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Someone's gotta post it, so here it is--Good luck boys!!

Palace in the Popple

Written by George Augustus "Gus" Bixby, ca. 1905


Gus and Rob Bixby, lived in Trego, Gus having been born in St Croix County in August 1880, and died in Trego in 1969. Rob, born 1884, died in Trego in 1968. They were a couple of old bachelors that loved the great outdoors. Apparently Gus also loved reading poetry...and he dabbled at writing it, too. Here is a poem he wrote about their hunting shack north of Trego.

Palace in the Popple

It's a smokey raunchy boar's nest,
with an unswept drafty floor,
And pillow ticking curtains,
with knife scars on the floor.

The smell of a pine knot fire,
from a stovepipe that's come loose,
Mingles sweetly with the bootgrease,
and the copenhagen snoose.

There are workworn .30-.30's
with battered steel stocks,
And drying lines of longjohns,
and of steaming pungent socks.

There's a table for the bloody four,
and their game of two card draw,
And there's deep and dreamless sleeping,
on bunkticks filled with straw.

Ed and Lawrence, by the stove,
their gun talk loud and hot,
And Rob, has drawn a pain of kings,
and raking in the pot.

Harvey's drafted again as cook,
he's peeling spuds for stew,
While Gus, wanders in baggy pants,
receiting Dan McGrew.

Nowhere on earth is fire so warm,
nor coffee so infernal,
Or whiskers stiff or jokes so rich
nor hope blooms so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week,
in the same old underbritches,
He can walk like a man, spit where he wants,
and scratch himself where he itches

I tell you boys there's no place else,
where I'd rather be come Fall,
Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf,
And feel like I'm Bull Pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush,
in the land of the Raven n Loon,
With a tracking snow lying new to the ground,
at the end of the rutting moon.


George Augustus (Gus) Bixby
Circa 1905

Ryan,great deer.Congratulations.

Loved the poem.It says it all.

CFT,rots of ruck.


Stan in SC

I've read that many times and it always puts a chill down my spine. This is the way deer camp should always be.

My brother shot a 10 pointer tonight. Tough drag though!

I came home last weekend with a bad cold. Thought I had this all wrapped up on Wednesday, but I'm sicker'n a dog again today. 'Heading into the office to get done what I absolutely have to this morning, and then home for some chicken soup and a hunker in the bunker. Hoping to hunt tomorrow, but man, I'm feeling like crap right now. 'Can't stoup coughing.

Camp Isabella report.

805am an eight point came out infront of my stand and I shot him.

We are now 3 for 4 with the last hunter out hunting as I type.

Good luck to all.

Live update 3: sitting in my stand since o dark thirty. Passed up a medium 8 and then right behind him was a bigger buck. Couldn't see what he was so I passed him up too. Dang nice buck but I am dead set on tag soup! Then a 9 came following 2 does. Had him at 20 yards but he needs another year. Since we are friends, he layed down and has been here all day. Really fun watching him. The daughter is on the way and that buck is poised to go down the tree line to her. Cross your fingers for her this afternoon! Oh, he just stood up.

Just a midday snack. Time for another siesta. He layed back down.

Had a nice visit with the CO this afternoon. Said he has been working a bunch of baiting cases an confiscated a 156" deer opening weekend. Said success has been pretty good inhis area of patrol.

No more deer yet.

Camp Isabella out.

Saw 2 does today,nothing more.

Found a spot with some nice rubs and beds. No deer sighted yet. I can shoot a doe in this spot tho, so I'm going to give it a shot in the morning. My daughter decided she likes turkey hunting better because we see more stuff...including deer.

Passed on a 90" 4x4 yesterday morning, taking mama out in a few to hopefully get him. my dad shot a 5x5 whitetail yesterday morning, one side was busted up so he was kinda bummed. nice deer though.
I'm seeing way more hunters than deer where we're at, I may have to move to a new spot

Monday morning report from da deer stand.

Deers are very rare.

The 2 deer that we have for a 10 mile sq area are nocturnal.

But hey! WEEZY got a spot buck up by warroad, hunting with her boyfriend.

She 243'd him to death and she even field dressed it! There are pics to prove it!

Go WEEZY!

My daughter shot a button buck yesterday. Great experience for her. Bang flopped him on the spot. She needs to get quicker as she had some missed opportunities, but she is coming along. Very proud that she made a great shot. Hunting with your kids sure is fun!

It's been a very slow start to the season for me. Yesterday was the opener and I had one young doe come through about 830 then nothing until about 2pm when I spotted 2 does about 275 yards out. Only saw them for a second and they were gone. 3 deer and I sat the whole day. I usually see 3 deer every hour or 2 from that spot. I've already given up on that location and moved to another stand today.

I would be thrilled to see 3 deer a week, or even if I could see just one deer for the entire season that would be great too. Lol

That's for GD sure! good lord it's slow. I saw nothing! Zip, zilch, nada. Makes for tough hunting for an adult, let alone trying to teach kids to hunt.

I'm hoping for a better WI season that starts on Saturday. If I saw a few deer next week, I'd be pretty happy. They have the same problems we have in MN. Tough winters, high predators, and some pretty tough country to hunt.

You can have all the trail cam pics in the world, when it comes down to it, 99% of them are at night. So I'm cautiously optimistic.

Way to Go Taylor !!

You make your dad PROUD !

Good job Weezy!! Congrats on shooting the last buck in MN!

The steamy gut pile picture is awesome. I hope you did the intestine jump rope and played the windpipe like a clarinet!