Jim Thompson
Live From The Tree
There's a thread https://forum.gon.com/threads/why-do-people-ask-this.1003282/ running in the trail cams forum right now asking "why someone would ask the world if a deer is a shooter?" I have no issues with the OP wondering why and I dont think I have asked the question or answered the question myself for many years, but times change for folks...
Here's a little story about how my life changed...
Back in 2003 we were all frothing at the mouth over this cool forum called Woodys Campfire. We had only been online for a year or 2 and most of us still on dial up at home and barely able to get quality internet service with cell phones.
About that time I found this cool contraption called a Blackberry that would allow me to post pics and stories on the forums from a tree if I could get service. Me, Gary and Ol May hunting down in Heard County GA used walkie talkies when close enough, but man this Blackberry was a game changer when it worked.
Fast forward to early Dec of that hunting season. I was a youngin at 34 having only killed does and scrub bucks and one young 8 in my life. I am sitting in a climber on an oak flat between planted pines and a cow pasture that evening. Bubba and Ol May were across the pasture on dove stools within radio range. We are shooting the crap about not seeing anything and Ol May might have mentioned that his toddy was pretty good
. I may have been thinking about how good a cold beer would be after dark.
About that time a gorgeous 10 comes onto my oak flat feeding on acorns! I had no idea this beast was gonna change my life and the life of so many others the way it did. I looked him over and man he was so much bigger bodied than anything I had killed. I had seen bigger but not killed bigger. But I was only 2 seasons into hunting with Bubba and May and didnt want to step on their toes. I hit Bubba on the radio and told him I had a 10 on the flat with me feeding. I said he wasnt a giant, but bigger than anything I had shot. Bubba said he didnt care, but hoped I wasnt shooting a baby...Bubba aint changed a bit
Then I had a goofy, strange idea.... Earlier in the hunt I had started a thread here about sitting in a late season tree and how pretty it was or whatever. I had also snapped a blurry nasty grainy pic of that 10. So what the heck??? I posted it to the thread and ask folks if they thought I should shoot.
Every last soul hammered back at that moment overwhelmingly saying SHOOOOOTTTTT!!! There was probably 10 or 15 quick replies. Maybe more maybe less, I dont remember. All I remember was that it changed my hunting for life.
That little 10 stayed under me feeding that evening on leftover acorns or briars for about 15 minutes. He gave me the opportunity to snap a pic with my blackberry, cut up with bubba and ol may and post on the thread and upload the pic all before I unleashed the fury on him at about 20 yards.
That was most likely the very 1st ever live pic of a deer from stand loaded on an internet forum. After that I started doing it on every hunt and was calling it View From a Tree.
In 2005 we made the mistake of traveling to TX and that year or the next I changed that name to Live From The Tree.
Except for service related issues, I have shared every single hunt for the last 16 or so years with as many people possible. Anyone who wanted to follow and participate was and is still invited. That has turned into thousands and thousands and thousands across all kinds of platforms and all around the world when you include our deployed military followers. I don't make money off this (other than tax write offs), but it's something that I love doing and so many folks across the globe depend on every year. In life I am not very sociable fella and prefer my alone time, but I guess this is my outlet.
That was the biggest buck I had ever shot in my 1st 16 or so years of hunting and the smallest in the last 18 or so years of hunting, but man I am glad that I posted that day and ask folks' opinions because it for sure changed my life. Was last one I've killed with a rifle too that I remember. Smoker got a few though.
Woody did this little fella up proud! Man I wish Woody and Ol May were still with us
Here's a little story about how my life changed...
Back in 2003 we were all frothing at the mouth over this cool forum called Woodys Campfire. We had only been online for a year or 2 and most of us still on dial up at home and barely able to get quality internet service with cell phones.
About that time I found this cool contraption called a Blackberry that would allow me to post pics and stories on the forums from a tree if I could get service. Me, Gary and Ol May hunting down in Heard County GA used walkie talkies when close enough, but man this Blackberry was a game changer when it worked.
Fast forward to early Dec of that hunting season. I was a youngin at 34 having only killed does and scrub bucks and one young 8 in my life. I am sitting in a climber on an oak flat between planted pines and a cow pasture that evening. Bubba and Ol May were across the pasture on dove stools within radio range. We are shooting the crap about not seeing anything and Ol May might have mentioned that his toddy was pretty good
. I may have been thinking about how good a cold beer would be after dark.About that time a gorgeous 10 comes onto my oak flat feeding on acorns! I had no idea this beast was gonna change my life and the life of so many others the way it did. I looked him over and man he was so much bigger bodied than anything I had killed. I had seen bigger but not killed bigger. But I was only 2 seasons into hunting with Bubba and May and didnt want to step on their toes. I hit Bubba on the radio and told him I had a 10 on the flat with me feeding. I said he wasnt a giant, but bigger than anything I had shot. Bubba said he didnt care, but hoped I wasnt shooting a baby...Bubba aint changed a bit
Then I had a goofy, strange idea.... Earlier in the hunt I had started a thread here about sitting in a late season tree and how pretty it was or whatever. I had also snapped a blurry nasty grainy pic of that 10. So what the heck??? I posted it to the thread and ask folks if they thought I should shoot.
Every last soul hammered back at that moment overwhelmingly saying SHOOOOOTTTTT!!! There was probably 10 or 15 quick replies. Maybe more maybe less, I dont remember. All I remember was that it changed my hunting for life.
That little 10 stayed under me feeding that evening on leftover acorns or briars for about 15 minutes. He gave me the opportunity to snap a pic with my blackberry, cut up with bubba and ol may and post on the thread and upload the pic all before I unleashed the fury on him at about 20 yards.
That was most likely the very 1st ever live pic of a deer from stand loaded on an internet forum. After that I started doing it on every hunt and was calling it View From a Tree.
In 2005 we made the mistake of traveling to TX and that year or the next I changed that name to Live From The Tree.
Except for service related issues, I have shared every single hunt for the last 16 or so years with as many people possible. Anyone who wanted to follow and participate was and is still invited. That has turned into thousands and thousands and thousands across all kinds of platforms and all around the world when you include our deployed military followers. I don't make money off this (other than tax write offs), but it's something that I love doing and so many folks across the globe depend on every year. In life I am not very sociable fella and prefer my alone time, but I guess this is my outlet.
That was the biggest buck I had ever shot in my 1st 16 or so years of hunting and the smallest in the last 18 or so years of hunting, but man I am glad that I posted that day and ask folks' opinions because it for sure changed my life. Was last one I've killed with a rifle too that I remember. Smoker got a few though.
Woody did this little fella up proud! Man I wish Woody and Ol May were still with us
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