2009 Season
Another Fantastic Year In Mudbrook
 
Opening Weekend

Just as in years past the Mudbrook Boys of the Highbanks Hunting Club gathered together in celebration of yet another bow hunting season ready to begin. It was the 13th year in a row for this celebration and also the 10th consecutive year that the HHC Mudbrook Invitational Golf Tournament was held at nearby Twin Oaks Golf Course. The weather was beautiful and the golfers were fine specimens of perfection...well, not really. Bee Sting and Pedro were partnered up once again to defend their title from the previous year. The other teams consisted of Chapper & Odie along with Barnacle & Lefty. It was a day full of laughter and fun (as usual), and of course, a "ton" of trash talking. After 27 hard fought holes of competitive golf (not really) Bee Sting & Pedro once again prevailed and earned bragging rights for another year...which is way more valuable than any trophy. 

In keeping with tradition the boys headed back to the church after golf for a fine meal of grilled chicken and potatoes as prepared by grill masters Barnacle & Lefty. It was an excellent meal and an awesome atmosphere to reminisce about hunting seasons from the past and share new strategies for the season that was about to begin. These times of camaraderie, more than anything else, are what keep the Mudbrook Boys coming back year after year to re-live the traditions of deer camp. This is what it's all about!!
After Some Frustrating Seasons Odie Was Thrilled To Claim His Dandy 7 Point Buck In 2009
Paco Started The Season Off Quickly With His 9 Pointer Taken On The Second Morning.
2009 Early Season
The action was fast and furious right from the start as both Paco and Barnacle hit bucks on the second morning of the season. Paco was able to recover his 9 point buck immediately but, unfortunately, Barnacle's story did not have a happy ending. After following good blood through a tamarack swamp the trail disappeared and the buck was not recovered...until two months later when Bee Sting came upon it's corpse while tracking a wounded buck of his own. It was bitter sweet for Barnacle because he at least had closure from knowing that his shot was lethal and he hadn't left the buck suffering but he also had to deal with the fact that the buck was not recovered months earlier when the shot occurred. 
After the excitement of opening weekend subsided it was time for the Mudbrook boys to get on with the their 2009 bow hunting season. The early buck opportunities of Paco and Barnacle had everyone excited to hit the woods for their chance had putting some antlers on the ground. Pedro was the next club member to draw blood when he stuck a mature doe on a late September morning from the Skyscraper stand. It wasn't long after when Odie hammered a 7 point buck from the Pond Fence on September 30th for his first bow buck in a number of years. After numerous frustrating seasons it was good to see the youngster have one "fall" his way. He must have done something to please the "Mudbrook Gods" on that day. 
After A Frustrating 2008 Season Pedro Started 2009 Quickly With This September Doe
As October arrived in the Mudbrook Valley it brought with it some unseasonably cool weather and even a couple inches of snow on October 9th. Barnacle just happened to be in the woods that evening and made the most of it by harvesting and adult doe from the Funnle stand. After being heart broken over his "lost" buck from opening weekend this is just what the "old guy" needed to lift his spirits. The only other shot taken in October was when Poison missed an 8 point buck from the Gap stand. 
Barnacle Dropped This Big Doe On A Cold October Evening
As November approached all the boys of the HHC were getting very pumped about hunting the rut. Vacation days were planned and everyone stayed at the church for 3-4 days of hard hunting and high hopes. Unfortunatley, all the hours spent in tree stands during those days did not result in a single buck...and very few big buck sightings. That is how hunting goes sometimes and the Mudbrook boys are not phased by it one bit because they always have fun hunting together no matter what! It was mid-November when Pedro found his mark for the second time by killing a 9 point buck from the Circle Stand. He actually missed the buck with his first shot then watched it force a smaller buck away from some does. After a few minutes the 9 pointer came back through with the does and Pedro's aim was right on as the buck only went 30 yards before falling. What a difference a season makes! Pedro got no deer the year before and now he already had two. The final encounter of archery's early season occurred when Bee Sting hit an 8 point buck from the Gap stand. He wasn't sure where he hit the buck but could see the arrow sticking out. After a long search the buck was not recovered and "Stinger" pronounced himself as "The Woundinator". The good news was that while searching for his buck he actually found the 8 pointer that Barnacle had hit opening weekend. It didn't mean much to Bee Sting but it sure made Barnacle feel better!
After Missing This 9 Point Buck The First Time Pedro Did Better When The Buck Came Back Around To A Grunt Call
2009 Late Season
Bow hunting the late season in Mudbrook Valley is really one of the best times to be in the woods. The hunting pressure from relatives and nearby public land has disappeared, the swamps are all frozen, and food sources rule the day. It used to be that Pedro was the only die hard late season hunter but in recent years the rest of the HHC gang has taken stock in the excitement that late season hunts can offer. In 2009 there were plenty of late season fireworks which started when Barnacle downed a doe from the Nipple stand on a cold December evening. From then on it was fast and furious as deer sightings were numerous and shot opportunities were plentiful. The best proof of this is Poison who shot at and and missed four bucks in three days! For whatever reason he just couldn't hit them!! Pedro's nephews also came to hunt for a couple of days, and although they saw deer each time out, no shots were taken. Pedro, on the other hand, killed his third deer of the season (a doe) from the Bee Hive stand to close out a very successful season. Final totals for the HHC season were three bucks and four does killed along with a whole lot of great camaraderie and fun!
Pedro (Left) And Barnacle (Right) Took Advantage Of Some Fantastic Late Season Hunting And Finished The Season With Two More Does.