Bama Bucks -
It was 4 am on January 9th, as David Daniels and I loaded his trailer with the four wheelers for our big hunting trip to Emelle, Alabama. As
we jumped into his F-250 complaining about the piercing 32-degree temperature, we knew Emelle was going to be much colder as Mike Mahoney had already text messaged that it was in the teens. We love cold weather when hunting, but this was just a bit too cold…by about twenty degrees! It was the worst cold blast we have seen since the 1980’s. So much for “Global Warming”!
This trip was my second with Mike Mahoney this year. My first trip to Georgia was back in October where I saw many 4 pointers and spikes; however, I did not get a chance to shoot my first big buck. While in Georgia, Mike told me about his 2000 acres in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt and how it produces monster bucks. “Boone and Crocket big boys are in abundance!” Mike told me.
As we drove north we kept an eye on the temperature gauge as it dropped one degree per hour. When we arrived in Livingston it was near 25 degrees. Frigid cold is something we aren’t used to. Mike Mahoney told us that the deer in this area have never seen temperatures this low in their lives, consequently this made them bed longer and hardly move around. We felt the same way.
Sunday was my first day in a ground blind. I was sitting in big steel drum that had little windows cut out. It’s a great blind to hunt from with a comfy chair and plenty of room to relax and see all around me. I had a view of a food plot in front of me, and a power line clearing to my right. As I sat in the blind, before the sun came up, it was a shocking 12 degrees. I had a bottle of water in my jacket and a Snickers Bar. As the sun came up and some hunger pains started, I found that I couldn’t eat my candy bar or drink any water, as they were both frozen solid. The first day went by slowly without seeing any deer. It was the longest, most boring and painful six hours I have ever experienced in a blind. 32 degrees sounded like a balmy warm temperature compared to 12!
For several days nothing really moved. It was amazing to walk around and see all the puddles and ponds frozen over. After a few days of the hard freeze the temperatures came up just enough to allow everything to wake up and startmoving, and boy did the woods ever come alive.
In the same blind I started seeing dozens of doe and their young graze and feed. Coyotes were on the prowl and so were bobcats. In January, Alabama has a late season rut and that’s why we were there to hunt. Finally, on my third morning, I saw a huge buck way off in the distance. In my scope I clearly counted a nice 8-point rack. I had the cross hairs right on his shoulders but I let him walk. He was feeding 250 yards away, and he was just on the other side of the property line. He would have been my first buck and would have made a nice wall mount but it was not meant to be. He walked off and disappeared. Seeing him was a great sign and it meant the boys were on the move, looking for love. Mike and David Daniels and many of the other guys also saw bucks that day. It was just a matter of time until there would be a harvest.
Later that evening I ventured back to the ground stand and Mike Mahoney gave me a buck decoy to help stir up some action. I placed him down the power line about 60 yards out. As I was focused on the decoy, a bigbuck strolled by over in the food plot, about 75 yards away. I had never shot a buck and once I saw his rack, I brought up my 30-06 and followed him, took a deep breath, and as I slowly exhaled, squeezed the trigger. He took off into the woods and I could hear my own heart pound! I ran out into the food plot and could tell that I had hit him, as there was a big blood trail. At the same time, off in the distance I heard a shot ring out. Mike Mahoney texted me soon after the shot and told me that he had shot a big 9-point buck. I texted him back, “I shot one too!”
Mike Mahoney and property owner Tommy Smith came to my aid as the sun began to dip below the horizon. We tracked the blood trail about 75 yards into thicket and there was my buck in the light of Tommy’s flashlight. It was my first buck and he had a nice 7-point rack. He weighed in at 180 lbs. His rack was a bit damaged from either a fight or perhaps from an injury while he was in velvet. Nonetheless, I was proud that I would be taking my first trophy buck to Lee’s Taxidermy!
Mike Mahoney closed out his season with a big 9-point buck. From 200 yards he dropped him in his tracks with his infamous “Dr. Death” .300 Win Mag. Many other guys saw 8 points and 6 points but let them walk. Most of the guys were there to get their trophy buck and would not shoot anything under 8 points.
I learned a lot on this hunt. Temperature and wind play a big part. I also learned Imodium AD is a God Send!!! Also, consider not drinking coffee or water in the morning. Sounds funny but the last thing you want to do, is dealing with Nature calling during the bewitching hours of the morning or evening hunts. That was something I didn’t take into account in my earlier hunting trip to Georgia. Also, never forget your Toasty Toes! The one morning I forgot them, I was almost in tears from the cold! Never forget your toes! “Live and learn.”
Alabama was an amazing place to hunt. I really appreciate the invite from Mike Mahoney. I also must thank Shoot Straight of Tampa for sighting in my old 30-06. I hope your deer season was a great one. I can’t wait for next season and a chance to get my 8-point!
It was 4 am on January 9th, as David Daniels and I loaded his trailer with the four wheelers for our big hunting trip to Emelle, Alabama. As
we jumped into his F-250 complaining about the piercing 32-degree temperature, we knew Emelle was going to be much colder as Mike Mahoney had already text messaged that it was in the teens. We love cold weather when hunting, but this was just a bit too cold…by about twenty degrees! It was the worst cold blast we have seen since the 1980’s. So much for “Global Warming”!This trip was my second with Mike Mahoney this year. My first trip to Georgia was back in October where I saw many 4 pointers and spikes; however, I did not get a chance to shoot my first big buck. While in Georgia, Mike told me about his 2000 acres in the heart of Alabama’s Black Belt and how it produces monster bucks. “Boone and Crocket big boys are in abundance!” Mike told me.
As we drove north we kept an eye on the temperature gauge as it dropped one degree per hour. When we arrived in Livingston it was near 25 degrees. Frigid cold is something we aren’t used to. Mike Mahoney told us that the deer in this area have never seen temperatures this low in their lives, consequently this made them bed longer and hardly move around. We felt the same way.
Sunday was my first day in a ground blind. I was sitting in big steel drum that had little windows cut out. It’s a great blind to hunt from with a comfy chair and plenty of room to relax and see all around me. I had a view of a food plot in front of me, and a power line clearing to my right. As I sat in the blind, before the sun came up, it was a shocking 12 degrees. I had a bottle of water in my jacket and a Snickers Bar. As the sun came up and some hunger pains started, I found that I couldn’t eat my candy bar or drink any water, as they were both frozen solid. The first day went by slowly without seeing any deer. It was the longest, most boring and painful six hours I have ever experienced in a blind. 32 degrees sounded like a balmy warm temperature compared to 12!
For several days nothing really moved. It was amazing to walk around and see all the puddles and ponds frozen over. After a few days of the hard freeze the temperatures came up just enough to allow everything to wake up and startmoving, and boy did the woods ever come alive.
In the same blind I started seeing dozens of doe and their young graze and feed. Coyotes were on the prowl and so were bobcats. In January, Alabama has a late season rut and that’s why we were there to hunt. Finally, on my third morning, I saw a huge buck way off in the distance. In my scope I clearly counted a nice 8-point rack. I had the cross hairs right on his shoulders but I let him walk. He was feeding 250 yards away, and he was just on the other side of the property line. He would have been my first buck and would have made a nice wall mount but it was not meant to be. He walked off and disappeared. Seeing him was a great sign and it meant the boys were on the move, looking for love. Mike and David Daniels and many of the other guys also saw bucks that day. It was just a matter of time until there would be a harvest.
Later that evening I ventured back to the ground stand and Mike Mahoney gave me a buck decoy to help stir up some action. I placed him down the power line about 60 yards out. As I was focused on the decoy, a bigbuck strolled by over in the food plot, about 75 yards away. I had never shot a buck and once I saw his rack, I brought up my 30-06 and followed him, took a deep breath, and as I slowly exhaled, squeezed the trigger. He took off into the woods and I could hear my own heart pound! I ran out into the food plot and could tell that I had hit him, as there was a big blood trail. At the same time, off in the distance I heard a shot ring out. Mike Mahoney texted me soon after the shot and told me that he had shot a big 9-point buck. I texted him back, “I shot one too!”
Mike Mahoney and property owner Tommy Smith came to my aid as the sun began to dip below the horizon. We tracked the blood trail about 75 yards into thicket and there was my buck in the light of Tommy’s flashlight. It was my first buck and he had a nice 7-point rack. He weighed in at 180 lbs. His rack was a bit damaged from either a fight or perhaps from an injury while he was in velvet. Nonetheless, I was proud that I would be taking my first trophy buck to Lee’s Taxidermy!
Mike Mahoney closed out his season with a big 9-point buck. From 200 yards he dropped him in his tracks with his infamous “Dr. Death” .300 Win Mag. Many other guys saw 8 points and 6 points but let them walk. Most of the guys were there to get their trophy buck and would not shoot anything under 8 points.I learned a lot on this hunt. Temperature and wind play a big part. I also learned Imodium AD is a God Send!!! Also, consider not drinking coffee or water in the morning. Sounds funny but the last thing you want to do, is dealing with Nature calling during the bewitching hours of the morning or evening hunts. That was something I didn’t take into account in my earlier hunting trip to Georgia. Also, never forget your Toasty Toes! The one morning I forgot them, I was almost in tears from the cold! Never forget your toes! “Live and learn.”
Alabama was an amazing place to hunt. I really appreciate the invite from Mike Mahoney. I also must thank Shoot Straight of Tampa for sighting in my old 30-06. I hope your deer season was a great one. I can’t wait for next season and a chance to get my 8-point!
