Gone Fishin!

Its late fall and for me and my son that means spending long hours together in the woods of NC waiting patiently and sometimes in my son’s case not so patiently for that one big buck deer to show himself. One day this week I was reading in my ground blind and around the corner of the creek that one big buck deer did show himself. I waited for the right moment, and let a round from my .308 go flying. The deer immediately went down. I was so very thankful. My heart raced, my spirit soared at the thought of a full freezer and those log hours of preparation rewarded. That was until I got up to go and retrieve the big guy. Through my binoculars I could tell he was at least an 8 pointer. For those of you that don’t know that is a good deer. My buddies met me by the creek and we went to the spot where I shot him…nothing! We looked for any blood on the ground, nothing! Then my friend Robbie said, “Hey dude, there’s his horn!” On the ground was lying 1 broken antler. I was nauseous. I had shot ...

Being an 8 year old boy has to be one of the greatest times of life for a little man. For a dad its great to have an 8 year old too. My son is the spitting image of me, its hard to deny him. Its hunting season in November and this is Jack's first year going out with me to experience this oldest of traditions. For thousands of years men have taken their sons into the wilderness to teach them how to provide. In our day something of that has been lost with our superstores. But it doesn't change what is inside a man or a boy. There is something inate about being on the hunt. Men even make shopping trips like a hunt. There is no wandering, there must be a mission to get what it is you came for. Saturday was our first day in the woods together on a real hunt. It had been a completley frustraing day for me. Early on Saturday morning I shot a massive buck but as my hunting fortunes of late have had it, I lost it after 7 hours of tracking with my friends Jeremy and Keith. This has happe...

Found this article on the Army News Service. Thought you might want to read it today. Its not glam press. Its what is going on every day over there. Enjoy Soldiers want to do mission, go homeNovember 8, 2006 The following is a commentary by Spc. Todd Selge. His unit, the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, is currently deployed to Iraq.WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 8, 2006) – When you hear news about the war in Iraq you usually hear it from a high-level Army spokesperson or you hear the media describe it as “another deadly day.” The view on the ground from the Soldier’s perspective is often overlooked. We are the ones who live the conflict every day, who see the progress day-to-day. We are the ones who experience the sorrows, who interact with the people, and who see the enemy’s effort to undo every good thing the Iraqi people and coalition forces have done. What every Soldier wants is to succeed in our mission and go home to our families. The things we do each day allow us th...

Today is election day. A lot of self important people will be on TV over the next few hours. I'll find something better to watch. November is an exciting month, not because of elections but because deer season comes in! The leaves have turned, the air is crisp and clear. In the woods you can feel the onset of winter. All of God's little varmints are busying themselves getting carb loaded for the winter. In NC deer season is just coming in. Its my favorite time of the year. Its not about killing. Its about being outside. I use a deer blind. It's sort of a tent used for hunting. Its camo and its also a great place to watch the forest. People tend to think that the forest is quiet. Hardly! The forest is alive! It moves. I leave my house about 400 am and get into my blind about 445. Its cold, last Saturday 22 degrees! Right before day break its deadly quiet. But as the sun rises in the east over the hills in Rowan CO, something flips a switch. It starts slow, a chirp here, a ru...

I'm not sure what it feels like to see your son or daughter graduate from Basic combat training. Mine are still in grade school. But I think this picture sums it all up. Its my buddy Tommy from back in NC. His daughter just graduated today from her basic course at FT Jackson. He and his wife stood as the soldiers marched in the pass and review. The stands thumped with feet and echoed with claps and cheers as over 1400 soldiers walked past. 10 weeks ago they were civilians wondering what in the world they were doing. 10 weeks ago their families said goodbye with a tear. Today, those same kids, were a little different. They stand straighter, they say yes sir and yes ma'm. Tommy looked on with pride as the flag passed us by and then his daughter. I guess the amazing thing is that every week we graduate 1000-1400 soldiers. They all volunteered. They are not as some have suggested dumb or uneducated. They are most of them just kids, that have a sense of calling and have answered. Th...