The Everyday Outdoorsman

The Sabbatical is Over

clucas30 — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:19:54 +0000

Okay, I’m back. I’ve had a lot of things going on lately (mainly the 2009-2010 hunting season) and the Blog has taken a back seat. Stay tuned, I have a lot of back posting to do from the past several months…

Chocolate

clucas30 — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 01:54:32 +0000

“Chocolate” – Oil Pastel, 2009 – by Chris Lucas

AT Backpacking Trip

clucas30 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:47:29 +0000

Okay…finally back from my blog sabbatical! I did make my Appalachian Trail hike in late August.

We hiked from Hot Springs, NC to Devils Fork Gap (approx. 35 miles). 3 days, 2 nights. We climbed several peaks close to 5,000 ft. high. I cannot describe how discouraging it is to be COMPLETELY exhausted and look up only to see a never-ending trail UP. Unfortunately, it also rained off and on the entire trip. On top of that, I developed a nasty infection in both legs, and the mice got in my backpack on the second night.

It may not sound like a lot of fun, but it actually was. I think you sometimes need to experience adversity “recreationally” just to be able to handle it when it’s for real. Overall, it was very challenging, but a lot of fun. I’ll do it again, but will definitely be in better shape next time.

Appalachian Training

clucas30 — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:55:29 +0000

I finally have my Appalachian Trail hike planned and on the calendar! Going with a friend from church and we’ll be doing a four-day backpack in North Carolina (Cherokee and Pisgah National Forests). So….the training is upon me! I need to be ready to do 10+ miles per day. On one of the days we’ll be climbing over 2,000 ft.

I went to Oak Mountain State Park yesterday and did an 8-mile loop with the pack on. Good workout… Also, doing hills in the neighborhood most mornings. Can’t wait for the trip!

Ole’ Time Fishing

clucas30 — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:47:10 +0000

Andrew and I were able to get down to the Chilton Co. end of Lay Lake to fish with my cousin Josh. The quarry of the day…..Bream! We took the boat out and fished many of the spots Josh and I fished as kids growing up and going to my grandparent’s place of Lay Lake. Not only was it a lot of fun, it also brought back a lot of fond memories.

I can remember when me and my cousins would go bream fishing with my grandmother. Granny would sit on the bank, or in the boat and pull in bream with her cane pole as fast as she could bait it and put it in the water. Good times…

And bream fishing…now that’s fun! They’re small, but a lot of fun to catch. Plus, it’s definitely a fun form of fishing for Andrew.

My New Boat

clucas30 — Fri, 29 May 2009 03:11:16 +0000

The new boat has finally arrived!!!! I had to “special order” this one back in February. It was supposed to arrive on April 22, but was a month late (that was a HORRIBLE wait). Gonna be doing a lot of fishing this summer….and DUCK SEASON….can’t wait!

Lowe Roughneck R1760CC

Center Console

Mossy Oak Shadowgrass Paint

60 HP Mercury 4-stroke

Motorguide FW54FB trolling motor

Avery Duck Blind (on order)

God Gave Man Animals

clucas30 — Thu, 07 May 2009 03:13:47 +0000

The Duck Commander hits the “nail on the head” in this video. Here, he quotes Scripture that suggests God has given all of us animals (for food if needed). I believe this. While I do not believe in killing any animal that will not be eaten (or used in some kind of productive way), I do believe it is firmly within God’s authority to kill animals for food.

Turkey Hunt

clucas30 — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 02:51:56 +0000

I got in my second turkey hunt of the season this morning. Just before the season ends on Thursday! Me and a friend decided to sneak in a hunt this morning before work. We left Birmingham around 4:30 a.m. for the 50 minute drive to Clanton. Early rise…long drive…and at the end of the day, we heard NOTHING. Not one gobble. That’s the problem with turkey hunting – often the turkeys don’t cooperate. This isn’t an issue for someone that can go every day of the season (some days are good, some days are bad), but for someone that can only go twice, one bad day can ruin the entire “season”. Oh well, it’s always great to get outside! I should never complain about opportunities to get in the woods.

Duck Hunting Described…

clucas30 — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 03:19:33 +0000

“What makes duck hunting the sport of dreams, tales, paintings – what sustains the duck hunter’s efforts to cope with the sport’s considerable logistics of guns, gear, boats, and dogs – is the fact that the duck hunter is part of a magnificent tapestry of land, water, and skies alive with the stirrings of elemental nature.” — Lamar Underwood, The Duck Hunter’s Book, Classic Waterfowl Stories

His First Deer Hunt

clucas30 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 03:14:57 +0000

The 2008-2009 deer hunting season (although I didn’t do too much – see earlier duck hunting post) brought the opportunity to finally take Andrew deer hunting. I took him twice. While we had no success, these outings were truely special.

I had decided to take him out for an afternoon hunt and the plan was to arrive at the shooting house (overlooking a green field) an hour and a half or so before dark. We parked the truck and headed out for the short walk to the shooting house. With my backpack in tow – loaded with snacks, Capri-suns, and his Leap Frog game, we were off. I was able to point out several deer tracks on the dirt road. You would have thought that he had acutally SEEN a deer. He was so excited over those deer tracks. We sat in the shooting house until dark without seeing the first deer (oh well). On the way out, he found a stick that was apparently very intresting to him. So interesting, in fact, that this stick is still in my garage today.

A few deer tracks and a stick….having fun in the outdoors and success in the hunting field really can be this simple. Sometimes it takes a four year old to remind me of these things.