crazy_cajun02

I SAW TH ONE ABOUT THE GREAT WHITE SHARK THIS WEEKEND. iF YOU LOOK AT THE BODY SHAPE AND COLOR AND MOST IMPORTANTLY THE TEETH, THAT IS A MAKO NOT A GREAT WHITE. aLSO GREAT WHITES ARE COLD WATER FISH THE GULF OF MEXICO IS TO WARM FOR THEM SO THE GULF DOESN'T GET ANY GREAT WHITES. wE DO THOUGH HAVE PLENTY OF MAKO TO GO AROUND BUT NOT SHALLOW ENOUGH FOR A SHRIMPER TO FIND. yOU GOTTA BE OUT DEEP IN THE TUNA WATERS TO PLAY WITH THE MAKO'S USUALLY.

[Hidden Content] heres the actual link to the press release.

Allright, i get this email seriously twice a week. So i did some research on it because i'm tired of people saying it's lake conroe. I know lake conroe well and can tell it not, figured i'd share the press release from the NFWS on this issue. Alligator Takes Deer to Lunch in South Georgia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 23, 2004 Contacts: Tom MacKenzie, (404) 679-7291 , cell: (678) 296-6400 The sight of a 12 to 14 foot-long alligator is something south Georgia folks see occasionally, but few have seen one take an adult deer out to lunch. Actually -- for lunch. The photographs of this deer-eating alligator were taken from the air by Terri Jenkins, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service District Fire Management Officer. She was preparing to ignite a prescribed fire at Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, about 40 miles south of Savannah, Georgia, on March 4, 2004. The photo has “One advantage of fire work is you get to see that 12-14 footers are common from Santee National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina to Coastal South Carolina to Georgia’s coast,†said Jenkins. “It looks like the alligator population is doing extremely well.†This one was at least 12-13 feet long. Jenkins said that some bull alligators have a 35 inch girth. The Service uses a helicopter capable of igniting controlled burns by dropping flaming fuel-filled ping pong balls on pre-selected areas. She works throughout parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Coastal Georgia refuges and fish hatcheries. The Service uses prescribed fire to improve habitat and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. If you’re a deer hunter, the refuge hosts an archery hunt on September 15-17, 2004 and a gun hunt November 19, 2004 (only 150 permits will be issued). For more information, and to obtain an application, visit: [Hidden Content]. Applications must be received by August 31, 2004 at Savannah Coastal Refuges, 1000 Business Center Drive, Parkway Business Center, Suite 10, Savannah, Georgia, 31405. The alligator will not be charged with hunting deer out of season, animal cruelty, or any one of several possible water quality violations. He may, however, be charged with being one mean gator. If we could catch him... Or wanted to... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click on the photo for 300dpi image, right click and save Photos are free, public domain and available to the public. Credit photos to Terri Jenkins, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Look up Twin rivers retrievers in dayton Mike is a really good guy. (409) 599-9473

I took this off the Gun Dog forum on TOS, where it was taken of retrievertraining.net. Its quite a wakeup call about taking care of your dog in the field. We often forget that they are at our mercy for their well being. I takes some great character to admit such a grievous thing too, I applaud the guy who originally posted this so that others could learn. It is my understanding that traumatic events are often dealt with by talking about them to friends and strangers alike. No opinions, agenda, or B.S. here...just an account of what has been one of the toughest days of my life thus far. The pain and grief I'm burdening my conscience with is more that anyone could possibly throw at me, so please save the "reply" button for support of my dog and not reiteration of what I now understand was terribly poor judgement on my (and only my) behalf. This morning I laid on the edge of a field in Jackson county Arkansas asking God and whoever else was listening why it had to end this way. On the week that Ace will age out of the Derby, I watched the life quickly slip from his eyes as I stripped my waders and clothes off trying to warm him while my hunting partner was running for the Argo. We've been after the ducks pretty hard so far this season, and this morning was no different than normal. Picking up birds until about 8:30 when the "faucet" seems to shut off. Except, the faucet opened up on a buckbrush hole around 9:00 and two of us headed over to slip in and get in on the action. Even being his first season to hunt, 30 something days into it, he's really added "duck dawg" to his short, but respectable resume', dotted with some derby points and Q placements. While most of our spots have platforms or at least logs to get the dogs out of the water, this "makeshift" hunt had no decent place for a dog to stand. Seeing the sheer number of birds and knowing that we only needed a few, I figured 30 minutes tops...surely he can stand in knee deep water for that long. About 45 minutes into it he had just made a retrieve and I noticed a strange grunt/moan on the return that I've never heard before. As he came to heel, and another group was making a pass, he continued to make the sound. As he's not a "whiner" when birds are working, I gave a "quiet-nick". Continues to make the sound. Now I'm scratching my head. Knowing that he'll air even in swimming water, I rule that out. I chalk it up to "he's cold" and say "let's call it, my dog's getting chilly". As we're easing out, he becomes disoriented and begins to just tread water. I walk over and ease on his collar to pull him along. When his legs floated up to the sides, I knew we were in deep kim shi. Hypothermia was rapidly draining his time with us, as his core body temp continued to plummet. When I let go of his collar to pick him up, he sunk (head and all). Now I've heard of people doing amazing things in times of extreme duress (single person flips over car that is trapping someone, etc.), but I have never made it through 250 yards of beaver-run, smart-weed filled stump hole filled buck brush in under 20 minutes with my shotgun and blind bag. This morning I did that plus a 67 pound lab in 5. By the time I got to dry ground he was limp and unable to support his own head. I stripped my jacket, outershirt, and fleece to wrap and then curled up next to him while my partner (75 yards behind me without carrying a dog) was making to to shore to get the Argo. He had his first seizure on the edge of the field, gasping for breath, foaming at the mouth, and contracting every muscle in his body. As his eyes rolled back I pleaded with him "I'm so sorry buddy, I never meant for it to end this way"..."I never would have done this to you on purpose"....this was 10 minutes from the time he picked up the last bird. And I prayed for the first time in a long time. The selfish grief that burned from the fact that I was losing my first "real" dog and best friend was sickly overshadowed by the anguish that I felt from seeing the pain in Ace's eyes. That image raises the hair on my neck as I type this and will likely haunt me for many years to come. Argo pulls up and I hop in, with him in my lap, wrapped in my jacket, and I take the longest 1/2 mile ride to the truck that I'll ever take. Get to the truck, start engine, petal to the floor trying to get warmed up so that the heat kicks in. Lay Ace in the passenger floorboard and use everything dry that I had (handlers jackets, frogg toggs, gloves, etc) to get the water off. Then pile on my bibs, coat, and fleece to keep him warm. Second seizure hits as my buddy climbs into the driver's seat for the 45 minute ride to Jonesboro, where we have no clue how to find a vet on Sunday morning. Was going to give him some Coke to provide a shot of glucose, only to find out that his jaws were locked shut, front teeth piercing through his bottom lip from the seizures. Totally immobile and unresponsive, I pinch, pull, and pat to keep him from shutting those eyes. Notice that his gums are solid white. A few times he takes "his dying breath" and I jackleg attempt canine CPR. 10 minutes from Jonesboro and we get a call from the vet who responded to a page from his answering service. He's 15 minutes away, so I wait out another of the 5 longest minutes of my life in the parking lot. He pulls up, unlocks the doors, and I carry Ace in with the gut feeling that this would be his last vet visit. I prayed again for the second time in a long time. What happened in the next 4 hours is nothing short of a sho' nuff' miracle. I usually don't buy that cheesy crap, but I "seen it with my own eyes". With a core body temp of 84 degrees at the vet (so we'll call it close to 80 before the 100 mph heater wide open truck ride), a blur of heated tables, blankets, heating pads, warm saline solution through an IV began. 2 hours into it, we got to 90 degrees. He began to shiver (which was a good sign), and opened his eyes. At 2.5 hours, he picked up his head and took a drunken look around. At 3 hours, we were at 94 and and eased outside to relieve the bladder (another good sign that the kidneys were functioning). At 3.5 hours he ate a high-protein tube of some honey-substance. At 4 hours he was at 97 and I was hauling to Memphis with him asleep in the back seat, destined for the emergency clinic. Out of the back seat in Memphis he's got pep in his step to air and meet the awaiting staff with vet chart faxes in hand. He leveled out a 101.5 for tonight and is resting while fluids are administered. And while this seems to be the happy ending, I'm fully aware that he's not out of the woods yet. A condition known as D.I.C. (can't give you the true acronym, but the slang is Death Is Coming) were clotting ability is reduced is a definite possibility, along with a string of other ailments, including kidney, heart, lung failure, and the potential for his "internal temp regulators" to spike and throw him into HYPERthermia in the near future are all very real threats. But that's tomorrow. For tonight, my dog is alive. And in better condition than he was on the edge of that field this morning. What did I learn? -You cannot leave a dog in the water, even for a short amount of time. They need a place to get out and shake the excess water. -I've always been a critic of dog vests...not no mo'. After the ass-chewing I got from the vet, I got a good list of reasons to use a vest. -You've got to listen to your dog. Generally, they'll show/tell you that something's wrong. -There could easily be more than coincidence relating the request for divine intervention and the honest-to-goodness miracle that I witnessed today. The deepest and most sincere Thank You from the bottom of my heart (and Ace's) goes out to everyone that has played a role in today and the upcoming days (you know who you are).

YUP, SURE IS. A LESSON I LEARNED WELL IN THE MARINE CORPS, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ACCIDENTAL DICHARGE. iT'S NEGLIGENT DICHARGE IF EVERY WEPON IS TO BE TREATED AS IF IT IS LOADED AND NEVER AIMED(POINTED) AT ANYTHING YOU DO NOT INTEND TO KILL. YOURSELF INCLUDED. yOU CAN NEVER CHECK THE CHAMBER ENOUGH TIMES.

DON'T KNOW ABOUT SABINE BUT I BEEN WATCHING WATCHING BIRDS WORK AND PRODUCE IN UNUSUAL PLACES WHILE I'M DUCK HUNTING. PM ME PNG IF YOU WANT DETAILS. I HAD REDFISH TAILING IN THE DECOYS THIS WEEKEND IN ROCKPORT. IF I'D HAD THE TIME I'D BEEN OUT CATCHING EM BUT THERE WERE TOO MAY DUCKS IN THE AIR.

GRANTED I NEVER FISH FOR BASS, BUT I THNK IT'S CLOSER TO JUNE OR MAY FOR SPAWNERS. i'D IMAGINE IT ALL DEPENDS ON WATER TEMPS.

OK SINCE I CAN'T GET PICTURES TO UPLOAD OVER HERE FOR SOME REASON HERES A LINK TO THE PICS. [Hidden Content]

went down to Rock port this weekend, had 7 people in my group. saturday we did pretty well, everyone got there redheads and we were 1 pintail shy. Had 3 blue bills and a teal thrown in the bag as well. Hunted a spot i saw while fishing this summer and man o man was it loaded. The redheads were decoying 100 at a time, the boys were putting out decoys while i was wrapping my dogs feet and they were half way limited out before the last decoy was tossed. sunday went to a different spot and only had 6 people. ended up with 10 redheads, 2 bootlips, 1 gw teal, 1 mottled duck, 1 mallerd hen, 1 pintail, 1 greater bluebill, lost 2 redheads and 2 buffelhead due to wind+ tide+ expert diving. Had a great weekend, definantly a good way to open up the second split just hope i don't have to keep traveling down there to keep up the streak.

i'VE GOT A GUY AT WORK THAT FLY FISHES SALTWATER FOR REDS ALL THE TIME. hE'S GONNA TEACH ME HIS TRICKS AND HOW TO TIE FLIES. i'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO LEARN JUST NEVER KNEW ANYONE THAT WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO TEAH ME. rEALLY I WANNA USE IT FOR DOLPHIN OFFSHORE............THAT WOULD BE A BLAST.

tHE LEGUNA OR ACTUALLY STARTING IN ROCKPORT THE BAY SYSTEMS ARE LOADED WITH GRASSFLATS THAT ARE UNDERNEATH THE WATER. iT'S AN AQUATIC PLANT KINDA LIKE WEED BEDS YOU'D FISH OVER IN FRESH WATER BUT THIS IS OLY INCHES FROM THE SURFACE IN A LOT OF PLACES. iT HELPS KEEP THE WATER CRYSTAL CLEAR MOST OF THE TIME AND MOST OF THE FISHING IS DONE BY SIGHT. fOR MY TOURNEMANTS LIVE BAIT IS NOT AN OPTION. I'M NOT REALLY A FAN OF LIVE BAIT ANYHOW, IT'S TOO EASY TO CATCH JUST ANYTHING..

NO..... Rattle traps and the leguna grass flats don't mix to well. Pretty much gotta be weedless down there. I was using a rattling weedless gold spoon though.

DON'T KNOW WHO WROTE THIS BUT I'M DEDICATING IT TO CPL. MILEO (3/4 INDIA CO. 1ST PLT. KIA: IRAQ 2003) AND CPL EVNAN (3/4 HQ SS KIA: IRAQ APRIL 2003) A Different Christmas Poem The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light, I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight. My wife was asleep, her head on my chest, My daughter beside me, angelic in rest. Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white, Transforming the yard to a winter delight. The sparkling lights in the tree I believe, Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve. My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep, Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep. In perfect contentment, or so it would seem, So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream. The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near, But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear. Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know, Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow. My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear, And I crept to the door just to see who was near. Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night, A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight. A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old, Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold. Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled, Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child. "What are you doing?" I asked without fear, "Come in this moment, it's freezing out here! Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve, You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!" For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift, Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.. To the window that danced with a warm fire's light Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right, I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night." "It's my duty to stand at the front of the line, That separates you from the darkest of times. No one had to ask or beg or implore me, I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me. My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December," Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers." My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ', And now it is my turn and so, here I am. I've not seen my own son in more than a while, But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile. Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag, The red, white, and blue... an American flag. I can live through the cold and the being alone, Away from my family, my house and my home. I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet, I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat. I can carry the weight of killing another, Or lay down my life with my sister and brother.. Who stand at the front against any and all, To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall." "So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright, Your family is waiting and I'll be all right." "But isn't there something I can do, at the least, "Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast? It seems all too little for all that you've done, For being away from your wife and your son." Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret, "Just tell us you love us, and never forget. To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone, To stand your own watch, no matter how long. For when we come home, either standing or dead, To know you remember we fought and we bled. Is payment enough, and with that we will trust, That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

Yeah i flipped my pirogue 2 years ago wearing my waders and if it werent for the duck decoys i'd have been in a heck of a bind. I was in the middle of old lake and swimming/ treading water holding on to the decoys for flotation and during the 2 hours it took me to fight the wind and swim to shore i had 5 boats pass me and just look at me in amazement. If could have loaded my shot gun i would have pepperedthere boats. I'm pretty sure it's a law that you have to render aid to someone you can tell needs help on the water. anyways i made my way back to within 100yds of the ramp when a boat finally picked me up and literally towed me to the ramp because the waders were too heavy to lift me in the boat.