Alright, I got some filling in to do. Not sure I feel like typing it all out, but I'll do my best to hit the highlights.
Took vacation for Thursday-Friday, so did my dad.
Monday- I work evenings so I was able to get out Monday morning. Sat up in an open field so I could get a good view of the way deer were traveling. As the sun was coming up I could see two bucks working the hillside across the road. They were very slowly working towards me and kept staring at my truck (250'ish yards out). All of a sudden the younger buck kinda freaked out and bolted to the top of the hill. The nice buck came across the road… I got the shooting stick up and put him in the scope as he ran right at me.
At this point my heart starts a pounding… I need to calm myself down so I try and count his points and size up his rack (this helps me concentrate). He's a nice solid 8 point, outside his ears and pretty tall, so I decide I'll try and take him given the chance. He runs directly at me until about 40 yards away…does a 180 and bolts. Still in the scope I wait for him to stop (they all do, right?). So he stops and turns broadside… I pull back from the scope and judge him @140-150. Shooting off the sticks, I feel more than confident with the SST. BOOM!
Deer doesn't bolt right away… I knew I missed, but still went to the spot and looked. Followed the path he took for 150 yards and still no blood or hair found. No big deal, clean miss. I knew I pulled the shot anyways, hard enough that I laughed at myself after the shot.
Next two days it rained…
Thursday- I think I might of seen a fuggen squirrel, that morning sucked! Evening was about the same until about 5. Had a group of 8 doe come out. So I put the 870 up on the stick and get to banging. NOTHING, didn't hit a fucking thing! Pissed off (as this gun and I have had a hate/hate relationship for 15 years now…), like really pissed off, I drank me a case of beer. That'll fix nothing, but it's kinda what I do sometimes, lol. Knowing that I was solid on every shot, I knew it wasn't me.
Friday- Hung over like a SOB I set a target up @80 yards (thats how far the doe were). First shot…not even on target. So I get up to 40 yards…still not on target…and really getting pissed again. 20 yards I barley clipped the left side of a large pizza box! I go two full turns on the scope and back up to 40 again. I'm right a little so I back it back down a couple of clicks and go back out to 80 yards. Bang, bang, bang is 3 good shots. Still super pissed and I really have a headache now I grab my trusty ML and we head out.
Seen a small buck and a doe that night.
Sat- the fog was so thick I could see anything in the morning. Evening we had deer all over us but no shots taken.
This morning I decided I was going to send dad in and I was going to do some walking (morning had been painfully slow). I found 3 dead deer….couple weeks old with arrows stuck in the guts! I make a call to the property owner and let her know it wasn't us and told her the locations of them all.
Dad needed to get on the road back North so we called it in after that. I had a birthday party I needed to go to anyways. So I get cleaned up and go…. Everyone was shocked to see me, so after they cut cake I grabbed my daughter and we bolted. Got to sit with my daughter this evening for the first time all year! She likes to hunt, but enjoys other things more, so when she asked…I jumped on the chance. We sat the last hour in my shed and watched the squirrels. Had some good laughs and caught up on the week also. A really good end to my 4 day weekend actually.
My neighbor just called and told me he was bringing me a doe! I better go turn the lights on. I also had a buddy score on a nice buck Monday, I got to help him get his first buck all cleaned up. I'll post some pics in a little bit, gotta get the garage ready.