Phil DiFatta

Snakes alive

2009-07-13T06:19:00.001-05:00

Tim Dunaway of Purvis was toolin’ down the highway headed home from work, cruise set at 75 in a 65 zone – no worry in the world, except that some Mississippi State Highway Patrol trooper might be having a bad day.

Then the tail of what looked like a 4-foot cottonmouth water moccasin slipped from under the dash and dangled down between his legs. Suddenly, the presence of a state trooper didn't seem such a bad thing.

But before Tim could say “scat,” he realized he should have been wearing Depends Undergarments.

“I screamed like a little girl,” Tim admitted, “and got both feet on the seat as fast as I could. That’s one time it helped to have little short legs. Still, I kept screaming like a girl and cussin’ that snake the whole time.”

“Tiny Tim” did keep some of his wits, however, so he knew he’d risk getting “fanged” if he dared brake his truck to a stop. He simply reached up and cut off the cruise control, then waited for the truck to come to rest.

He waited, and he waited. And he waited some more, all while the snake kept a visual on its next possible victim. Just for the heck of it, reckon what Tim would have done if a car had pulled out in front of him? Would he have risked getting struck by the snake to hit his brake?

“Not a snowball’s chance!“ he declared. “Heck no. If somebody had pulled out in front of me … they’d have just been hit. Lucky for them, nobody did, but it seemed like two hours before my truck ever came to a stop.”

When it did, Tim bailed out. And with both doors open, he tried to coax the viper out.

Nothin’ doin’. No deal. Hard-headed snake. It appeared to have made Tim’s truck its home; won fair and square.

“I was still cussin’ that snake and screaming like a girl,” said Tim, who is an athletic sort of guy, or was, “but it ignored me.”

After about 15 minutes, though, the snake finally grew weary of all the high-pitched, girlie shrills from Timid Timmy, so it slithered out the open door on its own accord. Then, and only then, did “Mr. Football,” “Mr. Baseball,” “Mr. Macho” Tim Dunaway realize he’d been scared almost to death by, and screaming like a cheerleader at, a harmless chicken snake.

Kinda lends a whole new meaning to the term “chicken” snake, don’t it?

Actually, it took a lot of nerve to tell me this story. So Tim’s not such a big chicken after all. But the story probably would never have surfaced had it not been for Tim’s barber, Randy Anderson, and his associate, “Nat the Rat,” who both told this tale to me.

“I used to have three people in life I thought I could trust,” Dunaway whimpered. “That included my wife, my preacher and my barber. Now there are only two. I still trust the wife, and I’m glad my preacher’s one I can trust, too, because I gotta’ go see him and ask him to pray for me because of all the cussin’ I did at that #&%# snake!”

On a serious note, I understand at least one little girl (not Tim) actually did get struck by a moccasin in South Mississippi recently. The critters are definitely on the move, for whatever reason. So be safe during your outdoor ventures, and keep an eye on the ground.

Oh, and don’t do like Tim and leave your vehicle door open as an invitation. Your intruder might not be a harmless chicken snake.

Snakes out and about in heat of summer

2009-07-11T06:28:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Tim Dunaway, I have been exonerated – totally.

Last year, about this time, I wrote a rebuttal to a letter-to-the-editor from a “fan” in Burbank, Calif., in regard to my killing of a perfectly poisonous water moccasin that had parked itself underneath the open driver-side door of my pickup.

Well, it seems that Tim recently found himself in a similar situation with a venomous snake. Only his predicament was far worse than mine. But, what happened to Tim was the exact scenario I used in defense of having to eradicate the aforementioned snake under my truck.

Now, right off the bat, allow me to say that I do not condone the indiscriminate killing of just any ol’ snake, and that will be evidenced later in this column. But there is a thing called self-preservation, and when it comes down to whether I’m going to die or the snake is going to die … well, don’t bet on the snake.

Nonetheless, Dunaway’s snake encounter is just hearsay as of this writing. The news came from Randy and “Nat the Rat” at Randy’s Barber Shop in Purvis, so we must consider the source. Barbers, you see, have been known to lie, or at least bend the truth.

So I’ll just have to wait ‘til I can catch up with Tim to verify the story. From what I hear, it is both hilarious and terrifying, and I can only pray that my critic in California still reads my column. That would bring my readership up to five!

Stay tuned for Tim’s adventure next week, but I have to tell you mine now.

I had parked my pickup in exactly the same place as with the run-in with the moccasin last summer. This time, when I walked out of the hunting cabin in Covington County, I noticed a curved, S-shaped “stick” beside my right-front tire. It had not been there before.

And, even being the idiot I am, I knew right away it was a snake. So, being the so-called journalist I am, instead of reaching for my pistol, I grabbed my little digital camera and zoomed in. Just as I thought, it was a long chicken snake, and after snapping a couple of pictures, I tried to shoo it away from my truck.

No deal. The snake wasn’t having any part of it. Instead of slithering off into to the woods, the critter slinked its way straight up “somewhere” onto the frame on the front end of my faithful pickup.

I never forgot it. I kept that thought in my mind, knowing a snake was “somewhere” in or under my truck. Still, at some point I knew I had to leave the camp and go home. So, after some time, I cranked up and turned the truck around to load my 4-wheeler. Then, as I laid the ramps on my tailgate, the snake slithered out between my legs and into the woods before I even had a chance to get scared. Still, I think I set some kind of a standing broad jump record.

But, the real purpose of this column is not to boast of records set by a leaping “chicken,” rather to warn you that venomous snakes are on the prowl and moving about freely during the heat of the day, which lately has been 24/7. So, just because snakes are supposed to be mostly nocturnal, does not mean that you should let down your guard during your outdoor ventures any hour of the day.

Look forward next week to Tim Dunaway’s tale of his terrifying encounter with a cottonmouth … if he is willing to talk to me about it. Until then, be safe outdoors. Protect yourself not only from venomous snakes, but stinging insects and the harmful rays and heat of the sun as well.

Take a kid or more with you if you can, and if you find others in distress, consider it your duty to help them out. That’s what sportsmen do.

Tip: Saltwater fishing

2009-07-08T06:17:00.000-05:00

The next tip to consider is saltwater fishing.
No moccasins to worry about there if you jump in … only sharks.
Just kidding, but I really did have a shark try to tow me out to sea one time while surf fishing. About a six-footer latched onto my 20-foot stringer and didn’t wanna let go, so I DID. But, that’s another story for another day.

Right now, I understand the saltwater fishing is hot, both literally and figuratively. I’ve had excellent reports from Pascagoula to areas below New Orleans. Folks have been catching great numbers and some really nice-sized speckled trout and redfish.

But still, how do you beat the heat while fishing salty waters where there’s not even a drop of shade?

Well, first you hope there is at least a slight breeze, which there almost always is. Secondly, if you’ve got a canopy onboard, use the darn thing for heaven’s sake. So what if you look like a sissy? At least you won’t look like a sun-parched sissy when you arrive back at the dock.

And use sunscreen. On my first red snapper fishing trip years ago, I was told (since I had my shirt off to expose my muscles, or lack thereof) that I’d better apply sunscreen.

“Ha,” I laughed. “Wops don’t burn.” Wops, of course, being people of somewhat Italian descent like me. Folks, lemme tell you, the heat was like it has been here for two or three weeks, and I’m living proof that Wops do burn. Heck, the only parts of me that wasn’t blistered were the soles of my feet, which explains why I had to stand up for three days and nights.

Actually, I exaggerate (it was only two days), but if you’ve got a grain of sense in your noggin, you’ll protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun when you, and hopefully you will, go fishing.

There’s nothing we humans can do to stop the heat, but we can catch fish during this heat wave. Fish deep, drink plenty of fluids … AND TAKE A KID WITH YOU EVERY TIME YOU CAN.

It's never too hot to fish

2009-07-06T06:12:00.000-05:00

If you’ve been living inside an active volcano the past couple of weeks, I suppose you might consider the weather we‘ve been experiencing here in the Deep South as mild.

If not, the only way to describe it is HOT! Oh, you could describe it as beautiful, but still HOT, which reminds me of the words an old country song – “Too hot to fish, too hot for golf, and too cold at home.”

I’m not much of a golfer, so I really can’t say if it’s too hot for golf, though I suspect it is for most.
As for being “too cold at home,” there’s no way I can say that. In fact, as long as I can pay the power bill, I’ll keep my thermostat set so low that I’m ashamed to put in print. Let’s just put it this way: I’d rather sleep under a quilt and try to figure a way to pay the power bill than I would sleep on top of the covers and sweat down at night.

But, who cares how I sleep at night? The real issue here is, in this case is, is it “too hot to fish?”
And the answer is ‘no,’ with some modifications, of course. Check back for my 'Never too hot to fish" tips.

Tip: Fish at night

2009-07-01T06:15:00.001-05:00

Too hot to fish? No way.
Just modify your fishing schedule a bit.

One such change of direction might be to fish at night. Depending on your work schedule, you could fish late afternoons into the night, or you can fish the wee morning hours before daylight until it gets too hot after the sun comes up. However, even the nights have been hot and sultry of late.

Though I haven’t done much of it lately, my next suggestion would be to fish the many rivers and streams Mississippi is blessed with. The streams often act as breezeways, and if nothing else the refreshing wind currents will make the heat a little more bearable. Also, overhanging limbs will offer some relief in the form of shade. You could, of course, jump in every now and then and cool off, but I can’t suggest that because of my own buzzard luck. With my luck, I’d land straddle a snag. That, or I’d find the biggest, meanest water moccasin in the world.

Great fishing trip

2009-06-25T06:36:00.002-05:00

After many years of talking about it, the Pierce brothers Robert Pierce, right, of Collins and Jerry Pierce, center, of Petal, finally got together and went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast where they met family member Charlie Kranz, left, of Gulfport and went fishing. They fish the in-shore reefs and within a few hours had caught their limit of speckled trout.

Protect against Mississippi's statebird

2009-06-22T06:58:00.000-05:00

My wife threatened to hit me over the head with a rolling pin when she saw me dumping the water out of her bird bath in the backyard. Birds get thirsty, too, she figured.

Two things: First, I had already disposed of the only rolling pin we ever owned a long, long time ago in anticipation that it might be used for such violent purposes.

Secondly, when I explained that I had nothing against the birds and that I wasn’t trying to dehydrate them to death, she dropped my son’s old aluminum baseball bat (since she couldn’t find the rolling pin) and agreed to listen. I told her I was going to replace the stagnant water with fresh water.

Now, do you have any idea what I’m getting at? Some of you do, I’m sure, but most of you don’t, including me.

No, really, there is a point to be made here, and that’s the fact that mosquito season is upon us, and there are certain things you must do as an outdoors person to protect yourself. One of those things is to drain any standing, stagnant water.

The American Mosquito Control Association, AMCA, (I’m not making this up) suggests three things, something they call the 3 Ds, that encourage outdoors folks to protect themselves from mosquito-borne disease.

And the first rule is to DRAIN any standing water that might be a breeding ground for mosquitoes (such as a birdbath). Empty buckets of standing water, discard old tires (properly, of course) and drain or empty anything that might be a mosquito breeding ground.

The second D suggests that you dress properly. Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colors, so AMCA says to wear light-colored clothing outdoors that fits loosely. Skeeters can bite through tight-fitting clothing.

The third D recommends that you DEFEND against the blood-sucking critters by applying a safe, approved mosquito repellent. I’ll go a step farther and add the use of a mosquito-repelling Therma-Cell unit because it’s effective and not messy to use.

But! Hold the press. DiFatta has come up with a fourth D that I consider almost as important as the first two put together. The fourth, or DiFatta D, would be to DEODORIZE. Now I realize that it’s hot in Mississippi during the summer (duh), but I know for a fact the less body odor you emit, the fewer mosquitoes will choose you.

And there are TWO kinds of odors that mosquitoes crave - good odor and bad odor.

“Good odor” has a perfumy smell. So don’t wear sweet-smellin stuff (hair spray, perfume, cologne, even aromatic deodorants) during outings. At the end of the day or night, you may still smell good wearing that stuff, but you won’t have much blood left in your veins.

Bad odor, of course, is plain ol’ body odor. But, if you can’t apply deodorant or cover up B O with perfume, what DO you do?

Well, the first requisite is to be clean. Bathe or shower using unscented soap. And it wouldn’t hurt to use unscented deodorant afterward.

But, regardless of how you do it, from swimming in a sea of insect repellent to wearing an insulated jumpsuit with gloves and a ski mask (of course you’d die from heat stroke), the main thing this summer is to protect yourself from mosquitoes and the sometimes deadly diseases they carry.

That having been said, here’s hoping you have a wonderful summer during all your outdoor endeavors. And when you get outdoors, be sure to take a kid with you … EVERY TIME YOU CAN.

Richard Roman

2009-06-19T06:04:00.001-05:00

Richard Roman, fishing in a pouring rain, thus the rain umbrella, caught this 10-pound grass carp using chicken livers as bait. He also caught a bunch of catfish.

A hook in the hand

2009-06-17T06:47:00.001-05:00

If you think getting hooked in the mouth by a barbed wire fence (while fishing) is strange, wait ‘til you hear what my dexterity challenged friend Earl Sellers has done this time.

“Little Stevie Wonder” Stapleton, my vertically challenged friend, stopped by Earl’s NAPA store in Purvis to pick up some parts, and you won’t believe what he told me about Earl the Pearl’s latest misadventure. You’ll recall not so many columns ago if you’re one of my three loyal readers that Earl had snagged himself in the mouth on a barbed wire fence while fishing a farm pond. And you might also recall I left you with the question: What will the boy do next?

Well, it seems that Earl got himself hooked in the finger with a treble hook, which in itself is not so unusual. But that’s only the beginning of the story.

When I called Earl to get, as the late Paul Harvey would say, the rest of the story, Earl at first refused to cooperate. “What ARE you talking about?” he asked. However, I informed him that Stevie Wonder and NAPA employee David Moucheron had given me the scoop, and he might as well come clean. So he did.

“I was taking the bottom hook out of the hard part of the fish’s lip, and he flopped,” Earl recalled. “When he flopped, the top hook caught me, and me and that fish (about a 2-pound bass) both went down in the pond. He was trying to swim away with my finger, and it hurt like the devil, but I finally caught him with my other hand.”

But, Earl has only two hands, strangely enough, and there was not a soul in sight to lend one. So he had to improvise.

“I bit the line in two,” Earl said, “but I still couldn’t turn this thing loose … ‘cause wherever he went, so would my finger. I had no other choice.”

And you ain’t gonna believe that “other choice.” Actually, even I could think of a couple - like walking out to get help. Or pinning the fish to the ground with one knee so I could free one hand to remove the hooks.

But not Earl. He has to do things the hard way, so he meticulously raised the fish’s lips to his own as if to kiss it and then bit the fish’s lip in two. That freed the hook from its mouth, but what if the fish had flopped at precisely the wrong moment and embedded a hook in Earl’s lip? That’s gotta take a lot of guts (or lack of gray matter). I can see the headlines: “Fish Catches Fisherman (but throws him back).”

The “surgery” was successful, however, and Earl was so glad to be free of the fish that he let it go. I can’t help but wonder what the fish went back and told its friends as to how its lip got broke.

Anyway, there are a few pearls (that’s why I call him Earl the Pearl) of wisdom to be learned from Sellers’ miscues. First, if your treble hooks on your lures have become dull and rusty, replace them with new, needle-sharp ones, which is what Earl had done prior to his most recent fishing outing. That way, the hooks will set more firmly in a fish’s tough jaw or lip. Also, you’ll stand less chance of getting lockjaw with new hooks.

Secondly, it’s not a bad idea to have a fishing partner along when things go awry, such as a hook in the hand.

And last, if something like this does happen and you’re by yourself, for heaven’s sake, don’t tell anybody; it’s embarrassing. On second thought, tell me. It makes my job a lot easier.

And so ends another installment of “The Misadventures of Earl the Pearl.”

I should note here to the little old ladies who said I was being too rough on Earl that this is all in good, clean fun. He’s a friend, a good friend. If he weren’t, he’d sue me! Besides, since there were no witnesses, he never should have said a word.

Hunter Beasley

2009-06-15T06:02:00.003-05:00

Hunter Beasley landed this 200-pound-plus tuna after a two-hour battle near Venice, La. Aboard the Luna Sea were King, Bealsey, Rod Jenkins, Chess Clay and Randy Coulter.

Tips for keeping it cheap

2009-06-13T06:01:00.001-05:00

Staying close to home is only the beginning of the many things an outdoors person can do to cope with tough economic times. Staying home, period, is NOT one of them, however.

Here are a few other things The Champion of Cheap can suggest. My retail friends might not like it, but sometimes you gotta do … what you gotta do.

- Dig, dip or otherwise catch your own bait. It may seem “beneath” some folks, but great satisfaction may be derived from digging your own worms, dipping up crawfish or somehow catching crickets.

- Lots of folks already do this, but freezing a bottle of water or two not only will keep drinks and food cool, as well as the fish you might catch, but it’ll knock a few bucks off the price of your fishing trip.

- Take it from someone who’s so tight he saves (and washes, of course) plastic utensils and foam cups for hunting, fishing and camping outings: the more you can prepare at home, like sandwiches and drink mixes (Kool-Aid), the more you’ll save, thus you’ll be able to partake in such outings more often.

- Use dry oak or hickory wood to “charcoal” your catch. It’s just as good if not better.

- Take a friend and share expenses.

There are so many things I could suggest you do during these tough economic times I could write a book. First, I gotta learn how to write!

And while I’m trying to learn how to write, if you get the chance, take a kid fishing. Kids don’t eat much, but they could catch your next meal!

Rediscovering Mississippi

2009-06-11T06:59:00.000-05:00

The freshwater fishing has not been the best in the world in my neck of the woods lately, but the saltwater species appear to be plentiful, with large catches of speckled trout and redfish. And just because bass, crappie and bream fishing seems to have slowed for various reasons – warmer water, too much rain in places, etc. – doesn’t mean there are not fish out there for the catching.

You might have to fish a little deeper than you did earlier in the spring, but the catfish will bite most any time. And while the whiskered critters might not be the most sporting of freshwater fish, they’re tough to beat fresh out of the skillet or deep fryer.

I like to fish the many dead, or oxbow, lakes adjacent to Mississippi’s rivers. There’s no telling what you’ll catch, from crappie to catfish, to bass and bream, along with the toothy, hard-fighting gar and even an occasional small alligator.

Small alligators, I must say, are no fun to catch, even less fun to unhook and quite illegal to keep. But if you toss your lure or live bait accidentally near a small gator, chances are you won’t retrieve it without the gator attached to the end of your line. When my son was young, he had a bad habit of doing that, and guess who had to unhook the critter while looking over his shoulder for Momma Gator!

But if you don’t have a small pond or oxbow you can fish, state lakes abound in Mississippi, and the cost to you will not break the bank (heard that saying lately?). The cost to fish a state lake is minimal, and all that is required is a valid fishing license for folks 16 and older.

Hunting, fishing on a budget

2009-06-09T06:51:00.000-05:00

I was having trouble thinking (a lifelong problem) of something to write about this week. But then I came across an article entitled, “Outdoors on a Budget” in the Mississippi Department of Wildlife’s Mississippi Outdoors magazine.

Now those folks are good, but I AM The Titan of Tightwads, The Sultan of Sacrifice, The Chief of Cheapskates, if you will, and I know how to hunt, fish and camp on a budget. It’s not that I’m smart, it’s simply out of necessity because the good folks at this newspaper have deemed it necessary to pay me what I’m worth.

Nonetheless, as one of many examples of my “frugality,” I once traveled to Colorado to bow hunt mule deer with one other hunting companion. The entire trip cost me $600, including fuel, licenses, food and even some cheap souvenirs. That was a while back, and I realize now I’d pay that much alone for fuel.

Still, there are things you can do during these tough economic times that will help offset or defray expenses on your outdoor adventures.

And the article I read by Taylor Wilson in Mississippi Outdoors had the right idea. Unlike the 1,400-mile trip I took to Colorado, stay close to home, preferably right here in Mississippi. Oh, you won’t find mule deer or elk in our woods, and you’d be hard-pressed to catch rainbow trout in Mississippi’s southern waters, but the state’s hunting and fishing resources are still hard to beat.

So, why not rediscover Mississippi?

Another monster

2009-06-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

My old hunting and fishing friends from down near Leakesville are, like me, trying to create a monster of their own. Mark and Kim Rounsaville take their 6-year-old, Woodard, fishing every chance they get. Woodard hasn’t quite warmed up to hunting as yet, but he’s becoming quite the angler.

With a little help from dad, while fishing a private pond, Woodard landed a 7-pound bass. Well, Mark says he helped, but I happen to know that both he and Kim couldn’t catch a fish in a barrel with dynamite and a landing net!

Actually, Mark did tie on the bait, and I suppose that would be considered as helping. He said the kid caught the big bass on a 6-inch green plastic worm with a chartreuse tail.

After taking pictures, the dirty rotten dog (Mark) released the kid’s trophy fish back into the lake while explaining the value of catch-and-release. But I don’t believe that; he just didn’t want to be upstaged by a 6-year-old!

Still, congratulations to Woodard for catching the fish, and to Mark and Kim for making time to take their son fishing. You oughta try it, too. It’ll make you feel good.

Married off

2009-06-01T06:28:00.001-05:00

My wife and I got my son, Daniel, married off this past weekend to his now lovely bride, the former Dayvi Cooper. And instead of losing a son, I’ve gained a hunting partner. With a little coaching from Daniel, Dayvi now loves hunting and fishing as much as we do. In fact, she killed more deer than I did this past season, earning for herself the nickname “Dayvi Crockett!”

But get this: After the wedding, the couple’s reception was held, quite appropriately, at Big Creek Wildlife Lodge located near Epley in eastern Lamar County (I think), where they spent the night. And before heading off on their honeymoon, Daniel zipped by my house to switch trucks. They’re honeymooning near the Smokey Mountain National Park so they can view and photograph, what else, the deer, turkey and bear at Cade’s Cove.

When he stopped by the house briefly, Daniel burst inside and proudly announced, “Daddy, momma,” he glowed, “I just had the best first morning of married life a man could have.”

“Don’t tell me, don’t tell me,” my wife, Regina, screamed as she covered her ears.

“No, it’s not THAT,” Daniel laughed as he began to explain. “When I got up, I walked out onto the deck and hooted (like an owl) and one gobbled. I walked around to the front of the lodge and there he was, strutting in the road. Man, that was pretty.”

Of course our boy was talking about hearing and watching a strutting wild turkey instead of, uh, well, you know, normal things newlyweds do.

I’m afraid we’ve created a monster! Then again, a hunting or fishing “monster” ain’t half bad. So I think I’ll keep ‘em, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say congratulations to both Daniel and Dayvi Crockett.

Free NRA membership

2009-05-29T06:33:00.000-05:00

At our last meeting, this column urged you to take advantage of the National Rifle Association free one-year membership offer. And I promised you an e-mail address where you might sign up. It’s lengthy, but worth your time.

Sign up for your free membership at www.nrahq.org/nrabonus/accept-membership.asp.

Oak Grove pair finally nab their big bird

2009-05-26T06:27:00.000-05:00

The cards had finally fallen into place for David Cullop and his 11-year-old nephew, Ryan Cullop, of Oak Grove. For three tireless seasons David had teamed with Ryan in an effort to get the boy his first turkey.

Then, on March 17 of this year, their goal was about to reached when a grand, old gobbler strutted in front of them at a scant 25 yards. It seemed like a “slam dunk,” but, in turkey hunting, nothing should be taken for granted.

David met his brother, Michael, and Ryan for breakfast early that morning before heading to a favorite spot in Perry County along the Leaf River. He’d done his “homework,” and David knew at least the general area of where they might find a gobbling bird.

“After we filled up (I presume both their bellies and the truck), we headed out,” David remembers. “I had scouted the spot a couple of days before and found the roost we needed.

“It was cool that Tuesday morning, clear, breeze-free and the skeeters weren’t biting,” David said, describing what possibly is the perfect scenario for the perfect turkey hunt.

They eased into the woods and sat down on a ridge top above a slough well before daylight and waited for something to happen. From their vantage point atop the ridge, a gobbler sang out maybe a quarter-mile away around 6 a.m. Then another gobbled to their right, so Ryan and David got on the move and eventually set up on the edge of a food plot, positioned ideally between two gobbling birds.

Still, it took maybe an hour-and-a-half before the first bird came into view.

“The farthest bird flew up in a tree,” David said, “on the side of the food plot to the right of us at about 30 yards. After about 10 minutes (of surveying the situation), the gobbler flew down about 25 yards out in front of us and went into a strut. When he turned away, I told Ryan to get his gun up.”

David clucked, the big bird folded its fan, stretched its neck and stared down the barrel of Ryan’s Remington 20 gauge shotgun.

“Shoot,” Uncle David whispered.

But Ryan squeezed nary a trigger.

“By this time the tom was getting antsy,” David recalled, “and I told Ryan again to shoot, and this time he did.”

The boy’s aim was true, so he and David ran out to make sure Ryan’s big turkey was down for the count.

“After the bird expired,” David said, “we knelt down over it and said a prayer of thanks for a wonderful turkey hunting experience with a great kid, who at 11-years-old, and after three years of hunting with his uncle, had finally gotten his bird.”

The big bird had a 10-inch beard, one and one-quarter inch spurs and weighed 19 pounds, a whopper for sure.

David Cullop at last had helped his nephew do what they had set out to do. Yet he seeks no accolades. His satisfaction came from feeling Ryan’s excitement when the boy at first could not pull the trigger. It was reinforced when he witnessed the joy on the kid’s face and the sparkle in the youngster’s eyes when the bird went down.

Oh, David Cullop was proud all right, proud of his nephew and grateful that he could help fulfill a kid’s dream. When I talked to David, it was all about Ryan, not himself, and he couldn’t have been more happy.

That’s the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you see the wide grin on a kid’s face with his or her first turkey, first deer, or even their first squirrel. It’s not different, either, when you see a youngster land his first fish.

And frankly, I see a bright future for Ryan Cullop because someone took the time to take him hunting. This fall or next spring turkey season, you should consider doing the same. Until then, you can take a kid, or several kids, fishing.

Free NRA membership

2009-05-23T06:27:00.000-05:00

There’s probably never been a time in this nation’s history when it was more important for gun owners/hunters to step up and defend their rights to keep and bear arms, as well as the ammunition for those firearms.

That’s why the National Rifle Association, America’s chief defendant of the Second Amendment, is offering a free one-year membership so the organization can demonstrate to more firearms owners just how much it does for them. And with a larger membership, the NRA can do even more.

There is a web site to sign up, and I will pass that along to you next week. Meanwhile, you can call the NRA toll-free for that address and any other pertinent information. The number is (800) 672-3888.

If you don’t take advantage of this generous offer from the NRA, don’t complain if and when someone comes to collect your guns and/or ammunition.

Strange tales come from the outdoors

2009-05-20T06:23:00.000-05:00

One of my ol’ huntin’ buddies, Earl Sellers, of Purvis, has the minor bad habit setting his mouth in motion before putting his brain in gear.

For instance, while visiting him at his NAPA store in Purvis recently, I overheard him telling a customer/friend about the dilemma he got himself into - something about blood gushing from his mouth and the fact that he thought his was going to have to get stitches to close up the cut. All this, he said, happened while he was fishing.

I just eased back and starting taking mental notes… I thought perhaps he had snagged himself in the mouth with treble hooks or something like that, which would be par for the course with Earl. But I was astounded to learn that somehow he had ripped his mouth on a barbed wire fence.

Now, how in the world does one hook himself on a barbed wire fence while fishing? Knowing Earl, it could have been when he tried to slip in to “Farmer Brown’s” pond.

So I listened intently, but Earl caught on (amazing in itself) to what I was doing, ceased telling the story, then called me an ugly name. “I had better not see this in the newspaper,” he threatened.

That was all it took, and that’s why you see it here now!

Earl, you might recall if you’re one of my three readers from years ago, is the guy who kinda’ put me between a rock and a hard place while we were bow hunting mule deer and elk in Colorado. I had already tagged my bull elk (obvious boast), so Earl asked if I’d take him and help him get an elk.

Well, to make a long story short, I did, and it wasn’t long before we were looking at a bull looking at us from about 25 yards away. Earl inched slowly into position to draw his bow while the bull watched intently.

But there was a problem. Just before he reached full draw, Earl whispered over to me desperately, “Could you turn my broadhead (razor-sharp, two bladed arrowhead for those who don’t know) for me?”

It seemed that Earl’s broadhead had turned a bit and did not have enough space to clear the bow’s arrow shelf so he could bring the arrow to full draw. In other words, he hadn’t done a very good job of tuning his bow before that all-important trip.

What’s worse is that I actually did it. I reached up slowly and turned the razor-like head for him, just as the bull decided he’d seen enough of two imbeciles below him on the side of the mountain. He trotted out of sight, while I stood there wondering if I’d have been able to find my fingers had Earl accidentally released the arrow.

That just goes to show you that two dummies certainly don’t make one genius! And I won’t even get into what Earl did to his wife’s head with his limb chainsaw. That’s another story for another day.

By the way, neither injury - Earl’s lip nor Jeannie’s head - was serious. I shudder to think, however, what will be next! And I STILL can’t figure how a guy could cut his lip on a barbed wire fence while fishing.

McElveen to speak

2009-05-18T06:25:00.000-05:00

Rocky McElveen, who owns Alaskan Adventures and has written a book, Wild Men, Wild Alaska – will be the guest speaker at a dinner at Petal-Harvey Baptist Church in Petal at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

McElveen, whose parents live in Petal, is an an outdoor outfitter who leads outdoor enthusiasts on fishing and hunting excursions. He has been on trips with former president George H. Bush, ex-major leaguer Dave Dravecky and many others.

In his book, McElveen details encounters in the wild and with his faith.

His Web site is http://www.rockymcelveen.com/ and he has a separate Web site for his book at http://www.wildmenwildalaska.com/.

Tickets for the catfish dinner are $5. Petal-Harvey Baptist Church is at 600 S. Main St. in Petal.

NWTF banquet

2009-05-16T06:12:00.000-05:00

Mississippi’s turkey season might be over, but the fellowship and camaraderie is not.

The Pine Burr chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will be hold its annual banquet and auction May 30 at the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center in Hattiesburg. Doors open at 6 p.m., with a catered prime rib dinner from The Front Porch Restaurant scheduled for 7 p.m.
Mississippi’s most celebrated World Champion turkey caller Preston Pittman will be the guest of honor as a feature attraction with turkey calling tips and his usual entertaining antics.

The event is held annually to raise funds in support of the wild turkey, and all area sportsmen are invited to attend. Numerous door prizes will be given away, but don’t forget the raffle and auction items to raise the funds.

Tickets are $50 single (includes meal and membership), $70 couple, $300 sponsor and $500 boss gobbler.

For tickets, contact Wayne Jones at 543-2800, Chris Cook at 248-6402, Jay Dumas at 434-0878, Rob White at 248-8895 or Stevie “Wonder” Stapleton at 606-5185.

Take a kid

2009-05-14T06:10:00.001-05:00

I always try to encourage my readers, all three of them, which I now understand includes Mrs. Callie Tisdale, of the Sweetwater community near Rainey, who claims to be my longest-running reader who has never missed a column (God bless her … and have pity), to take a kid hunting or fishing every time they can. Contrary to what many these days hold as unethical or not politically correct, taking kids hunting and fishing actually helps lead most of them down the road to responsibility, not irresponsibility. Like I’ve said before and will say again, it’s hard to have a gang fight in a boat on the lake or pull off a drive-by from a tree stand.

Also, hunters and anglers do indeed pay for conservation. So the next time you get a chance, take a kid huntin’ or fishin’. You’ll not only be doing that kid a great service, but you’ll be helping conserve fish and wildlife for generations to come..

Hunting this year could've been better

2009-05-12T06:08:00.002-05:00

“Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

My former English and literature professors won’t be proud of me, but because “me ain’t too smart,” I can’t remember for the life of me where that phrase originated, or even if it’s correct. I’m sure, however, that it could have been coined by some miserable hunter bemoaning the close of the hunting seasons. In fact, it might well have been me.

I’ve basically endured eight months of hunting hard, yet I’m not quite ready to give it up. Why? Probably because I didn’t live up to my own expectations.

It started with dove season back in September 2008. And though I can’t say that the number of doves taken was disappointing, it could have been better. Not bad, but not great, either. I can say without question, though, that the camaraderie was second to none. (One piece of advice here for you dove shooters: With the price of shotgun shells spiraling into the ozone layer, it’s not a bad idea to begin restocking your ammo supply a little at the time).

Then there was the early archery season. I’m fortunate enough to have places to hunt in both deer management zones, so I began hunting the first of October in Zone 1, or the north zone. I’d captured on camera during the 2007-08 season a buck that would definitely have made the archery record book, or Pope & Young. So I hunted him pretty hard, though not so much as to push him out of the territory. But I never laid an eyeball on him or even got another picture. I learned after the season that a neighbor might have gotten that deer. “Sick” ain’t the word!

To make a long story short (thus less boring), I did manage to collect a fat doe for freezer meat with my bow, as well as a fine feral hog (no swine flu included) for sausage, but nary a set of horns for the wall. Didn’t even get a picture of a decent buck to make me wanna say, as is the case most every closing day, “Just wait ‘til next year.”

But alas, along came turkey season, which is closing in fast as my favorite hunting sport next to bow hunting. This was to be a banner year. I’d get my limit of three birds here in Mississippi, then travel eight hours and bust the limit of two in southeast Oklahoma.

Didn’t happen. Got a nice bird here early, but the well ran dry. Nothing in Oklahoma, but I must say again that the camaraderie around camp there was second to none. Come to think of it, the fond memories created by all the bull that was shot around the campfire or at the dove shoots actually meant more to me than simply collecting a limit of doves, turkey or deer. Really, that, along with the conservation efforts, is what hunting (and camping, hiking or fishing) is all about.

NWTF banquet

2009-05-10T06:31:00.002-05:00

The Pine Burr chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold its annual banquet and auction May 30 at the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center.

Doors open at 6 p.m., followed by a catered meal of prime ribs from The Front Porch Restaurant.

The silent auction begins with the doors opening, and the live auction will begin after the meal.

Joe Wood, Regional Director of the NWTF, says he expects an even bigger and better banquet than last year, with more door prizes and raffle items. Preston Pittman, World Champion turkey caller, will be the featured guest.

For tickets, contact Steve Stapleton and 606-5185, Chris Cook at 248-6402, Jay Dumas at 434-0878 or Robbie White at 248-8895.

Redfish tour

2009-05-08T06:28:00.002-05:00

Bruce Linheim of Pensacola, Fla., teamed with Fred Myers of Panama City to claim the IFA Redfish Tour event held at Lafitte, La., April 27.

Purvis' Chad Dufrene partnered with Jay Cedotal of Baton Rouge to take second place.

Redfish tournaments are growing rapidly in popularity, and this year, in addition to $47,000 in payouts per event, the first-place prize package for all 18 IFA Redfish Tour regular-season events has been increased.

In 2009, every regular-season tournament winner is guaranted a fully loaded 2009 Ranger Banshee Extreme.

For more information, go online to redfishtour.com.