Beekissed
Mountain Sage
SHE is just so funny, isn't she? I laugh everytime I read one of her posts! 
Dacjohns--Changes
- Thread starter dacjohns
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #122
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
First of all, thanks for the good luck wishes.
Now for my day but first a little background.
I have been working 10 hour days, 4 days a week with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Sunday is a day of rest so I don't get anything done. With tendonitis, off and on back problems, and everything else going on I just haven't got much done on weekends. I haven't shot my bow, finished cleaning my fire breaks (which are also where I do most of my hunting), and haven't done the many things that need accomplished. I haven't been out to pattern the deer movements. I haven't set up my blind. What this means for hunting is that I was not prepared for deer season.
I have moved a few times during the last 5 years and haven't hunted since 2003. When I finally found the ammo (after my wife, who is in Nevada right now, telling me where it might be I realized that I probably didn't have enough ammo. I think I talked about in an earlier post. I found my hunting clothes last night but can't find my knives so I'm using a couple of pocket knives right now.
Got up this morning and headed out. Hunted some and did some chores; laundry, dishes, chickens, etc. I look out the window and see a buck go running by. It's in 30s and I'm inside wearing a t shirt. Grab my gun, orange vest (gotta stay legal) and orange hat and head out after it. I see it in the woods, raise the gun, and he runs off.
Do some more odd things and get started on setting up the blind. Do some more odd things and head back out about 2:00. Sitting in the blind and see a deer coming down the firebreak. Wait for it to get into range and give me a side shot. Aim, pull the trigger, and the deer ambles off. I'm wondering what happened and another (probably the same deer) appears. Realize I haven't chambered another round, chamber the round, aim, pull the trigger, and the deer just la di dahs off the trail. What the heck? OK, I'm using better ammo so I must have shot right over their back. Go up to where the deer were to make sure I did miss. Whoa, it's farther than I thought, no sign of the deer. I decide I better do what I should have done earlier, sight in the new ammo. Go back to the house to gather up some stuff. Go in the house and look at the boxes of ammo on the kitchen table. Three boxes of the new ammo. I had the old ammo loaded. My shots never even came close to the deer.
Get the new ammo loaded into my gun, sight it in, and no more deer come into range. I see three deer out of range. Now it's getting towards the end of the day so I work my way back to the house. I'm almost back and silhouetted against a hill top is a nice deer, in range, and giving me a side shot. What is behind the hill that I can't see? Probably nothing since it is my property and I see trees but I decide to play it safe and don't take the shot.
Final score at the end of the first day: Deer 3 Dacs 0.
Now for my day but first a little background.
I have been working 10 hour days, 4 days a week with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off. Sunday is a day of rest so I don't get anything done. With tendonitis, off and on back problems, and everything else going on I just haven't got much done on weekends. I haven't shot my bow, finished cleaning my fire breaks (which are also where I do most of my hunting), and haven't done the many things that need accomplished. I haven't been out to pattern the deer movements. I haven't set up my blind. What this means for hunting is that I was not prepared for deer season.
I have moved a few times during the last 5 years and haven't hunted since 2003. When I finally found the ammo (after my wife, who is in Nevada right now, telling me where it might be I realized that I probably didn't have enough ammo. I think I talked about in an earlier post. I found my hunting clothes last night but can't find my knives so I'm using a couple of pocket knives right now.
Got up this morning and headed out. Hunted some and did some chores; laundry, dishes, chickens, etc. I look out the window and see a buck go running by. It's in 30s and I'm inside wearing a t shirt. Grab my gun, orange vest (gotta stay legal) and orange hat and head out after it. I see it in the woods, raise the gun, and he runs off.
Do some more odd things and get started on setting up the blind. Do some more odd things and head back out about 2:00. Sitting in the blind and see a deer coming down the firebreak. Wait for it to get into range and give me a side shot. Aim, pull the trigger, and the deer ambles off. I'm wondering what happened and another (probably the same deer) appears. Realize I haven't chambered another round, chamber the round, aim, pull the trigger, and the deer just la di dahs off the trail. What the heck? OK, I'm using better ammo so I must have shot right over their back. Go up to where the deer were to make sure I did miss. Whoa, it's farther than I thought, no sign of the deer. I decide I better do what I should have done earlier, sight in the new ammo. Go back to the house to gather up some stuff. Go in the house and look at the boxes of ammo on the kitchen table. Three boxes of the new ammo. I had the old ammo loaded. My shots never even came close to the deer.
Get the new ammo loaded into my gun, sight it in, and no more deer come into range. I see three deer out of range. Now it's getting towards the end of the day so I work my way back to the house. I'm almost back and silhouetted against a hill top is a nice deer, in range, and giving me a side shot. What is behind the hill that I can't see? Probably nothing since it is my property and I see trees but I decide to play it safe and don't take the shot.
Final score at the end of the first day: Deer 3 Dacs 0.
roosmom
Almost Self-Reliant
Tomorrow is a better day. 30's------geez I wish, lol.
- Thread starter
- #124
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
Supposed be in the teens tonight. Cold for these parts.
I forgot to mention. My cats went hunting with me this morning. Silly cats.
I forgot to mention. My cats went hunting with me this morning. Silly cats.
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Well, here's hopin' fer tamorra!
soooo cain't hep m'self. Ya's brought out the woarst in meh.
I crack meself up
ETA: did the cats get anything?
soooo cain't hep m'self. Ya's brought out the woarst in meh. I crack meself up ETA: did the cats get anything?
- Thread starter
- #126
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
The lazy cats just followed me around. They didn't even hunt for mice or squirrels.
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
UGH don't you just hate that?! My cat has figured out how to get IN the house...so there's a hole somewhere that I can't find! First two nights I was scared she would get in the chick brooder, but no, she won't even go after the mouse that lives in my bedroom....she sure hunts my feet under the bedcovers at night though!dacjohns said:
Well, dacjohns, I hope you get the big one TODAY.
and I will try to limit my smart alecky posts
Don't want to run off a new friend 
2dream
Flibbertigibbet
While you are out stalking deer, I am 
waiting for you to return to tell me all about it. I use to love to hunt but now that I am older I find that it is just waaay to much trouble and way to cold for my old bones. I don't know why we can't have deer season in...ummm lets say April, May time frame?
Edited to add - I forgot to wish you luck.
waiting for you to return to tell me all about it. I use to love to hunt but now that I am older I find that it is just waaay to much trouble and way to cold for my old bones. I don't know why we can't have deer season in...ummm lets say April, May time frame?Edited to add - I forgot to wish you luck.
- Thread starter
- #129
dacjohns
Our Frustrated Curmudgeon
During the night the clouds came in and it warmed things up a little. It was in the low 20s instead of the teens when I went out.
Now I know for you northern folks the 20s is balmy weather. I used to live in Alaska and Minnesota and spent the tail end of winter through the fall last year in Wisconsin so I know about the cold.
I left the house just as it was getting light. It was probably already legal hunting hours but with the clouds it was still a little dark. I settled in to my blind and enjoyed the sky turning pink and blue, listened to the birds, and watch a barred owl. I was pretty much enjoying life and thinking that even if I didn't get a deer I was going to enjoy the day. After I had been there a short time I saw a deer straight in front of me in the fire break/trail, almost where the two deer were yesterday. I sighted in, took the gun off safe, checked my aim, saw that she wasn't too far away (by this time I knew it was a she), and pulled the trigger. She dropped immediately. I was stoked. Then she started try to get up and move. Now I was bummed. I checked the time, 6:50. By now I was out of the blind and watching her. She didn't appear to be weakening much. So, I rested my gun on a cross bar and when she tried to get up I shot her again. I was a little bit perturbed with myself. The second shot did the job. Waited a few more minutes and went up to check her. She was dead. Talked to her and petted her and felt a little sad (right now telling this story I'm a little sad again), and thanked her for feeding people. Tagged her and went back to the house. I called a friend and then started up the tractor and went back and retrieved her. My friend came over and after skinning and gutting we had eggs and tenderloin for breakfast.
My first shot broke her back just above the shoulders and the second shot was a lung shot. Because she couldn't run all the blood pooled internally.
She was very healthy. She still had milk although any fawns she had this spring should have been done nursing. Lots of fat, internal and just under the skin.
Now I know for some of you folks field dressing where the deer finally dropped is what you do. I only hunt my own property so all I do is retrieve the deer and then do all the dirty work with the animal hanging. It's a lot easier. If I was hunting somewhere else I would probably gut it in the field.
Mandatory photo of deer and gun. I'm not in it because I didn't feel like doing a self portrait.
Deer stand and blind. About 130 yards from the deer.
Game trail where it crosses the firebreak. She came down this trail probably going to a bedding area.
Now I know for you northern folks the 20s is balmy weather. I used to live in Alaska and Minnesota and spent the tail end of winter through the fall last year in Wisconsin so I know about the cold.
I left the house just as it was getting light. It was probably already legal hunting hours but with the clouds it was still a little dark. I settled in to my blind and enjoyed the sky turning pink and blue, listened to the birds, and watch a barred owl. I was pretty much enjoying life and thinking that even if I didn't get a deer I was going to enjoy the day. After I had been there a short time I saw a deer straight in front of me in the fire break/trail, almost where the two deer were yesterday. I sighted in, took the gun off safe, checked my aim, saw that she wasn't too far away (by this time I knew it was a she), and pulled the trigger. She dropped immediately. I was stoked. Then she started try to get up and move. Now I was bummed. I checked the time, 6:50. By now I was out of the blind and watching her. She didn't appear to be weakening much. So, I rested my gun on a cross bar and when she tried to get up I shot her again. I was a little bit perturbed with myself. The second shot did the job. Waited a few more minutes and went up to check her. She was dead. Talked to her and petted her and felt a little sad (right now telling this story I'm a little sad again), and thanked her for feeding people. Tagged her and went back to the house. I called a friend and then started up the tractor and went back and retrieved her. My friend came over and after skinning and gutting we had eggs and tenderloin for breakfast.
My first shot broke her back just above the shoulders and the second shot was a lung shot. Because she couldn't run all the blood pooled internally.
She was very healthy. She still had milk although any fawns she had this spring should have been done nursing. Lots of fat, internal and just under the skin.
Now I know for some of you folks field dressing where the deer finally dropped is what you do. I only hunt my own property so all I do is retrieve the deer and then do all the dirty work with the animal hanging. It's a lot easier. If I was hunting somewhere else I would probably gut it in the field.
Mandatory photo of deer and gun. I'm not in it because I didn't feel like doing a self portrait.
Deer stand and blind. About 130 yards from the deer.
Game trail where it crosses the firebreak. She came down this trail probably going to a bedding area.
Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
Congratulations!! I would have had tenderloins and eggs for breakfast, too!
Nice doe!!
