atnvol
Well-Known Member
This past Saturday January 22, my son and I went on our first Sandhill hunt. I cant say that I was busting at the seams to go, but I did want to go with my son since he wanted us to go. I had one of the most entertaining hunts that I have been on in a long time. It was so much fun to hunt something totally different.
We hunted here in East Tennessee in the Southeast Zone in Rhea County and met up on Friday afternoon before the hunt and stayed in the historic town of Dayton, TN. This is where the famous Scopes Monkey Trial took place almost 100 years ago. Two of the most famous U.S. lawyers of the day presided over the prosecution and defense. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. We drove by the courthouse that the trial took place in and they have a statue of Darrow and Bryan on the courthouse lawn. The museum was not open so we didn't get to visit.
Also on Friday afternoon, we drove by Blythe Ferry where the Cherokee Trail of Tears crossed the Tennessee River and we also viewed the Hiwassee Refuge Island where the Sandhills rest and feed before resuming their annual migration. So Friday before the hunt was very entertaining within itself to see first hand the history of our great state.
So early Saturday morning came and we met up with our outfitter(Double H Outfitters), which is a family operated venture. They were great down to earth folks and know their stuff about Sandhill hunting. Our blind was strung along a fence and everyone (6) had plenty of room which is very important when shooting firearms as we all know. The father called the Sandhills to the decoys that had been strategically placed into the pre-scouted flight path. We could see the Sandhills coming from quite a distance which only built the excitement. He would "purr" to the birds and they would cup their wings and drop right in on us. He would tell us when to shoot(in range) so as everyone had the same opportunity. Just a couple of minutes after legal shooting light my son and I each had taken our first Sandhills. Those birds are huge! In a little over an hour we had our group limit of 12 birds. It was unique, exciting and totally different than any hunt that I have been on. We saw hundreds of birds and I cannot wait to be drawn again.
I look forward to eating my Sandhill steak tonight and I want to thank my son for convincing the "old man" to try something different. It was so much fun, it was very beautiful country, with an abundance of game. If you love the great outdoors that God has given us, be sure and give Double H Outfitters a call if in East Tennessee....but wherever you are at, you need to try hunting Sandhills at least once.
Regards, Robert(Mike)
We hunted here in East Tennessee in the Southeast Zone in Rhea County and met up on Friday afternoon before the hunt and stayed in the historic town of Dayton, TN. This is where the famous Scopes Monkey Trial took place almost 100 years ago. Two of the most famous U.S. lawyers of the day presided over the prosecution and defense. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow. We drove by the courthouse that the trial took place in and they have a statue of Darrow and Bryan on the courthouse lawn. The museum was not open so we didn't get to visit.
Also on Friday afternoon, we drove by Blythe Ferry where the Cherokee Trail of Tears crossed the Tennessee River and we also viewed the Hiwassee Refuge Island where the Sandhills rest and feed before resuming their annual migration. So Friday before the hunt was very entertaining within itself to see first hand the history of our great state.
So early Saturday morning came and we met up with our outfitter(Double H Outfitters), which is a family operated venture. They were great down to earth folks and know their stuff about Sandhill hunting. Our blind was strung along a fence and everyone (6) had plenty of room which is very important when shooting firearms as we all know. The father called the Sandhills to the decoys that had been strategically placed into the pre-scouted flight path. We could see the Sandhills coming from quite a distance which only built the excitement. He would "purr" to the birds and they would cup their wings and drop right in on us. He would tell us when to shoot(in range) so as everyone had the same opportunity. Just a couple of minutes after legal shooting light my son and I each had taken our first Sandhills. Those birds are huge! In a little over an hour we had our group limit of 12 birds. It was unique, exciting and totally different than any hunt that I have been on. We saw hundreds of birds and I cannot wait to be drawn again.
I look forward to eating my Sandhill steak tonight and I want to thank my son for convincing the "old man" to try something different. It was so much fun, it was very beautiful country, with an abundance of game. If you love the great outdoors that God has given us, be sure and give Double H Outfitters a call if in East Tennessee....but wherever you are at, you need to try hunting Sandhills at least once.
Regards, Robert(Mike)
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