Bolt action

I was thinking that too, but it's bigger than any yote droppings I've ever seen.

Radar lied. I got rained on pretty good. Good test for this new early season jacket though. I'm no worse for the wear. Deer are starting to come into the bean field to feed. None in range so far. I watched 4 walk right past the stand i was in yesterday.

Woke up to rain. Radar looks promising though so I'll make the drive out. Coffee just finished brewing.

Saw this when I was walking around yesterday. Any thoughts? Both piles are about the same size and within a few feet of each other. I'm guessing dog, although there shouldn't be any dogs on the posted property. My boot is a size 11 for reference..

Was in stand this morning by 615. Counted 26 deer between 630 and 8. Ranged them between 60 and 300 yds. Mostly doe and fawn, but a few bucks. If it's not a washout, i may try again tomorrow.

Up and headed out. Good luck folks.

She was. Although, in her words, the vaccine was only effective against the original strain. When it mutated, the vaccine became less effective. Not sure how accurate that is, although it kinda makes sense. On that note, she did not go to the doc and get tested to confirm Covid. She had telemed appointments with her primary care doc, and they both agreed that the symptoms she had were consistent with Covid, but there was no need to go into the hospital to risk greater exposure. And since they don't test for Covid post-mortem, her official cause has been reported as respiratory distress.

Writing can be therapeutic, so I figure I should jot this down. I tend not to overshare (especially on social media), and so this is a little out of character for me. My mom passed away suddenly on Sunday the 26th from Covid. She was only 66. She was overweight, but overall in good health. I spoke to her only a day or two before she passed. Never in a million years would I have thought that would be my last time speaking to her. I'm not ready to lose her. My dad passed away suddenly 10 years ago. Because both were sudden, I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to either of them. My mom was my motivation to go back to school to work on my degree. When I was younger, in high school, she was a nurse at Strong. She was putting in 60 hour weeks while attending med school at night. She wanted to provide a better life for me and my siblings. She graduated with honors from U of R was able to build her career as an OBGYN. As I got older, that stuck with me. If she could work those long hours and graduate at the top of her class, what was my excuse for settling? She always pushed me to be the best version of myself, whether it was as a son, a parent, a friend, or in my career... never make half an an effort. She retired a year ago to the day. She knew she wouldn't fair well if she got Covid, so she did everything she was supposed to. She didn't go to birthdays, or holidays.. she rarely went out to social gatherings. She rarely went to the store. She really lived like a hermit over the past 18 months. She even called me a month ago to yell at me for being to casual with my families safety while Covid Delta was surging. She called me last week and was so excited because she just bought my son a gift that she couldn't wait to give him. Then I spoke to her on Friday and she told me she thought she had it. She felt fine, except that she was having a hard time getting around. Just moving through the house was taking the wind out of her. She succumbed to it on Sunday. I'm so sad, and so angry for a lot of reasons. She never had a chance to relax in her retirement. She abstained for the past 18 months and missed out on that time with her family. I'm not ready to face reality without her in it. She was always there for anyone who knew her. I think the part that hurts the most is that my boys won't grow up knowing her. They won't get to know her or the great woman that she was. Her memory will live on in pictures and in stories, but neither will do her justice. This is a sad reminder that you can't take people, or time, for granted. Each day is a gift. Your world can change unexpectedly and without warning.

I just built this for that purpose. I used the top from a resin picnic table. It's 6 foot long by nearly 3 feet wide and has a 1 inch lip all the way around. I attached 8 eye bolts, 4 on either side, to hook strap to. Also attached PVC handles at the front and back to help with lifting. I should be able to strap a deer to it and slide it right into the bed of the truck.

Had a lot going on here the past few days. Not sure I'm going to make out for the opening weekend. Last week i made a thing to help load deer into the back of the truck. Now that is loaded along with the deer cart. Clothes have been sitting outside for 3 days now, including getting rained on. Still have to pack my bag...

Congrats on a job well done!

The cooker I got is smaller. I cooked up 3 quart jars and a .75 pint jar in the first batch. I'll have to play with different sized jars to see where I can make the most per batch.

Checked cameras again. This camera is attached to the leg of that tower blind i built a few months back.

WOW. the other night i attempted a few jars of canned venison for the first time. It came out fork tender, similar to a pot roast, and such a good flavor. Here's what I did: trim the meat of all fat, sinew, silverskin, etc cut it into roughly 1" chunks I seasoned it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and just a dash of chili powder in the prepared mason jar I started with a few spoons of pasta sauce, then a few thin sliced chiles (I used jalapeno), then added the meat to just about the top of the jar, then topped it with another spoon of sauce and some more chiles. sealed it all up and put it in the pressure cooker for a little over an hour. I just tried it for lunch. I may actually shoot extra deer this year just to make sure I'm stocked for this! And it won't take up space in the freezer.

A lot of you were taking the course before I was born... If I had to think about it, I probably got my license back in the late 90's. I would say that I've been actively pursuing deer for the past 13 or 14 years. I started getting more into bow over the past 3 or 4 years.

I don't know a from b when it comes to wild mushrooms so I googled it. Apparently chanterelles and jack o lanterns look similar, but i think these are the toxic ones.

Was looking at a property in allegany county over the weekend and came across these. I'm thinking jack o lanterns?

4th leg is dark, but it's there..

Depends on the season. 15 in September, but only one later on. IMO, not worth the effort when you can only shoot one bird. I may work with an outfitter next year during the early season..

Right you are.. I didn't catch that.

Same for me in 8a

Feeling pretty good at this point. Stands and blinds are all set. equip is all tuned and sighted. Just need to wash and hang the clothes, and prep the garage for when I process any deer that are dumb enough to give me a shot.