I hunted in the new blind for the first time without the kids on opening day for whitetails. My dad put a new box on the feeder and it was set for 0700 which was way before daylight due to the overcast. I've never seen a deer at the feeder before but a whitetail doe came and started feeding. At first she was very skittish and looked around at every sound but after 20 minutes or so she calmed down and didn't look up from eating. Then from the other direction I noticed a buck approaching, followed by another buck that looked equal to the first.
The first buck came right up the road you see in the pics. When he decided to turn to his right off the road I decided to take him. He made a huge jump and then another and was out of sight in the trees. I noticed as he made his second leap that there was already a red spot on his rib cage.
When I looked back at the second buck he was looking after the first buck. The he looked around and sort of started a little dance by lifting each hoof one at a time then setting them down. Finally, he decided something wasn't right and he turned and made a couple of big jumps and ran. I was surprised that he never raised his flag when he left.
I looked back over at the feeder and the doe was still there feeding. I waited about 10 minutes before starting to climb down. She left as I came down the ladder.
I walked down to where the buck was walking when I shot him and looked around. I saw him piled up about 50 yards away. There was too much brush around to measure with a laser but that is my best guess.
I didn't have too much trouble with wasps that early - only two in the blind.
I took the deer to Diamond-P Processing in Clarendon. The phone number is 806-874-3083. Tell them David sent you. Unfortunately, they don't do summer sausage but for normal stuff they are great.
Now for the pics.
I know the experts say you shouldn't show a bloody mess in your pics but I like to take some of the deer where and how it was when I found it.
Here are a couple of me with the deer.
Here is just the deer and a closeup.
Here is how the deer made his way to the butcher shop.
Here is a pic of the blind. The plastic jug on the side is a wasp trap. They didn't work as well as I'd like. There were a dozen or so wasps in each jug. They'd probably work better in the spring and summer.
Here is a view from the blind showing the buck's location when I shot him. Range was 70 yards.
When I was leaving the farm I saw this mule deer doe and her fawn.
Meanwhile, at my other farm I found this spot torn up. I think mule deer were fighting here, but I guess it could have been hogs. The ground is so soft that the prints aren't very clear to me. We've seen 8 big mulie bucks bedded down in the yard next to the house so it could be deer.
Here is a closeup of the torn up ground.
The first buck came right up the road you see in the pics. When he decided to turn to his right off the road I decided to take him. He made a huge jump and then another and was out of sight in the trees. I noticed as he made his second leap that there was already a red spot on his rib cage.
When I looked back at the second buck he was looking after the first buck. The he looked around and sort of started a little dance by lifting each hoof one at a time then setting them down. Finally, he decided something wasn't right and he turned and made a couple of big jumps and ran. I was surprised that he never raised his flag when he left.
I looked back over at the feeder and the doe was still there feeding. I waited about 10 minutes before starting to climb down. She left as I came down the ladder.
I walked down to where the buck was walking when I shot him and looked around. I saw him piled up about 50 yards away. There was too much brush around to measure with a laser but that is my best guess.
I didn't have too much trouble with wasps that early - only two in the blind.
I took the deer to Diamond-P Processing in Clarendon. The phone number is 806-874-3083. Tell them David sent you. Unfortunately, they don't do summer sausage but for normal stuff they are great.
Now for the pics.
I know the experts say you shouldn't show a bloody mess in your pics but I like to take some of the deer where and how it was when I found it.
Here are a couple of me with the deer.
Here is just the deer and a closeup.
Here is how the deer made his way to the butcher shop.
Here is a pic of the blind. The plastic jug on the side is a wasp trap. They didn't work as well as I'd like. There were a dozen or so wasps in each jug. They'd probably work better in the spring and summer.
Here is a view from the blind showing the buck's location when I shot him. Range was 70 yards.
When I was leaving the farm I saw this mule deer doe and her fawn.
Meanwhile, at my other farm I found this spot torn up. I think mule deer were fighting here, but I guess it could have been hogs. The ground is so soft that the prints aren't very clear to me. We've seen 8 big mulie bucks bedded down in the yard next to the house so it could be deer.
Here is a closeup of the torn up ground.
:banghead:
I value my health and would like to enjoy a few more years on this earth.
