Southern Traditions Outdoors - November/December 2015

1 SOUTHERN TRADITIONS OUTDOORS | NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015

November - December 2015

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NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015 | SOUTHERN TRADITIONS OUTDOORS 3

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Advertising Information: Southern Traditions Outdoors | Rob Somerville

(731) 446-8052 [email protected]

DISCLAIMER - Neither the authors nor Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine LLC assume any responsibility or liability for any actions by readers who utilize any information contained within. Readers are advised that the use of any and all information contained within Southern Traditions Outdoors is at their own risk.

On the Cover

Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine Mission Statement:Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine vows to put forth a publication to promote the outdoors lifestyle in a positive manner. We will strive to encourage veteran and novice outdoorsmen, women, kids, and the physically challenged to participate in the outdoors in a safe and ethical manner. Our publication will bring positive attention to the wondrous beauty of the world of Nature in the mid-south.

Garry MasonWalter WilkersonTerry WilkersonSteve McCadamsKelley PowersShawn ToddEddie Brunswick

Larry Self John SloanRichard SimmsJohn MeachamBuck Gardner Scott MarcinEd Lankford

Drew BrooksJohn LathamJohn RobertsPaul E. MooreRob HurtMark BuehlerRichard Fagan

Field Staff Editors

Owners - Eddie Anderson Rob Somerville Kevin Griffi th Stacey LemonsPublisher - Eddie AndersonEditor - Rob SomervilleMagazine Design -Donny Byrd

Advertising Sales Rob Somerville - Managing PartnerDistribution Johnathan Anderson Mike Robinson

Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine, LLC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PG .................. ARTICLE .......................................................... AUTHOR

7...........................Waterfowling's Top Gun? ...................................................Steve McCadams16..........................Forming a Successful Hunting Club ..................................Rob Somerville22..........................Kids and Hunting ..............................................................Shawn Todd29..........................Thanksgiving... A Time of Reminisence .............................Chad Davis38..........................Man Versus Deer ...............................................................Richard A. Fagan41..........................Traditions Tips ..................................................................Richard A. Fagan42..........................Professional Dog Trainers...Well Worth the Money ...........Steve McCadams45..........................Fish Factory - Part 5 ..........................................................Kevin Griffi th54..........................Trophy Room .....................................................................STO

These two mallards are pictured taking fl ight from the waters of a honey hole near Dyersburg, Tennessee.Photo by Rob Somerville


You know, if you think about it, we have so much to be thankful for. We live in the greatest country in the world, we have the freedom to practice our preferred religious beliefs, and we have the right to bear arms and hunt and fi sh in the wondrous world of nature that God has so graciously provided for us. I personally am very thankful for all of the above, as well as the health and happiness of my fam-ily and friends, my business partners, our loyal readers and our fi ne family of advertisers. I hope the following poem I wrote will make you, as sportsmen, feel thankful for all of the “Kodak Moments” you have enjoyed in the great outdoors.

Letter from the Editor

From the Editor’s Desk of Rob Somerville

Rob Somerville

Giving Th anksBy Rob Somerville

For the turkeys that gobble and for the bass which leap high,

For the hoot of an owl in the pre-dawn sky.For the sight of an antlered, whitetail deer,

For the explosion of a quail covey as it bursts through the air.

For the coyote that howls on full those moon nights,I thank you my Father, for these sounds and these

sights.

For the barking of beagles, running hot rabbit trails,For the red-tailed hawk, that so gracefully sails.

For the bobcat, so silently stalking its prey,For the beautiful sunrise on a frost laden day.

For the Black and Tan hound, on a coon as he bays,For all of this Lord, it is you who I praise.

For a child’s fi rst fi sh, with their face all aglow,For the sound of my arrow as it’s leaving my bow.

For the eyes of a Lab as it’s scanning the sky,Ready for mallards, never questioning why.

For the ancient white oak trees, two-hundred years old,Not factory-made Lord, only you have the mold.

I thank you dear God, for all of these things,and the precious times of enjoyment that each of them

brings.

Have a happy and safe holiday season, and may God bless you and yours.



WATERFOWLING’S TOP GUN??? AND THE WINNER IS…..

By Steve McCadams

D Duck hunters always seem to be looking for the newest call, better decoys or one with new mo-tion, another spot to hunt and the latest and greatest shotgun that’s rough, tough, accurate and reli-able. We want a gun with depend-ability under adverse conditions, as those of us in this fraternity are known to perform endurance tests

on our equipment every season. Choosing shotguns is like choosing pickup trucks; everyone may not necessarily like the same brand, color or model. Th at’s why there are several to choose from at any given sporting goods store or gun shop. Glance down the rack and there are multiple choices. Truth is ... there is no perfect gun. No manufacturer can boast of a

“one size fi ts all” model. Price range is likely the leading factor for most knee booters when it comes to making that fi nal deci-sion. However, some waterfowlers put great emphasis on their gun selection, despite having an out-board motor that may or may not start. Reading the ads boasting of a new duck gun’s attributes, or lis-tening to testimonials from a fel-

Professional guide, Steve McCadams, calls at high ducks as one of his clients prepares to shoot. After decades of sunrises, McCadams has compiled a list of waterfowlings most popular guns, while observing hundreds of hunters.Photo by Steve McCadams


low waterfowler, makes your old smoke pole look and sound a bit obsolete. Even if their truck tires are bald as a bowling ball and the boat and chest waders leak, a duck hunt-er will fi nd some way to come up with the money for a hand-some, state of the art, camoufl age shotgun once season draws near. Th ose new camo patterns contin-ue to evolve and entice. I know a few who struggle to pay the rent, yet they fi nd some way to search the details for case prices on duck loads and the fi nal “take it out the door” price for water-fowling’s latest automatic or pump shotgun that just hit the gun racks. Priorities sometimes get mixed up when our feathered friends take to the air! My fi rst duck hunt occurred on a bone chilling morning back in 1962. Duck numbers were down and there was a year or two when seasons got cut to a mere 30 days, with the limit was one mallard. Times were tough compared to today’s era of long seasons and lib-eral bag limits. And, my fi rst duck gun? It was a Daisy, long, pump BB gun. I was a mere 8 years-old, so dad fi gured I needed to start out safe. I gradu-ated the next year to a family heir-loom in the form of a double bar-reled .410-gauge shotgun. Th ere wasn’t even a brand name on the barrel, but my dad had it as a kid and squirrel hunted with it. When you’re a kid you always want a bigger gun. Whatever your dad had, or the other grown-ups shot, was always in your sights come Christmas, even if you were

too young to really tote it or shoul-der it properly. Fast forward to today and I’ve seen several sunrises come and go. My last 40 years or so have been spent in the duck blind as a pro-fessional guide and while several interesting observations come to mind, monitoring the particular brand, model and gauge of shot-guns from the legions of hunters who passed through the door has been one of my hobbies.YESTERYEAR’S TOP MODELS Most of the popular duck guns of yesteryear now sleep silently in the gun cabinets of grandsons, who continue to pass their grand-father’s old workhorses down to another generation, instead of taking them to the blind. Today’s gun are cosmetically more attractive with their impres-sive camoufl age patterns. Guns of yesteryear had wooden stocks and forearms, and a dark blue shiny barrel was the norm. Sometimes, fancy grades of wood made a gun stand out above the rest, but ba-sically, the old dudes were heavy and somewhat drab in their ap-pearance. Recoil was part of the shoot-ing experience back then too. Al-though that’s still a factor today, it pales in comparison to the shoul-der stompers of days gone by. Browning’s Belgium A-5 was part of the elite list decades ago and a few still are in the blinds when called upon today. Most are considered collector’s items. Sharing the list of old time favor-ites had to be Winchester’s Mod-el-12 pump. It was indeed a heavy workhorse.

Joining John Browning’s auto loader and Winchester’s Model -12 was Ithaca’s Model-37 pump, which also came in a featherlight model. Handsome engraving on the receiver targeted the water-fowler with a marsh scene of cat-tails and fl ushing ducks. Ithaca’s Model-37 pump was

Young waterfowler, Carson Han-cock, poses with two big, Canada geese taken with his Remington 1187 automatic. Low recoil, gas operated guns are popular among the ranks, but must be kept clean to avoid jamming.Photo courtesy of Casey Hancock.

Continued on page 10


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the forerunner of today’s Brown-ing Pump Shotgun (BPS) that featured bottom ejection of spent hulls. All the top waterfowl guns were 12-gauges, as even the old days of lethal lead shot use com-manded a long range gun shoot-ing the heaviest load available, which back then would likely have been a 1 7/8-ounce load in a 3-inch shell. Although modern day water-fowlers tend to favor the 3 ½-inch gun and shells, many of the de-pendable guns of yesteryear had a 2 ¾-inch chamber that was le-thal and shot through mostly full choke barrels. Th ere were several 10-gauges back then as well, for goose hunt-ers. Most were single or double barrel guns with high recoil. Th e real oldies sported hammers. Lat-er on Ithaca pioneered the gas op-erated 10-gauge automatic (Mag 10) that quickly gained populari-ty among the ranks, only to die a slow death once steel shot entered the picture in the 1980’s, giving birth to the 3 ½-inch, 12 gauge that tops the popularity list today. Remington’s reliable Wingmas-ter 12-gauge pump was - and still is - one of waterfowling’s most popular choices. It was aff ordable and dependable. Hunters loved it because it was simple and reliable. A few years later would see

Remington introduce the fi rst gas operated automatic that revolu-tionized how shooters dealt with unwanted recoil. Th e Model 1100 hit the market and the company sold thousands. Remington had an automatic already on the market but it was

the Model 11 humpback made on the Browning A-5 pattern and it kicked like a mule when duck hunt-ers shot heavy loads. With the introduction of the Model 1100 Remington au-toloader and its Model 870 pump already proven the manufacturer had two of water-fowling’s top guns to call its own during the 1960’s and 1970’s era.

TODAY’S TOP GUNS I’m no gun expert, so let’s get that clear right up front. I’ve shot most of today’s top guns and man-aged to miss consistently with all of them at times. Still, I enjoy monitoring the blind and observe what my cus-

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tomers pull out of the case, just before daylight draws near. So, if I haven’t mentioned your favorite brand or model, don’t be off ended. I’m just passing on what appears to be trends in the waterfowler’s world from my little corner of the duck blind. Again it’s quite interesting as I’ve logged several hundred gun ob-servations over the decades. Modern day hunters have a gro-cery list of great guns that contin-ue to evolve, as to performance and appearance. Today’s camou-fl age patterns are quite amazing, with full fl at fi nishes that don’t glare from the duck blind. Th ey double as a nice turkey gun too and can even perform well in the dove fi eld. Meanwhile, the evolution of steel shot changed waterfowling. Screw-in chokes allowed quick changes on patterns and hunters went to bigger shells in hopes of recouping some of their losses, when range diminished, as steel

was and is diff erent from the by-gone era of lead shot. Today’s top guns goes some-thing like this: Benelli’s Super Black Eagle, Winchester’s Super-X series, Beretta’s AL391 and A400 Extreme series, Browning’s Maxus - along with its Gold and Silver series and a few Browning Pump Shotguns (BPS), Remington’s Ver-sa Max, along with the old standby Model 870 pump and Model 1187 automatic. Several Mossbergs enter the blind such as the Model 835 Ulti-Mag pump, which is aff ordable but kicks like a left jab from Mo-hammed Ali at the height of his boxing career. Mossberg’s Model 500 auto and Stoeger’s Model 2000 occasionally surface, as do a few old Remington 1100’s. Today’s popular automatics sometimes jam in cold weather or when dirt and grit slow the action, so keeping one clean is impera-tive, if you want it to cycle three shots when the opportunity pres-

ents itself. Having seen a lot of guns mal-function at inap-propriate times, such as when a nice bunch of mallards fi nally descend over the decoys from the high heavens, or a

goose works perfect and falls into range like a meteor; I can tell you it’s a somber moment when guns jam or won’t shoot.DUCK HUNTING’S ALL TIME

MOST POPULAR GUN Th ere are no instant replay but-tons in waterfowling. Having said that, the gun with the best reputation for performing day in and day out in all conditions - wet, cold, muddy - has been the Remington Model 870 pump. Some of us have had to use it for boat paddles or prize poles! Th e manufacturer doesn’t necessarily recommend that, but out in the muck and mud of the waterfowl-er’s world strange things happen. Th e model 870 is aff ordable and comes in several grades, such as the infamous Wingmaster or low-er grade Express. Th e magnum al-lows you to shoot 2 ¾-inch shells or up to 3 ½-inch if you can with-stand the price of shells and the recoil that comes with them. Two words best sum up water-fowling’s top gun, “It works”!Editor’s note: Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fi shing guide from Paris, Tennessee. He can be reached at [email protected].

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The success of a hunting club will depend not only on the habitat and wildlife, but even more importantly on the quality of its members. STO File Photo

Forming a Successful Hunting Club By Rob Somerville

I In this modern day era, walk-ing up to a landowner’s door and politely asking for and receiving permission to hunt is becoming a rarity. With more and more urban sprawl, and land values at an all-time high, land has become too expensive a luxury for the aver-age blue-collar hunter to purchase for their recreational activities of hunting sports. Farmers are now, more than ever, implementing programs to lease out large tracts

of land for hunting leases. Th ey are literally “farming wildlife.” Th ese farmers have learned that they can supplement their crop income with money generated from hunt-ing. Due to the diffi culty in easi-ly accessing hunting permission on private ground for free, public hunting areas are overcrowded. Because of all of these factors, many outdoor oriented men and women have learned an alterna-tive solution; that being the pool-ing of their money and resources

with other like-minded hunters to form a hunting club.

Th e Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Th ough this sub-topic sounds more like a Clint Eastwood fi lm than an article in a major outdoor publication, it aptly describes what hunters may encounter when forming a hunting club. Let me explain. I have learned many things from the experiences of be-ing the lease foreman over a doz-


en hunting clubs in the past thirty years. Th ese tracts of land encom-passed over 12,000 acres in all. I have made mistakes and learned from them, and have helped many clubs get started through my ex-perience. Th e benefi ts of a hunting club include pooling your money, ex-perience and labor in a group eff ort for the enjoyment of all. Sounds easy, right? It can be if you don’t make common mistakes that many fl edgling clubs make. I have seen friends and brothers literally fi ghting mad over diff erences in opinion of a hunting club and its unclear regulations. I have even seen landowners tell members to, “Never set foot on my land again.” I have also seen clubs literally kill out all desirable game on a leased property, through poor manage-ment and over harvesting. Today, I will share with you the keys to forming and maintaining a suc-cessful hunting club, a “Blueprint for Success” – if you will.It takes quality people to have a quality club Th e fi rst step I recommend in forming a hunting club is to part-

ner with someone who you are good friends with, and who is a safe and ethical hunter. Share your goals and visions of where and what type of area and wild-life you would both like to hunt, how much you are each willing to spend, how many acres you would like to lease, and how many mem-bers you need to meet expendi-tures without dipping into the family grocery money. Th e two of you will share the duties of lease foremen. Your next step is to fi ll the quo-ta of membership you decided on with GOOD, QUALITY people. Th ey must be safe, ethical, and good natured and have similar philosophies about game manage-ment, harvest size and quotas as the two of you. A very important factor is the fact that they must be fi nancially able to pay their part. Get a verbal agreement of mem-bership from all recruited mem-bers before looking for an area to lease.

Land Ho! When you are all in agreement on all of the subjects in the para-graph above, begin looking for land. Do not wait until a month before hunting season. If you do, most of the quality land will be taken, and if it is not, it will have a premium price tag. A good place to start is with friends, fam-ily members, church and business acquaintances, and in newspapers and magazine want ads. Once you locate some land to look at, ask some locals about it. An excellent source of wildlife sightings is rural mail carriers. When you are confi -dent that the land meets the needs

of the game you wish to pursue, contact the landowner by phone, or better yet, in person. Ask them if they could fi nd time in their busy schedule to meet with you and your partner to discuss the possibility of leasing their land for a hunting club. Prior to your meeting, put togeth-er a formal presentation including what type of game you wish to hunt, a proper management plan, how many people will be in your club, and any type of food plots you would like to plant to enhance the wildlife on his land. Th e most important part of this presenta-tion is the set of club rules.

Club Rules – Th e building blocks of success

A wise man once said, “Society without rules wreaks utter chaos.” Th e same can be said about hunt-ing clubs. Rules that are printed out and signed, by each club mem-ber and the landowner, protect all parties involved. When the laws are laid down at the beginning of the endeavor, and all parties agree to them, it will prevent feelings from getting hurt and tempers from fl aring up in the future. Th e following is a list of generic rules I recommend for any hunting club.

Ten Commandments of Hunting Clubs:

1. Th e cost of the lease, with equal cost shared by each mem-ber, and an exact date for when the money is due.2. A listing of all members names, phone numbers, email, type and color of vehicle they drive, license plate number, and type and color of ATV. {Th e ve-hicle and ATV information is to

Food plots are a great way to attract and enhance the quality of wildlife on your club’s lease, but the work and expense of these food plots must be shared equally among your members.Photo by Rob Somerville


be able to discern member’s ve-hicles from trespassers}.3. Each member, without excep-tion, must follow all game and fi sh rules, quotas and seasons set by the state agency. 4. All members will treat the landowner, his property, his equipment and any livestock on the land with the utmost respect.5. Club harvest and quota limits. {Example - on my leases we are only allowed to take one buck per season, and it must have a minimum 16-inch antler spread. Each hunter can take two mature gobblers, and no jakes. Th ere is a $500.00 penalty for a deer har-vested under the antler require-ment, and a $100.00 fi ne if a button buck is taken. Th is mon-ey goes towards the next year’s least and is split equally amongst members. We encourage the har-vest of does to enhance our buck to doe ratio. Th ese restrictions are not enforced when dealing with juvenile or physically chal-lenged hunters. Th e reason for these rules is to establish and maintain a quality game man-agement plan}.6. A guest policy must be set. When this policy is not put in writing, it causes a lot of prob-lems. {We allow a guest on any day, but opening day of any type of deer season. No guests are allowed during turkey season}. It also needs to state that each member is completely responsi-ble for the conduct of their guest.7. All expenses and work voted on by club must be shared equal-ly.8. Designate parking and ATV

parking and travel areas, with prior approval of landowner.9. No rutting of roads, riding ATV’s through planted fi elds, or driving nails in to trees.10. Address any and all safety is-sues that you think may come up and stress safety as Priority # 1.

Th e Meeting When you meet with the land-owner, be respectful and honest. Th ey have probably had domes-tic animals or equipment shot, been trespassed on, had garbage dumped on their property, or had crops or roads rutted. It is a good idea to have written character ref-erences, complete with contact names and phone numbers. It is a big plus if you have a letter of reference from a landowner you have hunted on previously. If the landowner seems agreeable to the proposition of leasing his land, it is time for you to make like Monty Hall and “Let’s Make a Deal”. If you plan on implementing a game management plan, plant food plots, and grow trophy ani-mals you need to try to secure a fi ve year lease at the minimum. Th is serves two purposes. It lets the land owner see the sincerity of your club and gives them the con-fi dence of a set income coming in for the agreed upon time period. For your club, it gives incentive to put work and money into the lease towards years of enjoyment. Al-though it doesn’t happen oft en, I have seen hunting clubs do a lot of work at no minimal expense, only to get booted out aft er one year when another group of hunters comes up with an off er of a little more money and reaps the fruits

of all your labors. Th e respect you give the landowner, the conduct of your members, and the trust he builds in your group as a club, are also key factors in him giving you fi rst right of refusal at the end of the lease contract. If the lease is agreed upon, and the deal is sealed by a handshake, get it typed out and signed by each lease member and the landown-er. Spell out each detail, and get it notarized along with a copy of the club rules signed by each member. All members should then get a signed permission slip from land-owner and a club sticker or placard for their vehicle. Even before you start scouting the land, have the landowner show you the bound-aries, and clearly mark them with “No Trespassing signs.”

Summary: One of the most overlooked ad-vantages of a hunting club is the camaraderie formed while scout-ing, planting food plots and hunt-ing. Many of my best friends have become so through my association with them as fellow members of hunting leases I am on. Planning,

Turkey will gravitate to many of the same food plots as deer {example: clover}. But, if you are targeting turkey specifi cally, you may want to look into planting chufa.Photo by Rob Somerville


putting up deer stands, brushing duck blinds, and sitting around the camp fi re all help form a bond fi lled with memories that will last a lifetime. I have been in clubs where four generations of hunt-ers sat around the lodge, swap-ping stories and laughing. To put it simply, a hunting club’s quality will be decided upon by who the members are and what eff orts they put into it. An unwritten code of ethics should also be discussed. Th is includes never leaving the property until all hunters are at the designated parking space and accounted for, and never acting disrespectful to another member. Last year, on the evening before the opening of the Juvenile deer hunt, I looked around the camp-fi re. I saw smiles and looks of con-tentment on all of the adults, and excitement and awe in the eyes of the kids. I remember saying a si-lent prayer of thanks to the Father of all things wild, and whispering

to myself, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.” I hope that your hunting club venture will be a success. If you have any questions, or

would like to discuss hunting clubs in more detail, you can email me at [email protected].

One way to measure how much the wildlife on your lease has browsed down your food plots is to fence a small circle of each food plot with rabbit wire. The difference between the fenced in area and the surrounding area will show you how much the wildlife has browsed. Photo by Rob Somerville

Chufa is a root plant, similar to peanuts, and turkeys love it! Photo by Rob Somerville


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HuntingHuntingBy Shawn Todd

H H

ow do you introduce kids to hunting? Th at is an excellent question. Th is was asked to me by a reader earlier this year and here is what I believe. To introduce a kid to hunting one must have pa-tience, knowledge and the desire to help a kid in a safe and ethi-cal manner. I believe that taking them to the woods at a young age is the way to answer this question. Here are two examples of kids getting introduced to the woods at a young age. A friend of mine - Lloyd Stewart - asked if we could take his grandson Amarius (Ol-iver) Parr hunting one night and I said sure, bring him on. Oliver, as I call him, is four years-old and is your typical all American boy; full of energy and questions. Oli-ver has been yo-yoing for catfi sh many times with us and caught several fi sh, but this was his fi rst time to go hunting with us. On a nice, October night I meet them at Lloyd’s house and off we went. Aft er about fi fteen minutes Heidi and Whiskey River struck and treed a coon in a large oak tree. We checked out the tree and fi nally saw the coon. It was a nice

The priorities in teaching kids about hunting should be stressed in the fol-lowing order - safety, ethics, camaraderie and fun!STO File Photo


boar {male} coon - about 12 lbs. in weight. Oliver was like a kid in a candy factory. We let the hounds go again and they repeated the same process. Th is time, the dogs went deeper; about four hundred yards in. Oliver looked at me ex-citedly and said, “Shawn Todd, we have got to hurry up and walk to the dogs.” I looked at Lloyd and said, “If we could only bottle that energy up and sell it.” We laughed at that and went to the dogs. A pecan tree was the hiding spot of choice this time for the coon and again we met our goal. Overall, it was a very successful night. Another example of introducing young kids to the woods is Cody Rodriquez and his nephew, Aidan Pruitt, who is ten tears-old. Cody has been taking Aidan squirrel hunting for a few years, as well as fi shing, but never coon hunting. One day I saw Cody and we got a plan together to go cooning. On this October night it was warm and dry. We met at Cody’s house and away we went. We arrived at a good location Cody has per-mission to hunt and released the hounds. Th irty minutes passed by and I heard Heidi and Whiskey open up with barks about a thou-sand yards away. As luck would have it we were able to drive to the dogs and had another success hunt. We let Aidan shoot the coon and now he is hooked. He, like Oliver, was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. Th ese are just two examples of how to introduce kids to hunt-ing. Th ere are several ways to in-troduce them to our heritage of the great outdoors, but any safe

and ethical way you do it is great. Th is was just a couple of meth-ods of two caring men introduc-ing young kids to the woods. So, if any of you older hunters get a chance, take a kid hunting. You and the child will defi nitely enjoy it and hey, you never know, they

may hunt for years and teach oth-er young kids the sport of hunting. Hope all you great readers fi ll your game bags this hunting season. Until next time, see you at the tree.

When everything comes together and a young hunter is successful on a hunt, it forms a bond that lasts forever. As the old saying goes, “If you hunt with your kids at an early age, you won’t have to hunt for them later in life!” STO File Photo


Thanksgiving … A Time of Reminiscence By R. Chad Davis

or my fi nal article of 2015in STO Magazine … I found myself reminiscing. It’s common for me to do this at the end of each year, but not in the way you probably think. Sure, I think about busi-ness, learning from my mistakes, building upon my successes and planning for the next year. But, as I grow older, I fi nd myself under-standing and appreciating those that came before me, more and more. I study how these infl uen-tial people in my life molded me, changed me and made me a bet-ter person. From my family, my friends, my church leaders, school teachers, Sunday school teachers, coaches, scout leaders, employers, etc… they all had a small and large hand in my growth and matura-tion. Always trying to be better, I ponder this and think about how I can do the same for my family, my employees and my community. One such person of great in-fl uence was my grandfather, on my mother’s side. Before I tell you about him, let me clarify one thing. His name is Bill Deere, but he was aff ectionately known as

My Grandfather “Pot” is pictured here with a wild-haired image of me. In the background of the photo, in the distance, you see the old barn that I played in as a kid, Pot’s garden, and the plow share that my great grand-father used to plow the garden with before they got a tractor (far left side). That plow is now the logo for my company and a symbol of hard work, a different time and simpler ways. Continued on page 29

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“Pot”. I am sure you are either scratch-ing your head or laughing right now, but let me explain. As a child, I could not say “Pop.” “Pot” is what came out and well… it stuck. Everyone seemed to like it, including Pot, and it is one of the benefi ts of being the fi rst born grandchild. With the recent le-galization of marijuana in some states, I don’t know if he would ac-cept the name today or not, but in the seventies it was OK. In telling a family member that I was writing an article about “Pot” for Southern Traditions Outdoors Magazine, a bystander asked incredulously, “You are doing WHAT?” Pot owned B&E Auto in down-town Dyersburg, was a gentleman farmer and general all-around gardener. Serving in WWII and fi ghting the Japanese, he was very proud of his service, but did not like to talk about it much. He had a contagious laugh and loved his wife, Janie, more than anything in the world. He was heavily in-volved in the First United Meth-odist Church of Finley, as well as a member of the Finley school board. He loved the hit TV show, “Hee-Haw” that was on Saturday nights and I remember turning my hands purple with him shelling peas, as we laughed at Roy Clarke and Buck Owens. Pot loved both his family and his community. As a child, on Saturdays, there was a good chance that I was going to be dropped off in Finley where I would help with the garden, pick up bottles in the neighborhood and then head over to Rubbles Grocery Store to turn them in for

a Pepsi (in a real glass bottle) or a Nu-grape, if I was lucky. Pot had a garden that was at least an acre and a couple of acres of purple hull peas across Mimosa Street. Pot and his wife, Janie, had two daughters and two sons. Th ey all married and at that time, there were three grandchildren with two more coming in the near fu-ture. On Sunday’s we all came to-gether for lunch, board games and if the weather was right, a com-petitive game of 21 or H-O-R-S-E {basketball}. In the picture accompanying this article, you see “Pot” with a wild-haired image of me. What was really interesting to me is in the background of the photo. In the distance, you see the old barn that I played in as a kid, Pot’s garden, and the plow share that my great grandfather used to plow the gar-den with before they got a tractor (far left side). Th at plow is now the logo for my company and a sym-bol of hard work, a diff erent time and simpler ways. I thought I would share with you some of what I learned from Pot and if you know me then well, you know I live my life by “sayings.” Th is trait came from Pot, because he would answer questions with little sayings, oft en citing country logic rather than books, unless of course it was the bible. Here are a few of his memorable quotes.“You get what you deserve”“What goes around comes

around”“Mathew 7:12 – So, what-ever you wish that others

would do to you, do also to

them, for this is the law and the Prophets” – AKA Th e

Golden Rule All three of these quotes are all very similar and related at least. Pot lived his life being a blessing to others. He grew up in the great de-pression as a child and knew what hard times really were. He realized that in the end, all we really have is each other and that treating oth-ers with kindness, empathy and respect would get him further in life than not. I watched him give away two thirds of his garden ev-ery year, while either consuming or putting up the rest for the fami-ly. I never saw him receive a dollar for his produce. It was his blessing to his neighbors. Whether you subscribe to “Th e Golden Rule” or believe in “Karma”… be nice to others and it will generally pay off in the end. Be ugly to others and it won’t. Th at is what Pot truly be-lieved!

“Hard work pays off ” Pot was a tireless worker that did not expect a hand out or some-thing for free. If he ever saw me slacking with my garden chores, even as a very young child, he’d mention work and a wage and I’d get to stepping.“I’d rather be lucky as good

any day” Pot rarely played board games on Sunday aft ernoons with the fami-ly, but if he did, he was lucky. Th e fi rst time I heard this popular say-ing was from Pot, as he rolled dou-bles to get all of the money in the middle of the Monopoly Board.

“Be careful what you ask for… You just might get it”


Th is may be why I’m such as skeptic. Many times as a child, I’d wish for something foolish or unreasonable and many times, if I did get it, more problems arose than not. To this day, I tell people to be careful what they wish for. A few months ago, a client of mine was heard wishing for a correc-tion in the markets so that “we could get it over with.” Although, as I write this article, we are close to a full recovery; when recently speaking to him, he wished he had not said that! Th is article has everything and nothing to do with business. Without these simple lessons, I would not have had the success-es that I’ve experienced. Th e sim-ple words that my grandfather, as well as others, have spoken to me

have molded me into who I am. I remember this when I speak to my son and know that someday, whether good or bad, he will re-member the words I have spoken to him. With that said remember that words are powerful, infl uential and can last forever. If you are a fa-ther, mother, grandfather, grand-mother, aunt, uncle, cousin, sib-ling, co-worker or boss, use your words wisely. You never know how they may be used in the fu-ture or how they may mold some-one in a special way.Editor’s note: R. Chad Davis, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER Practitioner, Finan-cial Advisor and owner of Davis Wealth Services located at 575 Mall Blvd. Suite C, Dyersburg, Ten-

nessee. Securities off ered through Raymond James Financial Services Inc. member FINRA SIPC. Davis Wealth Services is independently owned and operated. For further comment, Davis may be reached at 731-285-0097. Th is information is not meant to be legal or tax advice. Any opinions are those of Chad Davis and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Th e information has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. Th is information is not intended as a solicitation. Raymond James and its advisors do not off er tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropri-ate professional.



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MAN DEER

By Richard A. Fagan

VsVs

Want to put a deer in your freezer? No problem. Th ere are plenty of deer in our area. Quota limits have been increased in the attempt to balance their growing populations. Also, consider the advancements in equipment. To-

day’s in-line muzzle loading rifl es are capable of accurately shooting over two hundred yards. Cross-bow technology has advanced and off ers extended hunting opportu-nities. Th ese and other conditions have brought it to the point where anyone who spends some time

and eff ort can bag themselves a deer. If there is one thing that has suff ered, it is the challenge of the hunt. Th ere have been years when I would hunt with just archery equipment, or during convention-al gun season only use my muz-zle loader. Th ese were attempts to raise the stakes and create more of a challenge. I have been around other hunters who have done the same things, for the same reason. Several years ago I started hunt-ing in Kentucky, where you are al-lowed only one buck a year. Aft er my fi rst year, I realized you better make sure the buck you take down is the one you want, or your sea-son is over. Th e process of becom-ing a more selective hunter began at that realization and I have truly benefi ted from it. One of the most enjoyable things that happen during the season is that every year someone decides to hunt one particular buck. Th is is where the challenge of the hunt intensifi es. To quote my friend Mark, “Let the games begin.” Opening mornings of gun sea-

Here is Gary’s big buck, caught on a trail camera, just days before the season opened. Photo by author


son we always meet at our friend Mark’s home. We gather around the picnic table and discuss our plans. Gary and his wife, Kim, always come down from Penn-sylvania to hunt opening week with us. Last year, thanks to one of the trail cameras, Gary got a look at a massive ten-point buck. Th is deer was seen several times, within a half mile of where they hunt. “Th at’s a nice one,” he de-clared as he glanced at the camera. It was obvious to everyone that Gary was going to be aft er this buck. Th e morning was unusually warm, the wind was gusting out of the southwest, and several shots were heard being fi red from the distant surrounding farms. But, we heard only one from our farm. It was Gary. He won the “one on one” on the fi rst day of the season. Sometimes it happens that fast, but most of the time it’s a season long battle, and one that the big buck oft en wins.Stepping up your game Going one-on-one with a big buck requires a hunter to dig deeper into the basics of hunt-ing and woodsmanship. Th e fi rst thing you must do is to locate your deer. Continual scouting is

the key. Aerial maps help when looking for bottlenecks, creek crossings and natural funnels. Th ese are good places to start your quest. Low swags and water ways in crop fi elds off er hiding places where deer tend to graze. Th ese areas need to be watched from a safe distance. Remember to keep the wind in your favor. Watch the does, during late aft er-noon feedings. Th ey are oft en the fi rst ones in the herd to move out into the fi elds. Th ey keep a wary eye out for any dangers, which includes any bucks that might be waiting in a staging area, until it’s safe to make an appearance. Th ese staging areas are where I like to hunt. I try to position myself where I can also watch fi elds. Knowing your hunting area and the deer movement in that area are the fi rst steps you should take in your search for the right buck. Th is also lets you evaluate the quality of the herd. Scouting is an important factor in having a suc-cessful hunting season, and is es-pecially crucial when hunting one particular animal. Be realistic about what you fi nd when looking for a buck. Some places in West Tennessee and the surrounding areas don’t have monster bucks running around. Keep in mind that deer patterns will change as they go from pre-rut, to rut, to post-rut. Scout for the best deer you can fi nd and stay aft er him. I asked my friend, Tommy Stew-art, to share his method for locat-ing bucks. He uses trail cameras, which have proven to be useful tools in patterning deer. One ben-

efi t of cameras is that they moni-tor the property around the clock. Tommy also stated that looking for sheds in the spring is a good indicator of the size of a buck, and that he survived the previous hunting season. Just to be sure, he increases his options by scouting for two good bucks, then picking one to go aft er.

Reading the signs When searching for the right buck, it is important to pay close attention to all the deer sign in the area. Th ere are several things to look for that can help you pin-point the right deer. It has oft en been said that a big buck won’t rub a small tree but sometimes a “broke horn” smaller buck may rub a larger tree. I have seen this and agree with it. When I fi nd a larger diameter tree that has a fresh rub I begin looking for more evidence of the size of the deer that made it. I try to be careful not to leave any scent when studying rubs and scrapes. Tracks are obvious indicators of a deer size but most people just look at how large they are or how deep they are. If you are tracking a deer, in a wet or snowy area, look at the front tracks. A larger buck will carry his head lower when he walks. Th is causes his front tracks to leave forward drag marks from the tips of his hooves as he steps.

Be mobile Big bucks did not get big by be-ing seen a lot. As hunting pres-sure increases these deer become almost ghost-like and will shift to an almost fully nocturnal pattern. Th e ability to move your hunting position is an advantage you will

Here is the end result of Gary’s “one on one” quest for his buck, which he took on opening day. Photo by author


need when hunting one deer, as he changes his pattern through the season. It is a good idea to have a quiet and high quality climb-ing stand at the ready, so you can move with the deer’s ever chang-ing patterns. You should also an-ticipate where you could possibly be hunting and prepare trees, by trimming limbs and clearing the leaves from the trees base, before you hunt it.

No pressure Big bucks like heavy cover, and they do not like having to travel too far from that heavy cover to their food source. When you lo-cate the deer you plan on hunting, take extra care not to invade his bedding area. Give him a safe buf-fer zone and be patient. Th e slow-er you take things, the better the chances you won’t spook him off .

Th e End Result To take up the challenge of going one-on-one with a mature white-tail buck, requires you to let small-er bucks walk and stay focused on your goal. You may hunt aft er your prey all season and end up not getting a shot at all. What you will get, is a better edge on your hunting skills, just like sharpening a knife. While bow hunting this year, I had a shot at a nice, wide racked eight-pointer, but chose not to take it. Instead, I added a twist to the game. My friend’s father hunts the same area. Aft er letting this buck walk, I told him there was a buck waiting on him. I guess you could say I picked him a one-on-one. I will pass along the outcome as it unfolds.Hunt safely!

Tommy Stewart proudly displays a nice, ten-point buck he took as a result of hard scouting and even harder hunting. Note the previous year’s shed he has in the picture.Photo by author


TRADITIONS TIPS - with Richard A. Fagan

1. If you hunt in an area where black walnut trees are found, step on the green hulls. The odor from these hulls makes a good nat-ural, masking cover scent.

2. To make a great visual aid to your key ring, you can attach a strip of florescent orange material. Also, to keep your keys off the bottom of the lake, use a brightly colored floating key chain. You should consider reducing the weight of your keys by taking only the keys you will need.

3. Use an upland type,florescent orange hunting vest instead of the big game coverage vest. This type of vest offers more pockets and a game pouch in the rear so you can carry extra clothes and gear. It also makes a safe place to carry rattling horns.

4. Keep some “Chap Stick” handy in your day pack; along with the intended use it has many other practical applications from sealing small cuts to rubbing it on a squeaky stand as a lubricant.

5. Glue a mat or towel to a piece of plastic tarp that can be rolled up and stored in your vehicle. Use this to make changing in and out of boots a dryer experience. A small saddle blanket also works great.

Editor’s note: all photos and graphics are provided by the author. If you wish to submit a “TIP” send emails to [email protected].


PROFESSIONAL DOG TRAINERS…WELL WORTH THE MONEY

By Steve McCadams

R Retrievers are amazing crea-tures and hunting companions. In the hands of the right person they’re an athlete capable of per-forming magical feats, not to mention fi nding lost or cripple ducks, geese, pheasants and doves that would otherwise never make it to your game bag. Yet, there are legions of dog

owners, who possess a beautiful canine companion, with hand-some features and high doses of desire that never allow their four-legged friend to live up to his breeding reputation. Oft en times, the responsibilities of dog owner-ship overwhelm them. Wanting a good hunting dog to perform once season opens re-quires more than just the “want

to.” In some cases, folks get too busy to tend to the chores and establish a weekly workout rou-tine throughout the year, which is pretty much what it takes, if you really want a polished dog that impresses you and your hunting buddies. Honing the dog’s natural, God given ability takes a lot of time and eff ort. Th ose dedicated to the routine of repetition are the ones reaping the benefi ts of an impres-sive dog in the fi eld and one that adds another dimension to the hunt. Truth is ... some folks don’t know how to properly train retrievers. Th ey lack the experience, or make fundamental mistakes early in the process, with a young pup. Another scenario … and un-fortunately it’s one that’s common across the country … has a won-derful dog with a high pedigree and that unique drive left wasting away in the pen. No attention giv-en. No time spent bonding and sharing life’s great moments in the short phase of its youth. A cute, aff ectionate retriever pup with teenager metabolism is a sight for sore eyes and should not go unnoticed. You’ve no doubt heard it time and again when someone asks about their dog, “Oh, he could be a good hunting dog if someone fooled with him. I just haven’t had the time!”

Professional retriever trainer - Robert Jeter of Gleason, Tennessee pauses with a young black Labrador named Daisy, after returning with a dummy on a morning workout. Sending your dog to a trainer is money well spent.Photo by Steve McCadams


Professional retriever trainers are well worth the money, if you’re serious about your dog’s perfor-mance once season opens. Both you and the dog can become bet-ter hunters and companions if you take the time to watch, look and listen to someone who does it on a daily basis. From many hours around the ponds and fi elds comes valuable experience in dealing with a va-riety of breeds that oft en have multiple personalities. Like the people who own them, some hab-its they’ve acquired need to be ad-dressed and corrected. Th ere are right and wrong ways to correct dogs that may have got-ten started on the wrong foot. Vet-eran trainers recognize early is-sues and can quickly evaluate the personality of a dog’s threshold for discipline … or lack thereof. Th e question is what do you want from your dog? Do you just want the basic meat dog to go and fetch? Would you like to take him or her to the next level, where the whistle and hand signals help di-rect the canine companion toward the game? Such an accomplish-ment is pretty impressive when done correctly. Graduating to the next level might put elite dogs in compe-tition, where fi eld trials award points based on performance and handling. Challenging courses are set up across the country on fi eld trial circuits such as the Hunting Retriever Club, which is affi liated with the Kalamazoo, Michigan based United Kennel Club. HRC maintains its common sense, hunting realism in testing

Hunting retrievers. Th ere are fi ve ability-based (not age) categories that the dogs may enter in the HRC Tests. Th ey include Started, Seasoned, Finished, Grand and Upland. Unlike fi eld trials, these are not competitive 1st, 2nd and 3rd place events, but tests where all dogs are judged pass or fail against a "Hunting Standard." Long before you consider jump-ing to the upper levels of dog training, however, it’s best you begin your journey by sharing a few sunrises with someone who knows the ropes. A veteran hunter, or professional guide with years of dog work under his belt, can give good advice. By hunting with someone who already owns an experienced dog, you’ll marvel at the relationship between the hunter and his canine companion. Odds are that you’ll have a burning desire to one day have a dog that performs amazing feats in the fi eld just like it. Th ere’s nothing more enjoy-able than watching a trained dog at work, living up to his breeding reputation, with a keen sense of smell and sharp eyesight. Th ere’s also nothing like being on a hunt with a dog that’s out of control and doesn’t know what to do. I’ve been on both! Some guys start hollering at the dog the minute they drop the tail-gate. Others lose their temper and punish the dog for reasons un-known to the dog. Both are can-didates for a course with a profes-sional trainer. Training, or shock collars, are used by most of today’s profes-sional trainers as a tool to quick-

ly bring a dog into compliance with what they want the dog to do and when they want him to do it. However, “the collar,” as most trainers refer to it, is a valu-able tool in the hands of the right person, but a mistake when used by a novice who may allow their temper to override their judgment and inexperience. “Every dog is diff erent and I use a collar to get the dog’s attention, but rarely shock one aft er the ini-tial introduction,” said veteran trainer Robert Jeter (731)-225-9468, owner of Middlefork Ken-nel in Gleason, Tennessee. “I work with them daily and hone their skills, if the desire is there. I want the owner to visit and watch the dog, so both learn from the work-outs.” With some 19 years under his belt, Jeter has traveled the country on the various fi eld trial circuits, but is phasing back to just hunt-

Watching a trained dog at work adds another dimension to the hunt, as they help fi nd lost birds and per-form amazing feats. It takes time and patience, plus a daily routine of conditioning, if you want your pup to perform when season arrives.Photo by Steve McCadams


ing dogs starting next year. “I love working with retrievers and plan to quit the traveling, but continue to help hunters get the most po-tential out of their dogs.” Jeter, and other trainers like him, devote long hours to training, of-ten rising before daylight during warm weather to start the daily routine. Th ey teach the dog to not only retrieve, but to hold the dum-my and heel on command to the worker’s left side, oft en brushing the leg with aff ection and a hand-off of the bounty. I’ve seen several of his dogs aft er graduation and it was abundant-ly clear that both the dog and the owner were better suited for fu-ture enjoyment in the fi eld. Most trainers will charge a monthly fee---ranging from $450 to $600 in this area, which in-cludes feeding and fl ea/tick con-trol. Some owners leave dogs for several months, and others return even a seasoned dog for a little pol-ish in the summer and throughout the fall, before duck season opens. Both hunters and trainers know the value of a good blood line. Having your dog registered with American Kennel Club is pret-ty much imperative for breeding purposes. And, if the dog’s parents had an impressive pedigree with a champion blood line, your litters of puppies will command higher prices. A big, black 9-year old female Labrador retriever by the name of Daisy rests at my feet as this sto-ry is formulated. I have been the benefi ciary of a variety of various retrievers’ love for over 50 years, with several great hunting com-

panions claiming a huge part of my heart, some of which remained with them as they ventured on to the big duck blinds in the sky. So, the question is are profes-sional trainers really worth the money to get your dog perform-ing the way he was designed to do? Do you want a good hunting dog by your side, day in and day out that knows the score? Once he chases a cripple down in the distance, or returns from nowhere with a fat mallard in his mouth that you thought had got-ten away, you’ll sport a huge grin and need a bigger hat. Hiring a trainer is indeed money well spent. I highly recommend it, as his eff orts will save you lots of headaches and embarrassing mo-ments in the marsh. You’ll soon discover your memories and dog are priceless! Editor’s note: Steve McCadams is a professional hunting and fi shing guide from Paris, Tennessee. He can be reached at [email protected].

The author has hunted with Labra-dor retrievers for almost 50 years, and is pictured with an old friend named Ace, holding a hefty green-head. Good retrievers are the result of regular workouts and bonding with their owner, not to mention sharing many mornings in the marsh.Photo by Steve McCadams


Fish Factory Part 5Part 5

Aquatic Plants as Fish StructureBy Kevin Grifft h

OK … I have to admit some-thing. I was going to totally ignore an early failure of mine with Fyrne Lake in this series of articles, but my story wouldn’t be complete if I do! In my last article, I steered clear of mentioning any of my early ef-forts at establishing plants in the lake. I’m sure that’s because it was a total and utter DISASTER! It consumed an amazing amount of time, eff ort and not a small amount of money. You see, I thought I had it all fi gured out. Th is successful

entrepreneur from Florida (me) was going to outsmart these back-woods Tennessee grass carp (actu-ally they’re from Asia – but I didn’t know that at the time). It all started with my desire to establish plant life in Fyrne Lake. Ideally, a lake or pond ecosystem includes aquatic plants in the shallows, with larger natural and/or manmade structures stretching out into the depths. I knew I could handle the larger structures (see my last article). I also was aware that establishing aquatic plants

would be a challenge, until we re-duced the number of grass carp in the lake. Reducing their numbers would take time and I didn’t want to wait! I immediately started devising a plan to create multiple fenced-in “carp free zones” in the shallower areas of the lake. I re-alized that the grass carp would consume any plants that grew out beyond the fence, but that was part of my plan. I knew we would eventually thin the grass carp out enough that the aquatic plants’ growth would reach a critical mass where the plants would grow out beyond the fence more quick-ly than they could be consumed. Once that happened, we would be winning the war against the grass carp. At least, that was my plan. Before we created these barri-er structures, we needed to select what plants would go in them. Se-lecting the right mix was going to be important and I had to avoid ANY plants that might take over the lake. We were lucky; most of Fyrne Lake’s bottom exceeded 6 feet in depth, which was the maxi-mum depth that most (but not all) aquatic plants could survive. I called my lake consultant, spent hours researching on the inter-

Roland Criswell with a huge, grass carp he caught from Fyrne Lake.Photo by author


net and contacted several aquat-ic plant nurseries. Eventually, I settled upon three species: Pick-erel Weed (Pontederia cordata), American Pondweed (Potamoge-ton nodosus), and Fragrant Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata). Each plant performed a specifi c function in the lake. Th e Picker-el Weed would occupy the shal-lowest zone, from the wet soil of the shoreline to 6 inches of water depth, with some plants creeping out to as much as 18 inches. In full sunlight, Pickerel Weed will densely occupy this zone, creat-ing a shore erosion barrier from waves or wake. Th e American Pondweed would share the shal-low water zone of the Pickerel Weed and beyond, stretching out to 36 inches of water depth with some plants surviving up to 48 inches. Th e dense growth of these two aquatic plants would provide exactly what our shoreline bait-fi sh species (fathead minnows and golden shiners) needed to survive and multiply, thereby signifi cantly

increasing Fyrne Lake’s food sup-ply. Th e Fragrant Water Lily (com-monly known as lily pads) would perform a completely diff erent role in my plan. Th eir structure isn’t nearly as dense, consisting of long slender steams reaching up from the bottom and ending with a fl oating leaf, 4 to 12 inches in diameter. Th eir function is to pro-vide structure for game fi sh to hide in, to ambush baitfi sh and hope-fully attack fi shing lures! Th ese plants will grow in water depths of up to 6’ completing my planned shoreline fi sh habitat without tak-ing over the areas of the lake with greater depths. Two of the three aquatic plants also had an added side benefi t… beautiful blooms! Many of you are probably familiar with the large white fl oating fl owers associated with lily pads, but are you familiar with the unique purple fl owers of

the Pickerel Weed? Th ese plants grow from 2 to 4 foot tall, with spikes containing multiple, small (less than ½ inch) violet fl owers each, with two yellow spots. Th e nectar attracts bees (great for our honey production), and the seeds are a great food source for ducks, while their leaves are a treat for deer and muskrats (more on that later). Now, it was time to create the

Th e fragrant Water Lily grows in depths of up to 6 feet, creates a beau-tiful fl oating bloom and provides ex-cellent cover for game fi sh to ambush prey and attack fi shing lures!Photo from Wikipedia

Pickerel Weed provides a dense, shoreline environment that helps prevent shoreline erosion, while providing shelter for baitfi sh and gamefi sh fry. Photo from Wikipedia

American Pondweed fl ourishes in up to 3’ depths, forming a dense mat of surface leaves, which covers an inviting tangle of underwater stems that are perfect for baitfi sh and gamefi sh fry to hide within. Photo from Wikipedia


continued on next page

grass carp free zones! We started with 15 round structures, made from 50’ rolls of 4’ tall perimeter fencing wire. Each one would be installed in 1 to 2 and 1/2 foot of water, toward the shallower end of Fyrne Lake’s coves. It took three of us working a full week to install and plant these structures. Would they keep out the carp? We would soon fi nd out! Soon the cages were fi lling up with plants! We also discovered an exciting side benefi t. Baitfi sh and gamefi sh fry had quickly dis-covered the sanctuary they pro-vided. Th e summer went on and the lily pads began blooming! Th ey were beautiful and the cages were working! Wow, it looked like things were turning out amazingly well. But, I was about to discover that I was celebrating prematurely.

As the summer was wearing on, we noticed a few lily pads reaching out beyond the fence. Th at was a good sign. Th e fact that they dis-appeared soon aft er wasn’t a sur-prise; it was expected. However, it wasn’t long before we noticed other plants disappearing … from

within the fencing! How could that be?

Roland Criswell and Kevin Griffi th are shown here installing posts to se-cure the upgraded plant cages. Photo by author

Th e answer to that question, and the continuation of this aricle, can be read in the next issue of STO Magazine.


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Robert “Doc” Jackson reeled in this nice, Pickwick Lake largemouth bass in September, 2015.

Pictured here is Sheila Watson, showing off a nice bream she caught while fi shing Fyrne Lake with Danny Watson on August 8th of this year. Photo courtesy of Fyrne Lake

Steve Austin caught this 6 lb., 7 oz. bass on a bladed jig/chatter bait, while fi shing on Fyrne Lake on May 31st, of this year. Photo courtesy of Fyrne Lake

Chase Sawyers and Andrew James got up just a little too early on the recent Juvenile Youth Deer Hunt, but are shown here with a great nap they CAUGHT that day! Photo submitted by Thomas Sawyers

While fi shing at Fyrne Lake, Scott Rumer caught this 15 lb. catfi sh on Saturday, October 10th, 2015.Photo courtesy of Fyrne Lake

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015 | SOUTHERN TRADITIONS OUTDOORS 55NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015 | SOUTHERN TRADITIONS OUTDOORS 55ONONONONOVEVEVEVEMBMBMBMBERERERER - DDDD CECECECECEMEMEMEMBEBEBEBERRRR 2222010101015555 |||| SOSOSOSOSOUTUTUTUTHEHEHEHERNRNRNRN TTTTRARARARADIDIDIDITITITITIOONONONONSSSSS OOUOUOUOUTDTDTDTDOOOOOOOOOO SRSRSRSRS 55555555

Chanie Jackson {8 years-old} shot her fi rst deer ever (fi eld dressed at 130 lbs.) during the juve-nile hunt with her daddy, Hunter Jackson, on Sunday, Nov 1st, 2015 in Dyer County,

Eddie Brimm caught these two huge bass weighing around eight and fi ve pounds in the Blue Hole, near Moss Island. Photo submitted by Mike Robinson

Jonathan and Bradley Brooks won the Fishin’ for a Mission tournament held on Fyrne Lake August 29th, 2015. Proceeds from the tournament went to benefi t The Community Mission Blitz that will be held in May of 2016. Photo courtesy of Fyrne Lake

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Entertainment & Humor

Southern Traditions Outdoors - November/December 2015