Noland Outdoors

Mike Williams shot this nice buck on a cold, windy January 2nd, 2012 morning down on the river.  He delivered the shot at @9:15am.  The deer came cruising by looking for hot does and a well placed 30 yd shot from his 12 gauge slug gun and this man's hunt was over.  Congrats to Mike!

Ginger Eatman harvested this mature buck on the last day of 2011.  Story coming soon!

Jason Eatman took this nice 6pt buck on a cold, frosty December 10th morning at out hunting lease.  The temp was just below freezing and there was a slight north wind. He was hunting in a Summit Lock-on treestand located at the base of a hill overlooking a creek bottom when this buck and another deer came meandering up the bottom.  After several tantalizing minutes the buck finally stepped into an open window and Goose sent the muzzy-tipped arrow on it's way.  The 25yd shot was perfect and Goose waited until I arrived to take up the blood trail.  After following the trail for about 100yds, the hunt was complete.

Jason Eatman arrowed this fine doe on the same rainy day that I arrowed my 5pt.  He had been hunting a trail in a pine thicket near a greenfield.  However, the steadily increasing rain forced him down from his tree saddle so he sneaked back towards the greenfield where he saw this doe feeding.  He patiently waited for 30 minutes until the deer worked it's way towards him and within range.  With daylight beginning to fade, he drew his bow and sent the arrow on it's 25yd path and into the deers vitals.  Because of the wet conditions tracking was difficult.  But we were fortunate to recover the deer after about 40 yds with a thorough search because the shot was well placed.  Chalk up another deer to traditional archery!

Jason Eatman and I decided to brave the elements and venture out to our hunting lease on a very wet afternoon on November 27th.  The radar showed that there would be a break in the rain for the afternoon. Unfortunately that break lasted all of about 15 minutes.  The forecast called for falling temps due to an approaching cold front so we figured that would get the deer up and moving. Undaunted, we headed into the woods, me with my compound bow and Goose with his longbow.  I got settled into my stand overlooking some scrapes on a major trail in a pine plantation at 2:40pm.  I had no sooner got an arrow nocked when this beautiful deer stepped out on the trail.  I quickly came to full draw, bleated to stop him and sent the arrow on it's way.  The shot was true and 60 yards later I had my prize.  The blood trail was difficult to follow because of the wet conditions but thankfully I was able to locate the deer by following a well used trail. 

Great white hunter, Jason Eatman, being one sixteenth cherokee indian, put down his training wheels and hunted the way his ancestors hunted this evening. One shot, one kill was what his great great great great grandad used to say. Generations later, Chief Bubblin Brooke's words echoed throughout the hollows of Pickens County as the mystic flight of the arrow sizzled through the crisp autumn air. Shot was executed with minutes of shooting light left. Hummingbird longbow pulling 48 lbs at 28 inches. Easton 2117 arrows tipped with 135 grain Zwickey two blade head. Deer was filtering through pine plantation toward green field. I was 100 yards off the field. He had two dinky scrapes along the trail I was on. Arrow placement was good. Entered high in lungs exited on elbow on opposite side. Deer ran about 80 yards. Excellent trail. Terry Owens helped track and get deer out. Longbow was whisper quiet. I have now joined a select few that have experienced that mystical flight of the arrow. I had almost complete pass through. Found broke arrow about 15 yards down trail. Really one of my proudest moments in my long and distinguished archery career.

My good buddy Robert Lemons and I went hunting on a cool, clear October 29th morning and I was fortunate to harvest my first deer of the year, a nice, mature doe.  I was hunting in my Summit lock-on overlooking an oak flat near a creek.  Two does came in at 8:05am heading to feed.  A soft bleat by me stopped the trailing doe in her tracks in a perfect shooting lane allowing me to send a Muzzy MX-3 tipped Carbon Express arrow on it's way home.  A short tracking job of 40 yards and the deal was sealed.  Robert was not as successful as he saw no deer but it was an enjoyable hunt by both of us and finally some venison on the ground.

 It's that time of the summer where it's hot 24 hours a day and, when it's not hot, it's raining and humid.  The only relief for us deer hunters is the knowledge that the season is really not that far off.  In fact, it's just around the corner when you think about it.  With that in mind, it's time to begin working on getting ready for the season and that's just what Mike, Ray and myself did this past Saturday morning when we set up this shooting house on our new deer lease, filled the feeder up with protein pellets and put up a trail cam.  Lots of work still to do between now and October.

Jason Eatman and myself headed down to Vienna boat landing in Pickens County on April 9th, 2011, and slipped Goose's G3 in the water to do a little crappie fishing.  It was a beautiful spring morning with partly cloudy skies and mild temps.  We didn't fill up the livewell completely but we did catch 10-12 nice keepers.  Goose shows off a couple of the "southern sockle-eyes".  We were using black and chartruess jigs and working them around the grassy shorelines and stumps. 

  I arrowed this "spike", we'll call it, today January 8th, 2011.  Mike Williams and I went hunting on this cold, frosty morning with this buck being the only deer seen.  I was hunting the edge of a cane thicket when the deer came sneaking up behind me at 9:30am.  The deer was of average body size and I shot it thinking it was a doe, not seeing the antlers, which had not broken the skin.  The deer was quartering too at 20 yards but I had a clear lane and the Muzzy MX-3 went through the heart and exited behind the liver.  The deer ran 50yds before expiring.  Only when I got my hands on the deer did I realize that it wasn't a doe after all but the biggest "knotty head" I've ever seen.  I hate that I shot this immature buck but it happens to all bowhunters from time to time.  We show the good and not-so-good, keeping it real.