The Choctaw Hunting Lodge

As Frances and I drove through the lodge’s gate, the ‘Choctaw’ portion of the name caught our attention. Resplendent with two detailed projections from the ‘C’, the metal artwork reminded us that Choctaw warriors wore their hair long, sometimes in a Mohican style, and ornamented with feathers from turkeys, swans or mallard ducks. Just as we passed under the metal crossbars of the gate, I mused out loud, “I wonder whether the Choctaw people feel positive or negative about us non-natives?” Frances fell back on a version of the old joke and stated, “What do you mean by ‘us’, Kemo sabe?” My wife’s ancestry includes a large portion of both Choctaw and Cherokee, hence her jibe. I grinned and responded, “Not having you carry my rifle for me on this hunt.”

All joking aside, our visit to the 22,000-acre property owned by the Choctaw Nation, and known as the Choctaw Hunting Lodge, was an adventure in many ways. Most importantly, we were there by invitation from one of Frances’ and my best buddies, Larry (Mr. Whitetail) Weishuhn. Larry gathered a bunch of folks from Ruger, Avient and Hornady, and also reached out to people involved in the outdoor writing, radio and television industry. He included me because he knew I could serve drinks to the important guests without too much spillage. OK, so he actually wanted Frances and me to photograph, video and write about the wonderful property run by Dusty and Nacolh Vickery. For my part (Frances does the photography/videography) I wanted the chance of writing magazine articles and a chapter in a new book about the hunting, conservation and community outreach by, and for, the Choctaw Nation.

Though concentrating mainly on hunting whitetail for donation of the meat to the Choctaw Nation, I had the opportunity at a beautiful (and funky!) old, feral ram. Check here if you’d like to see the short video, shot at very last light.

The first article, along with the video are set for an upcoming post on Hornady’s The Hole Story. Game Trails is the home for the next ‘Choctaw’ article. A chapter in my new book, appearing in 2025, also covers the conservation and community outreach Frances and I experienced.