December Hunts

[dbltree]

Saturday morning dawned blustery but not terribly cold...much better then last years ice storm! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

It didn't take long for deer to start moving but the pics just didn't turn out in the low light. First deer by was a 2 1/2 yr old buck but shortly after the woods and fields came a live with deer and...

the first shot in my neck of the woods, when my old piece a nuthin' Mossberg barked.

Snow cover is always nice! Deer are active, hungry and on the move and I could see them almost everywhere.

When I was 17 I hadn't even seen a buck to shoot let alone let any walk by, so I'm always amazed when my son let's em walk by.

"The biggest was only a 10 point Dad". /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

First thing three bucks walked by his blind at 15 yards and then by me...

Around 9:00 I was starting to feel like I was in a scene from "Wild Kingdom" as literally herds of deer streamed across fields.

The larger bucks always were towards the rear of the line of deer, something to keep in mind before one drops the lead doe... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

I made a trip to the locker late morning but my son elected to spend the day in his blind. When I returned it was about 11:30, the warm sun had me feeling like a nap (only my second nap ever... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif ) so pretty soon I was in lala land in the truck.

I awoke to a hunter and his sons pulled up beside me asking if I was hunting (ahhh...well... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/blush.gif /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif ) then they started excitedly jabbering about two monster bucks they saw running across the road into my place. Arms spread wide, talk of "points" wayyy up there almost made me want to get out of my warm truck and back into the cold.

I sat there contemplating returning to lala land when...a herd of deer came blasting out close enough to throw a rock at! About the 6th one was a big ole buck so I figured I'd better haul myself back out to the brush.

Tried a ground spot for awile and visited with a fawn who eyed me suspicisiously from a few feet away.

Later I hunted a stand above a well worn runway

almost too easy.....

No monster bucks came by as the sun set and the winds quieted...

At the end of the day our freezer was a little fuller and we sure appreciated the hot meal my wife had ready for us.

We each figure we saw roughly 50-60 deer a piece but little shooting. Other then the guy who tried to hunt our place from his ATV...it was a quiet December day....... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

How was your hunt? Share some pics and stories if you have any.. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[THA4]

great post Paul! Looks like a ton of fun!!

my day consisted of changing diapers and wearing sweatpants all day.... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

but ill take that too!

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[Shoot2Kill]

You saw more deer in one day than I've seen up here in MN in 3 full seasons and that is no exaggeration!

Love your posts....

 

[BrewCrew]

That looks like some fun hunting!! That one buck runnin by looks like he had a pretty good rack on him!! Congrats on the kills!

You end up shootin that guy off his ATV?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif Hunting accidents are horrible!! JK jk

 

[Sticks]

well my shotgun wasnt too bad sautrday i didnt even see a deer but another guy in are group seemed to have all the deer come right too him he got 3 three saturday night so then sunday morning i went to the same stand he sat in the night before almost regretting it right away knowing 3 deer were shot there the night before and there was quite a bit of blood still around but around 830 sunday someone most of been pushing deer cause a herd of prolly 10-15 does came through and i was about to take them out as i turned i seen a bib buck smelling blood from the night before i didnt hesitate and put one right through the shoulder blade as he ran off the does stuck around and are group still had tags to fill so i took both of them out as well it all happened so fast prolly less then 30 secs... my adrenaline was pumping /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif my best buck to date
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[crash]

congrats good shootin

 

[dbltree]

Nice buck! Congrats!

Had 5 bucks come by me tonight but the baldies elected to take a "safer" path... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

My son had the same problem, nothing but bucks (minus the monsters)

At least the rain held off this evening, not looking real great for Tuesday but maybe the forecast is wrong...... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[Iowabowhunter]

Sounds like it was a great time anyway dbltree.

And great buck and does there!


As for me.....I missed. I just hope for a second chance.

 

[KSQ2]

Great pics Dbltree, every time I see pics of your place I get goosebumps and see visions of deer hunting our own land one day...

 

[dbltree]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: KSQ2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Great pics Dbltree, every time I see pics of your place I get goosebumps and see visions of deer hunting our own land one day... </div></div>

You'll get there! I've been at it 13 years and enjoyed every bit of it /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

Shotgun 1 came to an end tonight and even though I prefer archery I was a little sad to think....I won't be able to wake up in the woods tomorrow morning......

Each day dawned with renewed anticipation and ever changing winds kept us in in different spots.

We each saw plenty of deer but only bucks crossed our paths, most of those in low light as darkness approached.

I never tire is looking out over these beautiful hills.

Wait a minute and our weather will change they say, so no surprise that Tuesday dawned a steady rain that had me hunkering down in a blind with a good roof! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

The only morning I didn't see a deer! Hey...what's that "green" stuff in my shooting lane?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

By late afternoon the rain had turned to snow and he had a bit of a blizzard for a while! Deer moved some but stayed in the timber rather then moving out into fields before dark.

I hunkered down against a big ole tree and watched the snow fall!

Two questions oft asked...how many deer and what do they eat in the late season??

When we pulled out at dark there were 13 deer in a cut soybean field and down the road a bit there were "too many" to count in a combined corn field. A few miles away we found an alfalfa field covered with deer!

The nearest available feed closest to safe cover is going to get hit...

This morning dawned clear, bright and COLD! Dang! 8 degrees of bone chilling cold! Man I love it! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

Right away deer started moving including several good bucks

These deer were literally only feet away from my son, however they were on the other side of the fence. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

I wonder...how many grown men would pass up deer that close? After all, with a "right to retrieve" law...how easy? Who would know?

They say character is what a man does when no one is looking and my son watched each one pass by without so much as a second thought. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

I have taught my son to wait....wait for a clear, clean shot at a standing deer. To stop a moving deer with a grunt and kill it instantly with a shot to the upper shoulder. To wait for a mature doe, so as not to shoot a button buck but it's soley up to him the size of any buck he decides to harvest.

So he has passed up buck after buck, passed up does that wouldn't stop, passed on shots through brush and all the while heartly congratulating me when I killed a deer.

This is a personal thing but in the early predawn darkness I take a moment to pray. I pray for those in need and some times my own needs but I don't pray for things I "want"....like a deer...

This morning however I said, you know...he's a good kid and he deserves a chance at a deer. Lot of way more important things I know but to a Dad, well...if you are one...then you know......

As morning wore on all I saw was a small fawn...

Suddenly she jerked her head up and then bounded frantically away and I thought..what??

Then soft footsteps approached so I prepared to get me a yote but was surprised when this bobcat appeared!

He walked right under my stand and peered up at me!

No shots rang out despite all the deer movement in my sons direction but when he came out he we was all smiles. He said Dad "I saw the biggest buck of my life! He was huge, a monster, the father of all bucks!!"

So...no shot I asked? "No...two does pinned me and I was afraid they would bust out snorting so I waited. He was behind brush and I didn't feel comfortable shooting through it. I hoped he would walk into the clearing but he turned and walked into the brush."

I suspect most of us would have been blasting holes thru the brush at a deer like that but he chose not to. Then it occured to me, perhaps God had indeed given him a "chance" but like all things in life He also gave him the freedom to choose...right and wrong, ethical shot or possible wounding a great buck.

I thought a bit of the things my own Dad taught me and I thought of this:

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style='font-size: 11pt'><span style="color: #FF0000">Train a child in the way he should go,
and when he is old he will not turn from it.</span> </span>
Proverbs 22:6 </div></div>

How important it is...the things we teach our children, often by our own behaivor... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

The full moon is upon us and movement has changed dramatically from what it was Saturday! We saw a huge herd of deer at 1:30 grazing in a combined corn field as we travled back for our evening hunt.

Things were quiet but just before dark a large group of deer started working their way towards me. Once again I foolishly started "loading" the freezer... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smirk.gif

Suddenly they bolted and all charged up the ridge....

you guess it, my friendly neighbood "kitty" padded back by me... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif

What are the odds of that?? /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif

The full moon appeared overhead in the east...

The "sky painters" went to work...

and the sun finally set on Shotgun 1 2008

Now it's a countdown...12 more days until "Mr. Matthews" and I can hit the brush again and greet the morning sun! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

Our freezer is nearly full, my son has an unforgettable image of a huge buck imprinted in his mind and I have a few more memories stashed away. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

On the way out we saw upwards of 60 deer feeding in various fields, easily counted aginst the white snow. Makes you think...even 20 mature does will equal 60 deer next fall.

Ever doe I killed still left behind enough to double the population so I suspect next year will find us with plenty of action awaiting us.

For those hunting Shotgun 2...be safe and have a great hunt this coming week! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[Grasshopper]

Wow. Awesome post!

So wonderful that you and your son can enjoy the hunt together...and share the same values and ethics.

Thanks for taking the time to put together a great read and fantastic photos /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[nannyslayer]

Paul, that is the greatest post that I ever seen. You sure are doing something right with your son. He sounds like a great young man!! /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[THA4]

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good stuff, Paul!

 

[Full Quiver]

Awesome, awesome post!

A son is a reflection of his father, you are definitely doing it right.

 

[Crimson Arrows]

Great post.

 

[GregBickal]

The only hunts I hate are ones where I don't see any deer.

I can't imagine what it would be like to have some many that you can pick and choose which ones you want to shoot at. That would be amazing.

 

[Skully]

Great stuff Paul, thanks for letting us tag a long in our minds. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/cool.gif

 

[gersdorf]

Great post Paul!

 

[Fishbonker]

The sins of the father are visited upon his son. I don't think either one of you have anything to worry about. You are both lucky men.

The 'Bonker

 

[Shoot2Kill]

Very good stuff right there....awesome post and GREAT pics....the kitty pics are SWEET! It was nice of him to pose for you right under your stand!