2011 Purple Heart Tour Blacktail Deer Hunt Participants

SSG Matthew Jackson

Jackson bio and photo

To view Jackson bio and photo, click on link. Microsoft word necessary.

SSG (P) Arnold Fletcher

SSG Fletcher was born and raised in Elk City Oklahoma.  He  enlisted in the Army and joined the 75^th Ranger Regiment on Oct 25^th 2003 at the age of 33 y/o. He was initially assigned to Alpha Company, 1st Ranger Battalion in Savannah, GA.  In Alpha Company he served as an Anti-Tank Gunner, Saw Gunner, Fire Team Leader, and Squad Leader, deploying eight times, five times in support of Operation  Enduring Freedom (OEF) and three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  SSG Fletcher then served as Echo Company OPNCO for 1^st Ranger, SSG Fletcher served 26 months oversees.

SSG Fletchers decorations include Parachutist Wings, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Ranger Tab.  SSG Fletcher has been awarded the Purple Heart for an injury received in combat.

SSG Fletcher is currently serving as an instctor in the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1), Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment in Ft. Benning, GA.

SSG Fletcher is married to the former Karrie Armstrong. They were married in 1995 in San Angelo TX. They have one son Cade who is 13 years old.

SSG Fletcher also owns F.N.A. Bucking Bulls, managed by his wife for the PBR.

SSG Fletcher

SFC(P) Tyson Crosby

SFC Crosby was born and raised in Beardstown, Illinois.  He enlisted in the Army and joined the 75^th Ranger Regiment in the spring of 2000.
He was initially assigned to Charlie Company, 3^rd Ranger  Battalion in Ft. Benning, GA.  In Charlie Company he served as a Riflemen, Anti-Tank Gunner, Fire Team Leader, and Squad Leader, deploying eight times, five times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and three times in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  SFC Crosby then served as the Air Operations NCO for 3^rd Ranger Battalion and deployed once in support OEF.  He was then assigned to Bravo Company, 3^rd Ranger Battalion as a Platoon Sergeant where he deployed twice in support of OEF and twice in support of OIF.  In total SFC Crosby has deployed 13 times spanning 50 months in a combat zone.

SFC Crosby’s decorations include Senior Parachutist Wings with two Bronze Stars, Expert Infantryman’s Badge, Combat Infantryman’s Badge and the Ranger Tab.  SFC Crosby has been awarded the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, two Bronze Star medals for valor and the Joint Service Commendation Medal for valor.

SFC Crosby is currently serving as the NCOIC of the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP 1), Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75^th Ranger Regiment in Ft. Benning, GA.

SFC Crosby is married to the former Betsy Hornbeck.  They have one daughter, Lane, who turned one in June.

SFC Crosby

SSG  Mathew Tennill

My name is Matthew Tennill. I am married, 30 years old and have two boys. I grew up in the small town of Marshall, Missouri. I joined the army in the fall of 99 right out of high school. I did my basic training and jump school at Ft.
Benning, GA. My first duty station was at Ft. Bragg, NC. I spent 2 in a half years there then re-enlisted to become a Ranger in 2001. After graduating the Ranger-Indoctaio – Program (RIP), I was stationed at Ft. Benning, GA with the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. I have been on numerous deployments to OEF and OIF. I have also had different jobs as a Ranger. The job I liked most was as a K9 handler for Ranger Regiment. My most recent deployment was in March 2010. I was involved in a helicopter crash after being deloyed for 10 days. I do have injuries that I am still dealing with from the crash, 15 months later. Several died on the crash, honestly I’m lucky to be alive and see my kids grow up. Besides my job and family, when I have time I do like to hunt, fish and farm. I currently, live on a small farm near Ft. Benning with several dogs, horses, chickens and goats. My life is full and always busy.

SSG Tennill

Dan W. Hammack III

Military Branch: USArmy Reserve, Special Forces
(Green Beret)

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel Retired

College: Universityof Georgia,
1983

Returning for the event is Purple Heart Outdoor TourFounder,  Dan Hammack. Having served in numerous campaigns in Korea and Iraq, LCol Hammack retired from active duty in 2011.

Dan Hammack

Paul Johnsen, FDNY

Back from New York is Paul Johnsen, 911 survivor and NYC
firefighter. Paul didn’t have the opportunity to hunt last year, but this year
he’s loaded for blacktail.

Paul Johnsen, FDNY

The Purple Heart Outdoor Tour is supported by Operation One Voice, a 501c3 non-profit organization. Other supporting organizations include: The Mule Deer Foundation, California Deer Association, California Waterfowl Association, California Outdoor Heritage Alliance and Safari Club International.

This year’s event will take place August  18-21. More details to follow. If you would like to support this event, just comment on this post and I’ll receive your info.

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Venison At Last

It looked like my last chance to harvest a blacktail this year. The weather had cooled the last couple days and it was looking like a window of opportunity. With a positive feeling about my chances, I took off this afternoon and headed to the hills ready to shoot the first decent buck I could find. With a couple other deer tags in my posession, I decided that my coastal A Zone tag would be dedicated to bringing home venison – not necessarily a trophy.

Stopping at an unlikely spot to check for deer, I stepped from my truck and glassed the opposite side of a draw that seldom holds deer.

Under a buckeye tree on the opposite side of the draw lay a doe. I glassed to see what else was there and I was surprized to find nothing – no other does or fawns. This seemed a little strange so I went back to the truck and loaded my rifle. Something told me that a buck must be near. With the rut due to kick in, a solo doe was a sign.

After moving to the shade of a nearby oak, I sat and watched for other deer. Eventually a deer shape did appear, at the base of a large oak about 30 yards from the doe. It looked like a buck. After watching him for a while, I concluded that he was a decent sized buck, but his exact size was clouded by branches hanging between him and I.

I was in venison mode. I’d already decided to shoot the first decent buck and not hunt for a trophy. After concluding that he met minimum standards for the hunt, I began to prepare for a shot. I ranged the tree and he was at 140 yards – a fairly easy range for my 7 x 57. I elected to take the shot sitting. At this range I should be accurate. I got a little excited, but not enough to ruin my aim.

A spot of sunlight hit the buck’s vital area and I took advantage of the opportunity. The shot appeared to be true and the buck jumped, but never left the shade of the tree. Unable to confirm he was down, I waited for about 15 minutes before driving to the next ridge. As I approached, I could see him laying there only ten feet from the bed he had been using. The shot had penetrated his vitals.

I made fairly short work of field dressing him and was back in town before dark. On the way home I crossed paths with a tule elk bull – a bonus. He stood long enough for me to take several photos.

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California Coastal Blacktail Season, So Far

Been a slow season so far. The end is approaching and so are the best opportunities. There seem to be plenty of deer, but the bucks are not showing. The fawn population also looks good. I’d guess that we have about 50 fawns per 100 does.

I slept out on the ridge top a couple times during hot weather. It was so warm that I hardly needed a sleeping bag. Took this sunset photo of SF Bay hand held. Next time I’ll use my tri-pod.

It’s always impressive to see how much open space there is in the East Bay Area. The actual towns only take up a small portion of the region.

Last weekend I hunted with my friend Tom. He was on a streak of two successful years in a row. On Sunday morning we found his buck. At 10:00 AM, after glassing from the same rock for three hours, a buck showed up right in front of us about 260 yards out.

I asked if he wanted to take the shot, but he said he wasn’t confident. We could see that the sun was about to hit the buck and knew that it would only be a couple minutes before the buck would be on it’s feet. We watched as the buck stood up and walked over the ridge out of sight.

We circled above the buck and attempted to relocate him on the other side of the ridge, but there were just too many places for him to hide. In the 100 degree heat we decided to call it quits and Tom’s streak ended.

Here’s one of our many road rattlers.

The weather has cooled and the rut should be kicking in a little so this may be a better week – I hope so as it will be my last chance.

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