10-12-14
Today was my 1st day of deer hunting. After a long list of comedy of errors I finally got it together.
1. Couldn't find my 2 smokeless powders from one year ago to make my pre-charge powder containers. After 1 hr. I get 5 charges measured and load my ML.
2. Forgot to bring my new office chair to my hunting tower. The old 22 yr. old office chair creaks every time you move. Had to use a camp folding chair.
3. For some reason my phone alarm tone was off and missed my 5:30AM alarm. The wife's alarm goes off at 6:15. I think I did a record and showered and was out the door at 6:30. The wife made my sandwiches and coffee.
4. Forget my range finder.
5. Get to the hut and can't read the damn letters on the combination lock. Got it finally.
6. I dressed lightly for the walk out and planned on using my new insulated bag with arms. Well that didn't work out either as I shot a doe right off but we'll get to that later.
7. Forgot my story book to pass the time but it turned out I didn't need it.
8. Then I realize I forgot to buy hunting license and deer tag. And here I set on the edge of my neighbors 3 ac. hay field surrounded on all 4 sides with brush. At least I can hunt on my food plot next to me as a landowner. So I'm good to go.
I forgot how nice the new tower is with 10 windows, padded carpeted floor and 8'X8' in size with a office chair. Oh that's right I can't set in the chair. At least I can use the chair for a table for my stuff so I spread it out in order.
7:00 I get to the tower and get settled in.
7:40 a small doe and yearling comes through my WT Inst. Forage Oats plot going South 50 yds. away and I decide to pass on them as it's early and they both are just too small. Perfect broadside shots. They cross over into the neighbor's hay field and walk broadside to me at 40 yds. Remember no legal tags.
7:50 There are 2 does and a yearly feeding in my clover plot about 150 yds. away beside the woods. They feed around and have no worries yet.
8:10 They head South to a well established trail leading into the neighbor's brush and off my property.
The largest doe is in the lead and gets about 25 ft. from my property line and I'm getting down on my knee for a braced shot using the window sill. I get severe legs cramps in both thighs and bump the side of the hut and make a noice. The big doe turns facing me and looks straight at me and looks alert. She doesn't like something but I freeze and then she turns broadside to leave and I dropped the hammer on her at 92 yds. She dropped in her tracks and only lifted her head once. It turned out I cut her spine just behind the front leg and also cut the main artery so she bled out inside and from the pink coming out of her mouth I caught the top of the lung because of the downward angle. Good part is I had no dragging or tracking to do.
The other 2 deer just stand there and keep looking at the downed doe. And they just stand there and move around still looking at the dead doe. Not wanting to educate the deer on me being in the tower I just waited and poured a hot coffee and eat a sandwich.
About 8:40 with the deer just standing around I look up and there are 3 deer standing there. I check the ground and yes my dead deer is laying there. I look back up and there now there are 4 deer standing there. 3 of the deer are within 10 ft. of the dead doe and the other one feed off 50 yds. A doe and yearly came off the neighbors property on that well established trail leading into my food plot.
Just decided to wait it out as I have my hot coffee and already ate a good sandwich.
9:10 I'm not really paying attention to the neighbors hay field and I turn and there is a doe and a yearly at 50 yds. looking alert staring at me as they probably caught me turning around. They keep watching me then trot off into the brush.
In the meantime the 4 deer fed off to the North back into the clover plot.
9:20 2 mature does enter the food plot on the trail and walk right beside the dead doe. They see the other 4 deer feeding in the clover about 100 yds. away and come to full alter and just stare. The 4 feeding deer are at full alter and the 2 bigger ones of the 4 run off to the North. The last 2 does go North into the clover plot but don't like the other 2 yearlings there and cross the fence into my woods.
9:30 there's a gun shot on the other side of my woods and I assume my neighbor shot at one of the does that entered the woods. I'll check with him later.
The 2 yearlings just feed around and finally at 10:10 cross the fence into my woods.
I get down and walk over to the dead doe and it's a nice big one. I gave it to my nephew and he's having it processed into sausage and jerky. Hell I'll probably get some too. I believe I'll get my next deer made into jerky and sausage to as we don't need any more regular meat.
I go to the house and my tractor with the hay fork on the back. I put a skid on it and I can raise the deer up to waist high to field dress and don't even have to stoop over.
Oh I forgot to mention I forgot my damn knife when I went out this morning to. So I picked up my 2 hunting knives and a sharping steel. Couple swipes on the steel and always have a sharp knife to work with.
I go back and field dress the doe out and there are 2 yearlings feeding 50 yds. from the dead doe. Probably the last 2 yearlings I seen so I won't counted them again.
What a morning I seen 11 does and yearlings in less than 3 hrs. All deer are in good health and looked good. I'm the 1st to admit that the 3.0 ac. food plot I put in 2013 sure is drawing the deer to my property. In 23 years I have never seen this many deer on the farm.
I seen no bucks in 3 hrs. but I still believe when it gets closer to the rut where the girls are the boys will show up.
I have 2 clover plots for a total of 1.0 ac. and at this time the deer are feeding in the clover 90% of the time.
I also have 1/2 ac. of forage oats and WT Inst. Winter Greens. That plot will start being hit hard after we have some hard frost and the Winter Greens turn sweet from the frost.
Then there's the 1.0 ac. of WT Inst. Forage Oats only. The deer mainly pass through it and fed only lightly.
The last 1/2 ac. is a failed planting of beets, radishes, and turnips. But the deer do fed on the brown seed pods of whatever grass it is.
When I went back down at 2:00PM to get my gear there was 15-20 turkey buzzards and a whitetail hawk on the gut pile. It appears the deer are well fed and even the varmints are well fed now.
Overall what a exciting morning. I will try and get my act together for the rest of the season in my search for a buck.
3 of the 4 deer just looking at my deer doe 30 minutes after shooting it.
One inch higher and I wouldn't be here typing this as I would be still hunting. Maybe not with all the deer I seen today.
Today was my 1st day of deer hunting. After a long list of comedy of errors I finally got it together.
1. Couldn't find my 2 smokeless powders from one year ago to make my pre-charge powder containers. After 1 hr. I get 5 charges measured and load my ML.
2. Forgot to bring my new office chair to my hunting tower. The old 22 yr. old office chair creaks every time you move. Had to use a camp folding chair.
3. For some reason my phone alarm tone was off and missed my 5:30AM alarm. The wife's alarm goes off at 6:15. I think I did a record and showered and was out the door at 6:30. The wife made my sandwiches and coffee.
4. Forget my range finder.
5. Get to the hut and can't read the damn letters on the combination lock. Got it finally.
6. I dressed lightly for the walk out and planned on using my new insulated bag with arms. Well that didn't work out either as I shot a doe right off but we'll get to that later.
7. Forgot my story book to pass the time but it turned out I didn't need it.
8. Then I realize I forgot to buy hunting license and deer tag. And here I set on the edge of my neighbors 3 ac. hay field surrounded on all 4 sides with brush. At least I can hunt on my food plot next to me as a landowner. So I'm good to go.
I forgot how nice the new tower is with 10 windows, padded carpeted floor and 8'X8' in size with a office chair. Oh that's right I can't set in the chair. At least I can use the chair for a table for my stuff so I spread it out in order.
7:00 I get to the tower and get settled in.
7:40 a small doe and yearling comes through my WT Inst. Forage Oats plot going South 50 yds. away and I decide to pass on them as it's early and they both are just too small. Perfect broadside shots. They cross over into the neighbor's hay field and walk broadside to me at 40 yds. Remember no legal tags.
7:50 There are 2 does and a yearly feeding in my clover plot about 150 yds. away beside the woods. They feed around and have no worries yet.
8:10 They head South to a well established trail leading into the neighbor's brush and off my property.
The largest doe is in the lead and gets about 25 ft. from my property line and I'm getting down on my knee for a braced shot using the window sill. I get severe legs cramps in both thighs and bump the side of the hut and make a noice. The big doe turns facing me and looks straight at me and looks alert. She doesn't like something but I freeze and then she turns broadside to leave and I dropped the hammer on her at 92 yds. She dropped in her tracks and only lifted her head once. It turned out I cut her spine just behind the front leg and also cut the main artery so she bled out inside and from the pink coming out of her mouth I caught the top of the lung because of the downward angle. Good part is I had no dragging or tracking to do.
The other 2 deer just stand there and keep looking at the downed doe. And they just stand there and move around still looking at the dead doe. Not wanting to educate the deer on me being in the tower I just waited and poured a hot coffee and eat a sandwich.
About 8:40 with the deer just standing around I look up and there are 3 deer standing there. I check the ground and yes my dead deer is laying there. I look back up and there now there are 4 deer standing there. 3 of the deer are within 10 ft. of the dead doe and the other one feed off 50 yds. A doe and yearly came off the neighbors property on that well established trail leading into my food plot.
Just decided to wait it out as I have my hot coffee and already ate a good sandwich.
9:10 I'm not really paying attention to the neighbors hay field and I turn and there is a doe and a yearly at 50 yds. looking alert staring at me as they probably caught me turning around. They keep watching me then trot off into the brush.
In the meantime the 4 deer fed off to the North back into the clover plot.
9:20 2 mature does enter the food plot on the trail and walk right beside the dead doe. They see the other 4 deer feeding in the clover about 100 yds. away and come to full alter and just stare. The 4 feeding deer are at full alter and the 2 bigger ones of the 4 run off to the North. The last 2 does go North into the clover plot but don't like the other 2 yearlings there and cross the fence into my woods.
9:30 there's a gun shot on the other side of my woods and I assume my neighbor shot at one of the does that entered the woods. I'll check with him later.
The 2 yearlings just feed around and finally at 10:10 cross the fence into my woods.
I get down and walk over to the dead doe and it's a nice big one. I gave it to my nephew and he's having it processed into sausage and jerky. Hell I'll probably get some too. I believe I'll get my next deer made into jerky and sausage to as we don't need any more regular meat.
I go to the house and my tractor with the hay fork on the back. I put a skid on it and I can raise the deer up to waist high to field dress and don't even have to stoop over.
Oh I forgot to mention I forgot my damn knife when I went out this morning to. So I picked up my 2 hunting knives and a sharping steel. Couple swipes on the steel and always have a sharp knife to work with.
I go back and field dress the doe out and there are 2 yearlings feeding 50 yds. from the dead doe. Probably the last 2 yearlings I seen so I won't counted them again.
What a morning I seen 11 does and yearlings in less than 3 hrs. All deer are in good health and looked good. I'm the 1st to admit that the 3.0 ac. food plot I put in 2013 sure is drawing the deer to my property. In 23 years I have never seen this many deer on the farm.
I seen no bucks in 3 hrs. but I still believe when it gets closer to the rut where the girls are the boys will show up.
I have 2 clover plots for a total of 1.0 ac. and at this time the deer are feeding in the clover 90% of the time.
I also have 1/2 ac. of forage oats and WT Inst. Winter Greens. That plot will start being hit hard after we have some hard frost and the Winter Greens turn sweet from the frost.
Then there's the 1.0 ac. of WT Inst. Forage Oats only. The deer mainly pass through it and fed only lightly.
The last 1/2 ac. is a failed planting of beets, radishes, and turnips. But the deer do fed on the brown seed pods of whatever grass it is.
When I went back down at 2:00PM to get my gear there was 15-20 turkey buzzards and a whitetail hawk on the gut pile. It appears the deer are well fed and even the varmints are well fed now.
Overall what a exciting morning. I will try and get my act together for the rest of the season in my search for a buck.
3 of the 4 deer just looking at my deer doe 30 minutes after shooting it.
One inch higher and I wouldn't be here typing this as I would be still hunting. Maybe not with all the deer I seen today.
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