big deer Franklin County Virginia

Here is a picture of a huge deer killed in Franklin County Virginia hardly a mile from my house a few days ago. It is a main frame 8 pointer, but I hear it had 16 counting all the smaller kickers. It's hard to count them from the pictures. This thing is a monster, and I hear it scored 216. Congrats to the hunter. That's one to be proud of.

It looks a lot like the same deer I have been seeing for a couple years around that area but I never could get him. If it is the same one he was pretty much nocturnal the last couple years it seemed to me. The one I saw came out only about an hour after dark on a pretty regular basis, and where he was coming from was difficult to get to.

fall foliage still lingering in Virginia

The brilliant colors of fall seem to be lingering a little longer this year than usual. I think this has been one of the prettiest years in recent memory here in Virginia as far as the colors go, and the length of time we are enjoying them. Here are a few pictures I took close to home this week.

Blue Ridge Parkway ride for the scenic fall foliage

Today we took our cruise down the parkway for the fall foliage. We try to do it every year, but missed it last year. We just took a short cruise this time on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Roanoke down to The Meadows of Dan. It's not a long ride but there are many lookovers to stop at and spend some time, along with Mabry's Mill and Otis's store along The Crooked Road. Otis was a nice fellow who greeted us when we entered with an offer of a cup of coffee. He has a little something for everyone in there.





The foliage was not as brilliant as I expected yet, and I don't think it has peaked yet. Later this week to this weekend I think will be better.

Martinsville Virginia Speedway

Martinsville Nascar fans will have a new feature added to their racing experience this year. They have added a new leaderboard that also has 3 bigscreen TV monitors on it. Fans should be able to see it from pretty much all angles. It is a great addition that I can speak to from experience. The last few years Sprint has provided a large screen TV on the backstretch which is great for seeing replays of anything significant that happens during the race. It always seems like when something exciting happens I am looking the other direction. As nice as that was, it could not be seen from all directions. With this new feature nothing will be missed by anyone.

It's good to see that they are still investing in this track and hopefully a sign that the 2 races allotted to Martinsville will be a mainstay for years to come.

For more information about Martinsville speedway, go to www.martinsvillespeedway.com

Virginia state record bow-killed buck

As reported by the Martinsville Bulletin


Sunday, October 5, 2008

By JOHNNY BUCK - Bulletin Sports Editor

Tony Hodges is a very patient man.


A Patrick County resident, Hodges had been bow hunting for deer for 13 years in the fall of 2006. In that time span, his best kills were two 8-point bucks and one 7-pointer.

“None of them were what I’d call a big buck,” he said. “They were nice bucks, and I killed them all with a bow.

He’d let countless deer walk over the years, either because they weren’t in range or because he wanted to let them grow another season. He considered himself a doe hunter, but like most who enjoy his hobby, he was always dreaming about the day when that trophy buck might walk out in front of him.

Two years ago this fall, the biggest known deer killed by bow and arrow in Virginia did just that.


THE HUNT

While scouting during the summer of 2006, Hodges found a natural choke point between an acorn flat and a thick, brushy bedding area in Henry County.

He immediately identified it as a prime spot to hunt for bucks, and he decided not to return until the whitetail’s mating season — known as the rut — set in and made the normally cautious male deer more active.

On the pre-dawn morning of Oct. 30, Hodges, then 38, left his truck and began the long walk with a climbing stand strapped to his back.

He’d seen some young bucks chasing does several days earlier elsewhere, and with a wind direction that was favorable for his ambush spot, Hodges decided this was the day to hunt over his promising choke point.

Hodges snuck into the woods, picked a tree in the morning’s gray haze and climbed about 20 feet above the ground. He then strapped himself in with a safety harness, pulled up his bow and waited.

“Probably about 20 minutes after I’d been there ... I see just a flicker of movement off to my right. It was just a little piece of gray, you know, just a flick of movement,” recalled Hodges. “And I thought, ‘Was that a squirrel?’ I couldn’t see it anymore, and I thought it might have been a deer, so I got my bow clipped up. And I hear steps, so I think it is a deer.”

The understory of this area — the location of which Hodges won’t reveal — was so thick, however, that he couldn’t see the animal, even though it was no more than 15 yards away.

The animal passed his stand in broadside fashion. When it did, Hodges caught a glimpse of the biggest rack he’d ever seen.

“It was a rush of adrenaline, and it was almost a hyperventilating-type of a rush,” Hodges said. “It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, look at, this is a monster! This is not a deer you just see. You know? This is a monster!’ I was just pumped. My whole body was probably throbbing, but I didn’t have a shot.”

So Hodges let the deer of his life walk away.

Thinking no one would believe his story, he began to put down his bow and reach for a digital camera he’d brought to the stand.

“I started to lay down my bow and pick up my camera and I (thought), ‘I can’t do it. I ain’t gonna turn loose of (my bow).’”

About this time, the deer, still unaware of Hodges’ presence, made a slight turn. He now was quartering away from the hunter, but he was headed for one of the only shooting lanes available.

“I thought, ‘Buddy, I don’t know if he’s going to go through there or not, but if he does, that’s where I’m going to have to try my shot,” recalled Hodges. “It would be the only shot opportunity I would have.”

Heading toward the opening, Hodges’ deer went out of sight. That’s when the hunter drew back his bow string and guessed the spot to be 35 yards.

Again, he waited.

Suddenly, the animal came into view on a steady walk. With little time to think, Hodges made a soft mouth bleat, and the buck paused in mid-stride.

That’s when Hodges fired, and that’s what led to the harvest of the biggest known Henry County buck.

Hodges’ shot drifted high, however, and hit the deer in the spine. He quickly got down from the stand and dispatched the animal.

That errant shot — one that might have missed its original target by only 5 or 6 inches — is the only source of regret Hodges felt about his trophy kill.

“I didn’t take a bad shot, and I didn’t take a shot that I didn’t think I could make. ... But I must have tweaked just a little bit in my hand or something, and he fell straight down and disappeared from my sight,” he recalled.

“I hate that that’s what happened in the hunt, but it’s what happened. It’s the truth.”

The deer was too big for Hodges to move by himself, however, so he rushed home to his father, Riley Hodges, and asked for help.

According to Riley Hodges, his son was visibly excited. Their exchange went something like this:

Dad: “How many points did it have?”

Son: “I don’t know.”

Dad: “Well what do you mean you don’t know how many points it’s got? Did you actually kill the deer and go up to it? How can you not know how many points it’s got?”

Son: “I don’t know dad. I guess he’s got, well, 15 or 20 points.”

At this point in retelling the story, Riley Hodges smiled.

“And I said, ‘Aww, maybe that deer ain’t as big as you think he is,’ but when I got over there I said, ‘YEAH, he’s as big as you said he was!’”


THE SCORING STORY

Hodges’ Henry County buck was a non-typical, 22-pointer with 11 main-frame points. It was checked that day at Southeastern Outdoor Supplies by shop owner Johnny Hundley, who called it the best bow-taken deer he’s checked in almost 30 years at the store.

“That’s probably the best I’ve checked. We cover three counties and we have a (big buck) contest,” said Hundley. “We do score them on a Virginia system. Every year we usually hit 200 (in the scoring system) ... but some years we don’t.

“I know it was several points over 200, and we don’t get many over 200.”

In fact, Hodges’ deer, which has since been mounted, scored 245 4/16 on the state’s system, which takes into account the volume, shape and diameter of antler on an animal’s head.

Later, it received a Boone & Crockett gross score of 206 6/8 inches. Its Pope and Young net score, a scoring system used exclusively for archery-taken deer, was 197 3/8.

It has since been recognized by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) as the biggest Pope and Young bow kill in the state’s history.

Originally, however, Hodges’ kill was considered the state’s second-biggest Pope and Young buck.

Then Hodges entered his deer in a big-buck contest and beat out the then-state-record buck.

“That’s when some of the judges told me I should start asking some questions,” said Hodges.

That’s just what he did. He began asking state wildlife officials how his buck beat the current state record and yet was not the state record.

Two months ago, Hodges, the son of Riley and Caroline Hodges, finally got a letter from the state recognizing his deer as the state’s biggest bow kill.


THE AFTERMATH

Since taking the animal, the father of Jonathan and Riley Hodges has been surprised how some of his fellow hunters reacted. While he said all of his friends have showed support, some strangers have accused Hodges of wrong-doing.

“When I shot that deer, from the get-go, there were a lot of bad things said about it,” said Hodges. “‘Oh, he shot it at night. Oh, he shot it out of season. Oh this, oh that.’ I mean, (some people said) I’d done everything illegal you can imagine. None of it’s true, but it was just jealousy. People would just say things.”

Hundley backed that claim, noting nothing appeared suspicious about the deer when he checked it.

He also said he’s seen other big-buck hunters experience the same attacks.

“It’s jealousy,” said Hundley. “I see it all the time.”

Hodges entered his buck in five big-buck contests across North Carolina and Virginia in 2007, and he won top honors in each, regardless of harvest method (bow, rifle, etc.).

For the last six years, Hodges has hunted exclusively with a bow, even during rifle season.

All those years of waiting in a tree stand for a big deer to walk into shooting range were worth it, he said.

And enlightening.

“I’m an average Joe hunter. I love to hunt, and I hunt seriously, but killing that deer does not make me a good hunter. It makes me a lucky hunter.”

At this point Hodges broke into an honest laugh, hand resting easily on the neck of his massive mount.

“So I feel lucky that I got this deer. I really do. I feel fortunate and lucky, but I am a serious hunter, and I am a fair chase hunter, and I think I deserved it as much as anybody.”

Virginia fall foliage report

So far there has been little, if any change in the foliage in Virginia. Right now the prediction according to the division of forestry for central Virginia, which contains a major portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway the peak should be between Oct 27th and Nov 10th. Far western Virginia should be Oct 20th thru Nov 3rd, and eastern Virgina Nov 1st thru Nov 15th. Here is a link to the map from the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Virginia biodiesel

Evedently someone paid attention to our local biodiesel manufacturer. Monday, state and federal representatives are coming to look the place over. One of Martinsville city councel members, Danny Turner, was talking about it this morning on a local radio station. He is hoping that the area may can benefit from this and get much needed new jobs going in the area. There is plenty of local farmland vacant in the area, especially in the winter when this canola is grown. It would be great for the local economy if we can get in on the ground floor of this, as well as beneficial for the environment and help relieve our dependence on foreign oil.

The Martinsville area has plenty of vacant buildings for manufacturing and plenty of workers that could do the job. Let's hope this brings some fresh new ideas to the area in hopes of turning things around.

Virginia biodiesel truck stop

This is a little off topic of my normal posts here, but I feel it worth mentioning anyway.

A local store and truck stop in Henry county Virginia is manufacturing and selling it's own biodiesel at the pumps. Vehicles that run on diesel can use this fuel with no modification and the cost is claimed to be around .50 a gallon cheaper to buy, than conventional diesel. It also burns cleaner with lower emmissions than with regular diesel.

The company forms contracts with local farmers to grow canola on their unused fields in the winter. When the canola is crushed for refinery it produces a byproduct of meal which is used to feed farm animals. It is a win win for everyone.

My question is this. If a relatively small operation such as this can manufacture and sell biodiesel for .50 a gallon cheaper than conventional diesel, help relieve our dependence on foreign oil, and help the environment to boot, what have we been waiting for?

Virginia English mastiff

Here is a picture of our big Englsih mastiff Yogi. He is around 1 1/2 years old and between 175 and 200 lbs. We were just out playing around in the yard and I wanted to get this shot to give an idea of how big he is already. He still has some growing to do. He is a very good dog though and has a good temperment, as most English mastiffs do. Admittedly, he does drive us crazy sometimes, but only because he wants to be right on top of us all the time. That also is a trait of mastiffs. They like to be with their family all the time and don't do well if left penned up alone all the time.

We also have a brindle female as well and were just blessed with 5 healthy brindle puppies. Hopefully they will all be going to good homes soon. They make excellent family pets as long as you have the time to spend with them and train them well. The last thing you want is an unruly 200lb dog. We have 2 children and they are fine with them as well. You do have to watch them closely around small children simply because they do not realise how big and strong they are and could accidently hurt a small child by simply stepping on them or knocking them down accidently.

As far as guard dogs go they are great as well. They do not need to be trained to be guard dogs, they pretty much are instinctively. They will definately let you know when something is around and go investigate. Their size alone is plenty to disuade a stranger from coming around. Do not ever attempt to train one to be aggressive. They would just be too dangerous and it isn't necessary. Generally when someone new comes around our house, they wait for me to let him know it's ok, and they are known for just standing between their owners and a stranger, just to keep an eye out.

All in all very good dogs for the right owners. They are a big responsibility and require some special attention. Do your research if you are unfamiliar with the breed before just up and buying one. They can be quite expensive to maintain, not only in food, but in vet bills. Remember almost everything medecine wise at the vet is done by weight. Heartworm pills, flea and tick control, everything is quite a bit more expensive than your average size dog.

Lee Jackson day in Virginia

"Governor, if I had foreseen the use those people
designed to make of their victory,
there would have been no surrender at
Appomattox Courthouse; no sir, not by me.
Had I foreseen these results of subjugation,
I would have preferred to die at Appomattox
with my brave men, my sword in my right hand."

Robert E Lee

Source: To Governor Fletcher S. Stockdale (September 1870), as quoted in The Life and Letters of Robert Lewis Dabney, pp. 497-500


"I am in favor of making a thorough trial for peace, and if we fail in this and our state is invaded, to defend it with terrific resistance." - to his nephew, January 1861

Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson


With Lee Jackson Day being celebrated in the state of Virginia this past Friday, I think it only fitting to recognise it on a Virginia blog. I'm not going to go into details on my feelings of how it has been handled and celebrated by our state government only in that I am in support of it being recognised. Whether you are a northerner or southerner should really make no difference in the recognition of these two great Virginia leaders.

I have done quite a bit of research into my own family history and every male that I have been able to trace back that lived during the civil war between the ages of 15 and 45 fought in it and most either were killed during it or died as a result of wounds or imprisonment. As far as I can tell, all were pretty much just average poor farmers in Virginia that had no interest in promoting slavery, they were simply doing what practically every other male in that age group at the time in the south felt they had to do, defend their homes and families from attack. Virginia was hit exceptionally hard and was the site of many battle sites, many of which have been preserved as historical sites and make for very interesting places to visit. I encourage anyone who has not visited any of these sites to do so and look into the history of the times from a southern point of view. You may be suprised at what you learn and how much of the southern history is ommitted from todays conventional history and textbooks.

Virgina snow scenery

We are finally getting a little snow here in Virginia, which provides for beautiful scenery as it slowly covers everything. Unfortunately here in southern Virginia the forecast is for little snow but then turning to sleet and freezing rain, which makes travel on the roads pretty dangerous. The best thing to do on a day like this is sit around the house with a good cup of coffee, wait for it to stop falling and maybe get in a little sledding with the kids.