Trusty Toyota Tacoma Truck Records Rare 500,000-Mile Mark

Keeping It In The Road for 500K Miles

With the onset of the new calendar year, 2018 should be the year that multiple milestones are achieved for the humble blogger with a passion for the Lowcountry Outdoors. This blog began in January of 2009, meaning that the 2018 campaign will be my tenth year of coverage for all manner of outdoor events, sporting endeavors and the pursuit of conservation. Almost every mile of that journey came behind the wheel of my 1998 Toyota Tacoma pick up truck, a 4-cylinder 5-speed auto that I have been able to maintain over the years as reliable transportation. It wasn't a foregone conclusion that I would reach 500,000-miles in this truck, but I am comfortable that it came in 2018, after 20 years of history as the sole owner and driver of this Tacoma.

Oil Change at 500K - You Betcha!

My Lodging while Quail Hunting at a Lowcountry Plantation

Most of these miles are highway miles, traveling between town and country for work, and I have always told folks that the truck drives smoothest when in 5th-gear. My Tacoma has not been 'babied' though, but it has not ever been mistreated either. Driving this truck around on our family farm means that dirty, muddy and dusty conditions are always present, and changing the air filter on this truck is a regular duty just like changing the oil filter. One time I drove the truck out into a cutover corn field to retrieve a deer, and that field was plenty rough to drive over, and I ended up taking a corn stalk through the radiator. A trip to my auto mechanic for a new radiator was the solution, yet most of the original equipment on this Tacoma is still in place.

The feeling of driving a vehicle that wants to keep on truckin' is special, and friends marvel at its endurance, even while they are changing vehicles. I am not sure when the passage of time will demand a change for myself regarding transportation, but for now I plan to stay the course with the Toyota that is already part of my narrative from the Lowcountry Outdoors.

To view pas blog entries from my Trusty Toyota Tacoma click on 450,000 miles - 400,000 miles - 350,000-miles

To view past blog entries from my New Year's Eve Toast click on 2017 - 2016 - 2015- 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009   

The Morning After Hurricane Matthew in Charleston

2018 Duck Hunt in Frozen Bootheel of Missouri

Duck decoys frozen in place - and slippery walking!

We tried to land ducks in a pothole opened via axe

With rain in the forecast, which is a surefire way to loosen up areas of frozen ice, we headed into the bootheel of Missouri (after Arkansas) to hunt ducks in the small town of Gobler. This portion of the Mississippi River delta is flat, and very fertile farming ground. Ricefields and other grainfields stretch as far as the eye can see, and it is prime duck habitat. The local farmers have learned that they can lease pit blinds to avid duck hunters in order to increase and diversify revenue after the harvest. We booked a room at a hunting lodge that was built on farmland not far from where we would hunt.

            

With the ice frozen about 6-inches thick, our guides had carved out a hole only about 6-feet by 6-feet for us to try to attract the ducks. Decoy spreads and motion decoys are set up on the ice all around the water hole, and the goal is to get any ducks to come land right in the water, or maybe come close enough to shoot at. This system worked well enough for some to harvest a few ducks. Hunting conditions were tough, but locals were using trolling motors, ice eaters, axes and shovels to try and keep a patch of open water.

            

Elk Chute Hunt Lodge in Gobler, Missouri

Interesting nickname and just West of Memphis

It was painfully clear that we missed the thaw that everyone had longed for, but our window to visit was coming to a close, and we did the best we could. Visiting other states to hunt migratory ducks is a hobby for hunters who enjoy the pursuit of waterfowl. Each state can charge a separate hunting license fee, but in general it is quite a blessing to be able to move around and chase the ducks. This trip yielded lots of information that can be applied to future duck hunts to the Midwest, to revisit old hunting grounds and to make new friends. 

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about duck hunting with Drake Field Experts click on Filming 2016 Migration Nation TV show-  September Geese - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2014 S.C. State Duck Calling Champion

To view past blog entries about hunting ducks in the Midwest click on  Filming Ducks Unlimited TV show 

To view past blog entries for late January duck hunts click 2017- 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

 To view past blog entries about hunting wood ducks click 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

To View past blog entries from Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Magazine click Fall 2017 - Spring 2016 - Winter 2016 - Fall 2015 - Summer 2015 - Spring 2015 - Winter 2015 - Fall 2014 - Summer 2014 - Spring 2014 - Winter 2013

2018 Duck Hunting in Arkansas with Drake Field Experts

Guide Don Farmer welcomes Drake Field Experts to Clay Co.

A planned duck hunting trip to the Midwest was nearly derailed by the 2018 Lowcountry snowstorm. Treacherous driving conditions on secondary roads all around the county made getting ready to go out of town a little more difficult. Learning to walk on ice over the next day or two became a necessity, and little did I know this lesson would be helpful very soon in the Midwest. Driving twelve hours to hunt in Northeast Arkansas revealed that the areas we planned to hunt were frozen over, and we would have to hope for a deep thaw.

Impressive numbers of waterfowl at nearby Lake Ashbaugh 

            

Claybird Outfitters near Peach Orchard, Arkansas is run by duck guide Don Farmer. He invited several Field Experts with the Drake Waterfowl Systems company to come and hunt the first weekend of January. Normally this is an ideal time to gather for fellowship and to hunt some ducks. However, the same cold air that brought unprecedented snow to the Lowcountry, was in place over Arkansas all week without rain, causing the entire area to freeze over.

A rustic lodge with a touch of vintage duck calls and decoys

A short drive to the Lake Ashbaugh conservation area, 525-acres of prime duck habitat that is not hunted, proved that not all the waterfowl had left the area of NE Arkansas. If I had not seen it with my own eyes I would not have guessed that tens of thousands of ducks were using a single hole of open water at this waterfowl preserve, but that was the case. These ducks had agitated the water in a small area so that the freezing temperatures were unable to close off this area to them. Truly a marvel of nature, these ducks take turns staying in place to swim around while some fly out to dry feed in nearby fields.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about duck hunting with Drake Field Experts click on Filming 2016 Migration Nation TV show -  September Geese - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2014 S.C. State Duck Calling Champion

To view past blog entries about hunting ducks in the Midwest click on  Filming Ducks Unlimited TV show 

To view past blog entries for late January duck hunts click 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

 To view past blog entries about hunting wood ducks click 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

To View past blog entries from Mossy Oak Gamekeepers Magazine click Fall 2017 - Spring 2016 - Winter 2016 - Fall 2015 - Summer 2015 - Spring 2015 - Winter 2015 - Fall 2014 - Summer 2014 - Spring 2014 - Winter 2013