2010-11 Plantation Bottoms'

2010-11 Plantation Bottoms'

Hello Gentlemen! Looks as though the Good Lord saw fit to give us another year in our little piece of "his" Heaven on earth. We're all still together, grumpy, and in decent health and ready to have another go at it. We have a new member to our bunch of grumpy old men this year. His name is Bob Galloway. Bob brings a bit of class and baldness to our group! He also a member of the "Buck Gardner" Pro Staff. We suckered in another new member also. Mr. Joe Gilbert. Joe has been Bob's hunting partner for the last 40 years, so there was no reason to stop now!
Seems Mother Nature threw one at us the 1st of May for the record books! 13 inches of rain in two days. Ole ThorneSide Cabin didn't go under but dang near everythng else did. Water was within 5 foot of the porch. The Sneaker Blind and the Boat Hide are now in the parking lot.
At least we wont be planting anything; we'll just let her have her way with us!

Me and MollyAnn & the fellas will all still be reporting in on the "goings on" and Good Lord willing, maybe even have some luck with the waterfowl this up coming year!
Brought to you in part,again, by our sponsors - LaCrosse & Danner Boots, Drake Waterfowl, Buck Gardner Game Calls, RTJ Specialized Services, Stephanies' "Birdworld Taxidermy" , Galloway Country Hams, and our wives who put up with our habits and still love us(for some reason!)

Rex & MollyAnn, Richard & Dawn, Tony, Jack, Tom, Bob, Joe,& Gil.
Where the rules stand pat! No Women allowed in the Bottoms'! Period!!

June 1, 20101 - 42 of 103 Images8782 visitsAlbum by MollyAnn HinklePhotos by Anyone who can!

5-5-10 - The week before, the water was just about out of the bottoms' for planting... Now - The highest its ever been. 13+ inches on 5/1/10.	5.5.10- The equipment shed. I was able to get most of the electrical stuff out before the water came in.	5.5.10 - The water came to within 5' of the cabin. I pulled the generator in the nick of time!
5.21.10-With all the high water, we had a Hippo in the Bottoms' tearing up heck! Me and MollyAnn pinned him right below Ole ThorneSide Cabin!	5.30.10 - ole Stuffem' said he was a "all-Hanger"for sure and a record kill for Plantation Bottoms'! It went in the book!	Heres the aftermath as the water resides out of our parking lot.
6.9.10 - I bet we are the only duck hunting camp in the South-east that has a mounted hippo head sitting in their cabin! Stuffem' says hes house-broke and wont make a mess.	Our poor parking lot!	5.5.10 - The water was approx. 5' over the road. We rode the boat over the guard rails..
5.5.10 - Here is where the TOP of the Hopper Blind is... About a foot under water...	What a mess. Me and Richard Smith cleaned it all up.	5.22.10 - This was our 6th annual ThorneSide Spring Gatherin'. We cooked up about 200 Crappie, SheelCrackers, and Bream. Oh Boy! was it ever good!
6.23.10 - The "H.M.S. ThorneSide Royal". Our latest addition to the ThorneSide fleet. A 24 footer! Our buddy from Ala. Saw it on Craigslist in middle Tn. for very little money and knew we needed it. Richard Smith bird dogged it & got it delivered for dang near free.	6.26.10 - Richard Smith just got him a so'nuff duck boat motor. A 4hp Johnson with 2 speeds. Off & Hang on! Here, he is the hang On mode! This thing weighs about the same as a trolling motor.	6.26.10 - Four horses and ready to go!
6.26.10- RDS is dreaming of hamburgers on the grill, and good times ahead!	7.2.10 - When me and the Fellas came upon our latest edition to the Bottoms', my son said that we looked like a bunch of Pirates. so he went out and found us a "Jolly Rodger" flag to display. Its now tied up in front of SxS's Hilton blind.	7.22.10- At 100 degrees today, the Bottoms' are drying out fast! Looking to the north end..
7.22.10- Looking to the south west. 100 degrees.	7.22.10- I came in the other day and my wife had put this up in our living room beside my chair. I really thought it had some neat stuff in it!	7.25.10 - Our old friend, Brandon Powers, gave us the 5/4 decking for the floor on the new pontoon blind for this year.
7.30.10 - Austin is throwing millet in the mud in front of the Hilton blind.	7.30.10 - richard smith and grand son Austin are give out. Its only 95 degrees. RDS says its the humidity!	7.30.10-Richard has dang near give out. He says that ought to be enough millet for any duck. 200# have been put down.
8.13.10- Its 99 degrees at Plantation Bottoms'. This is the Millet looking back at the Hilton. I put out the last 15# of jap millet we had on a few wet spots and called it done!	8.18.10- 5 1/2" of rain over night... Our Millet is flooded!	8.19.10 - Another 5" of rain! The bottoms have about 10' of water in them. Our spraying and planting this year was for naught! It happens.. Looks like we'll have water for Woody/Teal this year. Tom Gorman and Richard Smith are rounding up the flooring for the pontoon.
8.19.10 Richard Smith is swimming out to get the boat that floated out.	8.19.10 - Richard Smith has been wet at Plantation Bottoms' more than any other member. This time, it was on purpose....	9.7.10 - P.Ducks fishing buddy, Mike Twitty was nice enough to loan us his toon' trailer for a few weeks so I brought the pontoon over to my shop to strip off all the railing, the old floor, and put the new floor on and try to get up a work crew at Plantation Bottoms'.
9.11.10 - Opening day of Wood duck season. Me, Bob Galloway, & Richard Smith... Lots O' Woodies, no Teal!	9.11.10 - New member, Bob Galloway, has to cook & bring breakfast for the next 12 meetings... According to RDS! The country ham was great!	9.15.10 - Putting the floor on the S.S. ThorneSide proved to be a bigger job than I thought.
9.21.10 At least its finished and ready to head off to its new home. Plantation Bottoms'.	9.21.10 - Even the toon's are painted.	9.21.10 - Even the rails(AKA "Richard Rails")are painted with undercoating spray.
9.23.10 - RDS is sweeping the deck the 1st of many times.	9.23.10 - This baby is home! All 28' of her.	9.23.10 - RDS is putting the floor sealer on and not complaining!
9.26.10 - The S.S. ThorneSide blind is resting in her new home. Plantation Bottoms' Willow Hole.	9.23.10 - Tom Gorman inspecting.	9.23.10 - Bob Galloway and Tom Gorman awaiting the next load of brush.