Hunting with
Billy Mitchell's Bunch

Three Bucks One Morning!

By: Brenda Presnell


Deer hunting is sometimes a group effort. This particular group effort paid off quite nicely as you can see from the picture below.

Pictured above is Thomas Daughtry, Matt Green, Josh Hudson, and Johnny Causey (not pictured is Billy Mitchell).

Kenny and I ran across Billy Mitchell and his hunting buddies December 27, 2009. They had been hunting in the Apalachicola National Forest.

As we passed through Mitchell’s area that afternoon, we listened to their radio channel to determine their location so we wouldn’t disturb them while passing through to our site. They were in the middle of a hot and heavy race as their dogs had just jumped a buck near the sawdust road.

This particular race fizzled out, but we learned that they had killed three bucks earlier that day. We caught up with them to get a photo and the details.

The recipe for success is not always the same for each adventure. The recipe being dished out to this group of life-long outdoorsmen was an overcast, drizzly day with temperatures that got no higher than the mid-50’s.

I don’t know if any of ya’ll have ever been down a muddy 2-rut lane after a few days of rain and wind, but that’s what it was like that day. Their adventure was a combination mud bog and deer race in the Apalachicola National Forest.

Thomas Daughty has scouted these parts all his life. His nice 8-point buck was proof that experience, skill, and a touch of luck will put supper on the table.

Deer dogs Jeb, Spider, Mary, Speck, Joe, and Jumper ran the 3-point into the aim of Matt Green and Josh Hudson. One fired his shotgun and the other his rifle at the same time, both hitting their mark and bringing down their deer.

Using shotguns, Billy Mitchell and Johnny Causey took their aim and brought down a spike brought to their attention by deer dogs Jenny, Tippy and Jerri Lee.

Hunting and harvesting are only part of the overall experience. At the end of their day, these fellows still had more work to do. It was time to skin and dress out the meat. All of this was a labor of love for these dedicated, serious men who look forward to whatever is in store for them next time.

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