Grab a seat next to the fire
susie
Member Posts: 7,602 ✭✭✭✭
And I shall share my deer hunting tales of 2021. Pics shall follow in chronological order.
Thursday before opening day I hooked up the camper and pulled it 600 miles south.
Opening day found me in Todd Mission Texas for the Renaissance Festival. Dress like a barbarian was the theme for the weekend. I wore a sheepskin cape tied off with antler parts and other accessories.
#2, her husband and mutual friends enjoyed the weekend and nights around the fire with adult beverages and tales of past deer hunts.
Sunday was the return drive to Missouri. I arrived home about 1:30 am, crawled into the bed and caught a few hours of sleep. Monday I unpacked the camper from the Festival trip and packed it for the pull to deer camp.
Got to camp about 2 pm, set up in the ring of campers and hit the woods. Brother was kind enough to haul my 4-wheeler to the woods the previous week.
I enjoyed a quiet afternoon in the woods where I didn't see anything but trees and leaves. Now, something may have wandered through when I kept nodding off. 😆
Tuesday morning and up at 5am. No coffee because 10 month old great nephew was asleep in Brother's camper and the generator might wake him. I forgot I had left the French press in the camper. Could have heated water on the stove and made coffee. Obviously my thinker doesn't work well that early.
Got into the woods by 4-wheeler to a certain spot and then hiked to my hunting spot by headlamp. Daylight came and confirmed I was in a good spot. Around 9 am three large does came down the ridge off to my left, moving at a fast clip. Not wanting to take an iffy shot with my torn rotator cuff I waited until the lead doe stopped. She had her head and shoulders sticking out from behind a tree. I sighted just behind her shoulder blade and pulled the trigger. All three does turned and ran up and over the ridge to my right.
I wasn't laying on the ground writhing in pain. I was able to shoot and survive!! Although the doe at which I had shot didn't appear to react as if she had been hit I decided to walk down to where she had been standing when I shot. Deer are funny and will run a good distance when shot. As I was looking for blood I heard shuffling in the leaves.
I glanced to my right and laying up against a downed tree was a very young deer. At first I wondered if it was trying to hide. It was too small for me to feel good about taking it. I tried to scare it. It raised itself up on its front legs but it's back legs didn't work.
Now knowing it was wounded I put it out to end its suffering. I drug it up to where I had been sitting and left it with my gear. I walked back to my 4-wheeler, drove down to it and got it tied off onto the back after loading it.
Got back to camp and told the gang what had happened. Brother thinks the little one may have been running with the three, was too small for me to see her and was standing to the blind side of the lead doe. He believes I barely missed her and clipped the spine of the little one.
We will never know for sure. The rest of the season was a bust for seeing any deer. Being with family and friends, sharing good food and tall tales, priceless. The final pic is the entire deer bagged and ready for the freezer.
Comments
Good times for sure!!!
Combat Vet VN
D.A.V Life Member
Wow, quite a fun time it sounds like.
Looks like a Great time and those small deer may not give you a lot of meat but what you have is ohhhh so tender and delicious!!
I like the directions to the pie hole. 😁😁😁
Sounds like a fun time.
Joe
I sure hope you changed outfits for the "hunt".
If not I can see why the the deer were sparse. 😀
To be clear, before I head to the woods I bathe in scent killer body wash, shampoo combo. All my clothing is laundered in scent killer detergent to include outerwear and underwear. Lol. The deer just weren't moving much this year. The oaks are loaded with acorns. We have had plenty of rain and it hasn't turned cold yet. Lows were in the 30's and highs in the 50's. Unless someone walking in or got antsy and took a stroll through the woods to jump the deer not much movement was happening.
Just about everyone who got one said they saw the deer as they were going in or coming out. Deer startled and jumped. Even the squirrels were fairly inactive. I'm betting their treehouse stash is huge.
Here's a pic of the acorns here on the farm:
And here I am at lunch around the fire. I forgot this pic.
I did almost the same thing. I shot at a 4 pointer on my first ever muzzleloader hunt , and ended up hitting a small buck instead. I ended up grazing the 4 pointer and hit the little guy right in the chest. It couldn't have weighted more that 35 pounds😥. I think between buck fever and shaking, I just made a bad shot. I was 17 at the time. It didn't go to waste, but it was the last time I ever pulled a shot on a deer. It happens to some of us. It looks like you all had a fantastic time. Happy Thanksgiving. Oakie
austin-For me that's why I go. If I get one it's a bonus😮
Outstanding!