We have an Etsy shop and now offer free shipping.  There is not much on it now but more is coming.

Briary River Woodworks Etsy Shop

Winyah Bay Shrimp and Grits

WINYAH BAY SHRIMP AND GRITS

Ingredients
4 cups water
1 cup Regular grits
1 cup Half and Half
1/2 link Hillshire sausage or sausage of choice
3 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup raw country ham
1/2 onion (optional)
4-5 Tbsp Flour
4 cups shrimp stock(chicken will work too)
2 Pounds raw peeled Winyah Bay shrimp (keep peel for making stock)
Chopped Parsley

The Secret Hunts of the Buckman and Lil’ Joe

“Pee Dee River Ducks”

By: The Buckman

               The night was dark.  The stars shone bright and a Carolina moon hung over the river swamp.  It was cold, the kind of cold that seeps through the body and into the bones, so cold that there were no calls from the insects of the night.  Only the warble of a distant owl and the slow cackle of the dying embers of a camp fire broke the cold dead silence of the winter night.

               The Buckman was stretched out with his boots off, feet warmed by the dying fire, wrapped in an old quilt, hunting coat balled under his head for a pillow, dead to the world breathing in, absorbing the swamp around him, oblivious to the cold, one with the world around him that most would find so hostile.  At three-thirty his eyes popped open and the fire of life blazed through them and it would have been obvious if there were anyone there to see him that this was indeed a man of the wild.

               If there were time to waste this was not it, and upon awaking, I immediately shook off the cold and set about the tasks at hand.  I expertly stoked the fire and added the wood needed to break the chill of the night for those less adapted to the extremes of nature than I.  I scooped fresh coffee in the pot and swung it over the fire.  I tied on my boots and began loading the boat with the tried tools of the endeavor at hand.  I placed the two shotguns under the seat, swung the decoy bag full of our blocks in the front of the boat and tossed in the blind bags with everything else we needed inside the console. 

A little Snowday fun for the Briary River Crew

We don't get often get snow here in our side of South Carolina and when we do it is usually just a dusting.  However this winter we got a nice winter storm and got the most snow that we have received since 1989.  So what do we do when we get snow?

We enjoy it to the fullest.  Here is a little peak at our thrills and spills.

 

 We had Most of the crew there with the adults having as much if not more fun then the kids. 

Quick update on what we are working on

Just figured I would give you guys a quick update on what we are working on.

First up we have the boat.  We are rebuilding it and painting it.  We have done a lot of glass work on it, repairing cracks and breaks, rebuilding the nose and ribs, and putting a fresh coat on the whole bottom side.  Next we have to glass the inside. We painted the outside with a tan bed liner and then we got a Natural Gear stencil from Styx River and we are camouflaging it with the paint kits from Styx River.  The inside will be done the same.

Painting with some of the original showing

The outside painted with base coat

Starting the camo. Natural Gear from Styx River

Finished the Camo on the outside of the boat

Next up we have the decoys.  Even though we started working on them first they have taken a back burner to the boat. Between the mallards, teal, blacks, pintails, and other species we only have about a hundred more to go.  

As you see we are staying very busy so wish us well.

Busy Busy Busy

     Well as you have noticed again, it is awfully quiet form the Briary River bunch.  This is again because we have more on our plates then we can handle (I thing I am noticing a pattern).  As many of you know, the fall before last we had a 1,000 year flood.  Then this past late summer/ early fall, we had a Hurricane hit us hard.

Getting ready for another year with a few add-ons

Its that time of year again.  Well its actually a little past that time of year but who is counting?  Time to get everything ready for hunting seasons.  Since I am a bow hunter and our season opens August 15th, I have been working on things.  Most of the bushhoging around the stands is done.  Corn has been put out (yeah we can bait here).  New stands have been put up and shooting lanes cut.  And my climber has been found (remembered where I left it while bushhoging).  It looks like it is going to be a great year.  Also as usual with us we are going to try something different.  This year we are going shrimping.

Well that was fun

Last week Ray and I set bush hooks for cats.  I am learning a good bit but I still learn a lot while fishing with Ray.  This time was no exception.  Most of what I learned I can not share under penalty of death(and not getting to go back).  But one lesson i learned I can share, and it is possibly the most important lesson of all.

Shad Fishing

  I know there are people out there that love to eat shad. I might even love it if I ever try it. I just have never had the opportunity to try it. But I do enjoy catching them. Now I know some of you are going to fuss that I should not catch them if I don't plan on eating them, but hear me out.

New season new adventures

Well deer season is upon us here in SC. We'll if you use a bow it is at least. And I use a bow. It's been a pretty wild summer with my crazy work schedule and Buckman starting a new job at a new school. But it is finally hunting season again and all should get back normal shortly. Or at least as close to normal as it can get for now. I am trying a few new things this year. And have some new places to hunt. So stick around and find out how all of this works out. I know I am excited about it. 

Busy again, But can you guess at what.

I am beginning to notice a pattern here.  Almost every post talks about how busy we are.  This is because well... we are.  With school winding down for the teachers at The Briary River Way and a new work schedule for me things have gotten a little hectic again.  But fear not we are still plugging away.

What are we doing now you may ask.  CANNING.  Yep it is that time of year again when we are together like it or not.  We grow most of our own vegetables and can them ourselves and well the garden waits for no one and when you are picking and canning for three families there is a lot to do.

Learning to set Bush Hooks

This is a little longer that i had planned but i had to tell the whole story.

As mentioned in our post Bo on the river, I got a boat last November.  I grew up on The Pee Dee river, so now that  I have a boat I try to stay on it as much as possible.  I have many good memories on the Brown Lady and hope to make many more.  One of the activities that I am working on mastering is setting bush hooks.

For those of you who do not know, setting bush hooks is a way of catching catfish.  You tie a line and baited hook to a tree at night and check it in the morning.  I prefer to use Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hook-6 Per Pack (Black, 8/0).  But your favourite circle hook will work.  But that is not what this post is about.

A Different Perspective

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Bo's First River Hunt

               I guess that age is starting to tell on me.  I'm old enough, and I've hunted enough that I've seen a lot and killed a lot of birds.  I enjoy the hunt, what ever way you hunt ducks, I enjoy it, but I don't see a great deal of new things any more, and I see nothing through young eyes, because let's face it, at forty-two, I just don't have young eyes to look through any more.  Hunting with Bo, hunting with Bo puts a whole new perspective on hunting.  I guess hunting with Bo I get to see old things a first time again through a father's eyes, and I have to admit, watching my son experience things for a first time is a lot more fun than seeing them myself for the first time was.

               Joe bought a boat this fall, and we hunted the river from the boat some this past season.  A few days before Christmas, Joe and I took Bo on his first river hunt.  This was a new experience for the kid, and to be honest, it was probably the most enjoyable duck hunt I've ever been on. 

Bo on the River "We should have stayed home"

Growing up I hunted and fished on the river.  I still have many great memories of the PeeDee at sunrise.  However after a grew i did not get to do this as much as I used to.  After my boat messed up I had to rely on others to go.  Well this past November I solved that problem.  I bought a new (to me) boat.  It is a sixteen foot Polar Craft, not to big and not to small, perfect for hunting, fishing, shrimping, and taking the family out for a ride.  Anyone who buys a boat knows that it is an expense and not a whole lot of an investment, unless you enjoy it. 

Lets just say this has been an investment, because i got to witness Bo on the river.

Back at it again

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Well we are back at it again.  And again let me apologize for the long delay.  Like i said in my last post, things got a little hectic.  But they are starting to level out now and we are going to try to get back in the swing.  Buckman has some new material he is wanting to post and we have some new toys.

We now have a boat, and i will tell you some about that later as well as a new camera. So we should have some better pictures.

We have our annual Quail, Pheasant, and Chukka shoot tomorrow and I plan to have plenty of pictures and picking in the next couple days. 

Stick around, this could get interesting.

Busy lives

Bet you are surprised to hear from us again.  I know it has been a while.  Although there is no excuse let me start with a little explanation.  First of all I have started a new job.  My hours are different and i am still getting used to it.  Buckman has had a lot going on as well with his classes that he is taking for a second masters and trying to get his house finished.  Add that to the garden, the duckpond and another BIG thing that we have going on it has our time strained.

The BIG thing is just that, it is big.  In many ways.  While i am not going to say what it is just yet, don't worry, once we get it going we will let y'all know. 

Now for the pond.  We have finally got water in it after duck season this year.  So while this year was alot better than last year it was still a bit of a flop.  I did not get to go to any big water this year.  But we did manage to kill a few ducks.

One of the big things that happened this season was our newest duck hunter in our group.  My little princess Molly.  She went with me a couple times this year and seems to love it.  She points out birds coming in (although at 2 1/2 years old she points out any bird and is still learning what ducks look like.)  and she thinks it is hilarious when i shoot.

We have also put up a few wood duck boxes around the pond.  We are now trying to find something that we can plant without having to drain the pond so we do not have the same problems that we did last time.

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Dutch Oven Cobbler

This little Jewel started the Briary River Dutch Oven craze.  It has been slightly modified over the years but is still as easy as ever.  You can use fresh or canned filling that is entirely up to you.  We started off with canned then evolved to fresh as we grew the fresh ingredients.

See more recipes on the Briary River Recipe Page

PEE DEE Purlow, Also known as Pilaf, Pilau

Don’t demean this classic sportsman’s dish by calling it Chicken and rice.  This ain’t chicken-n-rice, and it ain’t chicken bog either!  This is the real deal, chicken purlow, and it may be one of the best things you ever put in your mouth! See more recipes on the Briary River Recipe Page
            I am going to give you a small recipe for a five quart cast iron pot.  Purlow must be cooked in a cast iron pot Lodge Logic Dutch Oven, 5qt. (Google Affiliate Ad).   If it’s not cooked in cast iron then it is just chicken-n-rice.  If you decide to cook purlow once, you will try it again.  The more you cook purlow, you will learn that it is a subjective dish.  You can substitute any small wild game you like for the chicken.  You can cook larger or smaller pots based on how many people you want to feed.  And lastly you have to cook it often – the more you cook it the better you get at it.  This dish has been called by many spellings it is also often spelled Pilaf, or Pilau.

And Still More Buzzard Luck

I swear we can not win no matter what we try.

Buzzard Luck Continues

 

It seems there is no end to our buzzard luck.  Joe got the tractor running again Thursday.  Friday morning it rained, so we couldn’t get anything done, that’s not a complaint by the way, the rain is a blessing.  Friday afternoon it cleared off, and Tracy was able to get most of Mama’s grass cut.  When he tried to crank the tractor today to finish the grass cutting, it was acting up again.