Cades Cove and the Abrams Falls Trail

November 11, 2018 
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee

Cades Cove

Abrams Falls is know for being a small waterfall, only 20 feet in height, with a a large volume of water rushing overs the falls. The long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque and quite dangerous. The October 2008 issue of Backpacker Magazine listed Abrams Falls as their 9th most dangerous hiking trail largely due to the risk of drowning and hypothermia. The slippery rocks and strong current around the pool have caused 29 deaths since 1971. 

Dog Hunting at Briar Creek Sportsman's Club

January 13, 2018 
Augusta, Georgia 

I had the pleasure of dog hunting at the Briar Creek Sportsman's Club this weekend. This was the final deer drive of the season which is a special event for the club. The hunt starts before dawn when the club cooks a breakfast for the members and the member's families. Yes, it's a family affair at Briar Creek and everyone is invited. I was invited by the club's president so I could vet the club for membership in the upcoming 2018-2019 season. 

The Chief Huntmaster designed the hunt and the standers loaded the trucks as the sun started peaking over the planted timber. The club hunts 15,000 acres of land that is owned by a timber company. The first hunt of the morning started while I was watching clear cut timber and listening to the beagles howl several hundred yards away. This morning was cold, really cold. The temperature wasn't too cold at 32 degree but the wind was blowing at a constant 13 mph which brought the wind chill down into the low 20s. I sat all morning listening to the dogs run deer and crack of buckshot in the distance. I was anxious squeeze the trigger on my new Benelli Nova but the deer had other plans. Our group killed 2 deer that morning and the other groups dropped 3-4 more. The nicest deer was a mature 6 point (it would have been an 8 point but it didn't have any brow tines) that weighed 127 pounds. 

We quickly moved onto the second hunt after the dogs were collected. We had standers lined up on a power line while the dogs pushed deer through the neighboring pines. As a group, we killed another 2-3 deer. Then it was time for lunch. We all met back at the camp and shared lunch as a group. I could tell everyone was eager for the afternoon hunt. 

The last hunt of the day was the big finale. We had standers along the perimeter and in the center of a several hundred acre area when they started driving 19 packs of beagles. The dogs worked for hours and I heard several shots. The nicest deer was shot that afternoon, a mature 8 point. He even had a buckshot pellet lodged in the base of his antler which was very interesting to see. I had a great time, even though I didn't see any deer on the dog drives, and I'm planning on coming back next year for next season!

Whitetails of South Mississippi

January 4-6, 2018 
Arcole, Mississippi

Arcole Hunting Club

This hunt had been in the making for over a year. I've hunted with a good friend of mine, David, for a few years now and it's become annual event that I look forward to each year. The hunt started with my long drive from Atlanta, Georgia to Natchez, Mississippi where I was meeting David and an old coworker, Mark. I got the the camp late that afternoon as the temperature was falling and we could tell that the hunting weather was going to be cold. We got settled in our bunks, met the other members that were hunting that week and went to bed, thinking about the big bucks that we could see in the morning. I brought my GoPro and video equipment with me so I could get some goof footage even if I didn't kill a big buck. Over the years, I've enjoyed videoing my hunts just as much as I've enjoyed taking a big deer. I hope you enjoy the video!

The first hunt was brutally cold so we decided to hunt box blinds. Little did I know that this would be the most exciting hunt of the week. I saw a small buck trail and hot doe and chase other deer on the food plot all morning. Unfortunately, the bigger bucks gave no mind. That afternoon, I sat on a food plot located in some hardwoods and watched a few different deer eat acorns for hours. The deer activity slowed during the later part of the week due to the full moon which encouraged night-time activity. We decided that we would plan next year's hunt around the moon cycle and try to hunt near the new moon. 

The rest of the hunt involved watching small deer in the food plots and young bucks working scrape lines through the hardwoods. The three guys in our group, including myself, didn't get a shot opportunity on a mature buck but it didn't stop us from heaving a great time. We hunted with 30+ members and guests throughout the week. We ate great food and built friendships around the campfire. Ms. Mary, the club cook, came in the last few days of the hunt to prepare a meal for everyone. You can bet that we'll all be back next year looking for a big buck!

North Georgia Appalachian Trail

North Georgia Section of the Appalachian Trail

November 5, 2017 
Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia


The seasons come and go. I've recently started a new season in my life and there is no better time for an adventure. I started the Appalachian Trial this afternoon and I couldn't have chosen a better time because the trail was canvased with the orange and yellow colors of fall. The Appalachian Trail runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahoin in Maine. The trail covers a total of 2,108.5 miles and it's an achievement that takes months of dedicated hiking and only a few have completed. 


I started near the check-in station at Amicalola Falls and took the approach trail to the waterfall. The next leg will be the 8.5 mile approach trail from Amicalola Falls to Springer Mountain. 






















October 20, 2018
Blood Mountain, Georgia

Blood Mountain is the highest peak on the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trial with an elevation of 4,458 feet. The overlook at this peak offers one of Georgia's most iconic views. I made this hike with Kaitlyn in October as the North Georgia leaves were beginning to change. It's a moderate hike with lots of rocks along the trail. We finished the hike between two rain showers so the leaves were wet and the woods were silent. For us, hiking is not just an activity but food for the soul. A very special bond and relationship was gained at the top of this mountain.





November 3, 2018
Springer Mountain, Georgia


Springer Mountain marks the Southern Terminus of the Appalachian Trial. The summit reaches 3,780 feet and is frequented by hikers from around the world. Kaitlyn and I made the drive through the Blue Ridge mountains and quickly hiked to the overlook. The trail is light so we decided to return via the Benton MacKaye Trail. 

Bucket List

May 19, 2017 
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 

One of my favorite speech excerpts is from Theodore Roosevelt's "Citizenship In A Republic" commonly titled "The Man in the Arena.""It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." This is one of the many mottos by which I live my life. I want to be in the arena. I want to experience victory and defeat; I want to experience life. That being said, I've had a wishful list of outdoor experiences that I hope to fulfill in my lifetime. Here's the top 10:



1.) African Safari - this has been a dream of mine since I was a boy. I would sit at home on Sunday mornings, before my mom would hustle everyone into the car, and spend my fifteen minutes watching Jim Shockey and other adventure outdoorsmen travel the globe on their hunting trips. The lion is part of the Big Five, which is the five most deadly and difficult animals to hunt on foot in Africa. The others include the leopard, rhinoceros, cape buffalo and elephant. 





2.) Blue Marlin - this is a trip that my dad and I have talked about for years. We want to charter a boat in the gulf and bring all of my brothers. The blue marlin is the most exciting species of game fish to catch in the Gulf of Mexico.

3.) Elk Hunt - this is a classic North American hunt. It wouldn't get any better than killing a bull elk in the mountains of Colorado or New Mexico.







4.) Alaskan Brown Bear Hunt - brown bear, grizzly bear and Kodiak bear are all names for this dangerous animal. This has been on my bucket list for most of my life. I can barely imagine standing in the mist of Kodiak Island and sqeezing the trigger of a high power rifle knowing that a grizzly bear is on the other end.








5.) Canadian Moose Hunt - moose are the largest living members of the deer family. 








6.) Midwest Whitetail Hunt - I was told that every serious deer hunter needs to experience the whitetail rut in the midwest. My lifetime goal is to take a 170+ inch deer from one of the midwest states. 








7.) North American Turkey Grand Slam - there are several turkey slams recognized by the National Wild Turkey Federation. The North American Grand Slam involves harvesting one of each of the four subspecies found in the U.S. which includes the Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande and Merriam's. 




8.) Trophy Mule Deer Hunt - I become interested in mule deer and western hunting in 2015 after I took my first trip to West Texas. Mule deer inhabit some of the most arid parts of the country and spend most of their lives living in the mountains. This plains game will rarely let you get closer than 200 yards which require expert marksmanship if you plan to take a trophy.







9.) Alaskan Dall Sheep - I fell in love with hunting mountain sheep in 2015 after I shot my first aoudad in the West Texas mountains. Mountain sheep live high in the mountains and hunting them is as much a hiking adventure as it is a hunt. Taking a Dall Sheep are said to be one of the hardest and most rewarding accomplishments for a hunter. 








10.) Caribou on the Northern Tundra - catching a big bull migrating through the Northern Tundra would is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

West Texas 2.0

December 7 - 11, 2016
El Paso, Texas

We've practiced shooting our rifles. We've field tested our gear. We've packed our clothes. We've studied the weather report. We've discussed the hunting strategy. This has been our story for the past twelve months. I came back from West Texas last year and immediately began planing my next trip. The desert mountains had found a place in my heart. We set out this year with a group of four hunters, Dylan, David, Doug and myself. Our trip took us over 1,000 miles to a mule deer camp outside of El Paso. We had intentions of hunting trophy mule deer bucks and exotic aoudad rams. I packed my video equipment to capture the experience. 


Day one started early, around 5 AM, and you could feel the anticipation in everyone's voice. The camp was filled with the smell of coffee and breakfast burritos. We loaded our rifles and gear then headed our into the desert mountains. The weather was perfect. The daytime high was in the low 50's while the overnight low was in the low 40's. We spotted several young bucks and does the first day. We must have spotted 40 animals. Unfortunately, no mature, shooter bucks. Exhausted, we sit down at the camp to one of Bossie's restaurant quality meals. 4AM rolls around and everyone wakes to the sound of 40 MPH winds and a temperature that had fallen into the low 20's. This would prove to be the most challenging day of hunting that we would experience. We hoped the colder temperatures would initiate some rut activity but the high winds kept the deer bedded most of the day. We saw very few animals while we struggled to stay warm. The concern was building as we closed Day 2 without a kill. 

The sun rose on Day 3 and it was cold. The wind was calm and the temperature had dropped. I went with David and Ken as we drove through the canyons in search of a shooter deer. At first light we spotted a good buck. We got set up on the deer but it was out of range before David could make a shot. Instantly we knew it was going to be a good day. Thirty minutes pass and we spot a deer named "El Burro" or The Donkey. He was named The Donkey because he was a very old deer that had a huge gut. His huge gut made him lethargic, much like a donkey. We spotted this buck at 130 yards. I put the cross hairs on his shoulder and squeezed the trigger. My Remmington model 700 rang out and my hand-loaded Berger VLDs found their mark. He didn't take one step. I dropped my first mule deer! 






Day 3 didn't end there. We drove to another part of the 65,000 acre property that was known to hold aoudad. Aoudad, formally known as Barbary Sheep, are native to the continent of Africa and are considered a nuisance in West Texas. It was now 11 AM and we had to make a decision - drive back to the camp and eat lunch of go after some rams that our guide had spotted at 1,000 yds. Of course, we decided to go after the rams. We drove as fast as we could through the desert to close the range and then the fireworks began. Dylan shot, I shot, I shot again and down went two aoudad. We spent the next few hours celebrating the hunt and hiking to retrieve the trophies.

The next day began as I drove to a wildlife check station to have my deer checked for Chronic Wasting Disease. This is a misfolded protein that infects deer's neural tissues and can wipe out an entire deer populations. There isn't much known about the disease but the wildlife biologists do know that it is not transmittable to humans. On my way to the check station, I get a call. Dylan has dropped his first buck. He shot him at 330 yards. I met him and we took both deer to the check station. We took the opportunity to follow an age-old tradition and put face paint on Dylan when we got back.  

Summer Time - Going from the Woods to the Water

June 27, 2016
Gulf Shores, Alabama


It's the time of the year when most sportsmen make their way from the woods to the water. I've enjoyed all types of summer-time fishing but nothing compares to fishing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. 

The Gulf of Mexico waters that are located off the coast of Alabama are known as the world capital of red snapper fishing. Red snapper are one of the most popular fish to catch in the Gulf of Mexico. This is mostly due to the fact that they are so tasty. The current red snapper record in the state of Alabama was caught in 2002 and weighed 44 lbs 12 oz. I've never seen a snapper that weighed over 30 lbs and I can't imagine the endurance it would take to get a fish like that in the boat. Although, my brother was able to successfully land a 29 pounder in 2012. We all thought he was joking when he was struggling to keep the rod upright. It only took 15 minutes of intense fighting for everyone on the boat to realize that he had something huge on the line. This is still the largest red snapper that was caught on the Fairwater II docked at Zeke's Landing. 

This year was not unlike the years past. I was able to take a deep sea fishing trip out of Zeke's landing with my dad and my brothers, Joseph and Garrett. This was our first trip on the Class Act and we were excited to start reeling in the fish. We had motored out about 20 miles when we stopped at our first reef. Alabama has the largest artificial reef program in the United States that spans over 1,030 square miles. Needless to say, there are no shortages of good fishing spots off the coast of Alabama. Next, the captain squawked over the loudspeaker that we could start fishing. We dropped our cigar minnows and cut bait down through the water column towards the bottom-dwelling red snappers. Snapper are not only prized sport fish but a favorite target for sea predators like sharks. For this reason, the larger red snapper will be higher in the water column and the smaller fish will be deeper, taking more cover on the reef or structure. We caught our limit of snapper and headed to "trolling alley". Trolling alley is what the local fishermen call a series of submerged concrete pillars. These concrete pillars hold bait fish and provide a perfect ambush scenario for open water predatory fish. We had enough time to make 4 passes through trolling alley and were able to catch 2 king mackerel. We headed back to the dock with an ice chest full of fish. 

July 27, 2016
Emerald Isle, North Carolina

I was fortunate enough to take two deep sea fishing trips this summer. The second being a near-shore trip with Teezher Charters. I was excited to be able to fish in the Atlantic ocean for the first time. The day started early when Louis, Hunter, Parker and myself met Captain Bobby at the dock. We loaded the boat and headed out. 

We didn't make it past the marina when we stopped to catch bait. Captain Bobby threw the cast net net and tossed hundreds of finger mullet into the back of the boat. We picked 25 of the largest fish to use as bait and threw the rest back. We then ran down the intracoastal waterway and though the breakwater in route to the the first fishing spot. The first fishing spot was a submerged rock about 8 miles offshore. We were going to be fishing with light tackle for king mackerel. Light tackle fishing is a finesse form of fishing that allows the bait fish to have little to no resistance from the fishing tackle. This limited resistance allows the fish to swim freely and appear more natural. We set 4 lines, 3 baits on the surface and one bait at 20 ft. on the down rigger. We caught several small sharks on the down rigger before we hooked our fish king mackerel. The first king swiped the surface bait that was closest to the boat and began tearing line out of the reel. We fought the fish for a few minutes before we got him in the boat. We landed 2 ten-pound kingfish and headed back to the marina. This was more than enough meat to grill and feed all of the families that were on vacation. We grilled all of the fish that night and had fish tacos which ended up being one of the best meals we had all week.