WHITETAIL LEDGER
In the Neale family, there are just a few holidays that matter: Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Opening Weekend of Whitetail Firearm Season. It is time with my family and time in the woods that I have come to cherish. Read more here…
hitetail hunting is where it all began for me. Hunter’s Education at the VFW and my first stay at deer camp with the men in the family. My first year I put down a button buck while my dad snoozed on a bed of dead oak leaves. While I haven’t killed a deer every year, I’ve never missed a season.
| Date | Method | Deer Seen | Deer Shot | Deer Retrieved | Sex | Yield | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/2/2019 | Archery | 3 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| 11/16/2019 | Rifle | 1 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| 11/17/2019 | Rifle | 8 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| 11/19/2019 | Rifle | 2 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| 11/26/2019 | Rifle | 5 | 1 | 1 | F | 464 oz | |
| Totals | 19 | 1 | 1 | 464 oz |
| Date | Weather | Temperature | Start of Hunt | Miles in Travel | Time Hunting | Total Time | Yield/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/2/2019 | Fair | 36 F | 7:09 AM | 24 | 1:25:00 | 2:05:00 | n/a |
| 11/16/2019 | Fair | 56 F | 6:29 AM | 77 | 7:36:00 | 8:57:00 | n/a |
| 11/17/2019 | Cloudy | 53 F | 6:28 AM | 77 | 7:12:00 | 8:33:00 | n/a |
| 11/19/2019 | Fair | 51 F | 2:05 PM | 24 | 3:22:00 | 3:42:00 | n/a |
| 11/26/2019 | Rainy | 64 F | 11:56 AM | 121 | 4:09:00 | 8:13:00 | .94oz/Min |
| Ancillary | |||||||
| Totals | 323 | 23:44:00 | 31:30:00 | .25oz/Min |
| Date | Location | Ownership | Shots Fired | Ammunition Cost | Other Cost | Total Cost | Cost/Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/2/2019 | Greene County | Private | 1 | $0.00 | $6.60 | $6.60 | n/a |
| 11/16/2019 | St. Clair County | Private | 0 | $0.00 | $44.66 | $44.66 | n/a |
| 11/17/2019 | St. Clair County | Private | 0 | $0.00 | $44.66 | $44.66 | n/a |
| 11/19/2019 | Greene County | Private | 0 | $0.00 | $13.20 | $13.20 | n/a |
| 11/26/2019 | Christian County | Private | 1 | $2.26 | $2.15 | $4.41 | |
| Ancillary | 3 | $6.78 | $41 | $47.78 | n/a | ||
| Totals | $9.04 | $152.27 | $161.31 |
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The Duck Hunt
J
ust as it is true that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” it is also true that “to be present in the duck blind is to be absent from your family.” In large part, the choice to chase waterfowl – I mean really get after it – is a choice to be gone, to miss some milestones. I’m as guilty of it as anyone. This last season I crossed multiple states, invested hundreds of hours, and spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars in search of greenheads and honkers. I’ve missed out on more walks to school, more nights in bed next to my wife, and more of my children’s firsts than I care to count.
I Came Here to Have Fun
I
am thankful there is no barrier to the outdoors apart from desire. If I were measured against any other benchmark, I would come up short. I am no great hunter. I’m not a giant in the field of conservation. I can’t track the faintest blood trail or find the smallest sign. I can’t make the longest shot. I can’t sound the most realistic call or train the best retriever…but I can want it. I can desire to be outside in the woods. I can day dream about about sitting in a duck marsh while I’m sitting at my desk avoiding work. I can ache with a desire from the very core of my being to escape to the wild places and fortunately for me, that’s all she asks.
No More Apologies
I n the Neale family, there are just a few holidays that matter: Resurrection Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Opening Weekend of Whitetail Firearm Season. It is time with my family and time in the woods that I have come to cherish. This year I planned to head up a day early to duck hunt [...]
Wool and Waxed Cotton
The photos on this post are all 35mm film photos. Some are out of focus and some are on corrupted film. I wouldn't have it any other way. T here's a powerful nostalgia that I've been reckoning with recently. Maybe it's the fall, maybe it's fatherhood, that feeling of trying to grab smoke from a [...]
Bowhunting: A Brief History
B owhunting has always intrigued me. From an early age, I can remember my dad bowhunting, or more accurately, I remember my dad shooting his bow in the backyard, honing his craft. I remember my dad's ratty Mossy Oak Bottomland patterned get up, some of which I probably still have in a rubbermaid container in [...]