The Woodsman Perspective

On this episode we breakdown a list of projects and concerns for each month of the so called off season, otherwise known as summer.   We discuss clover varieties and management, vetch, cow peas, and soybeans. Also some CSP projects that we are working on to reclaim some early successional habitat on our farms.  You will hear about a couple of clover varieties that you might not be aware of, Q red...

Turkey hunting has long had some folklore around poaching and the temptation even among the most honest men to cross property lines in pursuit of a gobbling tom. In recent years this has become even more popularized by social media figures and influencers. It's one thing to see this on facebook and instagram, but it isn't just limited to the virtual world. It seems like while the influencers are j...

On this episode we sat down with Casey Shoopman from The Management Advantage and talked hunting, traveling, filming, trapping, and story telling. Casey was recruited off of a combine over 20 years ago to film a hunt for Chuck Sykes with the Management Advantage. That lead to a job offer and a career in the industry. We hope you enjoy this episode and conversation.  @ManagementAdvantage   @Crimmre...

On this episode we talk about how hunting on property lines can impact more than just how your neighbor feels about you. With recreational property values soaring, the hunting quality and experience means more today than ever to potential buyers. Shooting houses, deer stands, and feeders on the line are an indication of future problems to buyers, so it certainly does impact the marketability and b...

Several states have seen recent challenges to the long accepted practice of game wardens entering private land without warrants.  The precedent that established this is from a prohibition era moonshining case, where the judge ruled that landowners did not have the assumption of privacy on land that was not inside the curtilage of their home.  In other words, the 4th amendment did not extend protec...

I did some bird hunting with Hunter and Johnny Crimm this evening and afterward we sat down with one of the deerhunters that he had in camp. It turns out that Travis Libby is a professional Outfitter in Northern Maine. We discuss their similar approaches and reasons for getting into this business as well as spotlight what both have to offer. Travis operates Libby's Lodge and Cantys and they specia...

Today we are talking about developing habitat for ducks.  Clay Davis has developed duck  holes on his own properties, and also works with Mossy Oak in and around much of their waterfowl areas.  He has spent the time on the tractor seat and in the blind, and has a ton of knowledge on what works and what doesn't. We also talk about how to minimize reduce pressure on your ducks and how best to hunt i...

2025 has been a record breaking acorn crop, and along with that a significant impact on deer harvest. Many hunters across the SE have seen a sharp decline in camera activity around foodplots and feeders. The deer have abundant food adjacent to cover and bedding areas. We discuss the possible reasons, as well as the impact to deer and business. Including a 50% drop in corn sales and a big time slow...

Venison is arguably the perfect protein. It's lean, it's clean, readily available, and versatile. On this episode we talk about the standard ways to cook it, the fancy ways, and give you an inside look into a deer processor operation. Families today are more particular than ever about where their food comes from, this alone has led some people to take up hunting. We feel like you should not overlo...

On this episode Chris and I take a look at cutover.  This is the last thing that most people want when shopping for hunting land, especially if they have visions of a legacy farm that their family will enjoy for years.  We are going to examine why that thinking is flawed, and how you could be missing a great value as well as the opportunity to design a property layout economically.  Not only that,...

These days everyone has a seed blend with a fancy bag and marketing tagline. Do you really know what is in there, and should those things be in same bag to be planted with the same methods? With cereal grains requiring up to a 1" seed depth, and clover no more than 1/4", how to you plant them both from the same bag and get a successful stand? Often times seed blends serve as an insurance policy fo...

Pierce Young has been around deer his whole life. Early on in his career he was instrumental in the success of the deer tagging program that was conducted in NE MS across 27,000 acres of private land. He has worked along side many of the best deer researchers in the world, including Drs Steve Demarais and Bronson Strickland. Now Pierce is a biologist and assistant coordinator of the MDWFP Private...

A well trained retriever can add enjoyment and efficiency to your hunting. A great family pet and companion adds a whole lot of smiles and love in your home. You can have both, and our friend Tyler Cofield of  @MarlenGundogs  has made it his mission to develop his line of British labs into just that. We discuss this and more on this episode. Also with dove season approaching we get into some of th...

In this episode of Storytime with Uncle Chris we hear about the time they discovered someone had "borrowed" a skidder from a logging job. Chris and the logger followed the tracks back to a nearby house and confronted the suspect. Sometimes you just have to reevaluate the situation, and pick your battle. This encounter could have gone south, but in the end it was a positive for everyone.

Dave Owens, creator of The Pinhoti Project, sat down with me and talked about social media, calling championships, and conservation. Dave recently won his second Grand National Title at the NWTF in Nashville this year, and is an active participant and supporter of the various state calling contests. Social media figures, or influencers, often get blamed for the increase numbers and reduced opportu...

The term Co-op has become synonymous with farm supply, feed, and seed.  But do you know why it's called "the co-op"?   These organizations came to existence out of necessity and from local farmers and landowners coming together to leverage their collective buying power.   It is more than just a name, and odds are there is one in your community.  We sat down with Jeff Hays, the manager of Lowndes F...

Landlocked properties are more and more common as land and estates are fragmented.  There are a lot of misconceptions around access, easements, and what the adjoining landowners must do to provide access to landlocked tracts.  Jay Nichols is our good friend and an expert real estate attorney.  Jay and his father have worked with landowners in Mississippi for decades and have seen just about every...

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural and forest land managers to enhance their conservation efforts. It helps producers adopt new conservation practices and maintain existing ones, compensating them for improved resource management. Eligible lands include private agricultural lands, non-industrial private forest land, and associated...

Clover is a high protein legume that whitetail deer and turkeys love to eat.  Additionally it fixes nitrogen in the soil, and when maintained it will return year after year without replanting.   It is no wonder that clover is at the top of every land manager's list when it comes to food plot plant varieties.   But there are varieties and practices that can be implemented to fine tune your approach...

On this episode we look back at lessons learned, observations made, and some good stories from turkey season 2025.   From an unlikely double on a property that has never held spring turkeys to a single season grand slam thanks to a chance gas station meeting, this one has some good stories that you should be able to relate to!    

Dr. Bronson Strickland is the foremost authority in whitetail deer research right.  He is also our friend.  Over the years we have had a great relationship with Bronson centered around the mutual love for whitetail deer and a desire to properly manage habitat in a way that maximizes the overall herd health as well as antler production.    On this episode we will be  talking about summer foodplots...

Precision shooting has become a popular off season sport among hunters. Many of the traditional hunting rifle manufacturers now offer models specifically for long range shooting in calibers that are very versatile for hunting. Pair that with affordable high quality optics, and you can be ringing steel at 500 yards with an over the counter package. This isn't just for the off season though, there a...

Drones are everywhere, and while some still see them as toys there are some real advantages to them. Our own Brent Lochala has been flying drones for over 10 years and has an FAA part 107 license to operate them commercially. We get into some uses for them for owners and managers, some you are aware of and some you may not have thought of. From deer herd analysis, progression monitoring, flood con...

The use of technology and tactics that create a perceived advantage, or shortcut, is one of the most divisive things in the hunting community. It's in every aspect of it whether it is baiting for deer or reaping turkeys. Technology such as cellular enabled game cameras and thermal drones have brought it another level. The use of live scopes for crappie fishing is a great example of that. These too...

Whether you are planning your summer food plots, picking up sheds, or calculating your cost per pound in venison, just about everything in hunting and habitat management comes back to numbers. This is something that we always come back to in our discussions about whatever project we are working on, so we bet that you have too. While at first it can seem to complicate things, especially if math isn...