the shootin shack

[brushcutter]

Here's a couple pics to show why there hasn't a lot of progress made on the trackster lately. This is the shooting shack on my family's property. My grandad had a combination cattle feeder/deer stand on this site my entire life, but in the late '80s it reached a state of deterioration from which there was no return. I wish I had pics of the original, but I never realized that the "shooting tower" as grandad called it would be a thing of interest to my kids. My brothers and I built a new one, and Rita took the roof off it, we did temporary repairs and last Thanksgiving we gathered up and put a new roof on it. The last few weekends we've added new steps, and a larger covered porch in preparation to enclose the original porch for more bunk area. These shots show the new steps we added the weekend of Sept 23, and the framing and 8'X20' porch we built this weekend. By dark Sunday there was a new roof over what you see here. Will get more pics next weekend.

shootin shack 001.jpgshootin shack 002.jpg

The "Shooting Shack" is built on top of a low ridge in a pasture which would compromise about 34 acres of the family's land, the ridge rises about 8' above the surrounding pasture. There have been numerous deer killed from it through the years and the treeline you see to the right of the shack is the edge of a pin oak slough which had squealers in it while we worked, but duck season won't be open for a couple of weeks. We have uninvited hogs that show up at night after a rain so the plan is to occasionally stay a night and see if we can't show them a bright light and loud booming noise.

[Coop]

That is cool, nice to have a place to get away to once in awhile. We are just starting to see hogs moving into our area, I'm looking foreward to "making their day", I just recently bought a .300 Blackout upper for my AR, anxious to try it out. I will probably take it deer hunting a couple times this year too.

Coop

[Noel Woods]

Very nice! Wish I had a set up on my property like that. Especially one where I could get some hunting out of as well.

[monoped]

Good to see tradition preserved. Hogs at night would be fun too. Side note, your,re never to old to adopt, say someone in their early 50s. L.o.l. !
Have a great season.

[brushcutter]

I sometimes wonder how many of our closely held traditions would fade into obscurity if not for hunting. Hunting is not just about the kill, for me it is about the time spent with family and friends, and the time preparing for the next time. It gives not only an opportunity to get together, more importantly it gives a compelling REASON to get together. In a sense it is a glue that binds us one to another, and although they may dim over time, under the bright light of new memories, we never forget the excitement of our childhood opening days or the time spent there growing up. We're trying to start a new tradition, and that is to get together around Thanksgiving and cook chili while waiting for the ducks to fly over on their way to the neighbor's ponds. It is our hope and purpose to instill this into our kids, so they will have fond memories to tell their kids some day in the future as they gather to cook, tell of their hunts as they grew up, and wait for the ducks to pass over...

The old home place once was 167 1/2 acres, but our 2 aunts sold their birthright to persons outside the family. I have no doubt that if Papaw could come back today he would practice on them a very different tradition... a well deserved and swift butt whuppin for selling his beloved land to those who it was sold to.

Happy Hunting!