A relaxed, content ramble about the season so far...

[Daveboone]

As of last week end, snow at the camp! Arriving in the early am howling wind, bringing in the snow laden front,  I was blessed to have a doe and fawn wander by within minutes of getting in my stand. Only minutes later, I spot a very heavy buck cautiously following, coming in to within about 35 yards, but he is too cautious, and something  the other side of him sends him bounding. I later find him on my game camera, a very high racked heavy based four point, frequently in company with an 8 ptr, big, but not as big. He is the other side of some scrub, without offering a good shot. 

Later in the day, wind is dying down but the snow is kicking in, I wander back to my stand after catching a break to spook a large deer out from underneath my stand. Rats.  Time passes quickly on stand. With the wind whipping and flurries flying, the squirrels and birds are in a tizzy. I love hunting the sloppy weather, and am loving it. Geese are flying low overhead, and the chickadees are innocently landing all around and on me. 

that sunday  a.m. I am in the woods even earlier, hoping not to spook any critters. No doing. Again I spook them away from my stand area (Wild apples along side an overgrown food plot).  I am happily watching the day start, when I realize the noise, thought to be squirrels, is a little too regular in rhythm. I look behind me to see my big buck running uphill behind a doe , about 100 yards out.  Undoubtedly heading into the cedars along a swale the other side of my neighbors. They will be safe at least for today. He isn't hunting this w/e. All sorts of woods in between him and me, he is safe.

As I slowly turn back to my front, I am amazed to see the other buck from my game camera rubbing away on some tiger maple below me in a swampy area! Son of a gun! Only about 80 yards maybe, but no way am I taking the shot through the spider webs of alder, scrub, etc. in between.  The morning couldn't be better.

This week end, I am driving up to the camp at about 5 am through Panther Lake, to find a beautiful 8 pointer on the edge of the road, seemingly judging the threat from me to the new snowbank the plow has put up. Word has spread to him not to worry about me apparently, 

The camp is on a seasonal road, not plowed. Luckily the 4wd is up to getting me up to the camp, with about one foot of newheavy crust on the ground, all accumulated since Friday a.m., but rained on. All the snow around looks like a cattle pen....deer track every where walking in . The wind is from the west, with intermittent snow pellet squalls. NIce and crappy, just the way I like it! I spend another morning enjoying all the seasonal woods activity, but it appears the deer were busy last night and are staying snug this a.m. 

after a can of dinty moore for lunch I decide to get back up in my stand, but move to one a bit more westerly, to ensure keeping the wind in my face. AT 1:30, it already seems to be twilight.  The birds and squirrels are acting like they are on meth still, and time is going quickly. My ability to last on stand lengthens as the season does, and the weather gets crappier (doesn't make sense, but I like the slop). The day is getting near ending, and I am considering checking the time when a couple of blobs work through the brush north of me, before coming out into the opening. A foolish fawn is in the lead, with his much more patient gray faced mom behind. She isn't paying any attention behind her, so I am thinking it is a safe bet no followers. I have a doe tag, and passed several earlier in the season. I have four days off next week end, but if the weather continues, I may not be able to get to the camp....

Sorry sonny, but mom is on the menu. I prefer to shoot lone does, but there are plenty of others for Junior to tag along with for some guidance this winter. 

She is a beautiful mature doe, who drops quickly to  the heart shot ( I am annoyed I shot a bit low....I like the heart pickled). I have to shoo the fawn away from mom, who isn't responding to its bleats.  My faithful 8mm Mauser (previously Dads) is as dependable as they come, with my handloads, after along series of upgrades from its original 1933 configuration. 

After giving thanks to the doe, I reach into my pocket for my Sharpfinger to first realize the pocket was unzipped, then that my knife isn't there! Damnation! I travel light, so in the fading light hot foot it back to the cabin for my spare. I have a guilt trip from the fawn who is still hanging close by, as they often do , not experienced enough to process what has just happened.

I am getting wimpy, so I fire up the atv which is just able to fight its way down through the snow and woods to the doe. Damn thing isn't warm, so it keeps stalling. Damn headlamp wont stay on! WTH?  So as not to kill the battery on the light, I field dress in the dark. NIce thing to know how to do, but you, shall we say, tend to get tickets for learning how to. Luckily circumstances change. It is nice that there is a lot of fresh snow all around, which I fill the cavity with several times, then wipe clean with. 

I remember to get the liver for my wife, for whom it is a great delicacy. the heart unfortunately is smithereens., I don't have a plastic bag for the liver, so put it on the back seat of the ATV.

Day is done, hang the deer for tonight with the plan to skin/ quarter, wrap in plastic until next week end when I will have more time.

DAMMIT! I left the liver on the ATV seat! Wife is giving me hell!

[nosquibs]

Wow! You should write a book! It was almost like being there in the blowing snow with you.

I took a doe opening AM of gun, see that's how a non writer posts.

[wolc123]

I can relate to leaving the liver on the seat.  I only save those from 6 month old deer because those from older ones are too tough for me compared to baby beef liver which I can get "free" whenever I am in the mood.   I also like pickled heart (wife makes it for me every Valentines day). I left a gallon zip-lock bag containing it, my Schrade sharpfinger, and my Gerber folding knife, outside my folks barn when I brought my buck home yesterday.  I was a little worried about it, because I saw a red fox from my stand over there in the evening (they don't want me to shoot them because they are "fun to watch".  I called at 10:00 and mom went out with a flashlight and found the heart bag before the fox got it.