Hello From Georgia

drexal

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Joined
May 4, 2021
Messages
239
Originally from Louisiana, I spent 22 years in the Air Force and finally retired in 2013. I settled down at my last station in South Georgia. I grew up hunting, fishing (recreational and commercially) and running traps and it's remained a passion for me. My years in the Air Force saw me trying to hunt and fish my way across the globe although hunting in foreign countries (and California) bring its own set of challenges. BTW, my only successful overseas hunt was for hogs in Turkey and pheasant in S. Korea.

After the USAF stint, my plan was to work for myself and start hunting out west on public land. I opened my own taxidermy shop and did that for 2 year but then I got an good offer to work for a defense contractor spending 6 month out of the year in Afghanistan training the Afghan Air Force. Needless to say, that set me back on my plans to hunt out west. On top of that, in 2017 I came down with some kind of debilitating sickness (I still don't know what it is). For the better part of 3 years, I could barely walk and my joints hurt and muscles ached and my goal of hunting out west seemed to be just something I could dream about. Then last year while everyone else was hating 2020, I was finally getting better (though not 100%).

So, now I'm at this point... I'm back to working out, hunting and trying to push passed this obstacle I find myself in. My plan is to buy points for mule deer and antelope in Wyoming and make a hunt there in 2022 if I'm well enough. In the meantime, I'll be hunting whitetail and small game as I usually do. Also on the agenda is to burn some points on a gator hunt on Lake Seminole and possibly a bear hunt in north Georgia.

Anyway, this is way longer hello than I planned but it's nice to finally introduce myself. Hopefully, I can contribute in some way in the near future.
 
Thanks for the great introduction. I hope your health continues to improve and you're able to expand on your hunting. Thanks for your service!
 
Great first post. Interesting to read your story.

Idk how many points you have for alligator, the Seminole unit can be a tough one. I'm building points for the unit directly north of it right now.

Also if you retired out of Moody then we're just down the road from each other.
 
Great first post. Interesting to read your story.

Idk how many points you have for alligator, the Seminole unit can be a tough one. I'm building points for the unit directly north of it right now.

Also if you retired out of Moody then we're just down the road from each other.
I did retire out of Moody, I live about 30 minutes east of there.

I have 12 points so I'm good on points, but I just changed my application yesterday because Banks lake will be open for 1 weekend this year for their first ever gator hunt allowed. Area 4 which Banks Lake falls under is usually pretty easy to get with 4 to 5 points.
 
I did retire out of Moody, I live about 30 minutes east of there.

I have 12 points so I'm good on points, but I just changed my application yesterday because Banks lake will be open for 1 weekend this year for their first ever gator hunt allowed. Area 4 which Banks Lake falls under is usually pretty easy to get with 4 to 5 points.
I'm 30 minutes west myself. I see the results are out for alligator, hope you drew.
 
Welcome. Thank you for your service.

Did you get tested for Lyme’s disease?
 
I'm 30 minutes west myself. I see the results are out for alligator, hope you drew.
I drew Area 4. I already have a couple of spots picked out for the first two weekends. I'm hoping to tag out before bear and deer archery starts in Sept.
 
Welcome. Thank you for your service.

Did you get tested for Lyme’s disease?
I was convinced this was my problem for a long time. I spend a lot of time in the woods and have had my run-in with ticks. Back in 2014, I had one latch on and ended up with the bullseye rash. I got it checked out immediately and test came back negative for tick-borne related diseases. So, in 2017, when my aches and joint problems started, I was convinced it was Lyme disease. I was checked 2 more times by different docs. Both came back negative. I also had an infectious disease specialist run a gamut of test for diseases I could have contracted while in S. Korea, Turkey, Saudi, Afghanistan and Iraq. But nothing definitive to explain my problems.
 
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