Marines vs Deer 2006
 

As the last year went by it was accentuated by the memories of good friends and a fun hunt with the US Marine Corps as we lightly planned for a repeat in 2006. So much planning was involved with the first hunt for our servicemen that I had a bit of hesitation to re-enter that process knowing it could again become a daily effort of preparation. This all started in the summer of 2005 as I felt a deep respect for what our men and women in uniform are doing for us and I felt the need to give back. In addition, many of our Marines stationed here are sportsmen from around the country that have few places to enjoy the outdoors when living here.
As October neared and I mentioned the prospect of another hunt to GySgt Calvin Foster, I soon realized any such reluctance was completely unnecessary. Calvin and I had stayed in touch over the last year and had become good friends; my wife taught him how to cream sweet corn after he picked a load at my farm in June and my younger brother got him a new puppy that has become a part of his family. Anyway, I've heard a good Gunny can get most anything done, and I soon learned Calvin was no exception. I suggested a date to Calvin for this year's hunt and it all easily happened. It was about as simple as that.
Just like last year, nine Marines showed up at my farm last Wednesday (10/26) for this year's hunt, including two repeats from 2005, Calvin and Capt. Derwin Moody, who had recently returned from a 6-month deployment in Afghanistan. I was told others from last year had tried to come back as well, but we wanted to give some new guys the opportunity to get away from the base, particularly with so many guys on base having just returned from Iraq. Could this new crew of America's finest match the record set last year of 9 deer down on only 10 shots? Time would surely tell.
The Marines arrived and set up their "barracks," which turned out to be a nice row of shiny pick-up trucks. They had decided to scratch the idea of setting up the huge tent they brought, particularly with the forecast of rain the next afternoon and having to get it clean and dry before returning it.
Just like last year, nine Marines showed up at my farm last Wednesday for this year's hunt with two repeats from 2005, Calvin and Capt. Derwin Moody, who had recently returned from a 6-month deployment in Afghanistan. I was told others from last year had tried to come back as well, but we wanted to give some new guys the opportunity to get away from the base. Could this new crew of America's finest match the record set last year of 9 deer down on only 10 shots? Time would surely tell.
The Marines arrived and set up their "barracks," which turned out to be a nice row of shiny pick-up trucks. They had decided to scratch the idea of setting up the huge tent they brought, particularly with the forecast of rain the next afternoon and having to get it clean and dry before returning it.

Many of this year's Marines are avid bow hunters, particularly on the base itself, so sighting in their rarely used--or in some cases borrowed-- guns was very important. They drew for stands and I took about half the group out to see them as the other half tested their guns for accuracy. Several guns did indeed need fine tuning.
We then switched positions so that every hunter would have a chance to see his stand in the daylight before hunting in it the next morning.

All the while, my good friend, Billy Joe Carroll, continued his day-long efforts to cook our Marines a feast for dinner that night.

Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Commanding Officer, Col Chris Haliday, joined us around 6pm after a prior engagement. He's a true gentleman and we were honored that he could join us for the evening. I think the other Marines could also then see that the Corps fully supports them, even when they are not involved in their normal daily routines.
Ribs, chicken, baked beans, potato salad, and homemade pecan pie were soon offered in abundance. We thanked the Good Lord for our many blessings, and asked Him to watch after our service men and women standing guard around the world.
Col Haliday is on the left:

After dinner, and all of us eating well more than we should, we headed back to the fire burning for us about a mile back into the farm. My son, Victor, had come home from UGA to help with the hunt and had things all ready for us there. The beer was cold, the fire was warm, and stories were plentiful as we all had a great time getting to know each other better as the night wore on. These Marines were all of the "been there done that" variety, as 2-5 deployments were told by each Marine, with the 2 Gunnys in attendance having even more. One Marine was telling of when he first arrived in Kuwait before moving on to Iraq; he told of the smell that is pervasive there, as I heard groans of agreement from every Marine circling the fire. It was then I knew I was surrounded by heroes. If there was a common theme, however, expressed by each Marine as his turn came to tell his story, it was "I love the Marine Corps." The sense of brotherhood these men have for each other, their commitment to their duty, and pride in their efforts is remarkable.
I then pulled out my hard boiled eggs. Calvin and Derwin smiled as they knew what about to come. It was egg battle time. I trophy manage my property and the guys were going to help me take out does the next morning, but I knew they'd love to take a big buck if one came their way. Each Marine selected an egg and was to tap that egg against the guy next to him, as they ultimately eliminated each hunter until one uncracked egg remained. If a nice 8-pointer came by, the winner of the egg battle could take him. Calvin really wanted to win this thing, exclaiming he "had waited 365 days for this moment!" The battle began. Here's Calvin (right) in Round One:

Cash ended up beating Calvin so he had to take on Derwin. The Captain won!

About 5:45 the next morning Marines were scurrying everywhere. Though most said they slept well, some said that had slept little because of all their anticipation, though another did blame it on a coyote in the distance.
Victor and I split the Marines into two groups and we took them to their stands. After coming back to the barn, I thought about relaxing a bit, but I now had collective curiosity about how successful the guys would be. I so wanted the hunt to be successful, but you just never know with this kind of thing. It was not as cool as it had been the previous mornings and I had to wonder about deer movement. After sitting inside a while, I decided to come out, build a fire, and sip some coffee hoping to hear some shots in the distance. The hunters were scattered pretty well, yet I thought I might could hear most of their shots.
During the time I was out there, I only heard two shots. I was worried.
About 10:25 we decided to go pick up the hunters. The nearest hunter was Calvin. I saw his big grin and a video camera as I approached and soon learned the load of does that had been blowing right behind him for almost 2 hours had finally neared his patch around 10AM and he had popped one.
Here's Calvin:

I went to check on other Marines. It was then I really started to worry; not because of the lack of deer, but because I started hearing of too many misses...The terrorist might be safe after all! Some hunters had been successful, a couple had not seen a doe, and after picking them all up we had four deer, including Derwin Moody's first buck. He was really excited, and I was happy for him, too as I had the pleasure of initiating him into the brotherhood of deer hunters last year after he shot his first one.
Here's the haul from the morning's hunt:


They gutted some deer while my wife prepared lunch. The guys were hungry and we enjoyed another fine meal together, which included caramel and pound cake:


Considering we only had 4 deer and I had promised all nine some venison for their freezer, we still had a lot of work to do. With the misses in mind, would this Marine Appreciation Day Deer Hunt turn into Marine Appreciation Week?
Hunters have rituals, and Gunny Calvin lead the ceremony to clip some of the hunter's shirts.


The Marines enjoyed a bit of rest before I picked new stands for the afternoon. Five Marines had the job of improving the showing of Marine marksmanship. Could they do it?

We put them on their stands around 4:15pm. I too decided to climb into one rather than sit around just listening again. As darkness approached, I've never heard so much shooting. I thought I was on a dove shoot. Wham! Blam! Pow! It went on almost all afternoon! What in the world are these guys doing? Shooting at running deer? Missing again? Are the terrorists as safe as I began to suspect?
After dark we went around to pick up the hunters. Victor got some and I got the others. No doubt some stories were about to come our way. Smiles were soon everywhere as the reputation of fun-loving and hard hitting Marines was restored. All five Marines had downed a doe with a single shot. Each doe was dropped in its place. But the local armadillo population had now been seriously reduced!
The Marines again had enjoyed a 100% success ratio, and even though there were some misfires, they did it all in one day as compared to 8 of 9 in one day last year before the 9th got his doe on a return trip. We had a truly wonderful time together and the respect and admiration I felt for these fine men was almost overwhelming. Great guys in every respect be that sportsmanship, determination, or character.

With men like this in uniform, the terrorist had better be worried, and you and I so very proud.
Oh, and young Dunn's first deer gets its own late night celebration!

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Awesome

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Great story

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

wow really great story

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

That is fantastic....Love the idea of treating these soldiers to a free good time hunting in God creation. The soldiers in our country should be honored a whole lot more than we do.

Thanks for sharing that moment and the pics with us.

God Bless

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Great story, thanks for your efforts in supporting our nations best.

Semper Fi
USMC 87-91

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Great story!

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

I think what your family does forour troopsis very noble. I know many of our soldiers enjoythe outdoors and wish they could be herehunting, fishing and all the fun stuff we are doinghere with our family and friends. My hat is off to you, your family and our troops and pray that they all come home safe very very very soon. It warms my heart to see the smiles on everyones faces in the pictures, you can tell they all had a great time and didnt have to worry about anything whatsoever except about having a real good time.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Wait, wait, wait... There were misses? Must have been a couple of Army guys that snuck into the group... :D

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Awesome Pictures! Thanks for sharing!

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Nice Pics

Semper Fi

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Spring, that was a stand up thing to do, God Bless You Brother.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Very god job, and very well done! Even though it is inherent for me to have a speck of disdain for Jarheads (being Army for 16 years) you did it right and I am sure that they were very appreciative.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Great thread.

Good story and pics. That is one heck of a way to thank our troops and they looked like they had a great time. My hats off to you SpringhillFarms.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

By the way, jarheads insist on being called a Marine, not a soldier. That crazy thinking of "once a Marine, always a Marine." Only Army personal are soldiers, wing wipers are Airman and of course Squidly/Navy boys are "Seaman" or sailors.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

AWSOME STORY HATS OFF TO YOU AND ARE SERVICEMEN:)

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Totally awesome, those Marines (not soldiers, as Red Lion said) will remember that gratitude for the rest of their lives. Springhillfarms you are a class act in my book. Thanks to you and to those and all Jarheads and other servicemen.


Semper Fidelis,
USMC 1985-91

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

There you go Kenman! Jarhead is a well earned name for Marines.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Last week one of the Marines used another nickname I had notheard..He jokingly called some of the guys "Bullet Blockers.":D Have you heard that one before?

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

What a great thing to do! This is an awesome way to give back to the people who protect our country.

It sure looked like everyone had fun.

GSG

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

What a great story, good for you holding a marine hunting pary awesome.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Here are a few more pics from the hunt:

The Finals of the Egg Battle:


Staff Sgt Jason Keys:


Coming in from the morning's hunt:


The cost of another miss miss, but at least this one was just for missing a predator:


Lunch outside is always good:



Bloodying up Staff Sgt Dunn:

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Lets see....Jarhead, Jar-Rine, Grunt, Ground-Pounder, Devil Dog, Desert Dog, Uncle Sam's Misguided Children, U Suckers Missed Christmas, all terms of endearment...I'vebeen called a'bullet catcher', 'bullet blocker' must be the updated version.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

I've heard Marines and Infantry grunts in the Army both being called "bullet Catchers," so close to bullet blockers.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

They, and you, will have stories and memories to last a lifetime. Let's hope someday one, or more, of them will remember your kindness and pass it along. Great story.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Awesome post! As a former Marine I thank you for all the hard work and dedication to these men who put thier lives on the line everyday so we can rest easy at night. Everyday I'm in the woods enjoying what I do I look up and say a special prayer for the men and women of the USMC. God Bless. But as for the misses _no excuse. Must be some toilet seat marksman in the bunch. SEMPER FI

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Wow, that's an awesome thing for you to do, SpringHillFarms. God bless ya man!

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

looks like you guys had a great time thank you all for serving, you all deserve a pat on the back and hats off to all of you thank you for fighting for our freedom congrats on all the deer you guys got, good shootin.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

One of the best posts I have ever seen..thanks for sharing..

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

that might be the best story I've read on this forum.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Spring Hill Farms,

Outstanding post!!
You went above and beyond just saying thanks. The Young men and women serving our country are nothing but the best as you have so eloquently stated.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking time and effort to recognize their scarifies

USAF Ret, E8
1980-2004

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

These men and women are our true heroes. My family and I thank all of you for going above and beyond. God's richest blessings to you and your family.

Warmest regards,

BWjohnny

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Thats pretty cool i bet my brother would enjoy that hes a marine but hes in NC
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RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Truly amazing!!! Wonderful act of kindness you have done. I got chills reading this story b/c I truly respect our armed forces. No matter what someones stand is on the war or other military issues, our troops deserve our utmost respect. I was not in the military, but my father was and several of my uncles as well as my best friend. I personally thank all military personnel for their sacrifices for our freedom. At my church, we take the weekend before the 4th of July to dedicate to all our troops. Anyone who has ever served or is serving is treated to a service that prays for them, lifts them up, thanks them and honors them. Afterwards, we have dinner on the grounds for them and games, but everything is focused on them. It is a big day each year for our church and I always look forward to it.

This also gives me a great idea. I have always wanted to give back to our troops in some way and what I have done before is gone to the local recruting office and bought lunch for the people there. But, now you have given me a great idea. I love hunting, but my 1st love is fishing. I typically fish about an average of 2 times a week. I have 3 boats with one being a 22ft sea pro center console. Maybe I can have a couple of fishing trips for some local service men/women when they come back for leave?

Anyway, wonderful thing you did, thanks for sharing and giving me a great idea.

RE: Marines vs Deer 2006
 

Uh - please send Mr. Billy Joe Carrol to our place. (Don't let him forget his cooking equipment.)