Fall is in the Air!

We are so close...to my favorite time of the year! The temperature the past few days has been "chilly" to us Southerners. I mean 57 this morning. I actually needed to grab a jacket. When you consider that on Saturday it was 90+ at Bryant-Denny Stadium, 57 feels like an Artic chill!

Of course since it is now September, Alan and Billy have started bushhogging while Ernest is running the bulldozier building some new roads. We have picked up some additional property so they are busy, busy!

We have had several groups of hog hunters over the last few weekends and they have done their part in attempting to control our hog population. I know that one hunter lost the battle with the mosquitoes! Between the mosquitoes and love bugs, I don't want to be outside but these guys love it.

Several dates are filling up quickly during deer rifle season so if you are wanting to book a hunt - now is the time. I would hate to tell you that we didn't have availability as I had to tell several groups last year.

Don't forget several spots are still open for our Youth Hunt Weekend (November 15 & 16). Muzzleloader season opens on November 17 (two months from today) and rifle season opens on November 22.

Enjoy the cool weather!

Gustav Get - Away

Don't know what you guys have been up to, but we have had a Hurricane Party! Pushmataha has been the host to 50+ people and animals (customers and family and friends of our customers) since Saturday when Louisiana began evacuations for Hurricane Gustav. Some of these people had never met before, but were brought together under the common cause of escaping Gustav.

I will say that these people are some of the finest that we have ever met and they have a great spirit. Since the lodge is not normally open this time of year, they have pitched in to make beds, wash linens, and when we left after lunch someone was planning on cutting the grass. They have enjoyed meals together - barbecue, shrimp boil, spaghetti, etc. Someone is always in the kitchen cooking.

While we have enjoyed having them visit us, I know that they are anxious to head home and survey the damages. Wishing you guys safe travels and hope that you will come back and visit us again - maybe to hunt instead of hurricane escaping.

Rain, rain go away......

Don't know about you, but I think we have seen enough rain in Choctaw County for several weeks. If only this wonderful rain came after all of our food plots were planted!

We are about to crank it up getting food plots ready to be planted. Don't forget, dove season opens on September 6 and we are having a dove hunt that afternoon and on Sunday, September 7. Call me if you are interested.

Did you know that our lodges could accomodate 100 girls? Neither did we until Friday night when Mark's daughter, Tut, hosted the Kappa Delta's from Alabama for their pledge retreat. According to Mrs. Jewel, their were girls sleeping everywhere!

NB

Let's try again!

Since Rainer Ezell was visitor #1013, we are trying again to give out some Pushmataha goodies. So............what about visitor #1099?

If you are visitor #1099, let us know.

Nena Beth

Will you be visitor number 1013?

It is exciting to see how many visitors that we have to our blog spot! When we started this blog back in July, I was hoping that maybe a few people would view it; but in less than 45 days, we are approaching visitor number 1000!!!!

Some might make a big deal about visitor number 1000; but I have decided that if you are visitor #1013, be sure to comment so that I can send you a Pushmataha souvenir.

On a hunting note - we are gearing up for planting season. We received some wonderful rain this week and everyone is getting "bushhogging fever". It is getting close to time to hunt..................

Countdown - 100 days until Youth Weekend!!!!!

I received a phone call today from a family that we met in Greensboro today regarding our youth hunt. Blake wanted to make sure that he had one of our 15 spots for the youth hunt reserved so he had his father call us while they were on vacation to let me know that they would be here that weekend. We look forward to having Blake and his parents join us for a great weekend of hunting, eating and hanging out with fellow hunters.

Since I received the phone call from Rodney (Blake's dad), I thought that it would be appropriate to repost my original comments about youth weekend. When I started counting up the days until this special weekend, I discovered that we are 100 days from the youth weekend - so much to be done before that time!!!

So...........in case you are still contemplating bringing your favorite under age 16 hunter to visit us November 15 & 16 or in case you haven't heard of our youth weekend, here is a repeat of a post from several weeks ago................

As many of you know, Alabama has a special weekend set aside for youth hunters prior to the opening of rifle season. This year the dates for the hunt are November 15 & 16.

At Pushmataha, we are all about the kids that weekend and the parents are there because the youth hunters (age 15 and under) are required to sit with an adult eligible to purchase an Alabama hunting license.

Let me describe the weekend for you....The youth hunter and the accompanying adult arrive on Friday afternoon (this year November 14) and they are settled into one of our 15 rooms each with a private bath. Before you can blink an eye, the kids are outside tossing a football or fishing the lake that the lodge overlooks.Friday evening a delicious meal of usually pork tenderloin along with chicken fingers for the kids along with wonderful side dishes, a full salad bar, and dessert is served. Before everyone can comment on how full they are, the milkshake machine is already being put to good use because it is just too tempting. Everyone heads to their beds because morning comes early.

Saturday morning everyone is served a true "Southern" style breakfast complete with eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, and biscuits before heading out to attempt to harvest a deer. After the morning hunt, the guides pick up all of the hunters and return to the lodge for a great lunch of Mrs. Jewel's famous fried chicken. Around 2 p.m., all of the hunters return to the woods seeking the "big" one. At dark, everyone is picked up from the green fields by their guides hopefully bringing with them a nice buck that has been harvested. After a meal of steak and all of the trimmings, no one has trouble falling asleep!

On Sunday, the whole process is repeated, but obviously we don't serve the same food two days in a row. Lunch is usually turkey and dressing, ham, macaroni cheese, etc. and dinner is usually a barbecue. Everyone is welcome to spend Sunday night (without charge) since some people come from 10+ hours to hunt with us, but some sadly head back home.Three nights lodging, seven meals and a great time to bond with your child - the cost $800 plus a 3 day non-resident hunting license if necessary - the memories made with your child - priceless!

What is so great about this weekend you might ask? We believe if you introduce kids to the outdoors and hunting at a young age; you have the opportunity to provide them a lifetime of enjoyment of the outdoors. This weekend is all about the kids and we have several that will return for their 4th youth hunt this year. The children get to meet other children from across the Southeast and many of them correspond via email, text messaging and internet throughout the year.

We all (Earnest, Alan, Billy, Woodie, Bobo, Mrs. Jewel, Darrin, Mr. Ezell and Nena Beth) really enjoy having the youth hunters with us. They definitely don't lack enthusiasm in anything they do. So why am I writing about youth weekend 100 days prior to the date? Well, there are a couple of reasons:

Space is limited to 15 youth and 15 adults and we have already sold 8 spots leaving only 7 left (I can still add/subtract without my calculator!)

It is not too early too start thinking about this weekend. While talking to children and parents about this hunt at the Big Buck Expos we have attended, the kids think that it makes a great birthday and/or Christmas gift.

Important facts to remember about Youth Hunt Weekend:

Dates are November 15 - 16

The cost for parent and child is $800-nonresident hunting license is $127-doe tags (if the child kills a doe) are $75 each

The youth hunter can kill 2 deer a day one of which may be an antlered buck

Only 7 spots remain for this wonderful weekend

Call me if you are interested at 1.800.906.9663 as soon as possible to reseve your spot.

Nena Beth

Does this help locate Mark?

Get ready Clemson - The Tide is headed to Atlanta to meet you in 26 days! Does "Howard's Rock" hold mystical powers outside of Death Valley? I guess we will see. I once had the privilege of meeting Frank Howard when he was with Joe Namath and he seemed to be a true Southern gentleman.

By the way.....For the maybe 4 people that cared as to which historical home was shown, the picture was of Fort Hill, the home of John C. Calhoun, South Carolina's pre-eminent 19th century statesman, from 1825 until his death in 1850.

John Caldwell Calhoun's national political career spanned 40 years from 1810 to 1850. His service in the national government included: United States representative (1811-1817); secretary of war to President James Monroe (1817-1825); vice president to President John Quincy Adams (1825-1829); vice president to President Andrew Jackson (1829-1832); United States senator (1832-1843); secretary of state to President John Tyler (1844-1845) and United States senator (1845-1850).

Thomas Green Clemson, Calhoun's son-in-law and founder of the University, envisioned "the preservation of the home of the illustrious man who spent his life in the public service of his country." Thomas Clemson willed that Fort Hill "shall always be open for the inspection of visitors."

You people are killing me!

Okay you guys- No one is commenting on the posts and wanting to play along on our little game....So.........It appears that the shameless attempt to get several posts out of the little "Where is Mark?" game is not working.

I am going to give you a serious hint - If you know Mark at all (or have read his profile), you know that he is extremely serious about one thing - Alabama football!!!!!!!!! The pictures that have been posted might (okay they do) relate to his passion. Any guesses as to where he was??????????

Nena Beth

Where's Mark - Hint #2

FREE TRADE....NO DEBT.....was part of the campaign slogan of this famous statesman.............Now where can Mark be? Isn't it amazing that the principles that this person believed in comes across like a sound bite out of the current campaign? Any guesses as to where he is?

NB

Where in the world is Mark?????

During our trips to the various hunting shows over the last few weeks, Mark took some pictures of sights that we passed. I am trying to find out if anyone is truly reading the blog so I will be awarding a prize (your choice of a Pushmataha hat, shirt, or bag) to the first person that can identify the city and state in which this picture was taken.

I'll give you a little hint to get you started - we have driven through Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina - so the picture is from one of these southern states. Additional hints will follow over the next few days until it becomes very obvious where he is. Put your thinking hats on and don't forget to comment on the post if you can figure out where the picture was taken. If you have a question about the picture, comment and maybe I will provide an additional hint.

Mark says I should give you a hint to start you thinking - so here it is - Someone famous lived here!

Nena Beth

Home sweet home!

We are back in Alabama and have no plans to leave until football season! The people of North Carolina were wonderful to us and we hope that lots of you will come experience the hospitality and hunting at Pushmataha. Thanks again for stopping by to visit us......See you soon and happy hunting!

Hunters from near and far.........

We met some really great hunters today from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. In fact one family that we spoke with today, Mark had originally met in New Orleans in 2004 at another outdoor show. Thanks again for stopping by to speak with us!