46rkl

Sitting for the last two hours with a little snow on the ground. Always gets the confidence going. Just need a little cooperation ....

Best of luck with your surgery and recovery. Rehab is, of course, the most important part of returning to everything you want to be doing. I’m twenty years out from a hip replacement and 16 years out from a knee replacement. Hunting, fishing, skiing, hiking and most everything else I was doing before. Gave up some high impact things but the rest of my body appreciates that. Replacement surgery has advanced tremendously, you’ll likely be overnight in the hospital and right into PT. Rehab can be a challenge but it’s the key to recovery. You’ll be glad you did it very soon.

Home brewing really amps up after deer season is done. We are working on a plan for a bourbon barrel aged stout and lots of other interesting beers. The brewing room is pretty much complete but there’s always new and useful equipment to be acquired. It’s a hobby with a lot of perks. We’ve gotten to know the brewers at all the nearby breweries and frequently get invited to tasting sessions where new beers are shared and critiqued. Lots of outdoor related activities to stay busy with all year round but there’s nothing as exciting as archery season.

I’ve gone completely away from lead slugs. The research on lead contamination in the wound channel is conclusive. Don’t consume the meat around the wound channel. Lead literally vaporizes and sprays all over and around the meat. It’s just not worth it. Lead poisoning is a real thing, even at very low levels. Go with copper.

One single very far off shot on what I had hoped would be a good morning. Absolutely dead. I really wish we had some snow here in 8H. I’d be trying some stalking. To add a little insult to the day, I find a new rub not two feet from the base of my ladder stand. It wasn’t there four days ago.

Enjoying a new beer tonite. Haze of Glory f rom Duclaw Brewing in Maryland. Very good double dry hopped NEIPA. I’m nursing it along while watching the Bills. Make my Thanksgiving and beat the Cowboys!

Heck, I’m getting ready to blast a red squirrel that’s spent the morning annoying me. A six wouldn’t stand much of a chance.... maybe.

The first raindrops are falling in 8H. Nothing bad but a steady drizzle. Only a couple hours left for me today. Let’s get the deer on their feet!

Good beer deserves a good cast iron seared venison blackstrap roast for dinner. Mmmmmm-mmmm!

Whining about seeing nothing on today’s sit. Ah well, there’s always beer. And this is a good juicy IPA. Collective Arts IPA No 11

60 degrees and sunny! Who ordered this for deer season? I’ll take the weather from rifle opener any day. here’s hoping the deer decide to take a stroll on such a beautiful day.

Meanwhile, Live From the Woods....

Sat for three hours this afternoon and saw just one little button buck. Then the shooting started. I counted eight shots, all after sunset! The last at 5:07 while sunset was 4:40.

Going single in a double. I can focus on deer now... Bills win!

Only a few early shots in my area this morning. The guys out on the lease behind me had to retrieve a ground blind that they had put up earlier this week but never staked down. It ended up on my hedgerow. Buddy just texted me a pic of the coyote he just shot down in Nunda. Another sent me a pic of the nice eight his son shot this morning. Glad someone is seeing deer. It’s certainly not me!

I may need more than a few of these tonight after the Ortho visit today. I’m gonna need some knee surgery soon. The issue has caused me to miss most of this season but at least I gimped my way out to the closest stand and got a doe opening day of rifle. Anyhow, this Good Fortune IPA is very tasty. Maybe enough of them will bring me some good fortune. At least I have beer...

Dead quiet today in 8H. After a good opening day with 2bucks and a doe, it has been very quiet all around my land. I did find two new scrapes yesterday so there’s still buck activity going on.

And back to Live From the Woods 2019! The snow is mostly gone here in 8H and the temps are moderate. Haven’t heard a single shot yesterday or today. Maybe that’ll calm them done and I’ll get some movement. Here’s hoping!

Seeing pictures like that just makes me thankful that I have the time and space to take my deer from field to table. Just skinned and quartered my doe from Saturday. Tomorrow I will cut and vacuum pack the meat followed by a grinding session later in the season where I’ll make all the burger, sausage, snack stick and so on. I’ve learned all of this before YouTube existed but I use it to improve my processing all the time. Heck, if you have a garage, you can do it yourself. Breaking down a deer really helps you to understand the damage done by a Broadhead or bullet, making you a better hunter in the process. I encourage everyone to give it a try, you’ll be glad you did. Even better is to get together with a friend or two. Get those tenderloins out, fry them up and get to work with a few beers! All a part of the beauty of our hunting legacy.

Just passed on a four point half rack and two minutes later my friends young son dropped it. His first deer.

Doe down. Not sure what I did on the first shot (missed) but all three stopped for a minute and then walked straight to me. 25 yards and a 30 yard run before crashing. Meat for the freezer and a good start to gun opener.

Fifteen degrees this morning but with the new gear my feet are cozy. Just uninsulated muck boots underneath.

Buddy shot an eight just 150 yards away from me. Not sure he’s my buddy anymore.

Best of luck tomorrow for all heading out for the opening of gun! Stay warm and remember, aim small, miss small.

Enjoying a hazy NEIPA home brew while lamenting my first unsuccessful archery season in eight years. Ah well, good beer eases the disappointment.