Dec 26 2019 - Jan 1, 2020 Junction

The day after Christmas we headed for Junction.  Regan and Kerry left before we did as I went to town to get the oil changed in the car. We did manage to get away by 9:00. Adam also went with us . We meandered our way thru 290 and finally back to 1-10 where 290 ends. After 4 stops we got there about 4:00.  We pretty much just chilled for 4 days. Kerry and Susan went to Kerrville one day. Regan Adam and I just piddled around the ranch doing some small jobs. I really didn't hunt as I didn't need any more deer meat. I did all my hunting from the back window of the house.  Regan did shoot a cull buck which is a funny story but too much typing for me to put in here.  The weather was the warmest we ever had at this time of year but it did finally get cold enough the last 2 days to have a fire. The highlight of the trip was the last evening we were there. Regan and Adam were hunting in stands and I was hunting from the back door. I saw 14 deer, 10 does, 3 bucks and 1 uncertain. I had a nice fire going in the fireplace and was cozy. The deer had moved on and it was getting dusky. I went ahead and put my gun up and then was going out the side door to get more wood. I picked up some movement along the creek bottom so I went to get my binoculars, With the naked eye you could not make out anything , It turned out to be an Axis Buck, Not just a buck but the biggest Axis I have ever seen. I told Kerry and Susan to come see, Kerry said oh that's probably Big Daddy, we see him sometimes, when she looked thru the glasses she said good lord that's Grandpa, never seen him before.   It was just too late for my camera phone to get a picture and no gun available to get a closeup picture.  He never came to the feeder. You have to wonder where hes been and where hes going as no one has seen him before. I have never done a full shoulder mount but I would have this time.  We left a little earlier than normal and went to Adams near Corpus Christi. We left there New Years day and came home.

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Finally cold enough for a fire

watching deer for the back door window

watching some turkeys from the back door window

Regan Buck

Chester hiding from the thunder

Chester likes riding

Cooking a little supper

The beginnings of a little rock dam to collect water

Looking back fro top of the hill, Thats the neighbors place

Regan mulching a little cedar

Headed up the hill to ride around

December 22-25 2019 Christmas

Our Christmas was rather disjointed this year. We went to Bryan on Monday to have Christmas with Peyton and Luke. We all went out to eat lunch when we got there and then back to Kyle's to open presents. We had a good time and headed back home. On Tuesday Kevin came and we took Mom out to eat, she loves Crackle Barrel so that's where we went. We decided to stay home Christmas Day as the flu was running rampant at the Zeller House. We basically spent the day packing as we are headed for Junction and then to Adams near Chorpus Christi.

Dec 10-22 Hunting and Volleyball and a Huge Shock

This time of year it usually is just Me and John Callahan at the lease. There will be a couple of folks on the weekends. Its still dead during the day with only a couple of deer seen. I have still been getting plenty of night pictures.  I usually walk the woods in the morning just looking around and then hunt some in the middle of the day. I went home for three days as club volleyball is starting. Mackenna had a tournament on Saturday and Sunday.  This year we have 3 granddaughters playing so somebody will be playing every weekend thru May.  I will be heading home on the 20th. I will not be back to Mack Creek till Jan 2, 2020. I headed home Thursday because I needed to pick up a trailer. Kevin had a wheel bearing go out on his truck. We picked his truck up and took it to his Moms. Kyle came down on Friday and replaced the hub. The huge shock was when I got home , I had a letter from F & W Forestry.  Our deer lease has been sold and will no longer exist.  The new owners said we have to be out by Jan 31 ,2020.   After 53 years Mack Creek has been killed.  I spent a couple of hours calling folks to tell them.  Everyone was in shock. There are several kids (now grown men from 25-39) that have hunted here their whole life. I have hunted here the whole 53 years with mostly family and then a few others who are like family.  Ever since I retired I moved in to the lease after Labor Day weekend and stayed thru the first week in Jan.  It wasn"t just the hunting , I enjoyed the tractor work , riding the Ranger , walking the woods and all the fellowship.  These things cannot be replaced. At this point in my life I have no plans to find another lease. Susan has always wanted to travel some in the fall so now she will get the chance.   Life goes on.

Maggie is napping

Night time feeding

Buck chasing a doe

Two bucks together

Pretty Fox

Dec 5-9 Fish Fry at Mack Creek

Well the deer have completely stopped moving in the day time, I have been steadily hunting in the woods but only seeing squirrels. At some point I may do a little squirrel hunting. Now that December is here it has been mostly Me , Callahan and Kevin here. Kevin starts back to work today so it will be just a few of us except on weekends. Saturday night Little John cooked fish, shrimp and hush puppies
for everyone. It was really good. Also on Saturday Kyle put a new Primary clutch on the Ranger.  It turned out to be an easy job. Now the Ranger is back and running fine again. I came home Sunday evening because I have a dentist appointment Monday. Will head back to lease after that.

Yolanda Susan

John  Skyler

Holly  Scarlett

Jen  John

Lil John, Kyle, David, Kevin, Carson
 

Nov 5-Dec 5 Hunting, Thanksgiving and " The Bernina Mystery"

Our first two weeks of deer season was not bad, We saw deer and killed a few. After that the deer got into night mode and we just didn't see any. We still had plenty of night pictures to prove to us there was still deer. We had really good cold weather to hunt. On Thanksgiving we went to the lake house and spent the day.  Sammi got to go to Freer Tx with Adam and she killed her first hog and a doe. She was very excited.  The biggest thing that happened was Susan started having problems with her Longarm Quilting machine.  Some times 3 of her quilting programs would stop working.  The owner of the Vintage Owl (where she bought it) came and checked it out. Of course it worked fine when he was here.  Later it quit again. I came home and we took it to Silsbee and got a loaner. We didn't get 5 miles down the road when Stephen called and said machine was sewing fine. We turned around and went back to shop. It indeed was working fine. Stephen and I talked about possible issues at home. We got home and machine did indeed work for awhile. Then it stopped working again.  I came back home and we took it to Silsbee again and got a loaner. When we got home the loaner did the same thing as Susan's machine.  I checked everything that could be causing problems. Stephen thought it might be electrical but I checked everything but no problem found.  I finally got a generator and hooked it up and still had the same problems so that ruled out any issue on house power. Finally I asked Susan the right question "What tells the program to start stitching" . She said there were two lights which came on under material ( sensors ).  I watched and only one light would come on and sometimes the other would flicker. We took the slider off she was using and the machine started working fine. Problem solved.  She had just started using this slider but didn't think that had anything to do with the machine. One more trip to Silsbee to take loaner back and get her machine and everything is great again. Now I can go back to the deer lease and hunt in peace.

Checking Cameras

Walking along Mack Creek

Nice and cozy on a cold morning

Maggie is snuggled in

Eddie, John and Kevin

David killed a Great Buck

Sammi"s  Hog

Sammi"s  doe

The culprit  

The Machine

Oct 27-Nov 4 Opening Weekend of Deer Season

On Wednesday I finally got the Ranger running just in time for the season, its using oil but that can wait till January. I went home to do a few things and had water well issues so it was Friday before I rolled back into Camp.  The weather was nice and cold with clear blue skies. By Friday night we had a full camp. We had a good opening weekend. We killed 6 deer and 2 hogs. We ate good and enjoyed the company.  Peyton and Holly had a blast playing around camp. Peyton also got to help track a deer that I shot. Maybe by next year both Holly and Peyton might be able to start shooting.  All in all we had a great weekend.

Starting to fill up at Camp

Jen is happy to get here

Peyton loves to dig

Holly and John

Becky

Yolanda,Susan Peyton

Kyle

Yolanda, John, Susan Eddie

Peyton wearing Colton"s police badge

Peyton,John,Jennifer,Holly ready to clean Jen"s doe