Holiday Post

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We spent ours at the deer lease, well at least most of it.

We ate at my brothers house and as soon as my folk hit the empty plate, we were gone. Rude, maybe but I gave plenty of notice to our plan and we left enough kids there to clean up.
It wasn't long before some of the family came out to the lease and joined us for a great weekend and a second Thanksgiving dinner.

My oldest daughter drove up to sit in the stand with me and we just talked. We didn't see anything that night, but we did make memories. She is pregnant with her first child and the baby is due around May. This will make four. I just wished she didn't live four hours away. I won't be able to be a part of this baby's life as much as I am with the others and that hurts my heart.

My youngest nephew shot his first deer Friday night and first pig Saturday night. We were all so happy for him. Now then, this is what its all about. Making future hunters. Showing the youth of today that they can get out and experience something more than video games and cell phones. To teach them the value of life and the value of the lives we take for our food.

On Sunday morning my Christmas present arrived. My middle daughter had her third baby girl. I was just getting down from the stand walking back to my ride when I got the call. It was quick, so quick she almost had her in the car. I packed up camp and went straight home. I didn't even change clothes and met my new grand baby in camo. I really don't have the words to describe the feeling of watching my family grow like it is. I guess if I had to give it one, it would be heartfelt or something like that.            

We are headed back out to the lease this weekend to get me some deer meat. We have been eating on that elk I got in Utah and made room in the freezer for a deer.

So if I don't talk you y'all before the new year, from our stand to yours, have a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Amazing

I often talk about my bucket list. At 46 most people say I am too young to have one, but I do. I guess the main reason is because I can pick and choose what I want to do while I am still able to to it. I don't want to be at an age where I say, "I would love to, but I am too old to".
Saying all that I was blessed with an amazing opportunity to mark another one off the old list.

Utah Elk Hunt
Even though it was on the bucket list, I never thought in a million years I would ever be able to afford or get the opportunity to experience the trip. Over the years I have had friends and co-workers go on an elk hunt and I sat in complete envy while they told the stories and showed off the pictures. I have shook my head at the expenses they told me about and the ease of a High Fenced, canned hunt that I personally do not believe in. I have also been told stories of the real deal where they go out and stalk, hunt and harvest the big game either on horse back, walking or canoe. Some of which is scary and way more work than I really wanted to take on.
A few months ago a buddy at work came to me and asked if I wanted to go on a hunt in Utah. Of course I said yes, but was filled with a thousand questions.

As the days clicked by and with much anticipation and prepping, last week finally came. I have never been in that part of the world and did not know really what to expect. I can post all kinds of pictures and try to describe the scenery, but I nor the pictures could not do it justice. I will sum it up with just one word, amazing.
The biggest butt kicking was the altitude at 8000 feet. The end result was a 2 year old 3x4 and about 200 pounds of meat in the freezer.          

I have never been a head hunter. I have always only killed what I can eat. I do not believe in killing for sport and I always thank the animal for it's life and the provisions it will give me and my family.
Don't get me wrong, I am not a bleeding heart tree huger, but I do respect life no matter what it is, except snakes.  













Until next time,
Jerry

Long Time Coming

It's been months since I posted anything and I feel bad about it. It seems like every time I think about the blog something comes up, then the thought is gone.

I have some free time for just a moment and writing a blog post came to mind. I tried reflecting back on the last few months to come up with something to write about that may be of interest. So here it goes.

There has been a couple of out of town fishing trips, a couple of just quick getaways and a daughters weeding.

A four day trip to San Fransisco for business showed me a whole new culture. We saw several new and different things. We even went to Napa Valley for a wine tasting tour. My conclusion was, San Fran is not for me. Way too many people and too much trash.
I did get to check off three things from the bucket list. Ride a trolley, wine taste in Napa Valley and see the sun set off the West coast.   

Candy stayed gone for 12 weeks in New York for her work. She would come home late Friday night then back again early Sunday morning. It was kinda nice in the beginning because I reorganized the house to my liking, kept everything cleaned and only cooked when necessary. But like all things it got old. She is now back in Texas and the house is disorganized once again.      
  
There has been a few chili cook offs here and there where Candy won Louisianian State and I, some where, placed high enough in a few cook offs to get qualified for the world championship in Terlingua again this year the fist week in November. All and all chili has taken a back seat right now and I think there is only two cook offs on the books for the rest of the year.

I spent from October to February hunting in Arkansas almost every weekend. No cell service and no distractions. I bought a little 5th wheel to leave out there and it was home away from home.
I passed on several smaller deer waiting for that monster that I ended up missing due to buck fever, but in the end I was still able to put deer meat in the freezer.
Things did not work out on that lease because of one reason or another and all that work was for nothing. Last month I moved camp from Arkansas to West Texas where I have been spending most of my free weekends setting up for this years hunting seasons. It's a little closer with bigger deer. They have fishing and dove where the lease in Arkansas did not.         

Preparations are being made for an October Elk hunt up in Utah. This is the real deal, not like my boss where he spent a small fortune on a high fenced canned hunt, and not like the way I deer hunt with stands and feeders. This is walking and stalking.

 One major highlight of this year was my oldest daughters weeding all the way down in Austin. It took some doing to get most of the North Texas family and friends five hours away from home, but she did it.
I really don't have an words I can say to describe this experience. My middle girl was the fist to get married and that was tough in it's own way. Loosing the first one always is.
The youngest girl will be the last to wed and that in it's self will be tough in it's own way, there will be no more after that. 
But without playing favorites, my oldest girl, my fist born getting married, was really, really tough. It took everything I had to keep it together.   

The good thing is, she married a good guy. They are deeply in love and he treats her like he suppose to.  I guess I can't ask for anything better than that.
He also loves bow ties. I bought him a hand tied pink flamingo feathered bow tie from Europe, plucked straight from the birds butt, with a hand made roll top box etched with a special note from me and Candy. It was pricey, but he deserves it for putting up with all her madness.

I have one more girl to wed off and she has her eyes set on one. Poor bastard.    

With my family growing larger every year I decided I needed to do something for the guys. I came up with a "Son/Son-In-Law Fishing Trip" The one stipulation is you cannot have a pregnant wife when you go. This is mainly because I do not want to have to come back early if there is a problem. If I am buying everything then I want to stay.
I don't have any boys of my own so to speak. My wife did not throw me any male offspring, but I have been blessed with a couple of good guys I am proud to call my boys. I have taught them everything they know. I almost forgot about the son-in-laws, yup I have a couple of those too.
So what better way to bond than to have a guys weekend trout fishing in the streams of Oklahoma?          

I just updated my schedule up till March of next year. Take out the weekends of Hunting, Fishing and Camping, I have two free weekends, but I am sure I can find something to fill the gaps. Maybe a chili cook off or something.   

It was fun writing this and getting yall up to date with my life's happenings. I hope time and experience will let me do this more often.

Until then,
See ya
Jerry