Palmetto pescadores

Mostly a travel day across SC to get to hunting areas , but took the opportunity to pursue more trout in the northern mountain streams.

Estatoe Creek behind the Baptist church. 

Just...a...little. ..bit...further. Plus stealth mode. Whatever it takes 

Follow me and I will make you fishers of trout 

Peach Orchard Creek 

Ain't no fish here 

Obviously we were using the wrong bait. 

Actually, a game warden told us there aren't that many wild fish around and when DNR does a release they have a problem with some folks hitting the streams with seines immediately.
Oh well.  It was beautiful and fun.

Granny's Kuntry Kitchen

It's not very often a café gets a repeat visit on our road trips, not because of poor food or service as much as desire to try new places or simply moving on. But Granny's was so good for dinner last night and we enjoyed visiting with the folks so much we made it a point to return for breakfast!

Another great appetizer, buttermilk pie that earns 4.75 stars!

Bockwurst breakfast.  Papa is German and has been cooking 42 years.  Wurst was best and potatoes outstanding.  Buttermilk pie for dessert this time. 

If you find yourself in Clayton, GA check them out.

Wade fishing

Since we didn't find any birds we decided to pursue trout.

First work with fly gear 

Going out on a limb 

Trout like edges too but we didn't have any luck finding the right ones.  Didn't even see a fish which is surprising in the clear mountain streams.  Proximity to population centers may have taken a toll or maybe they've moved to the bigger deeper rivers.
Or maybe we just look good and don't know what the heck we're doing.

No edge

It's not out of the realm of possibility that we found the last best place for ruffed grouse in Georgia.  Only problem is that it's pretty small and also isolated.

Beaver dammed creek.

It boils down to edges and unfortunately Georgia is losing them.  According to the forest ranger we visited they can't do burning or most other beneficial forestry options because folks come up from Atlanta and freak out.  But the woods and critters really need such chaos to provide habitat.
If not you get mature forests which are great for looking at trees but create a desert for the wildlife.  Granted, we didn't drive every road and search every valley in northern Georgia but we covered a bunch and I know a little about wildlife habitat.  A nice spot every 10 miles just isn't enough.  Too bad.
Obviously we didn't move any of the poor native birds that are supposed to be here and have for millenia.

Plenty of food options. 

We did find this on an isolated knob.

Died in WWI, and the eerie thing is I happened to notice I took the picture at 11:11 a.m, which you history buffs will note is the same date as the war ended and commemorated by Veterans Day.

Which appetizer would you choose?

Dillard is a small town on the GA/NC border but the food options are mighty tasty. For instance there was no dilemma for me on which appetizer to choose before dinner at the Cupboard Cafe Monday.

Been a long time since I had a 4.5 slice of apple pie but the cinnamon and crust get this one there. 

Amen

Blue Ridge chicken smothered in bacon, mushrooms, cheese and honey mustard and a tasty country fried steak. 

Georgia on our minds

These trips don't involve plans per se, just general inclinations and directions.  We were hoping to hike along some Georgia mountains and streams in pursuit of grouse and trout except Wade didn't have fly tackle.
So we did a little research and stumbled upon Cohutta Fishing Co in Cartersville north of Atlanta.  Walk into the beautiful little store on the square and didn't leave for 2 hours.

Andy, Connor, and Garner were all avid fly fishermen and hunters so as soon as they got over the fact we'd wandered in from the center of the universe, they got Wade set up with a travel rig and me with a highlighted map.
The thing about mountain trout is they swim where ruffed grouse drink so we just happened to stumble upon the info mart. They got out a high-resolution map, marked everywhere they'd ever seen a bird  (in their relatively short lives) ,  shared coffee and stories and even let us borrow their laptop to buy our licenses.
Armed with intel and gear, plus some new friends, we headed for the mountains.  Stopped at the Chattahoochee NF office for a visit with a ranger who runs beagles for rabbits, but hadn't seen a grouse in he couldn't remember when.  "Few and far between " was his comment.
Undaunted we headed up into the target zone in late afternoon.  Found food, water and cover but not the usual indicator - poop. Hmmm.
Continued scouting and exploring rivers before dark  for the next days adventure.

Kali rests on the west fork of Walnut Creek in Warwoman WMA.

Currently snow flurries in Dillard, GA  as we roll out. 

Really sorry about not including upland poop pictures but we think we have a promising area to run today. 

Scooba Do!

Did a really good job avoiding interstate highways as we angled across Mississippi and Alabama for the northwest corner of Georgia.  As usual, that provided nice scenery and insights into local lifestyle as well as a fortuitous meeting with J.K. Briggs in Scooba, MS.
Mr. Briggs' family has run a service station, C-store, and BBQ joint at 5 Corners since 1942. We visited about deer hunting, where all the quail have gone and cooking.  He insisted we take a jar of his "dressing or sauce...or something " saying it goes on anything and he ships to folks all over the country.

He also expressed his concerns about the black bears that are moving into the area.  Said at his age the bear better show his backside or he'd shoot it no matter what the laws say.
Can't find much of that on the interstates.

Some of the good stuff

Just a few photos of the after hunt visiting and camaraderie.

Lots of points and retrieves, but even that much fun is tiring. 

40th state, 46th flag

Fresh fried quail, giblet gravy with rice, baby limas and rolls. Awesome. 

Through the brambles and the briars

Mississippi's wild quail population has diminished with the loss of habitat over the decades so Kali's efforts here may have been purely symbolic if not for the generosity of CJ. We sprinkled five dozen flight trained bobwhites around his deer-managed property along the edges of food plots, in blackberry tangles and in the piney woods in a best attempt to emulate a southern quail hunt from the early 20th century. 

When planting birds you can either setup a shoot or a hunt and ours was definitely a hunt. Kali's done this stuff at various times in her career and if the birds don't act wild she will actually get bored and quit hunting.  She wasn't bored at all Saturday! 

The birds were strong fliers and moved around the  cover a lot so she was a happy old dog for several hours. 

Joseph moves in on a rock-solid point in one of the food plots. 

Most of the time Kali was too concealed in the cover for photos but this bird got away and hunkered down by the pond. 

Love those water retrieves. 

Sure glad we didn't have to walk all the way back after nearly three hours of constant action. 

My old dog had a great day, not just because she nailed so many solid points and found downed birds we didn't even know we'd hit. Also because there's been too many days where we hunted miles without a whiff of birds.  She got a well-deserved day of numerous birds and retrieves and ran longer than she has in several years, forgetting about her bum leg and old age as her nose did it's thing.

And it was pretty fair chase since 25 of 60 birds made it through the brambles and briars and got away. 

First attempt at video on the blog.

Rolling J Ranch

Have been enjoying the awesome Southern hospitality of Charlie Johnson and Joseph at the ranch south of Jackson. Ranch house was built in 1915 and has all the southern charm and homeiness two uplanders and a little dog could want.
Fireplace and gourmet ribeyes plus single malts and Lonesome Dove for afterwards.
Doesn't suck.

The spread

National Pie Day

Celebrated with lemon icebox and meringue pies at Mammy's Cupboard in Natchez, MS! Hope everyone had a sweet day.

One of those iconic American places. 

Timber Doodling

Morning was gray and wet, but that's perfect for hunting woodcock. No trucks parked in our chosen spot so we had the area to ourselves.  Splashed our way off the road into the perfect habitat - 2"-4" saplings, blackberry tangles, grass and reeds, and most importantly, boggy sloppy ground.

We knew we were in to birds because of all of the sign -noodling marks in the mud and "splash" but decided not to include a photo of upland poop for once. 

Couple of old adages about hunting woodcock. .. if you're not moving trees and brush out of the way with your arms, wracking your gun barrel against a tree as you swing, or struggling to walk due to the mud, vines, and tangles, you're probably not hunting in the right spot.

Always hoping for the "magic bb" to actually reach the birds in thick stuff like this. 

 But the mojo was working and the birds were there.  Final tally was we moved 15, shot at 11, and bagged 3, a stellar day in any timberdoodler's career, much less on his first hunt ever. Guess Wade just picked the right wing man.

Please,  no photos. 

Atchafalaya

Our trip into Louisiana was like surfing,  sometimes riding just ahead of the rain and sometimes engulfed by it. Nice weather for a duck.  And hopefully great weather for a timber doodle hunter.  Our logic being the little doodlers had to hunker down all day Thursday and will be out and about this morning.
We stopped for licenses and intel at the LDFW office in Opelousas where we met Jason, an avid woodcock hunter. Birds have been plentiful but cyclical this season. Out came the maps with very specific highlighted areas plus obligatory dog and hunting stories.
Steady rain restricted anything but scouting, but we were able to eliminate tens of thousands of acres of swamp and find exactly where we want to start.

Information kiosks also provide shelter from steady rain.

Found a comfy motel by a diner in Livonia and shut down for the evening. 511 miles certainly isn't the longest first day of a hunting trip but rain plus Houston made it enough.

When I can look out the room door and see my wingman, the rig, and Penny's Diner for supper and breakfast, the mojo is working. 

First time enthusiasm for a morning hunt is tempered a bit with trepidation.  A little scared to find out how much agility Kali may have lost. Not concerned about her ability or drive, just with how much her little aging body can keep up.  Suspect I'll be lifting her in and out of the truck the rest of the trip as well as onto the motel beds, but I guess she's earned that after all the miles and adventure.

Call Me the Breeze, I keep rolling down the road...