Winter break was a great.  Started out at our lease in Alabama, deer movement was slow but it was great to be back at camp.  Flew out to Texas and harvested my biggest deer to date, a 13pt scoring 161 inches.  I may go my whole life and never top that again.  Ended up with a quail shoot just outside of Valdosta, Ga.  My dad and I were acompanied by his business partner Richard and son Cannon.  We shot all day and ended up with 202 quail!!  It was a great time and the dogs worked great....execpt for liar....well I'll be wrapping up my season spending some time in alabama trying to harvest a mature trophy.  Still need a deer for the freezer!  Will be eating jerky and quail until then.  Hope all has a blessed new year!  As always....I'm livin' the hunt life!  -KH

For the afternoon hunt, I was placed in a stand properly called “L”, overlooking a big field with opportunities for shots over 200 yards in both directions.  As I was walking to the stand, a young fawn stood up from her bed not 15 yards from me.  To my surprise she didn’t run and after a stare down which seemed like an eternity she gracefully walked off never spooked.  As I continue my slip to the stand I see there are already some deer in the field.  Two young fawns not 50 yards from the stand and a young 8pt around 150 yards down the way.  I was planning on waiting them out so I could slide up in the stand unnoticed.  As I tried to conceal my body behind a young pine, I hear some activity to my left, sure enough another 3 does walk out in the field not 50 yards from my position.  One of the three was obviously old and weary.  I was certain that I would be busted, as she began feeding right towards me!  As she closed the distance and got within 30 yards all I could think about was man I wish I had my bow.  As the standoff commenced another young buck joined the 8pt and they began to spar.  I realized that they were moving and my ass needed to be in that stand.  Finally the old doe began to feed quartering away from me and I knew a move had to be made.  Knowing the odds of slipping in a stand with 7 deer in the field, I slipped ever so cautiously.  I arrived to the base of the ladder undetected.  I began inching my way up the ladder one step at a time.  The deer would look up, I would pause, and unbelievably I climbed up all 16 feet without spooking a deer.

            What happened in the next three hours could only be described as epic.  Deer began pouring in the field, nice young bucks sparing, grunting and chasing everywhere.  Pigs the size of the Volkswagens were enjoying the nice fall evening in the field as well.  I lost count somewhere around 20 deer and I knew that it was hunts like this that mature bucks were harvested.  Sure enough, as the sun went down past the trees something caught the attention of all the deer in the field.  It was another deer, a buck, and his body dwarfed the other bucks.  It was obvious he was mature, and he carried an impressive unique rack.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was the buck that other hunters, including my dad, have seen previously, and appropriately nicknamed “fifty-three”.  He had a nice 10pt frame on his left, but only a slick three on his right.  I observed him for minutes as I tried to regain my nerve.  I wanted to wait until the last minute of legal daylight to harvest him in hopes that something bigger may step out.  I decided that I should get a look at him in the scope, and I couldn’t resist the quartering away shot he was presenting.

                The shot was true, as it penetrated his high shoulder, instantaneously disabling his nervous system.  The bullet exited the base of his neck, as the deer lay motionless where he took his last step.  I got on the phone and sent my dad a text message.  In the past when we harvest bucks we always send the acronym BBD, for “big buck down.”  I typed “53D BABY!!!!”   The solo walk back to get the truck was as peaceful as I could have ever dreamed.  I gave my thanks to the big man upstairs, and realized how fortunate I was to harvest such an impressive animal, especially on my first hunt of the year.  Dad met me at the truck and we drove to the field to load up the buck and take pictures.  It was then that I realized what I thought was an 8pt, was actually a 9pt with a kicker off his g2.  So “Mr. Fifty-three” turned into “Mr. Sixty-three.”

            A special thanks goes out my dad, Major Harding, who invited me on this hunt, and of course Don Braddock, the landowner who has done a marvelous job managing the land making it a deer hunters dream.  This will be a hunt that I will never forget, and a great way to kick off the season.

            Next I’ll be traveling to Alabama for some doe management, and then off to South Texas for some big buck action, then I’ll finish up the season hunting the rut in Alabama.  Oh life is sooo good.  As always, I’m living the hunt life….are you???

          The call came in Thursday, as my friends and I were enjoying some end of the school week beers at the local alehouse.  “The rut in on, you better get up here.”  My dad says as they were on the way to the processor with a 9 pointer anyone would be tickled with harvesting.  I had previously declined the invitation to hunt Flint River Farms this particular weekend, as the pressures from my senior year at FSU were keeping me fully occupied on the weekends.  I spent the next hour contemplating the pros and cons of cutting out of town.  There were numerous legitimate reasons to stay in town, but it was not going to happen.  Having the opportunity to observe whitetails in full on mating behavior is a rare sight that many hunters only dream of, I was not going to pass this up.

            I arrived to FRF Friday a few minutes after dark, and was greeted by my father, hunt master Don Braddock, and Billy Hamilton. Tommy Elis would be arriving sometime before dinner.  As the previous hunt was recapped my ears burred and my eyes lit up, everyone saw deer, lots of deer…they’re really moving, and within 12 hours I’d be out there logging in my first morning of the year.  We all enjoyed a wonderful dinner, and the wine flowed.  As the evening was winding down, my nerves were cranking up; I didn’t realize how much I have missed the camaraderie, and the unmistakable aura that entails the hunting camp.  I felt like a young child waiting for Santa Clause as I tried to make myself get a few hours of sleep.  This was my Christmas Eve, and sleep would not be plentiful.

            Finally, the house began to awake at 4:30 AM.  I layered my clothing as the temperature was reading just above 40.  After coffee and checking the wind, dad and I were off in complete darkness, to a destination unknown to myself.  I was put in a field known as “upper.”  The first hint of daybreak was met with me frantically glassing the field with my binoculars.  I spent the next 30 minutes checking and double-checking every deer-like bush making sure big boy wasn’t out there enjoying the comfort the darkness brings.  As the sky lightened up the fog rolled in, making it difficult to see over 100 yards.  The morning was picture perfect. I managed to see a dozen deer, with one young buck putting on a show chasing a group of does back a forth, belching out loud grunts with every step he took.

            Back to the camp for a quick breakfast, and back in the woods for a mid-morning sit.  I opted for a stand that many would never contemplate sitting, a little funnel that sat not 100 yards from a public hard road.  The temperatures warmed and the deer were elusive.  Our mid-morning efforts led to a big goose egg for sightings. 

                CONTINUED ON 53D PART 2

Big Buck Down!  Story to come later this week

Okay, I'm finally all registered up and ready to blog.  I've never been a "blogger" before, but it seems like a great way to recap hunts.  Looks like I'll be all tied up in studies untill mid December.  The good news is the rut doesn't get kickin where I hunt in 'Bama untill January.  I'm looking forward to sharing my stories and reading others, but MOST IMPORTANTLY I'm looking forward to my first hunting trip this year, whenever that may be.  Good friends, good eats, and experiencing God's beauity....now thats LIVIN THE HUNTLIFE!! 

I'm going to try to attach a photo of the deer I harvested two seasons ago in Alabama...not bad for a SE deer...Hopefully I can top it this year.  Nevermind..way to confusing to post pictures???