in the Georgia deer woods changed his life forever.  On the morning of Nov. 24, 1974, he set out alone in the cold darkness, driving toward public land for a typical day in the woods. As an avid deer hunter,…

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Cohutta’s John Roy Brackett Passes

He was buried in his camo shirt and work overalls with a cigar in his pocket. If he’d had his way, they probably would have buried him with his 50-year-old Willys Jeep that still runs like a charm.  John Roy Brackett, of Cisco, well-known locally for his lifetime of hunting exploits, passed away quietly at…

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A Hero’s Buck: Littlejohn’s Lamar County Giant

The oldest son on a family of four boys, Gary Littlejohn grew up in Lamar County, just outside of Barnesville, in the tiny community of Milner. “Dinky,” as he was known to his younger brothers and friends, spent many a happy boyhood day roaming the woods in and around his home.  According to his younger…

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