Hello again Miss-Lou! By the time this article arrives on your doorstep, the opening day of the gun season for deer in Mississippi will be less than one week away.

This will mark the real beginning of hunting season for many area hunters that have not already been in the woods bow hunting, squirrel hunting or such.

Saturday is the big day. If I’m not mistaken, the duck season in Mississippi will open that same day. But I am saying that strictly from memory, which could always be dangerous, so check the schedule before you quote me on that one.

I’ve often thought how badly I would feel if someone got a ticket from a game warden because I had put the wrong season date in my column, which I have done before.

After lamenting in last week’s article about the unseasonably warm temperatures adversely affecting the hunting so far, it cooled off greatly before the weekend arrived. Last weekend was probably the two best days yet weather-wise in the young hunting season.

Unfortunately for me, that head cold tI was trying to fight off got the best of me. I spent most of the best two days sick at home coughing, sniffling and sneezing. Well, at least there were some good games on the tube to watch. And by the way &045; how about those Ole Miss Rebels!

Since I started back writing a few weeks back, I’ve had numerous people mention they were glad to see my article back in the Sunday edition of The Natchez Democrat. I’d like to thank everyone for the kind words and say I am glad to be back writing as well. And don’t forget to keep those calls and e-mails coming.

I didn’t have many calls this week, but the reports I did get were the ones that I like the best &045; involving youngsters. The first one was Striker Brown, who downed a big nanny with a clean shoulder shot. Striker collected his doe while hunting at Hobo Fork with his grandfather, Lannie Brown.

Braxton Fondren got his season rolling this past week by collecting a doe on an evening hunt.

The report said she looked straight up at him twice, kind of sensing that something was amiss like they sometimes do. But then she put her back down and started feeding, and Braxton didn’t amiss.

Dropped her in her tracks is what I heard.

Unfortunately for Braxton, that wasn’t the only report I got on him last week.

My young buddy gets the season’s inaugural Shirt Tail Club mentions, for not one but two misses. One was a long shot he really thought was too far but couldn’t resist trying.

I told Braxton the bad thing about trying to AT&T ’em with a bow was you usually just ended up getting your name in the Shirt Tail Club &045; just where he is today.

The big day is less than 1 week away, folks, and personally I can hardly wait.

I’ll call that a wrap for this week. Until next week, happy hunting, and as always, think safety first.

Chuck Fields writes a weekly hunting column in the fall for The Natchez Democrat. You can reach him at (601) 446-7859, or by e-mail at

sports@natchezdemocrat.com

.