Volume 14 Number 10 - October 2007

FEATURES:

	Core Sound Doubles Puppy drum in the evening and flounder gigging at night provide twice the fun at skinny water behind Core Banks. A light breeze wasn’t enough to blow away a hungry greenhead fly that had attached to my leg, but I was hungry enough to endure its bite long enough to get another mouthful of a juicy burger before swatting the pesky insect. Jerry Dilsaver

	Davie Deer Destroyer A construction worker from Mocksville visits a favorite haunt in Forsyth County each fall, using scouting, rattling and a deadly eye with his 6-mm rifle to take whopper bucks. John Baker said he’s nothing special, a 40-year-old construction worker from Mocksville, the county seat of tiny Davie County in North Carolina’s western piedmont. ... Dan Kibler

	Hunt for Reds in October From Cape Lookout’s beaches to the inshore marshes and creeks behind Morehead City and Beaufort, the water comes alive this month with the beat of a familiar drum. The October surprise at the Crystal Coast — Morehead City, Atlantic Beach and Cape Lookout — isn’t really a surprise because it happens like clockwork each year. ... Craig Holt

	Plotting for Bears The Tradition combines with modern technology for WNC’s bear hunters. The tradition extends back in time to when settlers first came to North Carolina’s western mountains. Today those traditions survive in the names of hollows and creeks in the Blue Ridge; dog breeds such as Plotts, Walkers and ... Don Mallicoat

	Rockingham Racks Rock A Tobacco farmer who rediscovered a love of bowhunting bagged 2006’s No. 1 N.C. typical buck. Rockingham County lies squarely in the middle of the northern tier of counties known as North Carolina’s trophy buck region. This portion of the state likely holds so many big deer because it’s sliced into three parts by major ... Craig Holt

	Run-and-Gun Deer Hunters who tackle whitetails at the Pungo Unit of Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge often face the bear facts. Mike Smith and Diane Culberson parked where a locked cable stopped their pickup truck’s progress. The grassy area held several other vehicles, disembarking hunters who were readying their gear. ... Mike Marsh

	Skyland Float Trip Avoid October’s wall-to-wall tourists by combining colorful scenery and great smallmouth fishing at the French Broad River. Travis Honeycutt maneuvered the boat through the shallow riffle and anchored about 10 yards below the fast water. “Let’s work these deep pools on either side of the boat,” he said. After a couple of cast of the soft ... Don Mallicoat

	Try a Bow for Does Taking female deer early in the season helps create healthier herds and provides protein. Although North Carolina doesn’t keep statistics regarding the percentage of bow hunters who kill a deer during its hunting seasons, the success rate likely is similar to that of nearby states. ... Bruce Ingram

	Wahoo Fever A Cape Carteret fishing team is smitten by giant fall game fish after landing a 94-pounder. Chesson O’Briant works as a sales manager at his family’s business, Emerald Marine Boat Sales and Service at Cape Carteret. For better or for worse, the fact is that having a boat business with an ocean so close at hand nearby lured ... Mike Marsh