Big Slough Trip...

Over the past two weeks I have made a couple of trips to the Big Slough Wilderness Area in Davy Crockett National Forest. It's a great getaway and if you need some relief from the crazy world I recommend it. 

Roads are pretty good, and any muddy spots will have hard bottoms but it's bumpy and there is a spot that was probably part of an old railroad tram that is starting to wash so if you like a sightseeing trip a pick up is probably better than a car. There's been some logging on private properties so that part of the road is well maintained for the big trucks. I don't know what the Forest Service plan (probably not one) is for the roads in the wilderness area since there are often separate rules different from regular national national forest.      

Note the beer can. I've made about four trips down here the last several months, I think all week days and I've seen one other car so not a lot of people use the area. I can only surmise that Bigfoot threw that can down. I don't drink beer so who else besides me is down here? Must have been him. 

This hill coming up out of the bottom is more impressive in person than the photo shows. Go up that and down the other side and you will get to Ratcliff Lake and Park. Probably be later rather than sooner. Start early and bring food, water, toilet paper, sturdy shoes, a GPS and if it's spring time bug spray. 

I noticed about four of these signs along the road. They are boundary markers for the wilderness area and the trees have overgrown them. They give a brief reminder that nothing with wheels, motors (includes boats) or hang gliders are allowed. Somebody must have once had a pretty big screw up to get hang gliders on the list. 

I know guns and shooting animals can be controversial but I killed this one duck, baked it in a clay pot and ate it last week. It was delicious. If I could kill a couple more I would breast them out, invite my friend Charlie who loves to eat duck along with his wife Suzi over and have Cathy chicken fry them with gravy. 

That shot gun was given to me for Christmas by my dad. Best I can figure it was at least 48 years ago. I have my dad's old shotgun and I hunted with it a good bit after he passed. It's probably 60 to 70 years old and is retired. 

These are not the oldest things I regularly use. I have a tuba that's 86 years old and a banjo that's 98. The instruments and the shotgun have something in common in that they are the only ones I have ever needed.  

I did see a couple of ducks today. They were down aways and on the water. For a good clean shot they needed to be closer and I shouldered my gun but I could see it was going to be a messy, iffy try and I decided a crippled bird getting away around the bend before a fat old guy could wade the slough and get over for the retrieve was likely so I let them be. When I moved to put my gun down they spotted the movement and flew. 

Lucky I had my Ronco Pocket Fisherman with me. I've caught fish from Texas to the rain forest mountain streams of Puerto Rico and it kept the day from being a skunk.  

I caught this bass and lost a couple more on a chatter bait. I'd guess a native largemouth vs. the Florida bass that are stocked in the lakes these days. I wondered if way back up in this wilderness area slough he had ever seen a lure? 

There's not a bunch of ducks over at the big slough but I might try a few more getaways for the bass before spring weather brings the snakes out and believe me, it's possible that there might be more of them than there are ducks and bass.