Enjoying the Outer Banks

We are currently on vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Our house that we rented is about half way between Nags Head and Hatteras. These beaches are the prettiest I've ever visited. They are as natural as any beach I know of. Large dunes, covered with sea oats and cedars, miles and miles of unspoiled beaches and maritime forests. It has been a good trip.

I came hoping that the fishing would be as good as I've always read about. Unfortunately it has proven to be quite a challenge. So far, I've caught 5 small croakers, 1 flounder, and two dog fish. That's it. None of the big reds, or small ones for that matter. No trout, no Spanish mackerel. Nothing but 8" croakers.

I'll try again tomorrow......Before coming I built a beach cart to haul all my gear to the beach. It has worked well with a few adjustments needed. First I need wider tires, mine are too narrow and sink in the thick soft sand. Second, we need better access to the beach, while a lot of beaches here allow for driving directly onto the beach, you definitely need four wheel drive to get there. Today we went towards Avon to another beach, It took me 20 minutes to haul all our stuff out there, the cart kept sinking in the sand, on the way back, I made two trips, hauling the cooler and fishing seat and then going back for the cart......it was alot of work. Especially since I didn't even get a bite......this evening we went to our beach in Salvo, I left the cart and carried only one rod and the fishing seat/bait bucket. and I caught 4 croaker.

Al in all its been a good week. We spent yesterday sight seeing, we visited the Hatteras Light house, and rode a ferry to Ocrakoke Island and saw that light house. the whole day was interesting and enjoyable. I am looking forward to the next few days.......I would highly recommend the outer Banks to anyone who, like us, tries to avoid the commercialism of other beaches. It is a great family vacation spot.

More to come......

Crappie Fishing

Today I finalized my trip with Captain Brad Taylor to go Crappie fishing this Thursday, June 11th. An outdoors magazine set up the trip for me and one of their photographers to interview a known guide and get pictures for an article I'm writing about crappie fishing. I must admit I've never been fishing with a guide before, so the opportunity is something I'm looking forward to. We will be fishing on Lake Murray in central South Carolina.

When we return I'll give more details on the trip, but not too much, you'll have to get the magazine when it comes out next spring to read the details, after all they have first publication rights to the article.

And in the next week the same photographer and I will be going bow-fishing for another article with the same magazine. Same scenario, more pictures and another article - this one's about bow-fishing along rivers during the day.

After ten plus years of sending out manuscripts and working on the craft of writing, the hard work is paying off. Now to branch out to regional and national magazines.......interestingly, most of the articles I've sold deal with fishing, and I hunt far more than I fish, I guess I need to work harder on the hunting articles.

I'm Back

It's been a while, guess I've been licking my wounds as the old saying goes - trying to figure out what to do since I lost the grounds I've been hunting for the past 6 years. Now I have to find new ground to explore, where, how, learning all over again, new stands, new memories to make. I hate starting over. 

The questions are endless, should I hunt public land or join a club? Is public land safe to take the boys on? More people are shot each year by unsafe gun toting people anxious to get a deer at all costs. I don't know that I feel safe on public ground, and taking my sons, is out of the question. 

As I get older, and mostly as my sons get older I really want the experience to be with and for them. I've killed enough deer, (while I still love it, and wont give it up) I am more interested in introducing them into my love of the outdoors. Taking them along, watching their excitement, listening to them breath as they sleep on stand while I stand watch. Seeing them search the forest floor for signs. So having a place for them is crucial. - A good friend of mine manages a hunt club, I was in it a few years ago to give me some options, in the two years I was in it, I never pulled the trigger or released an arrow - a lot of money to be a spectator. He is in need of members, and I am in need of a place, so I wrote the check. It was somewhat easier since I have sold some magazine articles to fund this venture. Kind of neat that I can pay for my hobbies by writing about the adventures they provide. It is not profitable at all, but it is easier to justify the expense when I can cover most of the cost with selling articles. 

I must admit I have missed hunting with him, of all of the people I have hunted with over the years, I have learned more from him than just about all the others combined. So I am looking forward to reestablishing that opportunity.  

As the spring ends and summer approaches, I will be spending time scouting and locating good locations, it is different hunting with your kids, the scouting is different, the stand locations are different, can they walk this far? Is the stand easier to access? Is this more of an area for does or bucks? All of this has to be considered when taking young hunters, for them the success is in seeing deer, not harvesting. If they go two or three times and only see empty woods, they soon choose to sleep in or play with friends. Patience is something learned, not many are born with it, learning to use anticipation as a fuel for patience is learned. With an attention span of a few minutes at best, sitting in a stand for hours is difficult. 

So I am hopeful, I am hopeful that we will be able to start over, that they will see deer, that they will have the opportunity to see, and perhaps if all the stars align, even harvest. We'll see, but at least I have a place now.