roosmom
Almost Self-Reliant
My hubby insisted I go and buy a license 
, $15. Like I have the money for that. I dont normally buy one. So after I buy it I think about how I have to get up early and I dont want to, I want to sleep in. Besides, I never see deer in the am out at my blind. I am making all the excuses I can to make sure I do not see the sun rise, lol.
DH on the other hand got up at 6am and was gone by 645am. He was packed for the whole day, no breaks for him.
I got up, drank some coffee, made two sandwiches, some hot cocoa, got my glasses and book, yogurt and crackers and a spoon. I packed my small bag, got my clip. Put on my warm clothes and hunting clothes, dug out my gloves and mittens. I left the house at 720am.
I parked on the hill, made sure my safety was on and noisily racked a shell into the chamber (I didnt want a repeat of last year). I grabbed my bag, blanket and rifle and headed down the hill. I climbed into my blind, snuggled in, opened the window and stuck my barrel out. I slumped back and prepared myself for a LONG COLD wait :| . It was 735am.
I didnt have long to wait, here comes three deer. My fathers doe and two fawns. I have been warned....do not shoot them. So I watch them for about 15 mins. They leave.
GREAT, they will probably be the only deer I will see all day. I start to think about the hot cocoa and orange cupcakes. I am considering leaning over to get them when I spot another deer. (do you think I have never seen deer in the am cuz I am NOT THERE? I think you are right)
This deer looks like another doe , she is slowly moving across the clearing. She stops every few feet and sorta sniffs at the ground. HMMMM, that is kinda weird I'm thinking. By now she is about 15' from the edge of the woods, she just keeps walking slowly. I slowly shoulder my rifle and get her in my cross hairs. OH, okay she is a he. I see antlers. HE is almost thru the clearing , should I take the shot? I have never made a moving shot before....He stops, sniffs again. Then he is moving again. OK I am doing it, what do I have to lose? I line him up in the cross hairs again, slide the cross hairs ahead of him and wait. Sure enough, he walks into the target area and I pull the trigger...........He drops.
Doesnt even take another half a step, just drops. OMG I cannot believe it. I wait for it to get up and run away....and wait....still waiting. It doesnt move, I just cant believe it. A moving shot, first time making a moving shot and I got him. 
I wait 5 more minutes then I climb out and go to my parents house to get a rope. Got the rope and the jeep, now to get the deer. Hopefully it is still there lol.
I drive down to the deer. I poke at the eye with the rope yup, still dead. It is a 4 point, OMG. I just cannot believe it. I shot a buck.
You cant eat the horns, that was my motto. Is probably still my motto lol.
I tie his head to the hitch and pull him to the house. There is no way I am going to get him in the back of the jeep without help. I go over to the neighbors. She is there and is more than willing to help, so together we lift the deer up and into the open hatch. YAY, YAY
She takes some pics, I thank her and drive to my house. I back the jeep up to the small barn. with the hatch door lifted I pull him out. CAREFUL, dont want to break his antlers off. The hoist is just out of reach so I put him down and grab it. Since he has not been gutted, I dont hoist him all the way up. I call my parents. I tell mom, she is thriilled. Dad is not there. she will call me back when he is. About ten minutes later, dad calls. I relate the story to him. UM Dad, will the ceiling hold the deer? Well it should he says, how big is it? You did gut it right?
No dad, I didnt....Yes dad I should have gutted it out there.....No dad, he is not coming back until tonite.....No dad I dont want to call anyone cuz if I do then they will just come and take over....Yes dad, I do kinda remember how to gut a deer.....No dad, dont try to tell me how on the phone, it'll be ok. I will get it done. Yes dad love you too. lol
I hoist the deer up as far as I can go. I go cut branches to hold his legs apart. I grab the fillet knife and make a small cut above his gonads. I try to slip a finger in and find out it is harder than it looks. I open him up about 18". The guts come partway out.....and stop. There is my deer, hanging in the barn, with his guts half in and half out of his body. Now what? I cant go any further..there seems to be a bone there.
My sister calls..we are on the phone for almost an hour when my neighbor and his son drive by real slow and stop. I yell to him, tell my sis I gotta go and run out the door. They come and congratulate me on the deer. I ask how to do this. He tells me I have to reach my arms up there........Ok I need to change my blinding white undershirt first so he says he will come back in a few minutes,
I change, then they come back. He tells me again what I need to do, he stands there and directs as I am elbow deep in the deers cavity, trying to pull its innards out. It is warm, it is wet, I make a comment that "this must be kinda like what gynecologists do?":/ , we all laugh. But this stinks, literally.
I have everything out.....so I think. He asks if I feel the membrane above my hands. I feel...Yes there is one there. I have to cut that out following the rib cage, be careful to not cut myself. I do as he tells me. Ok, reach in and grab the heart. I do, when I pull it out we look at it. There is the hole where the bullet went thru. So it was a heart shot. No wonder he dropped. Ok, pull the rest of it out. I still have not tackled the gonads yet. I do before he leaves tho. I get them as done as I can without him getting dirty too. Thanks Bill !
I skin the deer down to his rear legs, the deer hide drapes over the tote.
I go in and start cleaning the kitchen. Half an hour later, DH walks in. I clutch at the blood spot on my shirt and act nonchalant.
Hey, what are you doing home I ask. Did you see anything?
No, I didnt, did you?
Just the doe and fawns. I am sorry you didnt see anything 
wish I would have taken our camera. Hey, I have been hearing strange noises coming from the barn, especially when I went out to let the chickens out.....will you go look? I think there is an animal out there 
He goes and looks, the smile on his face when he came out.....wow...blinding. So anyway, I got my first legal deer!
, $15. Like I have the money for that. I dont normally buy one. So after I buy it I think about how I have to get up early and I dont want to, I want to sleep in. Besides, I never see deer in the am out at my blind. I am making all the excuses I can to make sure I do not see the sun rise, lol.DH on the other hand got up at 6am and was gone by 645am. He was packed for the whole day, no breaks for him.
I got up, drank some coffee, made two sandwiches, some hot cocoa, got my glasses and book, yogurt and crackers and a spoon. I packed my small bag, got my clip. Put on my warm clothes and hunting clothes, dug out my gloves and mittens. I left the house at 720am.
I parked on the hill, made sure my safety was on and noisily racked a shell into the chamber (I didnt want a repeat of last year). I grabbed my bag, blanket and rifle and headed down the hill. I climbed into my blind, snuggled in, opened the window and stuck my barrel out. I slumped back and prepared myself for a LONG COLD wait :| . It was 735am.
I didnt have long to wait, here comes three deer. My fathers doe and two fawns. I have been warned....do not shoot them. So I watch them for about 15 mins. They leave.
GREAT, they will probably be the only deer I will see all day. I start to think about the hot cocoa and orange cupcakes. I am considering leaning over to get them when I spot another deer. (do you think I have never seen deer in the am cuz I am NOT THERE? I think you are right)
This deer looks like another doe
, she is slowly moving across the clearing. She stops every few feet and sorta sniffs at the ground. HMMMM, that is kinda weird I'm thinking. By now she is about 15' from the edge of the woods, she just keeps walking slowly. I slowly shoulder my rifle and get her in my cross hairs. OH, okay she is a he. I see antlers. HE is almost thru the clearing , should I take the shot? I have never made a moving shot before....He stops, sniffs again. Then he is moving again. OK I am doing it, what do I have to lose? I line him up in the cross hairs again, slide the cross hairs ahead of him and wait. Sure enough, he walks into the target area and I pull the trigger...........He drops. Doesnt even take another half a step, just drops. OMG
I cannot believe it. I wait for it to get up and run away....and wait....still waiting. It doesnt move, I just cant believe it. A moving shot, first time making a moving shot and I got him. I wait 5 more minutes then I climb out and go to my parents house to get a rope. Got the rope and the jeep, now to get the deer. Hopefully it is still there lol.
I drive down to the deer. I poke at the eye with the rope
yup, still dead. It is a 4 point, OMG. I just cannot believe it. I shot a buck. You cant eat the horns, that was my motto. Is probably still my motto lol.
I tie his head to the hitch and pull him to the house. There is no way I am going to get him in the back of the jeep without help. I go over to the neighbors. She is there and is more than willing to help, so together we lift the deer up and into the open hatch. YAY, YAY
She takes some pics, I thank her and drive to my house. I back the jeep up to the small barn. with the hatch door lifted I pull him out. CAREFUL, dont want to break his antlers off. The hoist is just out of reach so I put him down and grab it. Since he has not been gutted, I dont hoist him all the way up. I call my parents. I tell mom, she is thriilled. Dad is not there. she will call me back when he is. About ten minutes later, dad calls. I relate the story to him. UM Dad, will the ceiling hold the deer? Well it should he says, how big is it? You did gut it right?
No dad, I didnt....Yes dad I should have gutted it out there.....No dad, he is not coming back until tonite.....No dad I dont want to call anyone cuz if I do then they will just come and take over....Yes dad, I do kinda remember how to gut a deer.....No dad, dont try to tell me how on the phone, it'll be ok. I will get it done. Yes dad love you too. lolI hoist the deer up as far as I can go. I go cut branches to hold his legs apart. I grab the fillet knife and make a small cut above his gonads. I try to slip a finger in and find out it is harder than it looks. I open him up about 18". The guts come partway out.....and stop. There is my deer, hanging in the barn, with his guts half in and half out of his body. Now what? I cant go any further..there seems to be a bone there.
My sister calls..we are on the phone for almost an hour when my neighbor and his son drive by real slow and stop. I yell to him, tell my sis I gotta go and run out the door. They come and congratulate me on the deer. I ask how to do this. He tells me I have to reach my arms up there........Ok I need to change my blinding white undershirt first so he says he will come back in a few minutes,
I change, then they come back. He tells me again what I need to do, he stands there and directs as I am elbow deep in the deers cavity, trying to pull its innards out. It is warm, it is wet, I make a comment that "this must be kinda like what gynecologists do?":/ , we all laugh. But this stinks, literally.
I have everything out.....so I think. He asks if I feel the membrane above my hands. I feel...Yes there is one there. I have to cut that out following the rib cage, be careful to not cut myself. I do as he tells me. Ok, reach in and grab the heart. I do, when I pull it out we look at it. There is the hole where the bullet went thru. So it was a heart shot. No wonder he dropped. Ok, pull the rest of it out. I still have not tackled the gonads yet. I do before he leaves tho. I get them as done as I can without him getting dirty too. Thanks Bill !
I skin the deer down to his rear legs, the deer hide drapes over the tote.
I go in and start cleaning the kitchen. Half an hour later, DH walks in. I clutch at the blood spot on my shirt and act nonchalant.
Hey, what are you doing home I ask. Did you see anything?
No, I didnt, did you?
Just the doe and fawns. I am sorry you didnt see anything wish I would have taken our camera. Hey, I have been hearing strange noises coming from the barn, especially when I went out to let the chickens out.....will you go look? I think there is an animal out there He goes and looks, the smile on his face when he came out.....wow...blinding. So anyway, I got my first legal deer!
:coolsun
