The Land That Talked to Me.

Greens to yellows, reds and golds, the cool, cold air brings on the changing of the seasons. As I drive along the roads and highways looking at the many trees throughout our lands and the sheer beauty each leaf holds, I realize that God has indeed blessed us all with a beautiful earth that we are slowly destroying. Hundreds of thousands of acres of trees, grasses, bushes, rocks, hillsides, pastures, streams, rivers, lakes and even our oceans turning into concrete and wood dwellings. Even the wildlife is being run out of their homes and killed out by people who just don't care for anything other than making money from our lands. Well this past week my wife and I had our 20th year wedding anniversary and we chose to head for one place where man has yet and will never begin to destroy--- The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The three hour drive to get there was all worth it as we entered the park hills and began the climb following the slow moving traffic. The woods and streams seemed to have an air about it that just reached out and grabbed you. Shadows cast by the trees and rocks seemed to speak to you as if they had a story they wanted to tell. Folks stopping by the sides of the roads everywhere taking pictures and looking but not a single one of them listening to the many stories being told. By the time our vacation trip was over I'd found the story I was looking for. A story of a land and the people that live there. Though this story is much to long to put into one post it is one that will be told in it's entirety in my next few postings. This story is of the Cherokee people and the land called The Smoky Mountains.

Deers Not The Only Meat----

Well folks the deer season has come and gone with the moment of anticipation passing like a dove flying across the field. Of coarse as with a raccoon in the corn field there's still many more seasons that are open and some that are open year round( at least in Tennessee). Hog hunting is open year round here and many hunters take advantage of this hunting experience to sharpen their skills for deer season and to put a little extra in their freezers. Though I've never hunted the wild hogs, I have given it some thought and my decide to give it a try one day in the near future. Squirrel season and quail season is still open so time allowed I plan on going before the season is over in February. Season after season deer change and give it two weeks after the close of the season is about right for locating the next years buck of a lifetime. I 'm talking about "Shed Hunting", one of the best ways for locating that big buck without disturbing any ones hunting area while their hunting. Shed hunting can be very rewarding even if your not finding any antlers cause your still getting the enjoyment of the outdoors,nature,and the wildlife of Gods great earth undisturbed. I myself don't get out and hunt the shed antlers but I do enjoy after season scouting for old rubs, scrapes and bedding areas which the deer use from one year to the next. Usually around the last of July the deer begin to change over to their winter feeding grounds where they will stay until about the end of January or the first of February. So if your out finding sheds,rubs and bedding areas two weeks after the season closes your in the deers winter grounds. You may not see any deer but come next season you'll know exactly where to set up your stand with little or no difficulty. Get out in the woods and take advantage of the seasons that are still open in your state and find a new place to hunt your trophy buck while you can. Remember deers not the only meat for your freezer,it's just the other red meat we all love.