Donna's 2012 Doe

Donna had 3 does on the field when she decided to harvest one this afternoon. We had just set up that stand a few weeks ago and we new we needed a direct west wind to hunt it. We finally got a west wind so we ran out to the club after work . We were not  in the stand any time when she harvested this doe. Now it is time to get ready for rut. The same principles apply when hunting a buck check the wind , check the wind, check the wind, before hunting a green field .Your success rate of seeing deer will increase by just hunting the wind .

Creekside Doe

The date is wrong .. taken on the creek.

Creekside Buck 2012

Creekside Buck 2012

Josh's 2012 6 point

Josh has once again started us off this season with a small 6 point. Good Job !!!!!!

Mike's 6 Point Buck

A six point I shot on my last day in Kentucky. His rack on the left side had been broken off probably while fighting with another buck. I had seen a very nice buck and try to wait him out but it was the last morning with just a few hours before we had to leave, so I harvested this buck. It was a great hunt !!!!

Larry Kelley

Larry with his first deer he has ever harvested with a bow. He will be 71 in Dec and this was on his bucket list of things to do.. Great Job Larry !!!! Thank you Lord for helping us to find it.

Donna's Kentucky Deer

She maybe 50 years old but she can still get the job done when it comes to taking a nice buck. Good job Donna. Now lets get ready for Alabama Season to open.

Calvin's First Deer

Calvin harvested this deer while hunting in Kentucky this past weekend. He is engaged to my daughter Michelle who is an avid deer hunter herself.

Tristan's Doe

Tristan started the season off with a doe this past weekend during Alabamas Youth Hunt. Good Job Tristan !!!!!!

First Bow Kill For 2012

He may not be a trophy but he is to me . I harvested him with my new Mathews and Rage broad heads. Now that we have a little meat in the freezer now i will be waiting on that big boy.. The ice has been broken for 2012.

Florida 4 point

Rick is an old friend of mine from Florida. His dad was my base ball coach in little league. He deserves this deer after wadding though that swamp and fighting off those mosquitos.Good Job !!!!!

Several Turkey

This pictures was taken Oct 10 , 2012 on field 15-A.

The Day Of Expectation

            As a young boy I would look forward to the second Saturday in November as if it was Christmas morning.  I would go to bed early in hopes that daybreak would come quicker than usual.  No we did not celebrate Christmas early nor any of the Jewish holidays.  It was the first day of squirrel season, or as my uncle cy would say, “Bushy Tail Season.”

            The Friday before, the season would find me at my Dad’s hunting camp.  Now, it wasn’t much of a camp, just an old green trailer with no running water nor electricity, but for a young twelve year old boy it was the best place this side of Heaven.  Day break would find me with my back up against a hardwood tree looking up into the nearest old oak tree with eyes of expectation of the first movement of the morning.  Before long the sound of my 20 gage would echo through those hard wood trees and with that sound the season had begun.

            Those days of expectation are 40 years gone, but I can still say those were the best hunts I have ever been on.  Thanks to my Dad and Uncle Cy.  They have both passed on from this life now, but those memories will follow me all the days of my life.  I have got to close this a little short today, I am on my way to the hospital for my first Grandbaby to be born.  Life goes on!

 

Scripture of the Month:

Proverbs 22:6
Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. (NLT)

 

Thought of the Month:

Introduce a child to squirrel hunting and allow them the opportunity at a young age to experience this sport we call hunting.

 

Hunting Tip of the Month:

Make short shots with your bow to help keep your form in between those trips to your local archery range.

Archery Tip Of The Week

Archery Tip Of The Week

It is a given ,that weeks before bow season you need to begin a daily regiment of target practice. For some people, they just don't have the room in there yard to make 30 yard or even 20 yard shots daily. That is ok make short safe shots . Short shots help to keep your form correct in between those times you can not make it to the range.
While at the range practise shooting 10 yards furthen than what you plan to shoot when hunting. This will make those shots seem easier under the presure of a real hunt.

2 Small Bucks

Perparing for Rut. Well maybe not this year ,but in years to come.

Next Years Harvest

He still has some growing to do !!!!!!

Spotted Fawns

The next generation !!!!

5 Helpful Tips For Seeing More Deer On Our Club

1) Keep your scent down wind of a food plot, bedding area or trail you may be hunting.

2) Park your 4-wheeler a long ways from your stand and walk.

3) Bath and wash your cloths in scent free soap.

4) Hunt food source early season and does late season.

5) Don't over use an area.

Remember you are entering his living space and he knows it as well as you know your house.

 Hunt Hard and Hunt Safe !!!!!!

Where Are You Going ?

I hope he comes back though during bow season!!!!! I might have to harvest him with my bow. If he makes it to gun season I will let him walk.

Middle Of The Day

This doe sure likes that salt lick!!!

Young Buck

Donna here is a buck for you to shoot during bow season.

Close Up !!!

Look who is posing for the camera!!!!!

Same Small Buck

This Buck come though every day... What I can't understand is where is his daddy !!!!!!

Loading Up

Sid loading the 22 rifle to shoot the Rattle Snake !!!!! Don't ask him how many times I shoot at it before handing him the gun. What you can't see is me holding down the snake to keep him from crawling away.

Rattle Snake 2012 Season

Sid and I walked all around this snake before hearing him "Buzz". The Lord has protected me several times though the years and He did it again.Thank You Lord !!!!!!!

Creek Side Doe

This picture was taken last week down by the creek. Just a doe passing though.

Moma Doe

She came by my Camera Aug 30. I think she must have a fawn somewhere by the way she looks.No bucks on this camera yet. I just thought this was a nice picture.

Looking Back

 

 

Looking Back

 

 

As I look back though my years of bow hunting, one hunt in particular puts a smile on my face. It's not about the largest buck I have ever harvested, but just the opposite. It was a warm September morning, the first day of bow season. I was hunting “Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge" in Chiefland Florida, and was my favorite place to hunt. I was hunting with the best hunting equipment you could purchase at the time. A browning bow set on 50 pounds with a plastic rest hanging off the side. My release was a leather glove with wax on the finger tips for easy release. Yes I was decked out with the finest equipment of the time!!!  My hunt began with a walk through a tide controlled swamp after crossing several small creeks I made my way up my 10 foot ladder stand that had been placed in there several weeks before. I was ready for a day of bow hunting. Shortly after 7:00 I saw a small buck on my back trail coming my way. He was following a new sent that was just out on the market "Tink's 69”. I had soaked a bath cloth down with this new sent and drug it in behind me on a string. To my surprise he had his nose glued to that scent and walking straight to me. I harvested that 3 point at seven yards from a 10 foot ladder stand. He never took a state record nor did he make it as a trophy on my wall of fame, but when I think back to those early years of bow hunting he brings a smile to this now aging hunter’s face and he will always be a trophy in my eyes.

Scripture Of The Month:

 

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" Matthew 7:13

 

Thought Of The Month:

 

Begin a journal of your hunts so your children will have them as a treasure once you have went home to be with the Lord.

 

 

Hunting Tip Of The Month:

Now is the time to use your game cameras to gather information on your deer herd.

Rev.Mike Denning

same small buck

Just a different angle of that small six point.

Small 6 Point

Small 6 point and doe.. This is the first buck I hav e caught on camera for 2012-2013 season.It will be a few years before he is a shooter.

Florida Gator

An old friend of mine got his first Florida Gator . It was a little over 10 feet long. Good going Bobby !!!!! I wish I could have been there to share the memory.

Green Fields The Curse Of Deer Hunting

Green Fields the Curse of Deer Hunting

Back in the 80's there was a movie that starred Kevin Costner titled “Fields of Dreams.” The movie centered on a farmer who built a baseball field out in a corn field. As the movie unfolds, players show up from every where to play baseball. This goes to show that “if you build it, they will come” or does it?

Hunting clubs all over the South East spend thousands of dollars a year planting the newest seed on the market in hopes to attract deer into the food plot during day light hours. I do the same thing and have for years. The trouble with this hunting practice is not the planting of the field, but the way we hunt the field. Many hours are spent by hunters, year in and year out, sitting in a shooting house on an old fashioned food plot. In most cases leaving them wondering, “Where are the deer?” Well, the deer are still there they just have become wiser than the hunter. If you were to stick your nose out on a field somewhere just to be shot at, it would not take you long to stop using that field or wait until night time to come out. With that said, let me give you several ways to see more deer. You must first ask the question, “Are we using these fields to attract does or bucks?” You may say that is an odd question... BUT, if you have planted the field to get meat for the freezer then shooting does will do. However, if you have planted the field to get a nice buck during rut, then let the does live! If you want that buck you’ll have to declare the green field a safe zone for does and young bucks. After all it is the old does that train the young bucks. Keep in mind that if you have been shooting does off your green fields it will take several years to reverse the effects so they again feel safe. As the does and young bucks feel safe on the field during the daylight hours, your sightings will increase and your mature bucks will begin coming out. Now, quality deer management says to shoot does to keep the heard balanced. I never said don’t shoot a doe, just don’t do it on a green field. Take your doe somewhere in the woods away from those safe zones. Green fields are an important part of our hunting in the South; I just think we need to be a little wiser on how to use them.

Mike Denning

Bow Tips

Seven Hunting Tips For August
1) Tune Your Bow

2) Shoot your bow 5 times a day to keep your for form.

3) Begin estimating distance ,then check to see how close you were with a range finder.

4) Place game cameras on a food source.

5) Don't check your cameras to often . All your doing is educating the deer in the area.

6) Begin an exercising routine.

7) Check your treestands for loose or rusted bolts.

Work Days

Work Day Schedule

Aug 25th , 6:00 - 12:00

Sept. 8th , 6:00 -12:00

Sept. 22 , 6:00 -12:00

Oct 6th Plant Food Plots

Each Full Membership Must Work 3 Days.

Donna's Is Getting Ready

Donna getting ready for bow season!!! How is that new Mathew Jewels working out for you???

Calvin's Hog

Florida Hog !!!!!! That was a nice hog Calvin !!!!!

Boggy Branch Calls

Daniel shot his 2nd turkey this morning using a new call from Boggy Branch . Check out Face Book for more information on Boggy Branch Calls.

Turkey 2012

This is David's 2nd turkey for the season.

Daniel's Turkey

Daniel took this turkey while hunting on Autauga Creek Hunting Club. The club has harvested 5 turkeys so far for the 2011-2012 season.

Couple of Does.

Back Strap for 2012-2013 season !!!!

Rutting 8 point

I picked this camera up this morning after turkey hunting. Here again the date is wrong... I put this camera out sometime in January. This picture was taken during rut. I did not have any pictures of this buck before now. I know our club didn't shoot him ,so he will be in the area next year.

In Memory Of Dallas Stratton

Thank you Dallas for all the hunting memories we created together. More importantly, thank you for teaching me about life. Your love for our Lord and for your family always shined through. In the years to come, while sitting around the campfire, you will be remembered when I begin my sentence with "I remember when...." Thanks for teaching me how to be a man of God, a Father, and I hope one day a Grandfather. You were good at all three. See you at the foot stool of Jesus and maybe after the first thousand years of being in heaven, we can find a place to hang a stand.

March 16 , 1923 - February 16, 2012

Yours In Christ,

Mike

Prediator

Autauga Creek Hunting Club Is offering 2 prediator permits for the 2012 -2013 season . This permit will be good any time during the year( as long as state season is open) except when or during Deer and Turkey season . The prediator premit is $200.00 each. Please contact Mike Denning @ 334-312-1695 or Larry Kelley @ 334-328-0351.

Wild Hog

Rick Cody and his son were hunting Hickory Mount Unit in Florida when they harvested not just this hog , but two others also. Not bad Rick !!!!More important than the harvesting of these hog's , was the time they spent together as father and son.!!!Thank You Rick for passing along the heritage of Hunting.

Mike's 8 point 1-31-2012

God blessed me with this buck on 1-31-2012 ,20 min's before dark. He actually ran up a hill and fell over in the 4- wheeler trail as if he was ready to be loaded up. Thank You Lord !!!!

1-31-2012

Phillip finished out the season with this fine 8 point on January 31 . He looks a little wet !!!!

You Might Be A Deer Hunter

You Might Be A Deer Hunter If:

1) you buy all your , soap, shampoo and deoderant from the local sporting goods story.
2) you use more than 50% of your annual vacation leave during rut.
3) you feel more comfortable in a climber ,than in a lazy boy.
4) you check the wind direction more than once a day.
5) you know the deer on your game camera by name.

Creek Side Buck

The date is right on this camera!!!! This is a new buck that we did not have any pictures of till today. Yes it is somewhere along the creek. The rut is going strong as we have seen several bucks this week. Next week will be peek rut for our club. Although we don't kill alot of deer we have the opportunity to kill a above average deer for Autauga County.

Josh's 8 point

Josh is on a role this year, this is his 2nd buck . We have a picture of this buck down in the swamp.It is the only picture we have of him before Josh harvested it .He shot this deer on Friday the 13 ,of all days. Someone needs to take his rifle away from him before he kills another buck.

Looking Forward To Turkey Season

This is for those guy's that have put away their deer rifles and are ready to do alittle turkey hunting.

Large 8 point

This is the deer I shot at Monday afternoon !!!!!! He is a nice 8 point !!!!! Who said autauga creek didn't have some nice deer???? not I...

Some Where On The Creek

This is another deer that has not been seen or shot at. Don't give up guy's rut has just started !!!!

Update: This deer was shot my Josh on Friday 13 at about 4:45.

Guess Where??

For you who have not seen a buck yet this year here they are . The question is where were you.. Ha-Ha

100 Pound Hog

My cousin Walter Denning carring a hog out of a North Florida swamp.

What happen to the 4 wheeler Walter ???You may what to invest in a swamp buggy !!!

North Florida Hog

Marshall has been hunting in Westville Florida the past week and has shot 3 wild hogs. He is hunting with Walter Denning , both of them are my cousins. I hope to be going down to Westville in Feb. to try my luck at harvesting a nice hog.Marshall will end his hunt this week and will return to his duty station as a Marine. Thanks Marshall for serving our country !!!!!