Good first day of winter hunt tonight with my buddy Jeff and his dad at our lease in Catawba NC. Thought it was too warm to see much movement as was 63 degrees at 5pm but low and behold a decent doe came into 30 yards just at end of legal shooting hours. glad I went tonight as jerky meat was getting low.

That unofficial Howell guide service scored another today to help get the " miss" monkey off Andrew Howells back so to speak. Cold front came through today and brought about 1 inch rain but cleared enough for a evening hunt. Andrew put the trusty .243 on its mark and followed the adage " aim small miss small"
as tom would tell him too. No misses here. Except for the one his momma keeps trying to set him up for..lol..that ain't gonna happen...nice shot Drew.

Tom got his NC buck at the  farm in Itedell on SAT 11/30/13...awesome hunt with an awesome friend. Memories made not to be forgotten.."give us this day our daily bread"...meditation on the scriptures can happen at any place.

Andrew got his mulie horns from MT mounted this Thanksgiving weekend while home with his family....turned out pretty neat.  Wood plaque he mounted them on looks like the state of MT..over top he NCSU diploma..know where he priorities lie...awesome..

Thanksgiving 2013
 So many things to be thankful for on this beautiful cold crisp day. I am most thankful for Gods grace by which I know I am his child, and for the everlasting peace that comes as a gift of the holy spirit. Second I am thankful for my family, Sammy, Alex, Mom  & surrogate son Andrew, as well as the rest of the crew.I am thankful to live in our country where freedom still rings and the bells still toll against tyrrany and oppression where ever it may exist.

Finally this day I am thankful for my friend Tom and for the traditional Thanksgiving hunt we had this morning with the harvest of a healthy doe to feed our bodies, but also to nourish our friendship and camaraderi, building memories that will never fade. Tom, made an outstanding shot at 172 yards on this bedded doe with his pre 1970 winchester model 70 30-06 topped with a zeiss 3x9 ...shooting 150 grain Hornady SST superformance ammo that I gave as early Christmas present yesterday. Coolest part was standing by his side for the shot and giving direction/ advice which ultimately panned out  as a  quick harvest down on the farm land that my late father Chet purchased many years ago. Pops would be proud .

Deer hunt before winter weather rolls in. Nice evening actually. Cloudy and cool was expecting lots of deer movement but at prime time had a visit from a chicken stealing varmit. This one won't get any more of Georges birds however. Gray fox from Lincoln county NC 17 HMR..3x9 Bushnell on a bull barrel single shot NEF break action..with a Harris bipod.awesome predator combo.

NC muzzle loader season ..there's a story behind every hunt... this one was memorable as had coyote try to attack deer after the harvest..missed the coyote but he knows I'm after him now..

Great first day of NC muzzle loader season. Andrew got a nice doe iat the Alexander property. Will bow hunt tomorrow in lincoln  county.

Good hunt yesterday evening(10/21/13) in Catawba County NC near Claremont. Deer are starting to show signs of rut activity. Took this mature doe about 7:15 just as sight pins were fading fast. Beautiful sunset as well. 2nd deer taken with rage hypordermic broad head..same one as took the buck last week...just resharpened blades on wet stone and reinstalled.

Back from working the NC State Fair. Rested up on Sat morn then went for first hunt this year on my land in Iredell county. Soy beans still standing.Found 2 fresh scrapes within 25 yards of stand. Salt lick is torn up with tracks as usual. Andrew saw 1 at dark.

OK ..back to hunting..Haven't had much time here in NC to hunt..did see a few small ones on Wednesday Oct. 9..let em walk to grow up for next year..trigger finger is getting itchy however..

Well I finally pulled the bow back on a deer in NC ..mowed moms grass and seeded & aerated got done at 5:30..still had a little time to hunt so quick change then to lease property in Catawba county..climbed in stand and had deer out within 5 mins..saw 5 total and this 4 pointer 3 on one side and spike on other came within 20 yards...made a good shot and he only went approx 100 yards.rage hypodermic broad head, carbon express kV 350 arrows, Scott release, G5 shift bow, toxonics sigjts..time to make some jerky..

its been a busy couple of weeks since coming back from Montana. Celebrated 25 years of marriage to my wonderful wife Sammy. Andrew got a job at Raffaldini winery in Rhonda BC so I have a "son" staying with me for a while..
Dinner at winery with Sam.

glad he is here so we can hunt some on the weekend. He also helped me install some grass pavers to expand parking capacity here and a drainage project put off to go to MT.

Messages sent from my wife & sweet little dog dutchess while on our MT trip.

All members of party safely home..you gotta see what will fit into one bow case..unbelievable.. and it still only weighed 38 lbs so could fly no problem..TSA went through it at airport somewhere.. would like to have seen them repacking it..lol...

Final leg of our journey home from MT ..food..yeah from Washington DC fish market..steamed shrimp, fried flounder, & and coconut shrimp..+ onion rings..awesome.

Our final day hunting in MT. What a way to spend a Sunday in a cathedral of the outdoors without comparison all from the hands of our creator and wonderful God. We are thankful to have recreated in this place , but more thankful to know we are re-created in Gods image through his son and our lord Jesus Christ.

Another great day here in Montana. Too much to tell so letting the pics do the talking... wolf tracks while antelope hunting, state land access, one of toms rainbows, Andrews sunset fishing, hanging a new stand setup ..Andrew the squirrel doin a great job hanging stands for Tom, beer for breakfast heck yes its MT..just carb loading..

Praise the lord Andrew finally pulled the trigger on a 4 x 3 MT mule deer. its back strap for supper tonight. Tom s still the fishing master.. more trout today..oh and the suns finally out..37 degrees this morning...65 now so perfect day..

Montana update for hump day. 7 days in now still no deer down but we are having fun trying. More rain, sleet, and even snow a little on is this evening , we need Mr. sunshine for sure. 48 degrees and 30 mph = cold dudes in the woods waiting em out this evening. Andrew got a great shot of the snow bow..rainbow near days end from his ground blind. rising early so till tomorrow.

Montana update for today..rain on and off most of day ..more on than we preferred but we made do..several nice bucks passed in range but for no shots taken yet..holding out for mulies...brown may be down tomorrow no matter if mulie or whitetail..Tom had another good day fishing..10+ fish for the fly guru..had some good sightings of wildlife as well.. Andrew and tom saw their first Hoary Marmot today...also scouted Engle ranch where we start hunt tomorrow..4 cow elk spotted at 300 yds.Chef Howell made sausage and gravy, biscuits,fried fresh squash, & tater tots to finish off the great day...oh and the moose drool beer is running low may mean a trip to town. go figure.

Chef Howell meal from last evening..chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, buttered corn, mixed veggies w cheese sauce...we ain't suffering too much....oh yeah and moose drool brown ale ..

Monday afternoon update....the boys killed the trout on the Bolder River this afternoon...3 hr tour netted 30 + trout ...browss and rainbows...Andrew lands his first MT trout ..18 inch rainbow on dry fly hopper...Tom is a good teacher...got drew on em...

catch up post..this is the farm we stayed at and hunted in Absarokee MT..wide open big sky country...

 farm to fork dinner set up ..old plow now a barbeque grill & stew pot