The Envirocapitalist

Billy's Three and My Tree!

2012-01-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

I always find hunting early season archery here in Tennessee oddly conflicting. It is warm, ticks are still climbing all over, and worst of all I always get poison Ivy. These facts never stop me from hunting so I was off to meet my pal and fellow Heiskell Boy Wild Bill for a early season hunt. Now first you should know that Billy is as much cowboy as he is country boy and at 6'1 220 lbs he is also pretty big boy as well. I have known him since I was five years old and like most my life long friends he is an outstanding outdoorsman and an accomplished hunter. Recently he has practiced so much with is compound bow that he is a sure thing inside 50 yards. Unlike Billy I am a gun man and take most my deer with a muzzleloader. But I have found a cure for my lack of practice...........a crossbow. I sight it in like a rifle and take it hunting. Some people have the miss conception that you can shoot a crossbow farther than a compound bow but this is just not true. my crossbow range is forty yards, whereas I have witnessed Billy shoot a deer target at 60 yards with his bow. While he would never attempt that shot in the woods it is proof that the crossbow does not have an advantage when it come to distance. I met Billy at his house and after some entertaining banter among his in laws we shipped out to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. It is only a little over 2 hours away but its remoteness makes it feel forever away from the sprawl of towns like Knoxville. After Checking in at Bandy Creek, paying for a back country camping permit, and listening to a speech from a ranger about food storage because of the booming bear population. We pitched camp over near Station Camp and headed about a mile down the gravel drive to an area my boss had suggested we should hunt. It was exactly as he had described, with the the tale tale signs of of old homestead. There was what used to be an orchard now overgrown, and scrubby areas that had been clear in the past. After a few hours of scouting Billy and I met back at camp and devised a plan. I was going to guard the old homestead in a ground blind while he hangs in his climbing stand further out on a oak covered point. We built a fire and settled in for the night I had told Billy that he should shoot any deer he sees that I would take it home if he didn't want it (this is standard practice for me). Billy is usually a trophy hunter and tends to pass a lot of table fare waiting on the big wall hangers, whereas I am a meat hunter.
We awoke in the morning to mild temperatures and a silence that can only be found in the woods. After a gear check we moved to our respected deer stands for the wait. The first day I saw nothing but Billy had them scampering all around him just out of range or moving to swift for him to feel comfortable letting an arrow fly. That night a camp I decided that I was to stick it out in the same spot. The sign was just to good to move. Billy decided to move to a different tree but stay in the same area. after a belly full of potato soup we again went to sleep with dreams of tenderloins dancing in our heads. The next morning was colder than the day before and I could just somehow feel we would have opportunity this day.

Tree I slayed by shooting under a doe.

Billy had just texted me that he had one down when I heard the snap of a twig coming from the exact direction I had my blind oriented. I suddenly got warm and remembered the tree I had ranged at twenty yards earlier and adjusted the "dial a range knob" on my Horton crossbow to the 20 yard setting in anticipation of the deer stepping out of the dense underbrush into the opening next to that tree just as I had planned. Time passed slowly and and I soon realized that it was more than one deer and they were circling me. About the time I readjusted so I could shoot out the side window of the Ameristep dog house blind I saw the first doe step through the brush into my shooting lane. Without thinking I placed the red dot just behind her shoulder and let a bolt fly. The next few seconds were surreal. While I thought I saw the bolt fly straight for the lower chest of the deer I heard a heart breaking THUNK that sounded like tree not flesh. I usually wait before walking down to check my shot but that sound told me that it was a clean miss. as I walked down to the tree the deer had been standing in front of it dawned on me that I had never readjusted the RANGE KNOB ON THE BOW! How stupid..........How could I be so stupid......It hurts me now to tell the story. I stood glaring at my bolt sticking out of a tree 38 yards from my blind instead of the 18 yards I had the bow set to. After kicking myself relentlessly and admitting that my dad had been right all those years ago when he would lament some of my forgetful behavior.

Buck Billy shot that now resides in my freezer.

I decided to hike out to where Billy had been posted up to see if he could use some help with the deer he had texted me about earlier. When I arrived on the scene Billy had the buck spread eagle gutting it and related the story of how a doe and fawn had ran all around him prior to the buck showing up and not really giving him a shot. It was only after they had moved on that lover boy here showed up obviously trailing the doe. Billy grunted to stop the 3-pointer and then laid him down with a double lung shot from 30 + yards. We took turns dragging to get the buck out of the woods. It turns out this buck field dressed at 85lbs and was 2/12 years old. Seems not only did Billy help fill my freezer but he also culled the heard. Even though I had a monumental screw up, I put a deer in my freezer, and most importantly I had a good time and will never forget Billy's three and my tree. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Steven Rinella is Back

2011-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Following is a post from Steven Rinella about his new show.

For those who don't know, Steven Rinella is my favorite author.

As some of you have probably figured out by now, Zero Point Zero Production and I are no longer making our show for The Travel Channel. While it was great experience to be working with that network, and while they gave us a lot of room to make the show we wanted to make, we had to part ways. Ultimately that’s turned out to be a very good thing, because for the past four or five months I’ve been working with the same crew to make a show that’s better than anything The Wild Within could have dreamed of being. This new show, Meat Eater, will premiere this coming January on Sportsman Channel. It has the same look and feel as The Wild Within, the same non-stop action, the same philosophical approach, but it’s even more authentic and gritty and gorgeous. During the creative process of putting the show together, we used the slogan “Killer Hunts, Killer Food” as our rallying cry. And that’s exactly what Meat Eater will deliver to you. If you don’t believe me, check out some of these choice new photos that were taken while we filmed.
And it gets even better. When you’re working with a network like Travel Channel, they end up owning all your footage. You might shoot 60 hours of tape on a hunt, which gets pared down to about forty-five minutes in the edit. The rest of that material ends up in a sort of video graveyard, doing no good for anyone. But now, with our new setup at Sportsman Channel, we own our own stuff. It’s ours to be greedy or generous with, whatever we choose. And we’ve chosen generosity. We’re in the process of building an on-line community where we pour out our hearts and souls (and our footage) for anyone who wants to see what’s up. At anytime. So if you’re sitting around in the middle of the night, 1) wondering what to do with the bullfrogs you just speared; 2) wondering how to properly grill a venison loin; 3) wondering which knives are worth the money and which knives aren’t; 4) wondering what next fall’s crop of presidential candidates might mean for hunting; 5) wondering what happened on past episodes or what might happen on future episodes; or 6) just wanting some wild and wooly entertainment, you can come visit the Meat Eater site and satisfy all your curiosities and desires. Or, if you just want a t-shirt with our sweet new logo on it, we might be able to help you with that as well.
Right now, though, before any of that happens, I need you to do me a big favor. I need you to go to the new Meat Eater page on Facebook and get joined up. Since there is no button that says “love it,” you’ll have to settle for the button that says “like it.” Please, do it now. If not, I’ll come to your house and skin you out and stuff you into a backpack. Well…not really. But you get the point.
Thank you, and good luck out there. –Steven Rinella.
P.S. If you don’t get Sportsman Channel, don’t worry. We’re going to help you with that as well.

Blind Hunting

2011-11-27T21:34:00.002-05:00

G-10 ground blind set up in ruins of 18th century homestead in Big South Fork.

I like most hunter's in the eastern hardwoods use tree stands which hang high up in the canopy of straight timber. But I have also found times when the deer are using areas characterized by thickets and small scraggly brush. It is these time that I employ my G-10 ground blind which is less than ten pounds and folds up into a small backpack. This portability and weight translate to a much more mobile and faster Envirocapitalist. I don't believe you trade much as much visibility in a ground blind as you gain in comfort. Just recently in The Big South Fork National Wild River and Recreation area I shot a doe (which later field dressed out at about 85lbs or 45lbs of table fare) at 36 yards with my Horton Crossbow. The doe never knew I was in the world and as you can see from the above picture I had not spent a bunch of time brushing up the set, I simply set the blind up within bow range of the deer trail near a scraggly tree to break up its outline.

The Envirocapitalist relaxing in G-10 ground blind wearing camo hat knit by Cousin Jaime

While I still prefer more active types of hunting, blinds are fast becoming my favorite type of stand hunting. It is so much more comfortable than a tree stand and allows you to move more which keeps me attentive longer. I have found it to be just as effective as climbing 15 feet up a tree and while it may have a reputation as for older hunters I am not to proud to hide on the ground. If it was good enough for Daniel Boone it is good enough for me. I have spent much of this month in the woods and have three deer in the freezer to show for it. Stay tuned those stories to follow.........Your Pal The Envirocapitalist.

More to explore than you think.

2011-10-16T21:46:00.001-04:00

AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

One thing that continues to perplex me is the belief of the city dwellers that our wilderness is almost gone. I will be the first to admit that I wished there was more wilderness and less suburban sprawl, but I am not delusional enough to think that the outdoor opportunities in America are few. If I quit my Job and spent the next year just exploring I probably couldn't make a dent in all the wild places in the East much less the western part of the country. I love Big South Fork (See other stories on BSF here, here, or here) I intend to hunt it next weekend with a good friend Wild Bill Picket. We have not been able to cover all the ground available to us even though we make a yearly trip there. I can't wait to get there, it has the feeling of a true wilderness. I hope everyone can find wild land to explore nearby and take advantage of it. Your pal The Envirocapitalist.

Grandeur

2011-10-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

The Beauty of Creation

As most who read this blog know, I not only like to spend my spare time outdoors but the outdoors is also my office at work. One might think that spending the majority of my waking hours outdoors would dull me to the grandeur that is God's creation. The time I spend in the splendor actually has the opposite effect. I find my self enjoying vistas, falls, and wild lands even more.

Natural Wonder

I find lately that not only do I enjoy the exercise of retrieving my own food from the earth and not paying a middle man at the grocery store, but I also feel like I am in the "real" world when I am away from town. It may sound crazy but when I am on pavement, in buildings, or even at my home I feel that I am in a man made matrix and that I am only truly free when I am in the woods outside the confines of society. I feel closer to God outdoors and even seem to think clearer. Unlike some activities being outdoors seem to only bolster my desire to stay longer or go more often. No one judges me when I am hiking. I don't have to worry about how to pay for my accomadations when I am backcounty camping. I prey others out their are enjoying the adventure of the outdoors as well. I will be, October and November are the two months I kill all the venison for the year. It is important time to me but it is also very enjoyable. I dare say for the cost it is better than a movie and it is for real. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Do the Doe

2011-10-02T00:00:00.003-04:00

Can't eat horms

I would like to convince all of the people who manage their leases for trophy bucks that they need help with doe population control. I have heard of hunting clubs making rules that each member must kill a doe before harvesting a buck. This is to ensure quality deer management. I would like to humbly offer my services free of charge to come to your lease at my expense and crop your does. I promise I will not only pass on all the old grizzly bucks I see but I will document their movements for you members that wish to harvest these over the hill bucks. I think it is a wonderful idea and any of you guys who wish to take me up on it leave a comment, that is if you are within driving distance of East Tennessee. I sure am tired of hunting public land your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Deer Season

2011-09-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Trophy shot by sportsman and eaten by Envirocapitalist.

It is that time again in East Tennessee, opening day of deer season. Many hunter's will take to the woods with bows in their hands. If successful a hunter can expect (after processing )at least 40lb plus of meat to store in the freezer. I have found that it takes 7 small does to feed my family a year but recently that has been unnecessary. Not only do not have the time to hunt enough to kill seven deer but I have found so many people willing to just give their deer to me that I could probably never hunt again and have plenty of meat. It is so odd at times that they act as though I am doing them a favor by removing their "unwanted meat". I cannot understand since it is the tenderloin that drives me to wake up early and chase these creatures around steep ridges. It is like buying chicken quarters at the store and not eating them because it is to much trouble to cut them up and cook them. I will always be careful not to offend my "sportsman friends" who don't eat deer but still hunt them because I am slowly becoming dependent on their kills. I only shot one deer last year and that was a miracle considering how little I hunted. With that said I will now adjourn to my man cave to pack my bolts and sharpen my butcher knife in anticipation of success in the field, Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

The Eagle

2011-09-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

Found this jewel floating around the internet. I do not know who the original author is.

In one of the western states, a man was caught sitting at a make-shift campfire by a forest ranger, and to the ranger's horror, the man was eating a bald eagle. The man of course was put in jail for the crime.

At his trial, the judge asked him, "Do you know that killing and eating a bald eagle is a federal offense?"

The man answered, "Yes I do your honor, but I got lost in the woods and hadn't had anything to eat for two weeks. I was so hungry. Next thing I see is a bald eagle swooping down at the lake for some fish. I knew that if I followed the eagle, I could maybe steal the fish. I caught up with the eagle, which lighted upon a tree stump to eat the fish. I threw a rock toward the eagle, hoping he would drop the fish and fly away. Unfortunately, in my weakened condition, my aim was off, and the rock hit the eagle squarely on his head, and killed him."

The judge was moved by the man's story and gave a fast judgment. He said, "Due to the extreme circumstances you were under, and because you didn't intend to kill the eagle, the court will dismiss the charges."

The judge, being somewhat of an outdoorsman himself, then leaned over the bench and whispered to the man. :If you don't mind my asking, what does a bald eagle taste like?"

Feeling he had made a friend, the man said, "Well your honor, it is hard to explain. The best I can describe it, it is somewhere between a California condor and a spotted owl."

This is funny to me because I enforce environmental laws and I can't count the times someone confessed a crime to me because they were somewhat proud of it. Your Pal the Envirocapitalist

The difference between me and modern hunters

2011-09-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am a opportunistic Predator. It is fairly simple as to why I come to this conclusion.

I keep guns with me at all times
I eat what I kill and what other hunters kill.
If I see it and it is in season I kill it, skin it, grill it. Even if I wasn't hunting it at the time.
I have received a call and dropped what I was doing to drive down the street and shoot a Ground Hog. ( I had it cleaned quartered and vacuum sealed in less than an hour) See Ground Hog recipe here.
I never have the time or money to go on far away hunting trips.
I somehow fill my freezer every year just by taking advantage of every opportunity.

I am not ashamed that I am not a "sportsman" but a hunter. I'll shoot a doe instead of waiting on a rack buck. I kill, skin, quarter, and grind to eat, no letting a processor do my dirty work for me. I enjoy this ritual because it connects me to my ancestors , the land, the animals, and my innate need to be self sufficient. I am not competing against other men to see who the best hunter is, I am making a living off the land. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Puppies are good.

2011-09-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

Puppies are good for kids, and puppies are even good for grown ups. Our new Jack Russell Terriers were intended to help teach my children responsibility and give them some outdoor playmates. It turns out that the little fellers are good for Mrs. Envirocapitalist as well. They have already entertained me and stole my wife's heart. They have played with the children outside and have already proven to not be gun shy. They have laid on my wife's lap and chased each other around the front porch. So far they are a hit.

I hope these little dogs build a bond with my kids and bring joy to them for a long time, but I have to admit it brings back memories from my youth of having dogs and has made me very happy. The squirrels are in trouble next year and family outings such as hikes and camping trips are going to have a whole new dimension.

If you don't have any dogs I would strongly suggest you consider getting one. A well trained dog which serves a purpose brings more joy than any possession. Any way Brave is sleeping on his back while Rosie chews on his ear so I had better go and oooh and aaaah with the rest of the family. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

It is hard to hunt with a 8 year old

2011-08-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

We typically eat between fifteen and twenty squirrels a year, they are not a favorite food of my family but they are relatively easy to obtain and hunting them late summer/early fall gives me a chance to scout for deer and turkey. It is also an ideal time to take your young hunters afield and teach them the lessons they will need to learn to be successful when after larger game. I will be the first to admit that it is tough to hunt with young kids. Young boys do not want to be quiet, sit still, or be patient, which are important when hunting anything. I love hunting with my son even when it causes us to be less successful because I can see him learning, growing, and enjoying the success we do have. Knowing that it was the valuable experience I gained as a kid which allows me to feed my family and make money off ginseng and trapping on top of my day job gives me the extra incentive to teach my son all I know. If you have skills or knowledge you think are valuable please pass them onto the next generation, it will make a difference and really it is your responsibility. On this hot August morning what might have appeared as a fun opening day of squirrel season with my son was in reality just another part of shaping the men of the future. your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Boy with squirrels, working radio

Steven Rinella hits the nail on the head.

2011-08-21T00:00:00.072-04:00

Image courtesy of wildernessathlete.com

Every once and a while someone comes along and speaks your mind better than you do. As is the case for Steven Rinella, who puts into words what most hunters wished they could voice and he does it in an entertaining and authoritative way. Even though he has only written two books, (American Buffalo : In Search of A Lost Icon and The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine) He is one of my all time favorite outdoor writer's.
One of his articles entitled " Steven Rinella: Why I Hunt" which I believe to be a must read for anyone struggling with the ethics of hunting, made me kick myself for not being able to verbalise any of these points to some of my outdoor compatriots who struggle with the life and death aspects of hunting. Both books and numerous articles I read seem to really hit the nail on the head and left me craving for more of Mr. Rinella. His love affair with the obtaining and preparing of wild foods really speaks to me. This lead me to his T.V. Show The Wild Within on the Travel Channel. It focused as much on the skinning and cooking of the game as it did on the chase, which I believe is a major part of the hunt and sadly missing from conventional hunting shows. After devouring all five episodes I realized it didn't appear to be coming on anymore. As heart broken as I was, Mr. Rinella appears to still be writing so I digress since I enjoy the written word over television any way. He has written several other articles, of which I can safely say you will not be wasting time by following this link and reading a while. I recommend his work highly and I am sure you will enjoy what I hope becomes an outdoor voice for my generation, your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Rosie and Brave

2011-08-14T00:00:00.010-04:00

I believe dogs are important for children. They not only teach responsibility to children but are just plain fun to hunt, hike, and camp with. We have acquired the next generation of dogs. I would like to introduce them to you.

The Boy holding Brave

My Baby Girl holding Rosie

Brave is a boy and my son has already decided that he will take charge of him. Likewise Rosie is a girl and my daughter has decided to take the caretaker role for her. Both parents (Penny and Biscuit) are both Jack Russell Terriers and good squirrel dogs. We are very happy to get the new companions and the kids are so excited they can't stand it. We were blessed to get from a close friend of mine. It will be a hard couple of months of training but nothing compares to a well trained dog. Remember dogs are man's best friend because they like meat as much as we do, your pal the Envirocapitalist.

A morning on House Mountain with the Envirocapitalist.

2011-08-07T06:00:00.001-04:00

House Mountain is a 500-acre natural area located in Knox County approximately eight miles from Knoxville. It is cooperatively managed under a lease agreement with the State by the Knox County Department of Parks and Recreation. The 2,100-foot crest of House Mountain provides significant vistas where visitors may scan the parallel ranges of the Unakas and Cumberlands some 30 miles away, or look northeast at the adjacent Clinch Mountain. It is rugged and scenic and very representative of the region. I love taking my son there because we can get the feel of back country with out the long drive.

Parking area at trail head as we left

Big Ry and I left the parking area at daylight since it was going to be a hot July day. We had the parking area to ourselves. It is fairly nice even though there is no running water or electricity. The bathroom is really just a pit privy but is well ventilated and didn't stink as bad as most public restrooms.

Signs were made by a local Boy Scout.

A short walk from the parking area led us to the trail head junction. Both of these trails lead to the 3 mile long crest trail which have scenic overlooks at both ends and one in the middle. We did all the trails today making it about five total miles.

Rocky outcrops on the southern slope

The trails leave the bottom and pick there way through extremely rocky and beautiful slopes until they reach the crest trail. The rock formations are great to climb on and explore or just sit on to take a break.

Big Ry having lunch at West Overlook

After reaching the top we made haste out the much easier and flatter crest trail to the East overlook and bushwhacked out to a third vista (my favorite) which is often used for illegal camping (no one allowed up here after dark). We moved on to the west overlook and had lunch (snack). Which consisted of a granola bar, gummies and a fruit juice pouch, you now real adventure food. After packing up we set out to finish the hike.

Big Ry leading the way

Steep and rugged

Falling rocks always a danger

Sliding our way down we dodged a few rocks that let go of the steep slopes. We also past the first hiker's of the day. they were heading up. I can't imagine why someone would wait till noon to start this strenuous hike with temperatures predicted to hit the 90's. I was starting to really pour sweet and me and Big Ry were going downhill at this point.

Forty feet below our lunch time perch

We made our way out of our little wilderness no worse for wear but with our appetite for adventure whetted. We agreed that we should do this more often and I thanked God for his creation and my son. Please take a kid out of doors. It teaches them lessons and toughens them. I fear we may be raising a generation not able to overcome uncomfortable situations and deal with true adversity, Your pal the Envirocapitalist

Update - late March

2011-03-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

I am very excited for the upcoming turkey season because I have access to some private land this year. I hope to fill my four turkey bag this year to help fill my freezer. since I only put 3 deer in it this winter my meat reserves are low. That means I need to catch more fish, kill more small game, and waste some turkeys to make up for the dreadful deer season. I will be hunting with my Savage/Stephens 12 gauge pump (old school), and despite the fact it is a modified choke and more suited to wing shooting it actually preforms nicely and I have up most confidence in it. I may play with some video of The "Hieskell Boys" ( the group I grew up with and still hunt with) Turkey hunting to share with you all. It is wet here so I still can't plow the garden, hope everyone out their is fairing well, I plan on posting on a T.V. show I can actually watch called the wild within this weekend. Hope you can check it out Your Pal The Envirocapitalist.

It is always in a creek

2011-03-24T23:32:00.001-04:00

I was slaving in front of my computer entering data on my whereabouts and activities of the prior day (the government tracks everything). When I got an email from the EPA about a possible straight pipe (think raw sewage) running into a creek in my area. "Why is it always a creek" I lamented while I loaded the truck and started the 45 minute drive out to the area. As soon as I turned into the Trailer Park which was the suspected violator I was taken back by the combination of the size of the development and just how rough it was. It still amazes me as to the staggering number of people willing to live in filth. There is a difference between poor and dirty and this place was dirty. I put on my nifty reflective vest that identifies me as a government agent, pulled on my Muck boots and headed for the creek. It was edged by a thick mesh of briers, weeds, and small trees which made my approach difficult to say the least. I could already smell the sweet odor of sewage before I could see the water and I heard running water, but not like a babbling brook.......more like a bath tub faucet running full bore. I was stunned to see the 4 inch black pipe sticking out of the creek bank, not because I haven't seen this before since I do several times a year, but because sewer water was pouring out of it at alarming pace. I would guess about 15 gallons per minute which is the largest point source flow I have ever seen. My stomach turned a little when I imagined the kids from this hell hole of a trailer park down here swimming and fishing in this creek. I straightened myself and headed back to the truck. It would take me another hour to enter the findings of the investigation into our customer service tracking system, a field activity report, my Daily activity report, and fill out the notice of violation letter that would be sent to the violator making him aware of the problem, (as if he didn't know) and giving him a deadline to fix it. I am frustrated by the bureaucracy I am in at times. But it is times like this I see a need for a mediator. It is just a matter of figuring out how government can fill this role best. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

The Canoe

2011-03-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

I make friends at work, But I don't usually go afield with them. I don't know why, I just have limited time and a group of good friends whom I would prefer to spend time in the bush with anyway. With that said one day I made and exception and took up a very excited co-worker on an offer to try out the new canoe his father had gotten him. We took it to to Melton Hill Lake. I thought this was smart since I didn't know what kind of canoe it was and the calm placid waters of the lake would be ideal for any canoe even with my co-worker (who was a novice) at the helm. We met at about nine in the morning in the parking lot and I notice the canoe looked like the nice shiny wooden ones you see hanging from a ceiling or on its end with books in it. Sure enough we drug it out of the back of his truck and it was a decorative canoe and not a canoeing canoe. I didn't know what to say........... sometimes this guy is a know it all and I didn't want to start a fuss, so against my better judgement I let him launch it with catastrophic results. As I stood there in awe while my wet co-worker slung a six hundred dollar decorative canoe around the parking lot, stopping, cussing and yelling I couldn't help but thinking maybe I should have warned him. After a few uncomfortable moments we parted company, I am sure he swore off canoes and I know I swore off adventures with hot headed tenderfoots. your pal the Envirocapitalist.

The difference between me and modern hunters

2011-02-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

I am a opportunistic Predator. It is fairly simple as to why I come to this conclusion.

I keep guns with me at all times
I eat what I kill and what other hunters kill.
If I see it and it is in season I kill it, skin it, grill it. Even if I wasn't hunting it at the time.
I have received a call and dropped what I was doing to drive down the street and shoot a Ground Hog. ( I had it cleaned quartered and vacuum sealed in less than an hour) See Ground Hog recipe here.
I never have the time or money to go on far away hunting trips.
I somehow fill my freezer every year just by taking advantage of every opportunity.

I am not ashamed that I am not a "sportsman" but a hunter. I shoot does instead of waiting on rack bucks. I kill, skin, quarter, and grind to eat, no letting a processor do my dirty work for me. I enjoy this ritual because it connects me to my ancestors , the land, the animals, and my innate need to be self sufficient. I am not competing against other men to see who the best hunter is, I am making a living off the land. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

The Benefits of Eating Wild Game

2011-02-18T17:04:00.000-05:00

From Hunting For Tomorrow Foundation

1. Many people grew up eating wild game meat. Now there is ample evidence of the healthful benefits of eating wild game. It is even becoming fashionable to do so as evidenced by the offerings of wild game in fine restaurants around the country.

2. In general, game meat is leaner than meat from domesticated animals. The amount of fat on game meat may have a slightly stronger taste, so you should remove it before cooking. For maximum tenderness, cook slowly – either braise in liquid, or roast and baste frequently.

3. Some game meat is higher in dietary cholesterol than domestic meats, but the combination of more lean body tissue, generally fewer calories, less saturated fat and significantly higher percentage of cholesterol-reducing polyunsaturated fatty acids makes game a heart-healthy choice.

4. Game meat also has a significantly higher content of EPA (Eico Sapentaenoic Acid, a type of omega 3 fatty acid, which is a good type of oil, often referred to as fish oil) than domestic meat. EPA is thought to reduce the risk of developing atherosclerosis, one of the major causes of heart attack and stroke.

Nutrition Content of Game Meat

Mayo Clinic

Website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/

Tips and Recipes

Websites: http://www.huntingfortomorrow.com/

“What’s New” then “Tips & Recipes”

www.scifirstforhunters.org/content/website/hunting/recipes/

http://www.fishersnet.com/

www.huntinginfo.com/recipes.htm

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Hunting For Tomorrow Foundation Kelly Semple, Executive Director # 87, 4003 - 98th Street, Edmonton, Alberta. T6E 6M8 Phone: 780.462.2444 or Fax: 780.431.2871

E-mail: ksemple@huntingfortomorrow.com

YOUR NEVER TO OLD TO HUNT.

2010-12-03T22:55:00.001-05:00

I do a lot of driving around for my job and this particular Monday was no exception. I had ended my day at the Health Department in Clinton when my wife texted me that Dad (Big Papaw) had killed a deer and needed my help dragging and loading it. Since it was buck only season I texted back asking his location not only needing to know where to go but I was also curious as to where he had found this buck. She replied that he was home.........This is not impossible by any stretch of the imagination but you are more likely to see a three legged dog in my Dad's neighborhood then a antlered deer. If you are wondering why Big Papaw needs help, it is due to emphysema which has dogged him for years and makes dragging deer a long way rough. My father fears that his days hunting in the hills my be limited by his inability to breath. By the time I got to his house I saw him in the field behind his house on his Polaris four wheeler heading in. I jumped the fence and met him half way. he had a rope around the back rack of the ATV and around the bucks antlers. After loading it into the back of the truck he explained how he had seen the buck in the swampy thicket and dropped it with a neck shot. The slug from his 12 gauge tore through the deer's neck essentially breaking it and immediately killing it. He was able to back the four wheeler right up to the deer, making it possible for him to retrieve the deer himself. The picture makes the Buck look like a 4 pointer but the main beam was broke off on both sides from fighting during the rut . I guessed that it had forked making it a 6 pointer most likely. The deer weighed 85lbs field dressed and is schedule to become summer sausage. It was a great day for Dad since he had proven that even as his health fails him he can still get out and be a successful hunter. I thank God for these moments of happiness.

Here is a picture of the deer my friend Big Ron killed this year.....I'd say he thanked God as well. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

8-point for dinner

2010-11-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

In my area I am known for being a meat hunter. Most hunter's in my area shoot bucks for a trophy and many know I don't buy meat but only eat wild game (because it is free). So it was not out of the ordinary when a guy called me to offer me the deer he had shot that morning if I came and got it. I left immediately and made my way to the fairly nice and very large house the guy had shot the deer from. After sawing the skull cap and antlers off (it was an eight pointer). The trophy hunter and I threw the deer in the back of my truck . Even though he had Field dressed the dear it still weighed over 120 pounds and was still bleeding. I thanked him and headed to my old friend Little Ray's single wide (you guessed it... he is big) to cut it up. I went to Ray's because I live in a subdivision and most of my neighbors are so far removed from life, the real world, and self sufficiency that they are offended by a carcass even while they eat a hamburger. They will watch people on T.V. have affairs and abuse each other but heaven forbid if someone cuts up their own meat. with nothing but a pocket knife and a hatchet we had the deer cut into back straps, inner tenderloin, shoulders , and neck in fifteen minutes. Sadly the trophy hunter had shot the deer right through both hams (think ass) and ruined most of the meat back there but I was still happy with the meat I got for free. Ray and I said our goodbyes and planned to get together after we had downed a few more deer to grind some burger. As I drove off I thought to my self, "the circle of life continues, trophy hunter kills deer for wall mount and my family gets dinner". I have never understood trophy hunting but I am thankful for it, not only do I get a lot of free meat from these people but they pay for a lot of the conservation efforts in my state. I think everyone should kill the animal that they are going to eat at least once in their life to earn the right to eat it. It makes you appreciate the meal more when the death of the animal is real to you. I doubt people would waste food the way they do if they had to get their hands dirty to get it. Your pal the Evirocapitalist.

That water is evil!!!!!!

2010-11-07T19:45:00.001-05:00

First, I must disclose that I am a Methodist so it is ok for me to talk about them. I was in my office one day when a call came in to test the water at the Moore's Gap United Methodist Church. I of course jumped at the opportunity to fellowship with my fellow Christians, so I grabbed a sample bottle, a lighter, and some hand sanitizer and sped to the church. I knew why they were worried about the well water as soon as I pulled up, the church is less than a 1/2 mile from the Chestnut Ridge Landfill (think dump). I took the sample and sent it to the lab. The next day Bobby from the State Lab called me and said the sample had E. Coli in it along with a lot of other not so good for you organisms. I immediately called the contact number I had for the church to warn them. A kindly older lady answered the phone and after explaining who I was and that the water was unsafe she started to question me. "Can we wash dishes with it?" ......"No Ma'am"........."Can we wash our hands with it?"........No, definitely not"......."Can we use it to wash the towels?"........then I said " NO, DON'T EVEN LOOK AT IT IF YOU CAN HELP IT." This finally drove the point home and I got off the phone. The next day my supervisor called me to let me know that I shouldn't scare little old ladies....Turns out, she had already looked at it.

PS: Turns out all of the wells we tested in this area ended up contaminated due to the landfill, so city water was ran to the people of Moore's Gap with grant money, all because the people at that little church were worried enough about their water to have it tested. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

One cold night.

2010-11-04T22:12:00.001-04:00

I am sure we all have friends that seem larger than life, I seem to have several. Big Ron has been my pal since I was five and saying he is a rugged outdoorsman would be like saying Michael Jordan is a basketball player. The first time I realized Ron was not normal was on a frigid weekend which we were planning on meeting up with some of our friends from UPS in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation area to do a little exploring and camping. We had drove up separate so he was already on the scene when I arrived. It tickled me when I got out of my Ford Ranger and realized that Ron and I prepared similarly while the troop we had met up with seemed to have brought everything but their houses with them. I have met sultan's who travel with less. I have to admit though that I enjoyed all the goodies these fellows had and a lot of it was for the enjoyment of their wives whom had come with them (my wife doesn't do winter camping). As the night wound down the crowd retired to there tents while I climbed into the back of my truck which I had put an old twin mattress in. Before getting into my sleeping bag I peered out into the desolate camp to see Ron with his blanket laying on the ground next to the fire. I said " hey Ron why don't you get in here with me." without even rolling over he replied "that little bed is to short, I be alright by the fire." I shot back." suit yourself, but it is going to get down in the twenties tonight. In his defense my wife says I am horrible to share a bed with (you know because of the snoring and groping). I awoke the next morning with a cold nose which was the only part of me sticking out of the sleeping bag. I peaked out the back of the truck and found four inches of snow on the ground and to my horror I saw a lump where Ron was. I sprung from the truck without even dressing and shook Ron thinking he had froze to death. He said " What the hell are you doing" I stuttered " It.....it... snowed" Ron shot back " you don't think I know it snowed, I slept in it last night." I returned to my truck embarrassed and thinking who sleeps in the snow.........Big Ron that's who". Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Bald River Falls

2010-10-19T21:46:00.002-04:00

I have spent many days working near the small East Tennessee town of Tellico. It is beautiful and the door way to the Cherokee National Forest. So on a nice fall day I took the family on a little trip.

About nine miles from Tellico up River Road we visited Bald River Falls, a striking falls that is mere yards from the road.

As usual I was in awe of God's creation

The Boy, Baby Girl, and I made our way to the falls so that the picture would have perspective. The falls were truly awesome and the pool at the bottom would be ideal for swimming.

My children enjoy the adventure as much as I do, as we scramble down the steep hill and anticipate seeing the falls that we can hear roaring.

On the drive home thankfulness washed over me. I was blessed with a day comprised of the two most precious gifts God has given me, my family and nature. We all should be so lucky to have a faithful wife, wonderful kids, and Mountains within driving distance. Your pal the ENVIROCAPITALIST.

Hootin Hollow

2010-09-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

This is the view from the bottom of Hootin Hollow. This mile long trek led me down next to Norris Lake and back up to the Norris Dam State Park's campsite. I saw 3 squirrels, 2 deer, and some odd people in the campground (who might be worth a post of their own). I was able to walk the trail in less than hour even though I stopped several times to take in the surroundings. I am trying to take advantage of every opportunity to get outdoors, we all should. I pledge to never pass an opportunity to explore new territory, Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Grey water is common

2010-09-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

It is illegal to run any waste water on top of the ground, even washing machines. In the biz we call water from sinks, showers, and washing machines grey water. It is much more common to find grey water pipes than black water (think toilet). Below are some pictures I took today of a small plastic grey water pipe sticking out of a bank along the road. Notice the erosion the waste water has caused. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Is that a sewage pipe or are you just glad to see me?

2010-09-21T22:26:00.000-04:00

A nice stroll down a unnamed stream near a unnamed establishment, ( on going investigation so I can't name names) led me to this stunning but all to familiar sight . A straight pipe discharging into a stream, I don't understand how I can find 40 - 60 of these a year for the last ten years and it never seems to slow down. I will send the land owner a notice of violation, if they remove it in 30 days there is no penalty even though the pipe was galvanized and weathered (obviously old). State law only allows me to take them to court if they do not comply with the notice and even then it is only a class C misdemeanor. When I an not analyzing soil or engineering septic systems I look for stuff like this. I will be posting more pictures in the future so more people might get the idea of what is actually going on. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Hard to Explain

2010-09-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

I have a good job, I take water samples and analyze soil to determine its percolation rate. I stop people from running their waste water into the ground water and streams. But I also issue permits or don't issue permits and this causes people to.....how do you say.......H A T E me with a burning white hot passion. I have been cussed and threatened because I had to break the news to someone that they could not install a septic system in a crawdad hole infested flood plain. I know that it is part of the job so I haven't let it bother me, I am just doing my job. The Division I work for is funded through fees attached to these permits. In the past the fee someone would pay for a septic permit funded all of our other programs which protects the ground water. Recently the economy has went in the pooper and no one is building houses or buying permits. To adjust to the lack of funds we have reduced our workforce in third and increased the fees to $500. So now people hate my guts for the state charging them twice as much for a permit during hard times. Everyone thinks working for the government is easy but until they have walked in my shoes they have no idea, no one should have to put up with people threatening them but now one has sympathy for a "government worker". It is hard to explain why I keep working for the state but after seeing what I have seen the last 10 years (straight pipes into creeks) I have a lot of work left to do. I choose to stick it out with TDEC.....hopefully new leadership in Nashville will be positive. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Memory found!

2010-09-04T22:37:00.000-04:00

I cleaned out the garage today, and with some of my books and maps I found a piece of paper with March 10th 2007-Big Ridge State Park- The boy and I written at the top. The following is what was written:

      The boy and I set out from the park's playground to hike to Meditation point. It was 60 degrees with a slight breeze and overcast. Even though the 1/2 mile hike was up hill the boy walked the entire way which was impressive almost a month before his fourth birthday. We whispered and walked quietly in order to see more wildlife being careful of the numerous Virginia Pine littering the forest floor (they had succumbed to the appetite of the Southern Pine Beetle.) After reaching the covered bench at the summit of the ridge, we sat and listened to the loud voices of hikers on Lake Trail below us. This was disturbing to the boy and he definitely did not want to proceed in the direction of the people stomping through the woods. The boy asked me if there were bad things in the woods. I reassured him that the mall was far more dangerous.

      Resuming our travel we left the trail for a short time (I know we are not supposed to but we were having fun) to try to catch a peek of a gray squirrel we had heard but could not see as our view was obstructed by a dead fall. While we never made the squirrel, several turkey scratches were noted in the thick leaf litter. We retraced out steps back down the ridge with the company of a hairy wood pecker who flitted about in the hardwood trees that were scattered about in this primarily pine forest. Even though the forest was barren since most of the evergreens were dead and the deciduous trees had not leafed out yet, the views of Big Ridge Lake and its small dam were memorable. The views were lost on the boy who busied himself collecting leaves and examining sticks. Which tickled me since he usually did not like to git his hands dirty. I think the natural instinct is in him for the outdoors.

     As we exited the woods, we made a left and walked down to the shore of the lake. I sat on a bench and watched the boy throw rocks in the water, scattering Water Walkers and overflowing my heart. After thirty minutes of this simple but enjoyable diversion a light rain sent us back to our truck. However, before we could leave the parking lot, we were already planning the next great father and son adventure.

I stood in the garage in awe of the blessings in my life and all God has given me. A familiar voice shook me from my daydream, it was the boy who is now a seven year old second grader. "Hey dad I finished cleaning the top of the deep freeze, will you throw me the ball please" he said with his baseball bat on his shoulder. I said " my pleasure son" and spent Saturday in the yard with my son. Your pal the happiest man on earth.......I mean the Envirocapitalist.

God does not care who is president as much as he cares who you are!

2010-08-26T18:50:00.001-04:00

I ran across the email below and I have taken out all of the sentences about Barack Obama. This made me think that if we (I mean Christians) looked in the mirror and truly dedicate our self to living a righteous life always giving glory to God and being kind to all people, How obvious our presidents faith is would be less important. I mean if he could prove to everyone he believes in Christ he would still be spending to much money in my opinion. I think that after I stripped the political statements from this email, it conveys a powerful message to followers of the Way. The email before cheapened God by using him to take pot shots at a politician. If we Christians lived our faith, so many people wouldn't think they need government to fix their problems. They would realize only God has the answers. I am still going to vote but I will never confuse politics with faith.....Jesus never did.
Edited Email
"We try to keep God in church on Sunday morning....Maybe, Sunday night...And,

the unlikely event of a midweek service. We do like to have Him around
during sickness....And, of course, at funerals. However, we don't have
time, or room, for Him during work or play...Because.. That's the part of
our lives we think... We can, and should, handle on our own. Sometimes I am
not sure most Christians really believe in God. If we lived every moment of
every day with God as our focus and quit worrying about politics and what
other people are doing we would probably make a bigger difference in the
world. The next time the urge to tell someone that they need to change their
ways hits just be kind to them and pray for them and let them know that you
love them. And when people ask why you are in such a good mood tell them
about Jesus. Believe in the bible and miracles. Wear your faith on your
sleeve so when people think of Christians they think of you not the
judgmental people from a church they attended once or the televangelists
asking for money. We are getting a bad wrap as Christians today because of
hypocrisy. This makes how we behave more important, don’t be ashamed, and if
you do not know how to act just read the New Testament. Jesus was a great
ambassador and we can be too." Unknown Author.

May God forgive me for ever thinking That There is a time or place

where HE is not to be FIRST in my life. We should always have time to

remember all HE has done for us. AMEN

I hope whoever wrote the email does not mind me editing it. I agree we should empty Washington through the voters box, but because they spend more money than they take in, not because of religious beliefs. The government can not stop Christian values unless Christians forget them.

Live as though the world is watching!

Your Pal the Envirocapitalist.

Real Fake Survival

2010-08-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

I don't want to call out any individual shows on T.V. but the "Survival" shows on T.V. are so fake and full of bad information. I believe they border on dangerous since the average couch potato watching doesn't know anything about the wilderness and will believe you can do some of the silly stuff these people do. I saw a couple of guys improvise a climbing system and then repel to find their way out. Which is fine with hidden backup safety gear(hidden from sight), a full staff, camera crew, and emergency communication devices. I realize that they are trying to entertain but they should have a disclaimer. It should say " for entertainment purposes only do not confuse anything you are about to see with real world solutions to being lost in the wild. Just wondered if the shows made anyone else laugh. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Theif caught on film

2010-08-03T18:25:00.000-04:00

Had a visitor to the salt lick just after midnight. It was a bandit and he was obviously on the run. I like Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) when they are no where near my house. This one acted like it was being followed, it was funny. Hope you enjoy the photo, your pal the Envirocapitalist.

THE WORLD NEEDS MEN!

2010-07-05T23:53:00.000-04:00

"...Who cannot be bought;
... Whose word is their bond;
...Who put character above wealth;
...Who are larger than their vocations;
... Who do not hesitate to take chances;
... Who will not lose their identity in a crowd;
...Who will be as honest in small things as in great things;
...Whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desires;
...Who will not say or do it because everybody else does it;
...Who are true to their friends through good report and evil report, in adversity as well as in prosperity;
...Who do not believe that shrewdness and cunning are the best qualities for winning success;
...Who are not ashamed to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
...Who can say NO with emphasis, although the rest of the world say YES.
GOD, make me this kind of man."
-Leonard Wagner

We don't seem to aspire to be this type of men in our society anymore.....but we need to.

Forgiveness!

2010-06-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

Photo credit Beautifulnux.com

I have come to the conclusion that one of the hardest things for a person to do is to truly forgive someone who has wronged them and is not genuinely repentant. Usually the forgiveness is not appreciated or even needed by the unrepentant but is actually needed by the injured person. If one can forgive they can let go of the anger that continues to damage them. Man does not have the forgiveness that the sinner needs only God does. So having the strength to forgive is really a blessing for the person doing the forgiving. I wish it were as easy to forgive as it is to know you should forgive but the heart is a powerful organ with a mind of its own. I see so many people I know in pain inflicted by loved ones, that I pray that all those out there needing forgiveness make it easier for those needing to forgive. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

In Abby's words

2010-06-13T20:12:00.000-04:00

If you have time follow this link(http://soloround.blogspot.com/) and read some of the words of a 16 year old who has become the focus of the lets blame someone media. She is wise beyond her years and living life the way that makes most of us jealous. At 35 year old and trained in many areas I am not sure I am her equal. I hope society (and our nanny state) doesn't try and squash the adventurers out their. We need them to inspire us before we lose our souls to dependency and fear. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Why kraut the hard way?

2010-06-13T13:57:00.001-04:00

You might ask why a man would want to grow cabbage, pick it , then let it ferment for 2 months when he can buy sour kraut relatively cheap at the store. My answer is because I can. I have always gotten real enjoyment from fulfilling my own needs and not depending on others. The same reason that drives me to skin a deer, quarter it, debone everything north of the hams, cut steaks, grind burger, package tenderloin and neck roasts, only to prepare it into meals for my family. It is easier to buy from the store but I don't think the easy way is always the best way, I am connected to my food and it helps me and my children understand life and death better. I think people live to much in the safe confines of the prepackaged lifestyle of today and it robs them of their ability to depend upon themselves and make logical conclusions about the world around them ( think Disney propaganda). so go make something yourself today even if it is just scratch biscuits so you can stand tall and say to the world " I have fed myself and I could survive on my own". well that may be taking it to far but you know what I mean.....Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Abby Sunderland and a parents place.

2010-06-11T17:14:00.000-04:00

I have had several people ask me what I think about the Sunderland's letting their 16 year old daughter sail around the world in a boat alone. My response shocked most. I do not want anyone telling me how to raise my family so I do not see any reason why I should place my views on the Sunderlands. I do not believe I would ever allow my children to do something like that alone however I think we should allow people the freedom to enjoy the rewards or endure the loss that their choices bring. I am over hearing people say things such as "we shouldn't let people endanger their children that way." or "You shouldn't be allowed to do that until your 18 years old." WOW, How quickly we take away others freedoms when we disagree with them. I hate the ocean myself but if the Sunderland's want to sail the seas from now on I will fight for their right to raise their children however they see fit. Now before anyone says something about incest or drugs remember those are already illegal for everyone this discussion is about legal activities such as sailing. I sympathize with them because I have been told by people that I should have my children taken from me because I take my children hunting and let my 7 year old son shoot guns (They think it is to violent and dangerous for children to be around firearms). So don't start down the road of raising other peoples children since popular opinion my turn against you one day. The majority of people are starting to believe that killing animals is bad and kids shouldn't be forced (my detractors exact words.) to watch it. I think kids should know where chicken nuggets come from and the Sunderlands think their kids should find their limits,Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

ITS WHATS FOR DINNER #3

2010-05-30T14:05:00.000-04:00

Old faithful. Deer burger and grilled potatoes. I add an egg to a pound of ground deer to make the burgers hold together better (I don't add fat to the deer when I grind it). And yes we eat like this everyday. amazing what a garden and wild animals can do for us and how we take for granted that God provides all we need to survive. While we remember those who gave their life in service of the country maybe we can say a thank you to God as well while we grill our Memorial Day burgers. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

IT'S WHAT'S FOR DINNER #2

2010-05-20T19:21:00.000-04:00

Tonight I fixed a simple salad (mushrooms, onions, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, and ranch dressing), some corn, and deep fried Sauger. Sauger is my favorite fish and I owe these tasty fillets to my buddy Stacy (From how much is a Rockfish worth). I made the batter out of a pancake mix which is a little sweet but the kids love it (I like it pretty well myself). I love eating something I fixed my self from the local lake. Remember don't just take a kid fishing, let him eat what he catches. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

ITS WHATS FOR DINNER.

2010-05-17T18:51:00.000-04:00

My wife is the greatest baker and cake maker in the East Tennessee Valley. With that said, I do most of the cooking, I have decided to start a series of posts (hopefully weekly) to highlight my culinary expressions. My wife tells me I am a great cook, and she wouldn't lie about such a thing just to get out of fixin dinner.......would she?

Tonight I fixed Honey Teriyaki Venison Chopped Steak, Sweet whole kernel corn (that I froze last year), Mashed potatoes, and fresh strawberries. Ummm Good.

This kind of wild game and garden food is a nightly thing at my house and I enjoy the gathering and preparing of the food as much as the eating......well almost. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Inspiring blog

2010-05-16T12:20:00.003-04:00

Journey to Live an Abundant Life is a very inspiring blog written by my sister documenting life and all that goes with it. If you know anyone in need of a good read about a modern woman this is a good place to go. Here is how she put it in her own words "I am hoping this blog inspires growth for the followers. I believe in nurturing the 3 parts of our being -- mind, body, and, spirit. I am interested in improving my life through this blog while bringing up some thought provoking subjects. " Can't beat that, your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Upcoming adventures

2010-05-16T12:04:00.001-04:00

My life has been pretty tame lately. I work (saving the world from raw sewage), Take the boy to golf and baseball ( I coach), mow grass( five yards mainly charity), and completing my household duties ( what ever the lovely and talented mother of my children wants). We have stepped back from the Cub Scouts for a while due to the hectic schedule and to be honest the scouts seem to be a little feminized and politically correct nowadays. Not exactly the place for a boy to learn what it means to be a man. So back to the way my dad did it.......in the wilderness. I have acquired a used 14 foot aluminum canoe for me and the boy to adventure in this summer and he will be old enough to hunt with me this fall. I will teach him responsibility and self-reliance out in the bush. I hope he realizes unlike a lot of today's youth that hard work is something to be proud of and being a tough, dependable, and humble man should be the aspiration of every boy. So it is off to the lakes, and woods, to catch fish, pick berries, and learn to be a man. Be on the look out for future posts on manhood and the exploits of the boy and myself. Your Pal the Envirocapitalist.

Besides a knife what do you always take.

2010-04-27T20:49:00.001-04:00

When I go on a overnight or multiple day hunting trip alone, or at least sans kids (kids require more equipment), I always bring my poncho. It is a sturdy and thick Eddie Bauer poncho. This piece of equipment can be rolled up and takes up less room than the tarp I used to carry. I not only wear the poncho in the rain but I set it up as a tent at night with nothing more than cord and 4 stakes. I use it as a ground cover, blind (or hide according to where you are), I have even used it as a rain catch during a canoe trip where I had an unfortunate distance miscalculation. When I need to improvise something in the bush that poncho always plays a role. I have made it into a hammock, a pack, I even wrap my food in it to haul up a tree in bear country. Besides a knife I believe a large sturdy PVC poncho to be the best survival tool a man can own. So even when the sun is shining, you will never catch me in the bush without my poncho. What do you always take with you? Leave a comment or maybe you need an entire post. Leave me a link so I can come learn from your wisdom.

At least we are outdoors......

2010-04-25T21:35:00.000-04:00

I have not only slowed down on blogging lately but I have also not gotten around to the normal Turkey hunting and Crappie fishing of the spring (got the garden planted though). The reason for this is my son (the Boy) has decided he wants to be a golfer. I don't golf, but we have been at the local par 3 every chance we get. While he does play baseball ( like I did) he really wants to be on the links. I am going to support him fully even though I don't like golf, because he loves it and is already getting good as evidenced by these photos.

Teeing off with a 4 hybrid.

smack!!!

Chipping onto the green.

I hate that my son didn't decide to spend every waking moment in the garden or stalking wild animals like me, but at least we will be outside together. I am just glad he found something to be passionate about.

Patience

2010-03-24T21:23:00.003-04:00

I have struggled many times with patience so I have researched high and low for help.

I found a quote from George Horne " Patience Strengthens the spirit, sweetens the temper, stifles anger, extinguishes envy, subdues pride, bridles the tongue, restrains the hands, and trembles upon temptation"

This quote does do a nice job of showing the positive aspect of patience but It didn't help me have patience.

So I found the Serenity Prayer.
"O God, give us serenity to accept what cannot be changed, courage to change what should be changed, and wisdom to distinguish the one from the other"

That was good, but it only seemed to help while I was saying it!

It wasn't until I read James ch 5 verses 7-11

Patience in Suffering

7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. 8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 9 Don't grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! 10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. 12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear--not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your "Yes" be yes, and your "No," no, or you will be condemned.

that I saw how silly my impatience was. James was pleading with Christians to be patient for something important, the second coming of Jesus. Here I am grumbling over not being able to move ( I wish to relocate) to Jacksboro now, which is simply a side note to the life I live here. When I should keep in mind that without God there would be no Jacksboro to move to. When you are thankful for possibilities it makes waiting for them a pleasure, since we are not promised tomorrow. God bless and remember patience is contagious.

Squirrel shoot out

2010-03-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

I cannot count the squirrel hunts I have been on in my life, but one stands out among the rest. I had met Stacy to take a little walk about in Catoosa WMA and maybe shoot a squirrel or two. We had planned to meet up with Ron and Ray at the long field around 10 am (that was the earliest they could get there) and maybe do some deer scouting. Stacy and I got out of the truck a little after daylight and went through the anti-seed tick ritual of skin so soft and permanone application. We wondered around in the woods for a while when Stacy saw some cuttings on a stump and said "I think we ought to sit here". I had a 22 magnum and Stacy was packing a 12 gauge, we sat up on opposite sides of the small hollow we had entered and within minutes I saw a squirrel. "BAM" I dropped him, and with that crack of the rifle squirrels broke from there hiding places running away from me into the barrage of shotgun fire compliments of Stacy. This pattern continued for half an hour until we thought we had filled our limit of 20. I don't know if we miscounted or didn't find one, but we ended up with nineteen. All of this in 30 minutes out of a stand of about 7 hickory trees. I don't think I will ever be able to duplicate a day like that but hope keeps me going back. The magical day ended after meeting with Ron and Ray, showing them our bounty and bragging about Stacy's shooting prowess. We probably would have wondered around the woods some more but Ron decided to see if he could hit a hornets nest with a throwing stick...he could. After a long run back to the trucks we left catoosa. Stacy and I with 19 Squirrels and Ron with 100 seed ticks.

Ground Hog for supper

2010-03-11T18:26:00.000-05:00

One Thing I enjoy about hunting is eating what I kill. The bounty is diverse. One day eat deer, the next eat turkey. I even enjoy the occasional ground hog. I love hunting g-hogs since it fills the summer hunting gap and allows for perfecting my long range shooting technique. Most farmers are more than happy to let you plug away at the little ill tempered whistle pigs since they are seen as a nuisance to anyone with livestock. A thousand dollars worth of cow breaking its leg in the ground hog's hole will make any farmer want them thinned out. I have a Marlin 22 Mag that is really accurate out to 150+ yards. I love taking it since it is light plus a good head shot doesn't ruin any meat. Most people use a more traditional varmit gun like the 22-250 which can be effective for shots twice as far as I would shoot with my magnum. I made this choice because my gun was more affordable, I also derive enjoyment by having to sneak up a little closer for the shot. If you ever want to try a little ground hog for supper you should try it in a crock pot. If a crock pot is not handy then here is a little recipe I like. 1.) put 1 cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of dried jalapeno pepper, and a teaspoon of salt into a microwave safe bowl. 2.) heat until honey is softened (about a minute) 3.) roll quatered ground hog in mixture untill covered thoroughly 4.) place into a baking pan and put in oven on 325 degrees for about 45 minutes 5.) watch closely so as not to burn the honey You could also wrap it in aluminum foil for the grill. Either way it is a good alternative to the always reliable crock pot and BBQ sauce.

alone in the woods

2010-02-27T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have spent many nights home alone, At least technically alone. When you are home alone you have a T.V. which talks at you, a telephone you can use anytime you wish, and the realization of all the neighbors in shouting distance. I have also spent many a night alone in the woods, really alone. I enjoy hiking but most dedicated hiker's would call me a slackpacker. I rarely hike for more than a few days at a time. Mostly I day hike, hunters like myself call it scouting however I prefer to call it exploring. On the occasions in my life when I actually had a free weekend outside of hunting season I enjoy taking to a trail for a overnighter. I enjoy solitude and you will never be more alone than sleeping in a tent 12 miles into the backcountry. It is dark, really dark. and there are no human sounds at all, no one to turn to. You do everything yourself. If you get hurt it is up to you to get yourself out of the situation. It is the definition of self reliance. I think that is really why some people are scared to sleep in the woods alone. The extra sensation and heightened awareness makes me feel alive. You should try it sometime, see what your made of. Walk till you are tired, make camp, feed yourself and sleep alone.... if you can.

How much is a rockfish worth?

2010-02-24T08:19:00.000-05:00

It was a seemingly normal summer day in 2007 when Stacy called me saying I should come with Ron and him rockfishing below Fort Loudon Damn. Earlier he had produced pictures of himself holding fish as long as a man and I had thought "how many fish steaks could I get out of that". There are not many fish safe to eat in Loudon lake due to mercury and pcb's, but the Rockfish or Striper (as some locals call them) can be consumed, at least for now. I jumped at the chance to battle these non-native giants with two of my best friends. Stacy, who could grow a beard in middle school, had not changed physically in a decade but was no longer the wild man that gave him the moniker "crazy Stacy" on the football team. Since returning from a short college football career he had graduated college and became a family man. His amazing instincts for harvesting game makes him one of my favorite people to hunt with. On the other hand Ron had grown to 6'3" tall and weighed at least 250lbs which happens to be 100lbs heavier than when he wrestled in high school. He is the hardest working man in the world, holding down two jobs for as long as I can remember and still spending more time in the woods hunting and trapping than the rest of us. I myself had gained weight like Ron but with out the growth in height. I went from being little Gabe at 5'7" to being "stocky" to anyone not wanting to insult the bowling ball I had become. I always expect adventure when I am with the boys since they seem to have little fear of anything and a curiosity of whats over the next ridge. But I had no Idea how close we would come to meeting our makers this day. We slid Stacy's 15' modified V aluminum boat into the river and started up stream toward the damn. Even though Stacy had used this boat in the boils below the damn before, I wondered if he had considered what difference adding me, a 200 pound man, to the back end would have. The first sign of trouble was during Stacy's explaination that we may not have that good of success because the moon was wrong. Then he mentioned the fact that my job was to put the two naked wires laying behind me against the battery terminals to start the bilge pump anytime the boat started filling up with water! The roar of the boils were evident before we could see them. the water being generated from turbines at the bottom of the damn looked like a whirlpool in a class 5 rapid. For the first 30 minutes we bounced around in the boils pumping water and trying to cast large plugs in to the concrete cut-ins on the face of the damn. Ron was standing at the front of the boat tempting fate every time the boat was jarred by the upheaval of water when Stacy had to gun it in full reverse to keep us out of the most dangerous area. First I felt water rush in over the back and up onto my legs. then I felt my heart jump as I reached for the afore mentioned naked wires to get the pump pumping. I was having trouble since water was over the battery and something kept hitting my elbow. When I realized that the something was the gas tank I almost panicked. Luckily Stacy stayed calm and set the engine full forward and shot us up into one of the cut-ins in the damn we had just been casting into. For reasons I am unaware of the water is as calm as a swimming pool in these little concrete coffins and this gave me time to regain my cool get the battery in the dry and proceed to pump the calf deep water out of the back of the boat. After some heavy duty pushing by Ron and some fancy boat work by Stacy we popped out of the cutout and raced across the boils to safety. Oddly enough this was the first time I noticed a family of Mexicans on the rocky shore fishing and I wondered what they thought about the crazy rednecks that just attempted to drown themselves for a few lousy rock fish.

Debord Falls

2010-02-15T15:00:00.003-05:00

It was a nice drive up through Wartburg, passing through classic East Tennessee scenery some good (mountains), Some bad (Trailers and junk cars). I thought it fitting to go to Frozen Head State Park since we would get to see the new prison which is replacing the famous and historic Brushy Mountain Prison due to its recent closure. I wanted this trip to be a fun little excursion for the family but also serve as a information gathering mission for a possible Cub Scout camp out in the future. The park is Known for its hiking (the Cumberland Trail passes through) and has an easy trail perfect for the family that goes to a water fall (Debord Falls).

After a short and gradually up hill hike we came to a exciting staircase which led us to the base of a water fall. The boy led the way and directed us on the safest path. It gave the trail a destination feeling.

We had a blast, wife,kids, and dad. The wife sunned herself on a nearby rock and took pictures of me, the boy, and the girl having fun. Your Pal the Envirocapitalist.

Here is my rant!

2010-02-14T22:11:00.001-05:00

I always hear people say that hunters don’t need to hunt they just like killing. I can't take it anymore, I am tired of people saying that it costs me more money to hunt than to buy beef by the pound. It is not true for me. I live in a rural mountain community in E. Tennessee and I can’t afford to buy enough Beef to feed a family of four. So I use reloaded bullets(which I only shoot 10-15 bullets a year which includes sighting in and killing 2-4 deer myself a year) in a 30-06 that my father passed down to me for free to kill deer which I cut up my self. (I did buy a vacuum sealer and an lay down freezer 10 years ago) but it costs me next to nothing to put 6-7 deer in the freezer every year. I also help a friend with a large garden so we can split the bounty (he has land, I have knowledge) It would be like saying I don’t need to grow my own potatoes I just like digging. I think deer meat is much healthier than beef as well. I know the meal. No one else handles it. My family will never have E-Coli from beef or tomatoes. although it does not bother me, I don’t like killing anymore than I like cleaning fish or picking blackberries. I like being outside and I like eating blackberry pie. I like being self sufficient. You have to kill a deer to eat it. I also like shooting guns. I shoot them at targets, coke cans, and furry woodland creatures that taste good. I didn't kill the can but I enjoy the challenge of marksmanship. I have no hard feelings toward trophy hunters. I receive most of my meat from trophy hunters who call me after they shoot a rack buck and I come and get the deer to cut up for my family ( win win situation they get the trophy, I get the meat). However I do have a problem with the perception that all hunters are trophy hunters. I hunt because it feels natural. As natural as growing tomatoes. More natural than driving to a large crowded building and pointing to a hunk of meat that another man picks up, wraps and hands to you. Even Though you have no idea where it came from. I do enjoy my time in the woods........far more than time in the super market. Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

WDVX - Real Music from Tennessee

2010-02-05T17:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.wdvx.com/

I highly recommend checking out WDVX If you like Americana or Bluegrass music. It is a local, listener supported radio station here in E.Tennessee that streams over the web. So people from all over can enjoy our musical culture. Your Pal the Envirocapitalist.

Freeze Frosty

2010-01-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

First real snow day in Tennessee this year. We found a trespasser. I Think he was hunting by his attire.

We held him at gun point until he melted.......

"It is natural, but you still need practice".

2010-01-21T23:13:00.001-05:00

I Try to take my son into the "real world" as much as possible. Mainly because while I think it is natural for us to be outdoors, if you stay inside long enough you will lose some of your instincts and will never develop the skills that allow you to feel at home in the woods. Every minute spent outside teaches lessons that could never be taught around a dinner table. Following a deer trail from bedding area to rub line tells my son more about wildlife than I could tell him in a month.

Putting youngsters with people who have spent decades hunting every edible animal in your area is a great way to make sure a life time of knowledge is not lost with the passing of a generation that was more connected to the environment. It is not only enjoyable for all parties involved but I believe a historical rite of passage that we have gotten away from.

I know my son will want a fancy cell phone and will be interested in things that aren't outdoor related at times in his life, I just hope he appreciates the foundation I plan to give him. I think it will set him apart from his peers who may have never spent a night under the stars with out central heat and air. To all those who still believe knowing how to skin a deer is a worthwhile skill I say cheers. While some kids hunch over game-boys this summer me and the boy will be frog gigging, Your pal the Envirocapitalist.

Just had to share

2010-01-18T21:36:00.001-05:00

Evil mother washed her Teddy Bear. It was a tense spin cycle. You got to love God's little gifts.

Mossberg 935 Magnum Auto Non-Loader

2010-01-17T21:02:00.001-05:00

It was the first day in two weeks above freezing in East Tennessee and I had plenty of work to do. I received a phone call from one of my venerable co-workers. We call him Uncle Al, and he is a top notch individual. He had explained to me how his son had purchased an 800 dollar Mossberg 935 Magnum Auto Loader for its looks and that it would shoot 3 1/2 inch magnum steel shot, but found that it would not eject and load after the first shot rendering it a single shot. Of course they were disappointed, so they sent it back to the manufacturer to have it fixed and received it back promptly yesterday. He was anxious to test the gun and wondered if I would meet him on the land I own near him ( the dream spot I plan to build a house one day God willing). I accepted and worked diligently all day so that I would not be late to meet him and let some lead (uh I mean steel) fly in the name of consumer satisfaction.
We had barely got out of the truck when one of my future neighbors drove up to check us out. After telling him who I was he was nice enough and left us to our business ( let this be a warning to anyone sneaking onto my land, the kindly neighbor was packing heat). So we sat up a target and Bam!!!...........dissappoitment....It still didn't work! Just for kicks we stuck some 2 3/4 shells in and it worked fine. Uncle Al was pissed and I can't blame him, to pay that much and it not perform is unbelievable from such a established shotgun company. After asking around it turns out that lots of people have had this problem. So if you buy a Mossberg, which I do not recommend, buy a pump action........at least you'll be able to shoot more than once.

You'll shoot your eye out kid!

2009-12-28T18:50:00.006-05:00

I got my son a Daisy 105 Buck BB gun for Christmas and he is almost as happy as I am about it. he had shot at Cub Scout ranges before and at Big Papaw's house but now he has his own gun. While I don't know if he will ever have the sort of obsession I have with putting meat on the dinner table he does enjoy shooting guns. We set up a range in the yard today and shot for about an hour. That is what I call quality father and son time. Being outside teaching my son about useful things such as marksmanship and safety and knowing he is enjoying it more than any silly video game fills my heart with love and my mind with hope for the future.

Happy New Year from the Envirocapitalist.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T10:43:00.000-05:00

The wife and kids are the only reason I am not a hermit. My heart cannot survive without them, so I spend more time with the PTA (parent teacher association) than with the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency) and I am the luckiest man in the world for it. God Bless you all.
Your pal the Envirocapitalist

Roastless Doe?

2009-12-08T22:26:00.002-05:00

It felt more like early October in Dekalb Co. Tennessee instead of late November as I settled into a dog house blind. I had chosen this set up because it was so warm that I would be wearing a t-shirt and the cedar thicket I was hunting had no trees to climb. I was hid so well by the blind that a doe approached on the old game trail to 35 yards before I dropped her with my Knight Wolverine muzzle loader. All I could think about as I dressed her in the late morning sun was, I can't wait to eat one on my wife's wonderful deer roasts.
On the way home my father (Big Papaw) was wondering how I planned to cut the deer up and make it to work in time after our five hour drive home. I told him I planned to quarter it up and pack it into a big cooler until I had time to finish processing it. My father is getting soft in his old age and said he didn't want me to have to stay up late. He knew I never took deer to processors because I did not want to pay for something I could do my self (I am cheap). He said " let's stop at J.O. Adams and I will pay to cut it up. I thought its free and on the way (Adam's place is in Claxton) I might as well let him do it.
It was only four days til I could pick up the meat and the cost to my kindly father was only fifty dollars. I showed up and got the bags full of meat and went home only to realize that my bags held no roasts. I called Mr. Adams and he assured me he would make it right by cutting me roasts off some other deer, but I have yet to hear back from him in 3 weeks. So the moral of my story is..... "Don't let another man handle your meat.........you will always regret it later".

Where in the world is Albert Rasch?

2009-11-26T10:16:00.001-05:00

I simply ask because I do not know and I miss his musings and informative blogs. It has been weeks since he last left us a clue of his whereabouts and I can no longer open his blog in my browser. Does anyone else have this problem with opening his blog and if anyone knows what has happened to him I would love to know. My curiosity has gotten the best of me.

Your Pal the Envirocapitalist

Is that what I think it is in my fire ring?

2009-11-08T20:40:00.001-05:00

I had pitched the tent, set up camp, and collected a significant amount of firewood before I took my first little scouting hike for the evening. It was a brisk Autumn day and I had seen deer in this part of the property before and thought I would build a blind or hang a stand to hunt out of tomorrow. I felt a little rushed, this was only day 1 of a 5 day excursion I had planned and I would need to be back at camp in time to start the fire, cook dinner, and prepare for tomorrow. After finding the spot I liked ( I still hunt from the same tree to today) I leisurely strolled back to camp only to find Items missing (food, axe, etc.) and human scat in my fire ring. I can't prove it, but I believe it to be some anti-hunters who own adjacent property. They know where I camp since they had walked up on me during an earlier hunt and told me in no uncertain terms that I should leave and if anything happened to their precious horses that I would be to blame. I never left and this is the only time my camp was vandalized and it has been years now but I still feel uneasy. If a woman could do that to my fire pit, what would she do to me? I wondered if anyone else has had a similar incident and if there is any rational reason for pooping in a man's fire pit besides being a crazed lunatic ( I don't think it is ancient Cherokee custom). Just a thought before heading back into the wilderness where it seems that just like in the city, man's greatest danger comes from man. I wished I had thought to take a picture that day. Poop in the fire pit is a lot like Big Foot, you never have a camera when you need one.

I'm subscribing to a Wesleyan way of conservation

2009-10-25T21:15:00.000-04:00

I believe that John Wesley ( the founder of the Methodist Church) had the right idea as to how to live life. He had Three simple rules to live by. I think they transfer nicely to not only daily life but also wildlife management. Lets take them one at a time.

DO NO HARM: Every action you take either as a management agency or a hunter should be determined by first making sure this action does no harm. If you are going to take actions to help a species like introducing a non-native species to a ecosystem, you should determine first that it does not harm others.
DO GOOD: The only mind set that should determine the course of human stewardship should be one bound by only doing good. Politics should not play a role in conservation nor should feelings. For instance favoring one species over the health of the ecosystem based on the wants of a constituent or because it is cuter than another. All decisions should be made to improve the environment that man lives in. Everyone who is interested in the outdoors should also volunteer their time and money to projects that do good. Like any good charity, the outdoors is a worthy cause. Maybe shooting does to balance the herd is a good thing to do even if you only want to take trophies.
STAY IN LOVE WITH GOD: Read God as nature. If we all got up everyday and had an attitude of putting a priority on the outdoors we would see a difference quickly. When you actively love something everyday you tend to act in its best interest.

I love the outdoors, it provides me with everything I need. Every time I shoot a deer, I thank God for his creation which not only nourishes my body but also my soul. If all people placed importance on the outdoors instead of just hunters (for the most part at least monetarily) we would be further along the trail of successful conservation and stewardship. If the anti-hunting crowd spent half the time on conservation and preservation as they do trying to stop hunting, they could probably make a real difference.

May Be A New Record! Is it more important than any other deer?

2009-10-22T20:06:00.007-04:00

Check out this article about a guy who may of killed the new non-typical record white-tail buck. Then read this post by Rick at Whitetail Woods, which describes a crazed anti-hunter not letting a man retrieve his deer from her property. I wonder what would have been the outcome if the deer in her backyard was a 32 point world record. I hate to say it, but even though I place equal importance on any deer I kill since I eat them, I would say that the hunter would have retrieved that deer if it had been the monster killed last week up north. Just a thought. Here is the staple of my diet......she doesn't have horns, but I would have gotten her off that crazy woman's property.

A squirrel in a tree is better than two in the bush?

2009-09-12T22:23:00.006-04:00

It was a horribly foggy morning when Big Papaw, The Boy, and myself made our way to Cove Creek wildlife Management area for some early fall squirrel hunting. We split up as we left the truck. Partly because it is easier to be quiet in smaller numbers and partly because of Big Papaws emphysema. So Big Papaw sat near the truck under some hickory trees and the boy and I traipsed off down a freshly cut logging road. We didn't go far till we reached the recently logged area and I knew we should probable go else where since all this disturbance surely ran the squirrels off. I took this opportunity to use the bathroom. That is when the boy (who is six) said calmly "Hey there goes a squirrel over that log." By the time I zipped and grabbed the Marlin 22 mag the squirrel was gone. Well I was really teaching the little fellow how to hunt wasn't I.

After some enjoyable sneaking around in the woods we found a nice log to sit on and the boy commenced to eating his snack (a cereal bar) and my snack (a granola bar). While drinking water and discussing why we couldn't just put a hickory nut out on the ground and wait for a squirrel to come get it and then get him, Big Papaw came over the 2-way radio." Hey......... I have one in a hollow tree up here................why don't you come back here." We said yes and made tracks.

We arrived and Big Papaw explained how he was watching a doe when he saw a squirrel running around and proceeded to shoot at it only to wound it and watch it run into a hollow tree. I had voiced a concern as to the validity of the squirrel being in such a small hollow tree so Big Papaw picked up a stick and stuck it up in the tree and we all heard the "CHUCHECK, CHUCHECK" sound of a pissed and wounded squirrel. "I hate to leave a wounded animal and by the length of the stick he is probably about right here" he said pointing at a spot on the tree. "Do you think you could shoot through the tree with that magnum". I said " sure I even brought some solid points. I took a few steps back and shot the tree. The squirrel rolled out the hole at the base of the tree shot through the head and shoulder. If you don't believe me enlarge that photo and see for yourself. While you are looking at the photo take note of the smiles on our faces over one little squirrel. That is what I love about the outdoors, It is always an adventure.

I am back in time for deer season.

2009-09-11T21:20:00.003-04:00

I almost quit blogging again but there is something about putting down your own thoughts and experiences that I can't explain. It doesn't even matter if anyone reads it or not I feel compelled to write. I am looking forward to the 26th and the opening of archery season this year. I will start to fill the freezer with venison again. First I will have a go at some Eastern Gray Squirrels tomorrow up in Cove Creek. It will do me and the boy good to bust out into the wilds of East Tennessee for a morning of stalking the elusive Sciurus Carolinenis. Latin names for animals is what I learned at UT in the Wildlife and Fisheries program, I learned about animals in the woods. I guess that is why they call it a BS degree. God Bless .

Ethics and the Environment, Worth the read.

2009-07-26T09:57:00.006-04:00

As I surfed the information Highway I came across a blog title that made me fear I may have found a blog based on emotion instead of science. The blog is Ethics and the Environment (with some economics and politics thrown in) I must say it is worth the read. Not because I agree with him but he uses sound facts to prove his point in a well written manner. The Author Josh is from California but don't hold it against him. He has another blog that seems to be more personal experiences which is a great supplement on his perspectives. I highly recommend reading one of his latest blogs, Up in arms over junior deer hunt, which put into words several things I have thought in my own head. Make sure and click on his picture below or one of the links above and enjoy the read. Author of Ethics and the Environment pictured above.

Gigging

2009-07-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

We slipped through the tall grasses silently and single file. The darkness of night has long since closed in shrinking visibility to a couple of feet. Deep throated croaks in the distance dance in my ears like a siren song. We approach the pond less by sight more by memory. We take a minute to collect ourselves and organize. Ron checks the three pronged gig at the end of a 7 foot long laminated bamboo stick while I familiarize myself with the on/off toggle on the spotlight. I locate the general location of a larger croaker by the sound of his call. Ron (without a word to each other only the familiarity of the activity) starts moving in that direction. I turn the light on and begin searching the shoreline and almost immediately I see the tale tale glowing eyes of our official state amphibian the bull frog. I hold the light as still as possible in our prey's eyes blinding him to Ron's approach. In one fluid motion Ron drives the gig home like a spear. The next couple of seconds are tense until the gig is raised from the water with our first pair of succulent legs hanging for all to see. Several similar little dramas played out that night before we loaded up our trash bag full of frogs and left. While the act of frog gigging is fun, it pales in comparison to the feast we will enjoy after dropping the breaded legs into hot oil. If you haven't ate frog's legs you haven't lived.

Sideways snow and a doe!

2009-07-18T10:21:00.001-04:00

The only reason I was on a ridge top in Jackson Co. during a blizzard was the doe tag in my pocket, which is a rare thing during high powered rifle season. I had positioned myself opposite the wind from a saddle between to ridges which the deer used to access the valley to the east of the land I was hunting. I had walked up the ridge with Bob who had tried to give me some of his frozen Mcdonald's hamburgers he had purchased earlier in the week for 69 cents. We parted ways and I sat down in my makeshift blind built from dead fall. The snow was blowing so hard that I couldn't see very well and I was becoming miserable. By the time I had decided to give it up for the day I realized my boots were froze to the ground and it took some tugging to pull them free. I needed no more reasons and I headed down the hill while the snow storm pick up its force even more. By the time I reached the field that lays between the cemetery and the old clapboard sided house we use as camp, the weather could be described as a blizzard. I needed meat bad and we would probably start driving home as soon as the weather broke, but I didn't care I was looking for shelter. By the time I reached the porch of the old house I saw Bill sitting in a chair(I don't think he ever left the porch that morning) drinking Diet Dr. Pepper and occasionally stoking the warm morning stove. Before we had a chance to swap pleasantries Bill whispered "I think there is a deer behind you". I spun dropped to a knee and leveled my 30-06 and squeezed one off. The deer went down immediately, it had just entered the field about 80 yards from us. I apologized to Bill for walking up to his deer stand (the front porch) and shooting a deer. He is one of my fathers oldest friends and told me not to sweat it he would have gave the deer to me anyway since my family eats so much venison. I gutted the 1 and 1/2 year old doe where she laid. It was snowing so hard that when my father and Bob finally came down off the ridge they had no idea what had transpired since the blood was now covered by snow. Sometimes luck is better than skill when it comes to filling up the meat freezer.

Your pal The Envirocapitalist.

Raspberry pickin

2009-07-11T20:36:00.008-04:00

We had a great time picking berries in Cove Creek WMA. My Son (below), my father, and myself left out for a leisurely berry picking day and came back with chiggers and a few berries.

We had more success finding Raspberry bushes this year, which is odd since blackberries have been more prevalent in the past. I love raspberries, it was a shame that the ones we found were small and picked over. Which made filling our buckets harder work.

We were surrounded by ragweed and widow's lace at the edges of the overgrown fields where we found the berries. It turns out that while it was a pretty setting to spend the day in, it was also infested with chiggers..........................................................sorry I needed to scratch.

Even though we came back with less than a gallon of berries, the memories and time spent together was priceless. The photo below says it all. A very good little boy learning about the outdoors from his Big Papaw. Thanks Dad.

If you don't hunt, forage, fish or farm, it is probably hard to understand the way the world works and what a miracle God's creation is. Everything you need to survive is out there at the end of the concrete. Just waiting for someone to get of the couch and retrieve it. I love the outdoors.

Your pal The Envirocapitalist.

Expedition Melton Hill

2009-07-05T19:43:00.007-04:00

I get off work at 4:30pm. (I know your jealous, I understand.) So I have the ability to grab my intrepid son "The Fish Slayer" and head over to my Dad's whom my son calls"Big Papaw" to take short fishing trips to Melton Hill Lake. I like Melton Hill Lake because it has less residential property along its shoreline than most East Tennessee lakes due to its proximity to a nuclear plant (don't worry it is upstream of the plant). It has pretty good fishing to go with its beautiful scenery and a diversity of fish to catch, you never know what you will hook. Our latest endeavour found the three generations of outdoorsmen putting in at about 6:00pm which allowed us 3 hours of daylight fishing. It was crowded at the ramp for a weekday, but its been that way ever since Bob Hodge, a local outdoor writer, spilled the beans on how nice and uncrowded the lake was. It is still nothing compared to the skiing and boating nightmares of Norris and Loudon lakes which lay nearby and have more boat docks than most Island nations. We had more fun than success if you measure success by how much food was collected from the water. My 6 year old son, of course, pulled in the most fish from the green water (2 bluegill and 1 channel catfish) and most of them were from one cove we call Stumpy Hollow, my father nicknames most everything to the point I don't know the real names of some places I go. The Scenery itself is often worth the fuel spent getting there. My son yelling go faster to my 65 year old father as he drives a modified v-bottomed boat through choppy waters is probably my favorite part. Peaceful cove where Ryan caught the Fish (Stumpy Hollow).

First of two bluegills

Small channel cat which later got stocked in the pond next to Big Papaw's house.
It is like the Envirocapitalist always says "Take a kid fishing so your wife can't hassle you for going fishing to much". After all, it is for the children......right.

Fireworks and Tomatos

2009-07-04T23:00:00.004-04:00

Independence Day was great this year. My family and I went to Norris to watch a great fireworks show in a small town setting. Not to mention My Tomato plants seem to be doing great this year (amazing what a little rain will do). Here is the first tomato of the year ( think softball). I am almost as impressed by my green thumb as I am by the fireworks.

Happy Independence day.

Cades Cove

2009-07-01T21:42:00.009-04:00

Cades Cove is one of the most beautiful places in the eastern United States. I rarely go there for fear of a crowd. I am so glad my wife made me go this time. It is truly breath taking and I successfully ignored the people who know nothing about the outdoors or wildlife and tried to enjoy each moment for what it was. If you do not know what Cades Cove is, it is a huge valley in the middle of the Smokey Mountains. It has a diversity of flora and fauna and has fertile valley soils surrounded by the eroded rocky mountains. It is truly a wonder of the world, but it also has a nicely maintained road around it for people from all over to come and drive around stopping in the middle of said road for what seems like hours every time they see a deer. What scares me the most however is the proclivity of the city slickers to run up to a mother black bear and cub to get a picture putting themselves in mortal danger (thanks Disney). I digress, the outing was very enjoyable and the children got to see some wildlife (pictured below).

We also got to spend time exploring a cold mountain stream. I found a penny, the kids didn't. If you are wondering why my wife takes all the pictures, it is because she is deathly allergic to having her photo taken.

How can you not love the outdoors, it is truly a family playground. .... Your pal the Envirocapitalist

TROC discovers digital plagerizing

2009-06-26T23:00:00.001-04:00

By a show of hands......who steals content.....who is to lazy to write your own blog.....

Check out the story at The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles, Albert has discovered a couple of websites stealing content but I believe it is a common occurrence it may even be one of those get rich quick schemes sold on T.V. where you get 1000 websites and sell ads. I wished someone wanted to steal my content. If I was Albert (author of TROC) I would take it as a compliment, but I would still want blood.

Dekalb County was a drag

2009-06-14T22:38:00.006-04:00

The pressure in my head was unbearable. I took two Goodies powders in hope of taking the edge off although I knew from experience that sinus pressure would not go away completely no matter how many pain killers you take. After a drink of water I refocused on the task at hand reached down and grabbed the rope I had tied off to the doe's front legs and head and continued to drag the corpse up the ridge. I had shot the doe early in the morning and had tracked it all day off the property we had permission to be on, up and down ridges, across creeks within sight of houses and finally into a thicket. The poor creature died for lack of blood not from my accuracy with a bow. I was proud of my tracking prowess but embarrassed by my lack of summer practice with my compound bow. It was now afternoon and I strangely felt like a fugitive sneaking back across enemy lines. I don't think anyone would have said anything to me except for the sportsman's club who leased the neighboring property , which I had to cross to retrieve the deer. At this point I would have given any thing to have found someone earlier to ask for permission to cross the private land but I had always figured I would find the deer over the next rise and be gone in a flash. I picked up the pace pulling the deer which seemed to increase in size with every step. I had made it back to the sacred ground of the land I had permission to hunt covered in sweat and wanting to lay down. It was that moment when I heard my father's voice over the two-way radio saying. Hey Gabe, Bill and I have two deer down and need you to come drag them to the truck. I thought Dekalb County is a great place to hunt if you don't mind dragging deer.

Pony Party is worth the money.

2009-06-13T21:57:00.002-04:00

One of my daughter's friends recently had a Pony Party for her birthday. It was a huge success, my daughter has talked about it every day since going. I may have to drop the coin for her birthday next year. If you are in the Knoxville, Tennessee area you should check them out. They have a website check it out here.

Big Pappaws Pond

2009-06-10T22:27:00.002-04:00

My father relocated a few years ago to a new home. The best thing about his new place is a small pond next door. This pond is easy to walk around and full of stunted overpopulated bluegill. This is an ideal place for my 6 year old son to hone his casting skills before moving to more treacherous waters. Nothing fills my heart with more happiness than my son saying "Can we go to Big Papaw's and fish!" instead of wanting to play video games or watching mindless T.V. After watching my son catch a few small fish I realized it wasn't just fishing that made all of this seem so enjoyable. It was the fact we were outside in the real world doing real things that are cool to any 6 year old boy and even cooler to an outdoor loving daddy. My son and I didn't watch an adventure unfold on the T.V. screen, we went out and had one. I encourage all to do the same.

Your pal the Envirocapitalist....and Son.

I am back. With more energy.

2009-06-10T22:17:00.002-04:00

Interacting with youngsters who are interested (Scouts) in the outdoors made me want to share. So the Envircapitalist is back in business. Lets face it writing about myself and the outdoors makes me as happy as seeing rainbows. By the way the one pictured above followed Tornadoes that tore through my East Tennessee Homeland. No one was injured.

Going on hiatus

2009-05-20T20:21:00.002-04:00

I have decided to dedicate myself to my cub scout packs website and give the Envirocapitalist a break. I hope to find a balance one day so I can do the Envirocapitalist blog justice. vio con dios...

Hunting is for food. Not just meat.

2009-05-04T22:41:00.005-04:00

I have never understood trophy hunting personally. The only thing I have shot and not eaten was a Bobcat. I wanted to mount it, and it sits on my T.V. today. I like it but not $250 worth. So since then I have consumed everything I have hunted for and this feels fulfilling to me. I get a strange sense of accomplishment by being able to feed my family without any one's help. I even get a thrill when hunting Morel's and finding a patch. or spotting some blackberry briers while berry hunting. I find my thrill comes from extracting food from nature. Most people would starve to death with out a grocery store. I think all people should learn how to garden, slaughter, and forage. I think people would appreciate food much more if they were responsible for getting it just once. Don't get me wrong I love trophy hunters, they spend tons of money on outdoor products and licenses. I don't care why people value wildlife as long as they value it.

I am not going turkey hunting this weekend but I am going on what I call a pre-hike. Before I take my cub scout den to hike House Mountain I will hike it to mark any interesting flora or geology along the way so I can be prepared to share with the den. I will be just as excited to find a common morel as I would have to get a shot at a turkey.....yeah I am weird like that. Next time you see a cuddly animal think of me and remember cuddly = tasty.

I am a predator. What about you?

2009-04-28T16:03:00.005-04:00

I quote from Ecology Individuals, Populations and Communities By Begon, Harper, and Townsend the second edition. "Predation, put simply, is the consumption of one organism (the prey) by another organism (the predator), in which the prey is alive when the predator first attacks it." I think this is a fairly widely accepted definition and it puts me in the same category as the mountain lion, jaguar, and Bald Eagle. With that said, my favorite devastating carnivore is the.......... Box Turtle. Cute, unless you are a earthworm then he looks like the Grim Reaper. I think Disney has skewed the perception people have of nature. Eating other critters to survive does not make you mean like some cartoons insinuate. It just makes you part of the circle of life. I am no worse than a box turtle. My worms just say MOO.

A top ten list for my 50th post

2009-04-25T20:32:00.004-04:00

Top Ten Hiking destinations in Tennessee according to THE ENVIROCAPITALIST.

The Big South Fork NWR.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park *
The Cumberland Trail (smokey mountain segment)
Appalacian Trail (south east Tennessee)
Savage Gulf
Cumberland Trail (ozone falls area)
Fall Creek Falls State Park
Norris Dam State Park
Big Ridge State Park
Frozen Head State Park.
* I included the very crowded and commercial GSMNP even though I avoid it for the most part because of its legendary status.

Den Leader?

2009-04-23T20:44:00.004-04:00

on Tuesday the 22nd my life changed for good. We have joined the cub scouts. Tiger cubs to be exact and I have volunteered to be the den leader. This doesn't sound like much but I am already the Tee Ball coach so I will be busy. But I do believe in the scouts and I hope my son wants to stay a scout for longer than I did (made it to WEBELOS). I think the scouts are a great place for kids to become young men, learn morals, work ethic, and a code of conduct that will serve them the rest of their lives. I am honored to serve and excited to be apart the experience. Future blogs may include my new den and pack so stay posted while I go scouting!

My first Morel.

2009-04-18T18:17:00.004-04:00

My wife thinks I am crazy for picking a mushroom out of the ground and eating it based only on my own expertise. So I have been acting dizzy and saying things like " I feel funny" ever since dinner just to mess with her. I think the humor is lost on her. It was a great day. No T-Ball practice so me and the boy took a walk in the woods. After several conversations about yellow jackets and poison Ivy we stumbled upon two glorious common morel mushrooms. Not only one of the tastiest mushrooms in the eastern United States but also one of the top four in ease of identification. I never look for them so I have never picked any and brought them home before. But being with my young son in the woods causes me to be much more aware, not only of danger but also of anything I feel would interest him. My fatherly focus had yielded a treat on this day. We drove home and I immediately washed and quartered my bounty and set it to sauteing in butter. Meanwhile my wife had been cooking green beans and potatoes for dinner so I began to grill the deer burgers at her behest. I know what you are thinking "deer burgers! potatoes! and green beans!!" this man lives like a king. Yes I know, but I had only thought I had tasted a great deer burger before now. The addition of the softened morels to my burger was incredible. The morels rich nutty flavor was the perfect compliment to my burger. I have now become a mushroom hunter, they should all shudder under their caps.

Hunter's Code?

2009-04-16T21:17:00.005-04:00

(1.) Obey the game laws. (2.) Be adequately armed for the game you are hunting. (3.) Respect the rights of the property owner. (4.) Extend courtesy to your fellow hunter. (5.) Aim only for a clean kill.(6.) Pass on these ethics to younger hunters. Here is the hunter's code I display at the bottom of my blog, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on it. Am I missing anything, is this sufficient, do you have your own code for whatever outdoor activity you participate in. I wait Breathless........

What I did instead of Turkey hunting

2009-04-16T21:08:00.003-04:00

Nice Shot! He is a chip of the old block. Instead of filling my freezer with Turkey and Crappie, I have been playing with my son. I got him a basketball goal for his Birthday and we have not stopped playing. I will kick myself in August when the freezer is empty, but for now I am having the time of my life with my little buddy.

Son's Birthday...Goood Times

2009-04-13T20:22:00.003-04:00

Teaching my son how to properly pose for a picture after discovering new lands. I like to call it the explorer pose or the conqueror pose. The party was held at the East Tennessee Discovery Center and most of his kindergarten class showed up. It was a great success.

This is the cake my incredible wife made to spoil my son who loves space. Kinda fitting, I always loved the wilderness frontier. My son Loves the last frontier of space. I hope everyone had a good Easter and God bless.

East Tennessee Bush

2009-03-31T19:20:00.005-04:00

Sweat was dripping down and burning my eyes and mosquitoes tortured me with their constant attempts to land in my ears. I remembered all the other times I had climbed the Brier covered bank up off the road then fought through the tangles of vines left in the area cleared at the end of every summer. This pilgrimage led to the only public land that I know of where I can shoot a ground hog then skip on down to the edge of the lake and catch some bluegill without running into another human. The hike itself is not long but I have to carry my Marlin 22 mag, a telescoping fishing rod, a trash bag, and a cooler making the task much more difficult in the humid south. On this day I was alone and still in a state of panic over a 3 month old baby I had left at home. The smell of honeysuckle was thick in the air and the poison Ivy which climbed every third tree and covered much of the ground was a rich and dark shade of green. I entered the Field opposite the lake and was relieved to see that TWRA had mowed recently. I laid down under a popular tree shading me from the noon day sun and proceeded to glass the field with my Simmons binoculars. The little brown spot I had seen before now stood up and looked my direction. He was more than 200 yds away which is out of my 22 Cal. comfort zone so I left my supplies and crawled back into the woods. I slipped back out to the edge of the field but the whistle pig had moved during my short hike in the woods (closer to his hole as I later found out) so the shot would still be a little longer than I might of liked at 140 yds but manageable. I pushed my fanny pack out in front of me as I laid prone and let the barrel of my rifle lay on it. After placing my cross hairs at the top of the hog's head I slowly pulled the trigger and the mini bear disappeared. I waited a few minutes then walked to where I thought the G-hog had been standing. I was surprised to find his hole, and after closer inspection with a flash light I saw his back legs in the hole. Now, I knew he was dead but if you know how vicious a ground hog can be you understand my hesitance in reaching into his hole to retrieve my prize. I spent considerable time thinking about shooting him again....but that would ruin some meat. So I finally settled on poking him with a stick a few times then jerking him out quickly as though he would revive like a zombie . Freeze G-hog I said to my self and after laughing at myself and putting Mr. hog in the bag and jamming him into the cooler I sat down on the cooler at the waters edge and tried to finish my freezer filling day by fishing. Although I kept a watchful eye on the field in case he had company in that hole. That night as I sat cleaning the fish and ground hog, I couldn't help but feel connected to the world. I had retrieved my own food from the world. After packaging with a foodsaver and tossing them into my lay down freezer I said to myself "who needs McDonald's when you have McNature".

movie Reviews "Alone in the wilderness"

2009-03-26T21:36:00.005-04:00

I recently watched a video titled "Alone in the wilderness" . It chronicled the first year a man named Richard (Dick) Proenneke spent alone at Twin Lakes Alaska. I was surprised how entertaining I found this video since it was more of a video diary than a film and was shot on an 8mm back in 1968. It is the ultimate tale of self reliance, he not only builds his own cabin but he does it with tools he fashioned himself. The film intrigued me so that I have checked the book based on Mr. Proenneke's journals out of my local library. I highly recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by true wilderness and how a man can live in it on his own terms. Learn more about the man at http://www.aloneinthewilderness.com/index.html

Don't know what to read? I have the answer!

2009-03-20T21:45:00.010-04:00

Where I live the only blogs I could find to read were about politics, the BIG ORANGE, or just what somebody is thinking about current affairs. So I searched and searched for blogs about the outdoors ( because that's what I like). I finally found one by a guy across the pond. (Suburban Bushwacker) It was fun to read but it also led me to the Outdoor Bloggers Summit, a clearing house of every type of person conducting many different types of outdoor activities. I had hit a gold mine. I still have not read all the blogs on the OBS blog roll. I do like the extra traffic it has brought to my site getting feed back is great and I love hearing what people think about my writing, even though I have a long way to go. I originally started blogging as an exercise to improve my ability to communicate via the written word, something I think we lack today and probably will never return to the eloquence of our founding fathers. with that said, the greatest gift I have received by being part of the Outdoor Bloggers Summit is having a never ending reading list. My family and I are in and out of the library daily dropping off and picking up but the blog roll at the OBS has become my supplement to the library connecting me to experts and beginners in various outdoor endeavours giving me an insight I never had before. I am sure the OBS is destined for great things, but as long as it keeps giving me an ever expanding resource to the outdoors I will be happy. I Think of it as a campfire in my computer that I can come sit at any time and listen to a tale or spin one myself. If you have not visited the OBS yet.......what's your excuse, I only linked to it six times in this post.

Sincerely The Envirocapitalist

Surprise guest

2009-03-18T21:37:00.004-04:00

The sun hung low and orange in the sky. I figured only an hour to set the two man tent up and get a fire started before dark. I had camped out alone many times but the feeling of impending doom that over comes me if I do not have a fire by dark always tickles me. After the sun had fallen I was able to get a small fire going and leaned back against a log I had drug down for the fire. I hadn't set there long jotting down notes in my field book when I first thought I heard the sound. ch.....ch....ch. It sounded like turkeys walking or humans! I don't scare easy and I am always heavily armed even when I am just hiking, but the sound of something staggering around in circles in the middle of the woods an hour after dark is unnerving. I finally couldn't take it anymore, and decided to investigate. At the time I was only 27 year old, extremely fit and a little cocky. I was probably just about a 2 hour brisk walk from the pavement and where my truck was stashed in what would today be the North Cumberland (or Sundquist) WMA. I had decided to scout this area for the impending deer season and was sorely disappointed in my findings today and had planned to push farther west in the morning. It was the lack of deer sign and indecisiveness that had led to me setting up camp late. I started out easing toward the walking sound then I thought "sneaking up on someone in the dark is a good way to get shot" so I turned on my flashlight and said in as manly a voice I could manage (I am only 5'7") CAN YOU HEAR ME? ...........yeah.........was the weak reply. I said OVER HEAR......he said OK. A minute later an older gentleman had walked into my light. He seemed a little disoriented but other than that fine. I said "what are you doing out here walking around at night. he said he had just misjudged how long his walk would take and and after it got dark it was hard to follow the trail and was taking him even longer. I told him he was still 2 hours from the road and he could use my cell phone to call who ever he needed to and sleep in my camp (fulfilling the good turn requirements I had learned as a scout in Elementary school.) The next morning I was more interested in getting my new buddy back to his car than running around steep ridges that held more geriatric hikers than deer. We made the walk to my truck in about 3 hours my comrade was not very chatty and seemed tired. after loading my truck up we drove north up the highway for at least a mile before coming to his car, this is when I first realized how lost this guy was. After dropping him off I thought how lucky he was to come across me that night and how getting lost can happen to anyone even a guy who had been hiking in that area for 20 years hunting ginseng and grouse. I re-learned a lesson from my scouting days at Copper Ridge Elementary that day.......Always be prepared, so lost can become found.

Geat Hikes series #1 ( The Twin Arches Loop)

2009-03-11T19:09:00.004-04:00

Great trail for the whole family with a few steep staircases to climb to start the trail. The Twin Arches trail is well maintained and marked with red leaf blazes. Take your time and view the huge rock formations along the way some are very interesting. Once at the Twin Arches there are more sturdy staircases that will lead to a trail on top of the Arches with views that can be safely enjoyed at an elevation of 1730'. The South Arch has a clearance of 103' and a span of 135' and the North is slightly smaller at 62' clearance and a span of 93'. Although horses and bikers are not allowed on this trail they are permitted on various trails throughout the Big South Fork. Here is a topo of the loop. About six miles if you do the whole loop, less if you take the short trail to the arches and retrace your steps. Plan to spend all day the views are worth it.

Trailhead: From Oneida TN. Take 297 West turn left on Leatherwood Ford Rd. Travel 19 miles to 154 North turn right. Travel 1.9 miles turn right on gravel road Divide Road. Travel 3.9 miles turn right on Twin Arches Road. Parking area 2 miles ahead. Please view bulletin board for information of area. (Lat:36.54074 Lon:-84.73614)

For your prospective the sign at the bottom of the photo is as tall as a man. It is a breath taking sight. the largest natural arches I've ever seen.

Should of sat still

2009-03-07T20:26:00.008-05:00

Muzzleloader season in Tennessee is the first time you get a crack at bucks and does with a gun. I had made the pilgrimage to Jackson Co. In hopes to score on opening day. All I had with me was my pack a Knight wolverine muzzleloader and a warm jacket. I had started up the western ridge at daylight climbing a couple of hundred feet in elevation before finding a bench field and a dry pond. That is where I began still hunting around the inside of the ridge line. Three steps stop, look, listen, and wait. I did this all day jumping two does and enjoying the early fall weather. I eventually came full circle back to the bench Field below the dry pond where I found this fresh rub.

Should of sat still at the dry pond..........

Big South Fork 09'

2009-03-02T20:04:00.002-05:00

This year was truly a camping trip with the boys, we didn't do any hunting but it was still interesting. The cast this year included some original Heiskell Boys: Big Ron, Wild Bill, and Crazy Stacy. plus the builder of the above pictured home away from home Chris, James, and Josh the Eagle Scout. On Friday the boys had to clear fallen pines from the trail to the campsite , a regular event in East Tennessee in recent years since the beetles struck. Later at the Ranger Station near Bandy Creek a wild eyed employee of the national recreation area asked us how we got to the campsite since the trail was blocked. Why with a chainsaw of course.....WHAAAT a chainsaw....You can't have a chainsaw in the area. The boys were bewildered at this news, we have been camping here for a decade or better and had chainsaws every time. After taking a severe tongue lashing from the lady who sold us our camping permit, and calming Chris down since he was terribly upset by the women's bulging and twitchy left eye, we retired to our campsite.

We stayed up late that night re-living greatness of the past, cooking large hunks of meat over the fire, Shooting our handguns, and basically being boys. Billy had brought pistols in most every caliber, Chris , and Stacy had sidearms as well and I brought my 380 acp. We attempted to out do each other in marksmanship way past dark and fell asleep without a care in the world (well except it only being 20 degrees F.)

We always bring deer meat to eat and make cooking utensils from the forest around us. This camp out had, by the next morning turned into a eating trip more than a hunting trip. I have not eaten that much meat and practically nothing else in my whole life, but it was so good.

All the campers had not even awoken on day two when a Federal officer walked into camp. It was apparent from the opening that the wild eyed woman had told on us for the chainsaws. What happened next was a little embarrassing since two of my fellow brothers tried to hide the bright orange chainsaw underneath the truck then we all acted natural. After a dressing down and orders to never bring chainsaws to Big South Fork again the officer made us show him our camping permit and carry permits for the pistols we had been shooting. Luckily the officer didn't push the chainsaw issue any further and we were not in violation of any other laws that I know of.

Undeterred by the authorities we still made a walk about into the wilderness were Billy with some eagle eyes spotted a nice shed (6 points on one side) and scouted out a pretty nice place to hunt next fall. A bottle neck occurs between a bluff and a thicket created by a abandoned field. I hope to be there next fall.

That night we passed the antler around the campfire and told tales of the animals we had killed or almost killed and consumed more fire cooked meat. This typified the activities at Big South Fork 09'

With a thin blanket of snow covering the camp we packed up and left our old faithful campsite for maybe the last time. While we do go to the Big South Fork to hunt wild hogs occasionally we really don't want to be harassed by a pig in camp. Now that the authorities have found our refuge we will probably find elsewhere to camp. While we didn't hunt, hike much, or almost kill ourselves this year I did have a good time with my pals and spending 72 hours outside gives you a appreciation for how far from nature we are in our daily lives and how much I yearn to live closer to it.

Back to the South Fork (a preview)

2009-02-18T17:50:00.007-05:00

I am about to make this tent my home again for a few days this weekend as I have in years past. The yearly Heiskell boy camp out in the wilds of Big South Fork has arrived and appears to have the potential to be more dangerous than even previous trips I have blogged about here.

This year, an old friend and honorary Hieskell boy from the past Mike Fadnek will be joining us, and unless he joined a monastery since I last ran with him, this year could be very interesting. Plus the usual riff raff should be in attendance and ready to make memories (The group of sophisticates I usually share the woods with are pictured below)

I will report back promptly next week after the excursion, with a death count (animals of course) any amusing stories of grown men doing things they know better than (including myself), and a general entertaining discussion of the events which occur when this diverse group of outdoorsmen go back to nature for a weekend.

spring squirrel and a G-Hog

2009-02-10T20:18:00.003-05:00

My belly was soaking wet from the dew which clung to the grass even though the sun hung high in the sky. I lay flat sweating like a man with a secret barely breathing and hoping my earlier carelessness didn't cause me to miss my opportunity.

The morning had started out well, I made it to Cove Creek Wildlife Management Area right at daylight. The squirrels were moving on this opening day of the 2002 spring squirrel season and despite It being kind of muggy and foggy I only walked 100 yards when the first boomer found itself in the cross hairs of my Marlin 22 Magnum. I probably initiated 7 stalks that morning and brought down 5 Squirrels (all gray). I had slid them into the back pouch of the dove vest I was wearing over a camo T-shirt when I noticed the squirrels were now silent. This didn't suprise me because it was 10 am, typically nap time for squirrels in my area. I knew I wouldn't see any more squirrels until an hour or so before dark, but I still wanted to hunt.

I thought maybe a ground hog or two might be in one of the fields TWRA maintains on this managed area. So I hit a nearby logging road and headed up toward the closest of the fields. I walked right up on the field like an idiot. half not expecting to see a whistle pig at the first field I walked up to I wasn't exactly sneaking. Of course there was one standing on it's hind legs and appeared to look at me as I cleared the wood line. I quickly fell to my stomach, red faced at breaking a rule my father had always drilled into my head. He always said " your always hunting even if you are walking back to the truck, you are always hunting" I decided not to wait to long, I don't know if it was to not give the ground hog enough time to run to his hole or my anxiousness to see if I had screwed up. I raised up to one knee, my Marlin in front of me. I was relieved to see the hog still standing looking in my direction. I aimed at the top of his head (since I new my rifle would drop some at 150 yards) and pulled the trigger. I don't think he even heard the shot, since the bullet blew his brains out the back of his head leaving all of his meat undamaged. I made it back to the truck by 11:30 am but felt pretty good since my dove vest was so heavy that I think I pulled a muscle taking it off.

Women should hunt, just not my wife

2009-02-08T20:33:00.003-05:00

I believe love of the outdoors has nothing to do with your chromosomes because I have known many whiny men who can't stand to be in the woods for more than a few minutes.
It was 24 degrees and had just gotten dark. I could see my breath and frequent trips to the fire to re-warm the hands were necessary while we sat up camp on a poplar/hickory ridge near the big south fork river. The group of campers were diverse but experienced with the exception of one couple, Dave and Mary (I have changed their names to protect the innocent). The entire time we all worked in sub-freezing temperatures to make the camp comfortable Dave stayed by the fire whining and complaining about how awful this was and he was miserable and how is he supposed to sleep when he is this cold and on and on. I had bitten my tongue since I did not know Dave well but his girlfriend Mary had finally had enough and basically told him to man up or go home. She was tough and loved the adventure of being out of doors. I would share a duck blind with her any day if my wife didn't mind. I don't think Dave lasted very long, the last time I saw her, the wife and I had ran into her with a different guy at the Outback steakhouse where she immediately showed me pictures of the first buck she had killed on her cell phone. I think she found a guy she could leave at home while she brings home the back straps.
I recently read an article on the American spectator site about hunting. The author dogged women and basically said they should leave hunting to men for several ridiculous reasons. I say women should hunt if the want to and I would be glad to go hunting with a female, my daughter for instance. I think retrieving your protein from the wilds and cutting it up is a valuable lessen for any body, male or female. However I am glad that my wife has no desire to go hunting because we spend every waking moment working in concert to keep the train on the tracks any given day. It is not that she would be a bad hunting partner, its just she is already my partner in everything else. I think it is healthy for us to have some separate hobbies and interests which we do without one another.
I will give you an example. When I leave for a day of hunting we are excited, but we are also glad to see each other when I get home. She likes to go to fancy restaurants with her friends drink over priced fruity martini's and watch movies that end with a loved one dying, I don't go, that would ruin it for her, not because I don't know how to properly drink a martini, but she needs a break from me sometimes. I know it is hard to believe.

Always Hunting

2009-02-03T21:33:00.003-05:00

While little RGD mugs for the camera (which he is famous for) Big RGD scans the hillside for the grey squirrel rustling leaves.

It tickles me when a photo tells the truth. My wife snapped this photo while her and my daughter awaited us on a trail during a recent family hike at Big Ridge State Park. I think it is telling, even when the law forbids the taking of animals to eat I can't stop my instinct to constantly scan my surroundings for that tale tale flash of a tail or glint of an eye. I think sometimes i like being outdoors because its my natural habitat, just like west town mall is Mrs. RGD's natural habitat.
Remember the old tag line "take a kid fishing", I would like to change it to "take a kid outside". Maybe I am lowering expectations but I believe kids will love the outdoors if given a chance. I think outdoors beats video games every time you try it.

A Nuge influence

2009-01-30T21:08:00.005-05:00

Ted Nugent has not been a political or musical role model to me, however his passion and love for independence and an outdoor way of life sends chills down my spine. Hearing him belt out "back strap fever" from a tree stand on the outdoor channel made me believe he wasn't just another trophy hunting T.V. host but a true outdoorsman who understands conservation ( taking does out of a population is necessary). And that he understands that taking an animal's life is not just sport but necessary if one intends to eat it. I despise people who call themselves sportsman but don't eat deer (or what ever they choose to hunt). That catch fish only to release them. I call catch and release torture. I call keeping the fish to feed my family fishing. Ted gets excited about the culinary aspect of being self-sufficient enough to retrieve his own dinner from the wilds and cook it up. It is a good feeling to rely on no one but yourself for food. For those out there that only know the Motor City Madman from his Rock and Roll or his many appearances on T.V. defending the NRA, you must watch his show "The spirit of the Wild", listen to his song about Fred Bear, or simply read his books ; Kill it and Grill it, or Blood Trails I and II and you will become a fan of the Nuge. I wish I could derail this Anti-hunting friendly sportsman movement that apologizes for killing animals. They use words like harvest instead of kill. I don't know about you guys, but I have never harvested squirrels but I sure have killed and skinned a lot of them. In one of the most ridiculous moments on T.V. I have ever seen, Jimmy Houston a famous fisherman and T.V personality tried to sell the Idea of hunt and release. He scouted , Climbed a tree stand, and when the deer walked by he said Bam got him, but did not shoot. I hate to tell Jimmy but he didn't get anything. He should really take up hiking and photography if that is what he wants to do. For myself I would pay money to see Ted Nugent kick Jimmy Houston's a** on pay per view. Got to go, my wife just finished putting the final touches on some deer tenderloin and if I don't get to the table the kids will eat it all. Just remember we are still part of the circle of life, I eat deer and earthworms will one day eat me.

That Deer was Forked

2009-01-21T18:54:00.004-05:00

It Was a pristine fall day in 1999 and I was slipping out a ridge line on the Tennessee side of Land Between the Lakes. The moon was not full but so bright that my mini mag light was more for warning other hunters of my approach than for finding my way. I was on a meat mission, Doe tags in hand I climbed the tree stand I had hung the previous day. It overlooked a trail heading from some dense bedding to a stand a white oaks, Looked like a cattle trail. I didn't have to sit long before I saw the long head of an old doe poking out of the thick brush. I looked through the Simmons tip-over scope on my Remington 30-06. only the doe and me existed in the world for the moment leading to the trigger pull. "BOOM" I let lead fly and the woods exploded with deer jumping, bounding, and running in seemingly all directions. I had not seen any of the other deer prior to shooting the doe. They could have been bucks, fawns, or more does I should have been more aware of my surroundings. I had no Idea where my dear ran in all the confusion so I slid down the tree almost in a panic hoping to find blood (you should always wait at least 30 minutes kids). Instead of blood I found an astonishing sight, My doe was stuck in the fork of a small maple tree. I hate that I had forgot my camera but was glad I remember my hand saw. That deer was not mortally wounded and would have gotten away but she got forked.

To my Health

2009-01-20T19:06:00.005-05:00

I am a young man of 34 years and I am active but a year ago I decided to quit using smokeless tobacco ( we call it dip in E. Tennessee). I loved dip for its calming effect but hated it for the control it had over me. I had to quit, my son was getting old enough to ask "whats in you mouth daddy" . Granted I gained some weight (close to 40 lbs) over this time which is expected. I was not at the least worried I still was real active and did not feel that bad, but I decided to go to a new doctor and get a complete physical prior to changing my calorie intake seriously and losing weight. It turns out that I'm not the only one to get fat, my liver is fatty as well, and my cholesterol is up and my try-glycerides are high what ever they are. So this year not only do I propose to explore the outdoors more and protect the groundwater of Tennessee but I must get healthy. Right now I weigh about 235lbs and my cholesterol is at 269. I will keep you updated on my health and where those numbers go in the future. I see this as an excuse to go fishing more. Fish are good for lowering cholesterol. My Goals are cholesterol under 200 and weight under 170. wish me luck.