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Here are some must have CDs that will be
released very soon:G=MC2 is the Follow up to Marshall Tucker Founding Member George McCorkle's "American Street". Jimmie Van Zant : Jimmie has completed his second CD. More info on this in our next issue. However, I have heard some advance cuts, and all I got to say is WOW! Great CD. Candy Coburn: Candy''s new CD "Rev It Up" has just become available at her website. www.CandyCoburn.com
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Current Featured Artist: Jimmie Van Zant
Previous Featured Artist:
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 Kentucky's Greenbo Lake State Resort Park - Col. Tamar Alexia Fleishman
Posted by admin on Thursday, November 01 @ 00:00:00 CDT (1375 reads)
For some top-notch relaxation for yourself and the family – but at an affordable price – get over to Greenbo Lake State Resort Park in Greenup, Kentucky. Park Manager Cary Lyle has been overseeing the opening of an outdoor amphitheater, which they are really using! All kinds of local and regional music acts have been playing during the outdoor season.
When you’re not seeing concerts, there are plenty of things to do for everyone. The resort is nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, with glorious scenery. The simple pleasures include wooded playgrounds with grills, swimming pools, tennis courts, a stocked lake, piano in the lobby and different classes and lectures that the resort offers from time to time.
Your overnight options include camping, staying in the lodge or renting a cabin. My very first trip to Kentucky, I camped early in the Spring. This time, I go to stay in the lodge. The room had its own private porch with great view, television with cable, vaulted ceiling, coffee maker and other amenities. There’s even a great WiFi connection in all the rooms!
Here’s something to know: even the locals flock to the restaurant in the lodge, Angler’s Cove. Chef Metz prides himself on using local produce and creating his own BBQ sauce and homemade soups. You have an option of ordering off the menu or doing the buffet, which is always appealing! On the dinner salad bar, there were some gorgeous multi-colored heirloom tomatoes. While they will sometimes have a themed buffet, like seafood, most of the offerings are definitely tasty and Southern. I was able to load up on cheesy ham soup, catfish, fried chicken, chicken and biscuits, fresh breads, pulled pork bbq, pecan ambrosia and banana pudding. There was a hot blackberry cobbler that I sampled that I wish were in my refrigerator right now!
In the morning, you can start all over again with a buffet that includes bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fried apples and cereal.
There are discounts for seniors, Kentucky POW's, Kentucky government employees, etc. Check it out!
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Inside the Outdoors - Jody Willman
Posted by admin on Wednesday, August 01 @ 07:33:04 CDT (1557 reads)
 Another three months have flown by, and it’s already time for another edition of ‘Inside the Outdoors”. Well to tell the truth, folks, it’s just not in me today to write about hunting or fishing. It’s hard for me to find humor today too. You see, we’ve lost a good friend and it hurts me. Yesterday, George McCorkle took flight to join the other freebirds soaring through these southern skies. Now I know God has his reasons and I’m not sad for George, because he’s in a better place. I’m sad for Vivian his lovely wife and his son Justin who’s a grown man in his own right. I’m sad for all the family and I’m sad for all his many fans and friends. I’m sad for Bruce Wall -- George's best friend -- and his wife Denise. And I’m sad for me, for not getting to spend more time with the man. It almost seems that for the last thirty years or so God has been building himself a southern rock band. There’s been so many freebirds called home. · What I’m saying is, I’m too emotional to write anything funny right now. I apologize for that. But last night and again this morning, I sat and listened to “The Journey Home” off of George’s album, “American Street”. It humbled me to hear such greatness.
I was asked to write something for this tragedy, but there’s nobody better to tell you about George than George himself. The following are the lyrics to “The Journey Home”:
I didn’t want to believe it
When I heard the news
Another old friend was gone
Those of us who loved him
All gathered around
And started singing those old sweet songs
With our backs to a Carolina wind
We watched a chapter come to an end Chorus There’s another free bird in the southern sky
Can’t you see he’s searching for a rainbow
The sky is crying can’t you hear them guitars moan
Another midnight rider has made the journey home
We were chased off that hillside by a driving rain
We scattered like ashes across the sea
But tears fall from heaven when the good die young
Some things are just meant to be Like there was no tomorrow
That’s how he chose to live
He gave it all, there was nothing left to give
There’s another free bird in the southern sky
Can’t you see he’s looking for a rainbow
The sky is crying can’t you hear them guitars moan
Another midnight rider has made the journey home.
(Scott Miller/George McCorkle)
I’d like to thank God for letting me meet the man.
And God? You have your rhythm guitarist and he’s the best there is.
Until next time would ya’ll give your prayers and love to Vivian McCorkle and Justin McCorkle and all of the family please?
The picture is George, Bruce Wall, and me in 2005
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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Inside the Outdoors - Jody Willman
Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 01 @ 00:30:42 CDT (1359 reads)
The headlines read, “First beaver found in New York State in over 200 years”! At first I thought it was a joke. Surely there are beavers there! Cause brothers and sisters, I’ll tell ya, there sure ain’t no shortage of em where I live. And I live in southeast Texas! Not exactly your idea of beaver heaven huh? In fact, I have been waging war against the largest rodent on the North American continent for almost five years now and I’m ashamed to say I’m getting my ass whipped pretty regular. 
First of all, they out number me! They work in groups, they work under the cloak of darkness, and they post guards. Seriously, every evening right at dusk, I’ll see one ease out of his hut and go post up in the middle of my lake, fairly close to the house. As soon as I move, he slaps his tail on the water with a sound like a bowling ball hitting the water dropped from about twenty feet up. These nocturnal terrorists can weigh as much as 100 lbs. And when he warns his cohorts in destruction with that slapping of the tail then the chance of me seeing one is almost non-existent.
They can stay under water for upwards to thirty minutes. They are so well trained in the art of guerrilla warfare, they easily defeat my armor division: a 584 international tractor and me. This war with the beavers is a sad thing, really. All they want is for my seven-acre lake to be a seventy-acre lake. Oh, and since their teeth, like all rodents’ teeth, grow continuously, they need to sharpen them everyday. And what do they use to sharpen those almost orange teeth? How about the fifty-year-old cypress trees and oak and sweet gum trees around my lake!
 “Look ya’ll,” I first thought, “How cool is this I have a beaver in my lake!” I knew they’d have a dam, so I went down to the spillway and sure enough, there was this little 2 ft. wide dam of sticks and mud. Well, I went and got the tractor, took off the bush hog and put on the box blade and 10 minutes later, the branch was flowing something fine. I thought, “Hell this ain’t too bad.” The next day the dam was rebuilt, so I went and got the tractor, busted it again and 15 minutes later it was flowing good again.
I worked all week and it rained a day or two and the lake rose, so that Sat. morning. I went and got the tractor and SIX-- that’s right I said SIX-- hours later I got the damn thing unstuck!! From that moment on the war was on! These evil little bastards had rendered my big fifty-horse tractor useless in one week! So I was reduced to using things I’m normally allergic too, like shovels and posthole diggers to bust the dam. I’m here to tell ya’ll that translates into work on the weekends and I get enough of that during the week.
So now I was faced with the dilemma of how to stop these things from flooding out my neighbors. I know, being a Southern boy, that I’m smarter than some damn water rat…so I figured if I dug the thing out, bought a culvert and put it in their dam, I’d have them beat. WRONG! I spent several hours of wading in the mud and digging out logs and sticks. I finally got the culvert in where I wanted it and walked off laughing out loud at them little S.O.B.s. I even stopped near their hut and yelled, “Take that you little terrorists!”
 The next day was Sunday, so I got up early as usual, took my time over my coffee and smoke, even went and got in the boat to do a little fishing on my way to check on the dam. Before I even reached the thing, I could tell there was no water running over my little waterfall. Damned if those things hadn’t in one night completely stopped up my $175.00 18” culvert!!
 Now I’m really pissed, so I grabbed my shovel, walked out on the end of the culvert and rammed it down the opening on the lake side of it. I pried off the layer of mud and sticks and moss and like magic, the water started flowing! They were beat for sure now. I stood there a minute admiring my handiwork, watching the water go over the falls. As I watched in awe, another layer of sticks and mud came lose from the side, and just like a rag in a bathtub it folded around the hole in the culvert and stopped it up again in minutes! They had prepared a back up plan for my busting the first layer! Uh oh these damn things are smarter than I thought.
Okay, I know when I need a little help, so I called up a government trapper a friend told me about. The dude said sure he’d trap them for me, but it would cost me $250.00 a piece for him to do it. Said he’d have to haul them a hundred miles away or they’d just come back. What? That would mean better than a thousand bucks cause I knew there were four of the things at least! NO! I asked if I could just shoot them. And he said, “Sure. if you can prove they are doing damage to your property.”
GREAT! Now all I have to do is convince my daughter, my wife and my 3-year-old granddaughter that these things need killin’ cause “They are so cute swimming around in the lake and splashing their little tails.” I told them that was all just an act! Terrorist propaganda! That they were all evil and sent by the Devil himself to destroy all pretty scenery! They didn’t buy it. 
Well, I’m a man of conviction if nothing else, so I did ease out there one night with a spotlight and a .22 rifle loaded with long rifle hollow points. I shot the first one I saw between the eyes and dropped his ass like an old habit! He weighed 65 pounds and had scales almost like a fish on his tale, something I’d never known before. And you know what? Every weekend I go out with that .22 and I’ve not seen even one of the rascals to shoot at. Hear them all the time, but they are too smart to let me get a clean shot at one. They learn quickly!
So now, I spend every weekend morning out on that damn dam breaking my back with posthole diggers busting the thing to keep my neighbors dry. Maybe I’ll build me a beaver stand next! Might work, but they’ll probably just eat the legs off of it. Maybe I’ll have to give that trapper the money he wants but you know? That would mean I’ve been beaten by some rats! I guess the reason I’m writing this is to warn the folks in New York to arm them selves and shoot that son of a ***** beaver the first chance they get! Seriously folks there is a problem with the beavers in my neck of the woods and here’s the pictures to prove it.
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"My Name is Jimmie": Upcoming Jimmie Van Zant CD - Bruce Wall
Posted by admin on Tuesday, May 01 @ 00:00:00 CDT (2250 reads)
"My Name is Jimmie" - Soon to be released Jimmie Van Zant CD - Bruce Wall
I have had the great honor of working and getting to know several artists over the past few years. Jimmie Van Zant is one of those folks. Recently, I have had the pleasure of previewing his new CD and video along with building his new website. So, what do I think about his new CD? Home Run!!!!! Way to go Jimmie. Jimmie has not only found his own voice, but a very unique style as well. The sound is so unique I cannot really label it. Too hard for country, but not pure Rock, either. With tracks like 100 Proof and Ray Ray's Juke Joint, he demonstrates deep thought and feeling. Then, with Spit Cup, he shows a great sense of humor. The video for woke up this morning features Actor John Amos and The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. You can preview the CD at www.JimmieVanZant.com
This refreshing, honest CD is why I have chosen Jimmie Van Zant as this issue's Featured Artist.
Southern Fried's Bruce Wall hangin with Jimmie Van Zant
Keep checking back as we will be talking with Jimmie, Johnny, and Donnie Van Zant as well as reviewing Johnny and Donnie's follow up to "Get Right With The Man"
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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The Real Old Yeller - Bruce Wall - Justin McCorkle
Posted by admin on Wednesday, January 31 @ 23:00:00 CST (1618 reads)
Southern Fried Creator Bruce Wall and his Yellow Mountain Cur pup, “Juke Joint Jazz”
Now, I know everyone has seen the movie "Old Yeller". I know most of ya got all teary eyed.. . But, did you know that in the book, the story was about a Yellow Mountain Cur? When Disney was making the movie, they decided to use the more recognizable Retriever. I myself grew up hunting with Redbones, Blue Ticks, Walkers, etc. And, to be honest the word "cur" to me meant nothing more than a mut. Boy, have I learned differently over the past couple of years, thanks to my dear friends the McCorkles and J'Mac Kennels. I now own a beautiful "Yeller Cur" and she is the best dog I have ever owned. What justifies "best", you may ask. Is it looks? Is it how good a hunter? Or, how smart they are? Maybe it's how good a companion do they make? Well, this pup is all of the above and I will never have another kind a dog again. Let me tell you a short story before going into the history of these wonderful dogs. The litter mate to my dog, Jazz, was 5 months old. The owner of the dog also had an adult Blue Tick hound. The owner was having problems with coyotes raiding his chickens. Well, to make a long story short, he had the pup loose on his property and the coyotes came in there killing chickens. The Blue tick and the cur pup went to the commotion. He told me that about the time he came, the Blue tick was hauling ass back to the house with a coyote dead on his heels. The boy managed to shoot that coyote but didn’t kill it. He said that the cur pup (at 5 months old, mind you) turned and fought the coyote that was after her. He said that he started running towards her, but it was too late -- another coyote had jumped in and they killed her before he could get to them. He killed the coyote that fought her and he said that he was sure he fatally wounded the other one. He told Justin McCorkle at J'Mac Kennels that he would never have another kind of dog than a cur and he would never buy another one.
Jazz at just a few weeks old taking on the world
from anyone but J'Mac Kennels. He said that a dog that will lay down its life for you at 5 months old is something that he had never, ever seen in his entire life. That made me feel really good, although I was saddened by the pup getting killed. So, he already has one booked out of J'Mack's next litter. I have never seen a more loyal, good natured hunting dog in my life. As for hunting ability, these pups almost train themselves. They are natural tree dogs and don't require much guidance.
Brindle Mountain Cur pup from J’Mac
Now, for a bit of history. Mountain Curs are the pioneer dogs of the Southern Mountains. It has been said by many old timers that without Mountain Curs, the Southern Mountains could not have been settled by the pioneers. These Cur dogs were highly valued by early pioneers. . . They guarded the family from danger and hunted animals for the family's food. When moving from place to place, baskets were slung across the backs of pack animals and the puppies rode. If no pack animals were available, members of the family carried the valuable puppies.
Justin McCorkle & J Mac’s Gyro and his catch for the day
Curs came mostly from Europe along with their owners, who came to America seeking new homes. Curs were bred with Native American Dogs to get the Original Mountain Cur we know today. It had been established through family history and research that Spanish Explorers brought the brindle, bob-tailed Curs to the South. Hernando De Soto brought the brindle Curs to drive the hogs and provide protection against wild animals, while he explored the South and discovered the Mississippi River. Hunters and settlers found the brindles when they came south.
Justin McCorkle (Son of Marshall Tucker’s George McCorkle) with Jinx and coon
The colors of Mountain Curs of early days (brindle, yellow, black and blue) are still dominant today. Some have white markings. Different strains were known by their owners' names such as: Arline, York and Ledbetter. The York name refers to WWI war hero Alvin York. York is credited by many for helping to re-introduce the breed. All these dogs have the same general traits, such as strong treeing instinct on all game, being courageous fighters and having high intelligence.
The Mountain Cur today is still a varmint dog! He will hunt whatever game his master wants.He is also a guard dog, farm dog and family protector. This dog is put down and ridiculed by some uninformed people because of the word "Cur". In Mountain Cur the word "Cur" is used idiomatically and has NO meaning of "low" or worthless".
“Turkey Creek Gin” (Jazz’s mother) with a squirrel up a tree
Until World War II, the Mountain Cur was still an economic asset to mountain people. Many a boy bought overalls and shoes, maybe coffee and sugar with money from furs caught by Mountain Curs. Then came the war and jobs. The old pioneer dogs were scarce by the late 1940's.
However, all mountain men did not forget the Mountain Cur.
J Mac’s Jinx treed (Jazz’s Daddy)
Four men discovered their common interest in Mountain Curs through Mountain Music Magazine. They were Riley Daniels of Georgia, Woody Huntsman of Kentucky, Dewey Ledbetter of Tennessee and Carl McConnell of Virginia. Woody, Dewey and Carl met in Gate City, Virginia in May 1957 and organized the Mountain Cur Club, later renamed the Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association (OMCBA). Other friends joined the effort to preserve the Mountain Cur from extinction. By-laws were adopted and Dewey wrote a column for Mountain Music. However, other interests soon claimed Woody and Riley, a World War I veteran died. A few years later, Carl left the OMCBA. Dewey continued working with those as interested as himself in the old Mountain Cur. Many dedicated men and women are still striving to hold the OMCBA true to it's traditions and principles. Woody Huntsman is still an OMCBA member today.
Information from OMCBA ( http://www.omcba.com ) & J’Mac Kennels ( http://www.jmackennels )
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Cottontails………..The Hard Way!
Posted by admin on Wednesday, October 25 @ 23:38:58 CDT (1322 reads)
By: Rob Johnson 
The sound of the beagles was still some distance away when the rabbit slipped out of the woods and started lopping down the old road. Before I could raise my gun, there was a boom and the fat cottontail rolled to a stop. Hunting rabbits with a pack of beagles is a Southern tradition, one that brings uncles, cousins and friends together like a family event. Though it’s not quite the social event of an opening day dove hunt, it ranks right up there! I remember when I was a young man, how people would show up at my Pop's house, and one of the trucks always had a dog box full of beagles in the back. After everyone renewed old bonds and had a little breakfast, it was time to load old shotguns and turn the dogs loose. The sound of beagles working a hot scent and the voices of the hunters coaxing the dogs are still fresh in my memory. Not to mention the smell of fresh fried rabbits sizzling in a cast iron skillet! There is a way that you can have a good rabbit hunt, even if you don’t have several beagles to help you out. You have to do it the “hard way,” but you can still have great success and fun.  It was a verycold day when a friend of mine and I decided to try some rabbit hunting not farfrom my house. As we walked down the old railroad tracks, there were ice sickleshanging from the metal signs six inches long! We had planned to hunt a grown upfield that had a few open spots, but mostly was waist deep in cover. The walkwas just long enough to build up our body heat and kept us warm as we walked thetracks. As we got to the area,we slipped off the railroad bed down a small trail and into the field. Ourstrategy was fairly simple: spread out a little and start working the field,trying to jump some cottontails. Here is a big tip for those who try this: arabbit will sit still and let a hunter walk by, without running. But if thathunter stops and waits a few minutes, the rabbit “thinks” he’s been seen andwill break out of hiding and run! All you have to do is see him, then manage topoint your shotgun in his direction, before he disappears. Simple, huh? Because we knew that we would be walking rabbits up in fairly thick cover, we loaded out guns with a heavy load of #4 shot to make sure we had enough load to penetrate the cover as well as the rabbits. As we started on one end of the field, we moved in a zigzag fashion, stopped a few minutes every now and then, looking and listening for a rabbit to break. Most of the time when they took off, we were shooting at where the weeds were moving, unable to actually see the rabbits. Sometimes, they would run across small openings. The rabbits were thick here, and almost every time we made our pause the words, “there he goes,” rang out in the cold air! The heavy ice had actually helped us by pushing down the cover, making the job of seeing them somewhat easier. By the time we had worked down the field and back, we had more fat bunnies than we cared to carry back to the truck! Yeah, it’s true that a lot of our shots simply cleared out some vegetation, but a lot of them connected too. So, if you don’t have beagles but still want to have a fun rabbit hunt, try my method. With what seems to be a decline in rabbit hunters, there are plenty of fat cottontails just waiting on you! Get a few buddies together, head out and make your own memories. When the hunt is over, enjoy some fine dining…Southern style!
(Read More... | Score: 5)
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''Come and Get 'Em - Uncle John's Corner''.
Posted by admin on Wednesday, October 25 @ 23:19:28 CDT (1620 reads)
A VIEW FROM THE RIDGE
BY JOHN SIMEONE
I raised the custom Savage model 99, .308 that Matt Wilson had so patiently hammered out in his secret gun laboratory in Leesville. You don’t just get a director’s grade like that; from a master unless he likes you, while it shoots as good as it looks. It would have been an easy shot too, had it not been for the tangle of brush allowing me to see his outline, but that was about it. Yep, he was a nice buck too, but that unwritten code of conduct that I must live by would not allow me to fire a shot irresponsibly and risk wounding such a majestic beast. Our little stand off ended abruptly as he gave me one last aristocratic gaze, and then insulted me with a snort and a flash of white tail as he vanished into the green mansions of mixed pine and hardwood forest that make up the beautiful Peason Ridge Wildlife Management area. I don’t get upset at such things and just countered with a smile, thanking him just for the experience. I looked around for a moment and found what I was looking for in the first place. A great pine tree that had survived the onslaught of the timber companies for ages, it seemed to go up for ever being one of the largest of its kind. At its base, which was huge, was a large mound of soft pine needles that made for about the most natural easy chair I can imagine. This was situated along a vast ridge line over looking a creek bottom uncommon to Louisiana bayou country; this was more reminiscent to the old home country in Arkansas I grew up in. It was a beautiful place indeed. I naturally seek out such places to reflect, as it becomes a personal discipline to remove selfish delusions of grandeur from the mind and replace it from time to time with the insignificance one realizes just by being here. Although a perfect natural deer stand, I found a much higher purpose for my small encroachment to this tranquil spot. Once again touched by the ever present spirit of the wild, I wondered if I was making a difference. This outdoor writer title is a life long dream come true for me, but with it comes much responsibility. First I seek to invoke an emotional response from the reader in all my topics, using my rudimentary knowledge of the English language as if it were silent music to the mind; as it seems to flow spontaneously regardless of the subject at hand. As with everything I’ve ever done with my life successfully, accompanied with as many miserable failures, all eyes seem to be on me. So the one thing that seems to ring true is that old axiom that I learned in the Army, “Lead by Example.” If you’re going to be a principle in this outdoor legacy of “Pass it on”, you’re going to have to march to a different drummer. This I constantly remind myself. If you take on this responsibility of being an outdoor mentor, or just some kid’s Mom or Dad you will in fact have a great impact on someone else’s life and you will set an example. Setting a good one is making the difference. Along the way you will develop a natural fascination for nature, your outdoor skills will be mastered and your character will strengthen. Then you see some youngster with nothing to do, and you find you’re the only one around to do anything about it. Then it becomes apparent you have a special purpose in life, not so insignificant after all. Guess what, you are about to make a difference………Pass it on.
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Inside the Outdoors - Jody Willman
Posted by admin on Saturday, October 21 @ 16:10:18 CDT (1317 reads)
Howdy folks! Guess I should introduce myself first, I’m Joe Willman, a staff writer for www.downsouthjukin.com and a wannabe poet, songwriter, and storyteller. Our beautiful editor Tamar has invited me to do some articles for this brand spankin’ new webzine, and trust me, the honor is mine. By the way, my friends and family call me Jody and I hope ya’ll will too. Buckle up, 'cause here we go.  Folks, let me start by saying I’m just your typical Southern boy: love God, family, Southern rock, fishing, hunting, and camping! I know what you're thinking: "Here’s another dude gonna tell me how to kill and skin a deer, how to cook the back strap, when a coon's hide is in season, what kind of dogs make the best huntin’ dogs for birds, deer, coon, tree rats and such. You probably think I’m going to even tell you what’s the best gun to use, the best rod and reels to use, when to hunt, when to fish, what’s the best tents, sleeping bags, camo and junk like that." Well . . . Yep! I’m gonna tell ya' how I think crappie (white perch) are the best eatin’ fish there is! Even better’n catfish! But all that’s gonna come in later issues cause right now I want to talk about EXTREME hunting! Southern style! What the hell’s that, you ask? Well, since there are no grizzly or brown or polar bears down here and very few black bears left, and not enough cougars to count, that only leaves one other animal that you could call extreme. HOGS!! Awww! Cute little pigs? That folks are makin’ pets out of? Nope, the real deal, PINEY WOODS ROOTERS! First of all, let me tell you: there are no more meaner or cantankerous critters anywhere! Old timers will tell you the true rooters are extinct and they’d be right. Back in the depression days, many a family was fed with the meat of these hogs. When the times and the money allowed folks bought domestic hogs, ear marked em turned em lose in the woods and the breeding with the rooters commenced and the result is what are called feral hogs these days in most parts of the south. But here where I live in the pine forests of east Texas, there are still some hogs that have retained a lot of the original bloodline of these massive (650 –750 lb) beasts! Along the bay galls and sloughs here hog hunting is still an amazing thing to witness. And I’ll tell ya', I’ve seen some mighty tough ole boys reduced to quivering like a dog passing peach seeds by the sight of a mere 300 lb boar hog strutting his stuff and popping his jaws showing everything and everyone just who the boss is! I’m including some of my favorite pictures to illustrate the point. These photos are all the property of the good folks at “Suwannee river ranch hunting lodge” in Branford, Florida. www.suwanneeriverranch.com Check em out!  If you’re interested in trying your luck at killing a few of these monsters of the woods, then here’s some advice for ya'. Leave your 12 gauges and .44/70’s at home; in fact leave anything smaller than a 30-30 there too. The shield on these hogs is made of cartilage and scar tissue and extends across the shoulders to near the rib cage and if shot there with the above mentioned pop guns, well it’ll just bounce off and he’s likely to get even more pissed off than he normally is. I recommend using a 30-06 in open ground and a 30-30 in the brush at least. How mean can they be? Their upper jaws are equipped with tusks called whetters and there bottom jaw with cutters that can be 8 inches long or longer. Hogs don’t sweat so they need to be around some permanent body of water to wallow in such as sloughs, creeks, river bottoms and places that are shaded and cool. They feed on just anything under ground from acorns to grubs. To get to 'em, they can tear up acres of ground by rooting it up. It is an awesome sight to see a dominant boar strut his stuff in a herd of his peers! Challenging all comers to show he’s the bad boy including you, if he sees ya', they are super smart, and fearless! Many a man has been run up a tree to save his life in these woods.  You need dogs! Not just any dog either, you need a team of dogs. Black mouth curs, some black and tan hounds, are good for what’s called “strike" dogs, the ones used to bay the hogs (pick up the scent and chase). Then, once they’ve bayed em, it’s time to turn loose the “Catch” dogs. You need at least one good catch dog depending on the herd size. I prefer a pit bull or a half pit and half cur for this, 'cause these dogs have to be quick, smart and tough! Matter of fact, the first hog dog I ever had was given to me by my brother in law after a 400 lb boar gutted him from sternum to gonads. Robert sewed him up with fishing line and said, “Here you go boy, he may live”. Old “Lep” , a moon eyed leopard cur lived 9 more years, and was an awesome catch dog. I was 15 and learned quickly how deadly these old rooters can be. So if ya’ll are prepared, I mean really prepared to be charged by an animal that I swear looks like they can cover a hundred yards without hitting the ground more’n 5 or 6 times, snorting, and popping their jaws and flinging foam from their mouths in all directions, and if you’ve got the nerve and the accuracy to fire a shot (maybe two) into these crazy things head at a dead run, then this hunts for you! Just don’t EVER hunt anything alone, and make sure your dogs have sand -- they’ll need it, and so will you. I do promise that after a successful hog hunt, you’ll be back, because the rush is, (like the kids say) OFF THE CHAIN! Hope these pictures don’t give ya' many nightmares! Until next time, ya’ll keep rockin’ and stay SOUTHERN FRIED!
Jody
 Poppin’ those jaws means serious business!
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Staff  Bruce Wall - Creator  Teri Merchant - Editor  Susan Snider - Writer  Jody Willman - Writer Tony Beazley - Photographer/Video This magazine is dedicated in loving memory of magazine's co-founder, our best friend, and inspiration, George McCorkle. We miss you brother. Special Thanks to our many contributors, freelance writers, etc., including:
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