A happy soul in the outdoors!
I watched this little bird’s nest all bow/gun season of 2020. It was in a large bush right outside my blind. I never seen any bird movement near it, but I was able to catch a picture in March 2021. Its a cute little nest…looks well built….some little birdie worked real hard to build it. I wanted to get a better look, but I decided to let it free of human touch.
2020 Kansas Gun Season Day 4!
Ahh Saturday morning!
The weekend is here.
Jason and Jess left Wisconsin enroute to Kansas around 4pm.
They made great timing by getting in around 1:30 am last night.
Never even heard them come in.
Fresh air does wonders for sleep.
Another 6 am start.
The wind was a little brisk this morning.
There was a lot more wind than I had expected.
As the weather yesterday was in the 60’s.
So, I expected little wind and decent temp for this morning.
I have hunted long enough to know better and dressed for cold.
Glad I did because as we walked to our hunting area.
The wind really pierced my skin.
We decided to hunt in a new location this morning.
We weren’t sure if Jason was going to hunt in the front blind in the morning, depended on what time they got in last night.
So, we went old school and just planned on sitting on the end of a tree line, with no artificial cover.
We were looking at a big tree line, concentrating more on the right side of the tree line and field.
The blind we have set up only has views of the left side of the tree line and field.
On our 1st day Marcus had seen a buck on the other side of this tree line,
So, where we sat this morning we would be able to view the right side of this tree line.
It was a quiet morning with little noise, an owl or hawk screaming in the air.
I took a picture of Marcus silhouette from the back with the sunrise as his backdrop.
Very cool picture, if I do so say so myself.
I was admiring this tree we were sitting by; it was a medium sized thorn like type
It looked so cool with the sun as it background.
About 741 am I spotted a deer walking on the tree line to my left.
I poked Marcus in the back, as I seldom do to let him know I have seen something,
It our code for “LOOK”.
I, of course did not know if it was a buck or doe, as I seldom don’t pay attention right away.
My 1st instinct is to alert Marcus, plus I didn’t want to move too much, we didn’t have much cover and I had already felt this deer had made us.
Marcus slowly looked up and was able to bring his binoculars up, I didn’t move out of fear.
I felt like the deer was looking right at us.
I watch as Marcus slowly brings up the gun.
I wonder to myself, what the heck is he doing that for, clearly he knows something more than I do.
I do know that Marcus would never bring his gun up if he wasn’t going to shot. I know my man!
So, this was some serious stuff right here!
Gun fires….oh ok! We are doing this!
Deer flinches, but I don’t see much reaction.
Boom, Marcus shoots again, deer takes a digger and goes into the woods. I am for certain Marcus made contact. I watched as the deer went into the woods and never come out. We discussed he might come out of the right of the woods. He didn’t!
That’s it folks!
Marcus is worried the 1st shot was not on point, he says: “the buck should have laid where I first shot”. Marcus was worried he may have flinched a little to the right, as he may have rushed it because the deer was ready to bolt at any moment, due to possibly making us. He was confident in the 2nd shot. It was roughly a 100 yard shot! It looked a lot further than that to me, but what do I know! I know I wouldn’t have been ready to shoot the deer; it would have been too far away for my liking and I would have moved to much getting my gun up. So, I am super proud of Marcus!
Literally from start to finish the amount of time Marcus had to acknowledge the deer, look in the binocs, raise the gun and shoot was like less than 30 seconds…it happened that fast. Yup it happened just like that!
We stood and watched for a while and decided to head back to the house, grab some coffee and give the deer some time to expire.
I was confident that it was a successful harvest. Marcus is a good shot and I have a strong faith in what is meant to be, is meant to be! I hope my prayers also worked wonders as I am a strong believer!
We got a plan together, how we will go track the deer. Jason and Jessie helped us with the tracking! Which was much appreciated. Marcus planked the left side of the tree line, Jess was planking the field to the right, Jason down the tree line overlooking the south end of the tree line and fields, and I walked through the tree line.
The tree line I walked through was thick and was nearly impassable. Tons of thorn trees, my hands were scratched up from making my way through, the stocking cap I was wearing had gotten snagged on several branches on my way through, which made for a pretty comical adventure, as I had to go search for my stocking cap hanging from a tree several time. Oh, sure I had to drop my glove!
I was having no luck finding a sign of disturbed movement or a blood trail.
I eventually made my way to a grass clearing. This clearing butted up to the rest of the tree line. Marcus has told me to check out the area, as there was a deer trail coming out of some small red willows. As I made my way through the clearing, I was so focused on finding blood, that I had tunnel vision. I had looked up and turned my head to my right and there the BIG Buck laid! H**y S**t! Oh, thank you GOD!
Apparently Marcus saw him right away, as he was planking the tree line and was to the grass clearing before me. I mean you couldn’t miss him. Unbeknownst to me, Marcus was recording my reaction on his cell camera. I believe I may have had a few choice words of excitement.
What a sense of relief! Thanks be to GOD and your generous blessings! I take a moment of pause, to thank this amazing deer for his sacrifice. I remain in a moment of prayer, as I soak in the beauty of this amazing animal, the life that he had lived and the comfort that he brings by providing food for the family.
Oh, I had hugged my honey as tight as I could. How exciting! Jess ran over from the field; she was so excited. Jason raced over from where he was flanking. What an exciting moment. All Marcus’s apprehension/anxiety/nervousness/ 2nd guessing/self-doubt and replaying the situation over and over in his head where lifted off his shoulders and disappeared into the air. You done good!
I am sure his prayers were answered, and undoubtedly a little help from his pops, in the heavens.
Picture time, celebration time, gutting, and loading time, back to the homestead. Jason went back to the house to get the UTV for transport.
What an amazing experience. This is Marcus’s 4th hunt in Kansas and the 1st opportunity to take a shot at a deer. I am so proud of my man! I had no doubt in his ability to shoot and his appreciation for the love of hunting, the outdoors, and deer! Great memoires!
The buck was an older fella maybe a four year old. At one point this feller had 13 points, through survival of the fittest, he is now a ten! He was blind in one eye and infection has started in, no doubt a war wound. Pretty buck, he was a hefty strong guy!
The 1st deer I had seen all trip so far and it was this big buck, and this buck was one of the biggest we had on camera, and in Marcus’s terms a shooter. Of all the odds, it was him that stepped out in the early morning light to grace us with his presence. Life is full of many crazy, unexplainable adventures in a series of unpredictable chaotic events filled with ups and down, soaking in this beautiful ride!
After the BIG day today!
We took a drive this evening. It’s always a good time to take a drive around an hour or so before closing time.
Jason and Jess went out for their 1st evening hunt!
Good Luck guys!
Marcus took me all around a new area. Found ourselves over by Wayne. I got to see my 1st bobcat.
I also got to see my 1st 2 doe’s since I have been here. We checked out a few walk-ins as well.
We got closer to home and I spotted a little buck up in the tall grass, nose to the ground and in a hurry to get somewhere fast.
Down the road from home we had 2 doe in the corn field on Ma/Ron’s property.
As I look over a buck is running across the open cut bean field.
Didn’t really get to make out how big of a buck, but big enough to know he was a good size buck.
Cream of pheasant for supper tonight! Oh, it was good! Jason/Jess didn’t see anything tonight!
Saturday November 8 2020
Saturday night hunt with Marcus
Got out in the woods a little later than I like
Lazy Saturday I suppose.
We are the King/Queen of random ground hunting
After all, I did shoot my bow buck last Friday from the ground with less than a 10 yard shoot.
Marcus has a bad knee and had surgery to repair it,
However, he needs the knee replaced and is too young according to the doctors to have it replaced
So, he can no longer climb a tree stand
Well the guy is pretty smart and he over thinks many of things, especially anything hunting
But he does know what he is doing
So, he picked out a really cool place to sit at the edge of the marsh
Oh, and if you read my blog from yesterday
I could handle this walk
Cut beans to my left, tall grass to my front, a tree to my back, and tall grass to my right
My front and right beyond is all marsh
It a small hidden field, well not really a field, I don’t know how to explain it.
Last year we cut it and made a food plot
This year time got the best of us.
We nestled into a bush and put up the good old Ghost Blind.
Using the blind has been by trial and error
Marcus kept eye to the right and I to the left
Those same flock of black birds from yesterday flew all around the sky
Here and there and everywhere
With all the tall grass around me
I had hoped I would look up and see a big rack appear above the grass,
Well no such luck. Not a single deer was seen
A whole bunch of ducks flew out form the marsh at a few minutes before closing
For sure teal and wood ducks.
The weather again was beautiful
Marcus loves to hunt and he loves BIG BUCKS,
So, I said a little prayer the BIG BUCK makes an appearance.
Cuz my man needs to get a BIG BUCK
The day light is getting shorter and that makes me sad
Day light saving time is not my friend.
As I love to hunt in the evenings
Ahhh probably will go out tomorrow!
Shoot straight!
Friday November 6 2020
I have been looking forward to this hunt all week
As it has been a whole week since I have been out hunting
Oh, wait I don’t need to hunt right now
I got me a big buck
However, going out hunting even if it’s not my hunt
Is as rewarding as if I were hunting myself
I love being outdoors
So, another Friday night hunt it is
This time Marcus had the bow in his hands
He said he had a new place to sit, I mean I trust him with my life 🙂
At 1st he just wanted to old school ground sit
But I said let’s take the Ghost Blind
Some cover is better than none
Well the walk in was horrendous
The field we thought was half plowed
Was fully plowed
You ever walk the edge of a farm field
Were the field meets the grass
Horrible especially for a girl that had ankle surgery this past year
I was carrying a hunting chair with no strap
I have carried this chair before and it sucks
I know my arm strength is weak
Thanks for the reminder that I am a wimp
So, the chair got the best of me
Plus, I carried the Ghost Blind, I have not broken down and bought the backpack for it yet
But the thing is awkward to carry
Long walk over
I can’t even tell you how far that walk was
But I never wanted to walk it again
I thought of how I could get back with out going back the way I came
Marcus had picked a spot on the bottom of a huge bean field(that was tilled up already)
This bean field butts up to marsh and lots of cattails
Next to an ancient huge tree, which I have always been fond of
I knew this to be a promising spot
As over the years I have seen many a deer here
Once we got settled in it didn’t take long for a deer to be spotted in the field over to our left
Far away for sure
Then another comes out in front/left of us
From the cattails
100 yards would be my guess
I don’t know my yards from feet, so who knows
The weather was so nice 70 degrees for sure
It was nice to bask in the warm air
As I know soon it will be gone
I spot a flock of birds over head
This turned out to not be a normal flock
I am assuming they are blackbirds, red wing black birds, and grackles
Their flight in the sky went on for over 10 minutes
10 minutes of continuous flight of birds
Like I said I haven’t seen this type of migration for over 10 minutes ever.
I notice a doe cross the bean field diagonally
To our side of the field
They seem to be all congregating to the same area
There must be an area in the beans yet for them to eat
All does no bucks
Its closing now and we must pack up
A few does are still down the tree line from us eating
Which leads to a tricky pack up
As I am standing up now
And I see the deer(big deer)
To me left, over in the direction of the does, in the field beyond
Binoculars up
Big Buck
Marcus got a good look too
Big Buck
Its past dark but his rack is big enough to make out
We think it is BUD, he has a real tall rack
He slowly walks up the tree line at the end of the field
Of course, on the other property
He then turns around and walks back
He has his eyes on the does that have been in the field with us most of the night
It was a nice sit
Saw my biggest buck of the season so far
The walk back killed me and I had to draw inner strength
To keep my sanity on the way back
I really just wanted to scream and cry out loud
Instead I screamed and cried on the inside
And it was loud
About halfway back I had to dig deep
Mind over matter
Boots to the ground
Focus it will end and it did
I really liked the spot we sat in
It covered a lot of area and I could see lots of land
So much possibility in this spot.
Oh and I cant wait to see how sore my body is in the morning!
Shot straight! !
Just a typical Friday
I had flexed time during the week to get done early from work to get a jump start on my Friday night hunt.
I have not missed a Friday night in 7 weeks.
I had thought to go out Saturday morning to my Radix Blind, so I didn’t want to over hunt that area tonight, so I thought we should go back to where Marcus had hunted the night before.
I had hoped that the buck Marcus had seen the night before might make a special appearance.
We got a later start than I would have liked.
This was the 1st night that Marcus and I would hunt together this bow season.
We Mud Ducked(4 wheeler) down the road and up to the hill.
Oh, the walk….I repeat that again…….. oh, the walk
Thru that long long green hay field.
I am not a fan of long walks to a blind. Or long walks in general.
I always seem to become a sweaty hot mess by the time I get to the area I want to sit.
Plus, to top it off I am carrying my crossbow on my back and a heavy hunting chair all the way across the field.
Marcus had to carry his hunting chair and the Ghost Blind.
By the time I got to our location my back was on fire from pain, but I consider myself a STRONG WOMAN.
Anyways, we both get settled in, I sat behind the Ghost Blind and Marcus nestled in way behind me in the bush.
Marcus choose to not hunt tonight, and just hang out with me; we do that sometimes. Or rather he does that sometimes as he works very hard to set me up for success.
He was going to do a little calling for me here and there.
I am hunting in the Ghost Blind and I am still trying to adapt to the blind, trying to learn the techniques of hunting behind it. I have only used it 4 times so far.
There were a few blind spots I was not too happy about.
But you know how that goes once your set up, your set up.
I would have to adapt.
I will save the Ghost Blind story for another post
At 431 pm there was a doe up on the hill in the bean field
I figured she had come from the top of the hill, where Sam, Marcus’s cousin was sitting in the woods
In a tree stand up in the valley hundreds of yards away.
I figured he kicked her up.
For the next hour it was quiet.
In the distance the combine was cutting beans towards our house
There was little to no wind, so still. The weather was enjoyable.
The corn stalks did not move and I could hear the wings from the birds over head
As they flew into the bush all around us.
A blue jay here and a cardinal there.
A few morning doves flew up from the corn field in front of me
I though that might be a sign of movement in the corn field, nothing though
It had to be about 5:30 pm and Marcus had said my name from behind me
I looked back at him to see what he wanted; his eyes pointed to me in the direction of the corn field.
I can read them there eyes to mean deer over there.
The blind is blocking my front view (still trying to adapt to the blind)to the corn field so I had no clue what he was seeing
However, as I looked to my right thru the shooting hole in the blind there is a BUCK, a nice buck about 20 yards out
It was a nice rack to my standards and so I pondered the theory could this be MY RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Closest buck I have had in the last 8 weeks
In all the years of hunting this was the 1st time I had consciously made the decision
That I was going to shoot this buck, LORD willing!
I have passed Bucks up before; you know how that goes
It wasn’t the right BUCK for me.
So, this here buck is to my right. 20 yards out.
I had actually used the range finder on this exact old wooden post in the ground earlier.
All I can see out of the shooting hole was a head, ears, and antlers
I knew I had to be stealthy to get my bow up and in position without him seeing me.
He never did turn his back at me.
I always thought if I had to raise my bow to a deer that I would see him coming and long have my bow ready to go. I could prepare, plan it out ahead of time.
Guess it doesn’t always go the way it plays out in my head a dozen times.
I could not see his body at this time, I am pretty sure he wasn’t concerned about me and more about the beautiful hot doe he was following around. Hmmm wonder where she went.
I thought the buck was gonna go straight to my right up the hill and outta sight. At this point Marcus doesn’t not know why I am raising my bow for, he figures maybe I will shoot the doe or maybe he thought there was a buck with that doe, come to find out that he had no idea a buck had walked out from the corn
All he saw was a doe that stepped out of the corn, looked in our direction and turned right back around. He had no clue that I never seen the doe he had saw.
Well that Buck did a 180 and walked right to the front of my blind.
The way this played out in the next minute was crazy, I got this buck right in front of my blind, 10 yards
And I can’t see him, blocked by the blind. I mean the blind did its job, perhaps poor placement on my part.
At this point Marcus gives out MEHHHH, mind you I cannot see the buck in front of me.
I am unable to get him in the opening in front of me
So, all I had was “HOPE”, hope he took 3 steps further to the opening I had my bow pointed out
Then it happened, he took those 3 steps, he should have been long gone, but he took those 3 steps.
I have no idea when I took the safety off, no idea that there was lines in the scope I was suppose to line up, no time to breath, BAM
Made contact, just a hair high would be my guess, he was a lot closer than I thought
But who thinks at this time. Marcus always told me to watch where the deer goes, its important.
I felt confident the arrow went in. No doubt in my mind.
I watched him run down the hay field into the corn, jump up and down the length of the field an as he exited the field I see his one last jump and he was gone, disappeared.
He should have kept running straight ahead up the hill thru the beans to the other side, but I never saw him again.
I continued to watch for movement but none, I was excited.
I felt as though MY BUCK had taken his last breath in that vey place. I am a good Christian girl and prayed for a quick and painless death and a joyous transition the to BUCK HEAVEN!
I started packing up, but Marcus told me just to chill, that I had to give him time……I ain’t got no time…..I just shot a buck.
I packed everything up and Sam stopped his hunt to come down to help.
Marcus began looking for blood as did I, but we didn’t find any! Was there supposed to be blood????
He also looked by the corn field, no blood! Oh great….no blood!
The hay is green and short, now I started to doubt myself. Marcus of course jokes, hope the RAGE opened up, you know you hear those stories. Really guy!
I decided to send the guys on their merry way to search for my buck.
I walked back thru that long long field to get the Mud Duck and pack everything up. Yes, it was a long walk as I prayed we would find my buck.
As I walked back, I walked next to the corn field, just to look for blood. I thought he went in further down the field and he did.
I found blood, lots and lots of blood, sprayed all over the corn stalks.
I tried calling Marcus on my walk back, 3 or 4 times, I figured he had his phone on silent.
He finally picked up and I told him that I had found blood.
What a relief.
He said to bring the Mud Duck and then walk up by them.
They were standing about right where I had last saw “MY GUY”.
Yup that is his name “MY GUY”
So, I figured they were waiting for me to confirm exactly where I had last saw him.
Well, I get there and they tell me that they found blood and the trail that he came out of from the corn field.
Sam said he was going to go look down by the corn for blood
Marcus and I walked the bank trying to look for any signs
I didn’t take but 3 steps and there he was down the slope
At the edge of the corn field, he looked so peaceful.
Here was right where I last saw him
He tried to jump the little hill and ran out of blood.
Them guys…..they had already found him prior to me getting there, but they wanted me to be able to find MY GUY on my own.
He is a beautiful buck. The 1st thing I did was say a prayer and thanked MY GUY for his sacrifice.
I feel very blessed, blessed beyond words. I finally did it. The right place and the right time finally happened. Do you know how hard it has been for me to find the right place and the right time and to not give up HOPE??????
I take no pleasure in the kill itself.
I am extremely thankful to be given the experience and be able to provide food for my family.
I pay no attention to the stats; all I know is he had 9 points, a 13 inch spread and weighed roughly 135.
He has a sparkling light coat, a nice white patch, and cute little white patches on his feet.
4 years bow hunting and this is my 1st harvest. I hit it hard this year because I had switched jobs and didn’t have the time off like I am used too.
This was my 8th day in a row sitting out.
My heart is happy and my soul content.
When I hunt I take pleasure in being out in nature spending time with GOD and his beautiful creatures.
Its nice to get the monkey off my back so to speak and to put some food in the freezer.
Getting to experience this hunt with my love, Marcus by my side means the world to me as he has been by my side for the last 4 years cheering me on, keeping up my hope, providing his expertise and working the calls.
Thank you Sam and Marcus for getting him home for me.
I have officially joined the tagged out club and I could not be more proud.
The top 3 pictures are of the deer I walked in on while I was walking to my stand. The 4th picture is of 2 one years old, the doe on the right is in heat right now. The 5th picture, not that you can see it but one of them is the little buck walking up to the HOT doe.
10 Sit
Saturday October 25, 2020
Didn’t accomplish much for a Saturday
I guess you have those days every once in a while.
Boy did the day off go fast because before I knew it, it was late afternoon already.
I don’t normally hunt 2 nights in a row
Much less in the same place
But the wind just wasn’t right for anywhere else
And there was a call for rain/snow on Sunday
So I had made the decision to not hunt Sunday, but Saturday
Marcus finally came out hunting tonight
The Ghost Blind had arrived and he was goanna try that.
Marcus has not been too thrilled with the current situation
With the river flooding and flooding our land
As this limits access to out hunting land, hunting options, and wildlife movement
So, Marcus has been a little down on his luck
It didn’t take much arm twisting to get him to go
I helped him get set up a little and then he told me to go to my blind, as we were a little late getting to the woods.
I like to get in a certain time.
The water puddles have went down a little from yesterday and the walk in was silent
I think of Marcus sitting back there as I walk in, hoping he is able to distract his running mind for awhile and hope he enjoy the hunt, the quiet and peace being outdoors offer his busy mind.
As I curved the small filed I walked up on a doe as I was walking in
I immediately stopped for at least 5 minutes, thinking at some point she would trot off
Nope, she didn’t move, basically went about her business while keeping and eye in my direction.
I was able to get picture and a video before
I made the decision to move and allow to her to be scared off
She made her snort wheeze and away she trotted.
Had I been in my blind already she would have come into the field by my blind
As I approached my blind, I hated the thought that there would be deer in the food plot on the other side of my blind and of course there was.
4 deer, doe and fawns
We had a stare off for the next 5 minutes
I knew I had to eventually get in my blind
So, I moved slowly, closer to the steps and took one step at time very slowly
They just kept watching as I was there but not really
Once I got to the platform to enter my blind and started unzipping the door they disappeared
Once I got all settled I figured my chances of seeing deer the rest of the night
Was ruined by the deer I scared away on my way in
There was little wind and the air around me seemed still and at peace.
I kept thinking and hoping that Marcus might be seeing some action
As it was his 1st time out, reluctantly.
Eventually the group of 4 I kicked up returned to the field
They would go out of sight and come back a few times in the next hour
I basically had deer to watch all night
About 5:55 I had a little doe to my right
I have not had much movement on this little food plot
However, this is my best shooting option
The doe was at least 50 plus yards away, it was small and payed no attention to me as she walked away
The group of 4 eventually shifted out of sight
Within minutes they were back and this time much closer, maybe 50 yards
Closest they have ever been in all my hunts
I notice a larger bodied deer in the middle of the field
Well wouldn’t ya know it, we got ourselves a little buck, he would munch a little on the field
But he was most interested in the HOT young doe near by
I always find it quite intriguing
Watching buck behavior during the rut
The buck wasn’t very big as I had a hard time trying to make out at first he was a buck, the darkness didn’t help.
A little 4 pointer
I think it mysterious the way bucks look when they are walking towards you,
And even more so when a buck is walking straight towards you on a mission, but really walking straight towards a HOT doe.
I am pretty sure she had no interest as she ran away every time.
It occurred to me that Mr. Little Buck might actually walk over by me.
But who was I fooling he was chasing a girl.
Closing time had arrived.
Them deer were still in the field as I packed up.
I packed up slowly to not scare them
They were gone by the time I left
Walked back to help Marcus pack up and he was out waiting for me.
He didn’t see anything and I told him all about my hunt on the way back to the Mud Duck
Of course, this time Marcus drove so we didn’t get stuck on the hill on the way out
We put the finishing touches on our supper of Beer Cheese Soup and Bacon, Cheddar, and Beer sloppy Joes.
Mighty tasty for sure
I was glad Marcus finally got out there. I felt it was a pretty good hunt.
We did discuss changing up some trail cameras tomorrow as we didn’t have any camera on the food plot exclusively.
Until next time….shoot straight…… its almost ruttin time.
9th Sit
Friday October 24, 2020
It had rained and misted a majority of the day
Not a peek of sunshine from the heavens
Ohhhh and the wind raced freely thru space every which way
Plus, it was a tad bit cold
Fridays are always a long day at work
Even when you work from home
The taste of 2 days off and the thought of fresh air and hunting do a good job teasing the mind.
Its 4:15, just logged off the ole work computer and I am flying around the house trying to get ready
Well most things are already ready.
As the days get closer to the time change the less time I have in the stand
Here we go!
I parked the Mud Duck further back this time
So, I had a longer walk
I had worn my rubber boots for the walk in
I figured with all the rain we had, I would run into muddy travels
Well I ran into so much more
Puddles, lots and lots of water
In the lower land area
Sometimes way above the ankle of my boots in several areas
Now I am glad I wore the rubber boots
Thinking to myself, Dang girl you got some smarts
I wasn’t expecting the amount of water I saw
This water was not from flooding from the river
As it does a few times a year
The water was a bit disheartening
But it’s the nature of the beast.
My blind had water on the floor
I often wonder where it comes from as it is
But it sure did wind and rain the other night
An enclosed insulated blind
But where there is a will there is away
It was a windy, wet overcast afternoon
And I feel the evening would not produce much activity
About 5:00 Mr. Raccoon
Came out from the tree area and wander off thru the field right in front of me
At 5:02, 3 deer are to the left of me, Mom and 3 fawns
Eating in the big food plot
At 5:13, a doe walked out to my left out into the big food plot
This is a popular food plot since I started hunting
Anyways, the doe coming from this area had me thinking
Where that doe came from is a flooded ditch, so I wondered how it got there
Jump the ditch suppose.
Anyways it was neat to watch this doe come into the food plot and how the mother and fawns
Interacted with her
They sure did keep their distance from one another, but I wondered why they couldn’t be friends
But I suppose a mother needs to protect her young
A short time later
I see another doe enter the field from my far far left
It certainly was small and all alone
These deer munched on food in the plot for the next 15 minutes or so
By this time, I am distracted by the sound of four wheelers on the road
Probably the neighbors
But they had successfully managed to disturb the deer and they disappeared
I had hoped the four wheelers would not make their way back by me
Well they better not and should now better
But the sure did screw around and disturb my sound of silence for the next 5 minutes or so
I mean going down the road and back is one thing
But I felt it was so much more
And I can respect that boy need play
I could feel my blood pressure raise
I figured I didn’t have a chance to see much the rest of the night
As I sat enjoying the peacefulness
I notice how unusually quite it is
I also notice this on my walk in
I contribute the silence to the wet ground
Everything was soaked and nothing was made a sound
No rustling of the leaves and grass
Just complete quiet
I found this silence quite eerily, but almost soothing to my soul
Around 6 the big grand owl behind me on the tree line
Gave a few hoots as the light eases into darkness
About 6:10 the deer are back in the food plot to my left
I only see 4, but who knows how many there are
As I cannot not see the entire curve of the field
As I watch the darkness grab the light by the hand
I watch as the deer in the food plot stand at attention
They are looking straight ahead of themselves
Well out comes a deer from the left behind me, in front of them
Again, I wonder where they come from, as they have to cross the water/ditch in order to get to the food plot
The ditch is overflowing from all this rain
It is now well past closing time
I quietly zipper up the window facing the deer and slowly pack up
Trying my hardest to not make much noise
As I am sure any minute I will spoke them
I unzip the door and peak my head out, hoping they had departed the food plot
Nope they did not
I released the cross bow
Below my blind
This time thinking
They would hear this and leave
Nope they are still there
I now see 2 large deer figures walk out to the tall grass
From that ditch area
I was not able to see any horn
I did manage to get a glimpse in the binocs
By the time I was all packed up and ready to step out of the blind
The field was full of deer
I am talking 10 plus deer
I could make out some pretty big bodies
The field was littered with bodies.
I tried to be as quiet as possible
Zippering up the door and climbing down the ladder
But they paid me no attention
As they all remained in the field eating. I was able to walk away from my blind
And they didn’t know, no different.
I was pretty impressed I managed to be so quiet as to not scare then off
The walk out was dark
Which made the walk rough
As I had to walk through the water again, this time there appeared to be more
Mud than my way in
Or perhaps I just found the muddy areas this time
I was smart this time driving out
I put the Mud Duck in four wheel drive before I left
As the last 2 times I got stuck and had to back up and put her in 4 wheel drive and then go
Darn I am smart didn’t get stuck this time
The buck movement so far on camera has been minimal, but a good night hunting
Is not measured by the antlers I see
I got to see lots of deer tonight and I was fascinated by their behavior as they mingled with other deer.
They temp are dipping tonight
Once I got back home, I was getting out of my hunting gear and
I thought I would have to wear my
One rubber boot in the house
As I could not get it off,
I have a bad foot/ankle and could not find the strength to pry it off my foot
Nothing a few choice words didn’t cure
Fish, potatoes and zucchini for supper
The story of my night shared with the guys(you too Dad)
Dad, you will find the humorous in this……..
20 minutes after I left the blind
I had a buck on camera
A nice one, I think the one I had seen a few hunts back
Definitely a shooter
In the very food plot that all those deer where in when it was closing time
I wonder now as I look at that big rack
Was he out there, when I was there?
The heart feels a little heavy(you know that feeling)
Seeing him on camera, so close yet so far way
Until next time…shoot straight…its almost ruttin time!
Saturday October 18, 2020
It had been a windy day all day
Not just your typical wind , but like windy windy
If you know what I mean
I had not really thought about going out tonight
So, it wasn’t a thought much of the day
As it was pretty windy last night
I wasn’t thrilled to sit out in the wind tonight
Marcus came home from work and asked if I was hunting
I said probably not
He spoke those encouraging words like, the deer might move in the wind a little more and last night the wind did eventually die down, might not be a bad night
Okay fine, you don’t really have to twist my arm
Plus, I thought it might give him the chance to get his schoolwork done
2. 5 hours without me distracting him, perfect to finish his schoolwork
The wind was good for the farm, my spirit to sit there was not so good
This is really an isolated spot, a hit or miss, and rather little movement per trail camera activity.
But hey you never know
I am not a fan of this walk on the farm, as it is almost 10 minute walk in ankle high grass
That’s fine for most but an out of shape middle aged women it’s a chore
Plus, I have had 2 surgeries on my left food/ankle in the last year
I got all settled in
……….and saw nothing
Nothing for 2.5 hrs.
At times the wind howled so strongly, I thought the blind might tear in half
I said a little prayer a few times that a tree above me would not fall over on top of me.
The pack up was uneventful.
I didn’t do much thinking this sit
As the wind was blowing, so I tried to drink in as much warm air as I could
I occasionally tired to make out what species of birds that would fly by
I decided to walk back through the cut bean field
Which would cut my path in half, thinking it might be easier
It wasn’t
I had to walk over row after row of cut soybean
So, it was no easier than walking in ankle high grass
I crested a hill in the bean field and 4 rows over I met that white stripe
He did not see or hear me coming
As he just continued to walk towards me
So, I thought to not let our paths cross
Of course, I know nothing about skunks except they stink and they can spray you with the stink
So, I was concerned what way the tail was pointing
Embarrassingly I was yelling and screaming at the skunk
In the middle of the bean field, in the middle of the dark
Can you imagine that sight????
I am driving out of the farm thru the fields, in between fields, and around fields
As I come out between to corn fields headed up a hill to the farm a small buck runs in front
Of me, flying thru the air
Once he got to the other side he got a little distracted as he had to maneuver thru the rows of round hail bails.
Well that was my excitement for the night
Fresh air is always good for the soul
The men of the house had instant pot mashed potatoes, zucchini casserole, and beef roast ready for supper
Boy was I hungry, as I had not pre planned to hunt, so I didn’t eat lunch.
Well, like I have said before….any day in the woods is a good day
Until next time….shoot straight….it’s almost ruttin time
Friday, October 16, 2020
When a woman makes her mind up
Its set
I had planned on hunting after work
Luckily for me COVID had allowed me to work from home
Plus, it sure does help that our hunting land is right out the back door
Got a late start but was eager to go
Of course, the cat ran out in the garage and out the door to freedom as I was getting ready
One of the big bucks I am after was down below the house gain last night again.
So, I kept a positive thought that tonight was going to be a good good night
Pulled the Mud Duck out of the garage along with the retractable electric cord
Good thing the cord decided it wanted to be retracted
Oh, that is how this night is gonna start off?
Decided to walk in the back way again
Which entails driving the Mud Duck through an intrakit weave of fields
To get to where I am going
The walk in wasn’t any easier than the last time
Plus, I was in a hurry
This time trying to remind myself where the holes and divits are
I mean what’s the point of being in a hurry if I am going to fall on my ass
Well probably on my face more like it
As I walked in, I snacked on one of the 100 calorie walnut/almond packs
I normally get hungry at this time, as it is right around when we would eat
But no, I got to go hunting
So, I have to wait until after 7 pm until I eat supper
Ahhh my pretty enclosed blind, you look so nice
Since the last time I seen you
I am proud of my blind, I have not given her a name yet
And I will, but I have always wanted a blind like this and will appreciate the blessing of having one
The weather looked nice on my drive out
The sun was out with a slight wind
But my dad had to jinx it earlier
And say something to the effect that hopes I got some hunting in before the extreme wind and rain.
Whatcha talking about dad, looks nice
At 447 pm 10 minutes after I get in the blind
There are 2 deer in the big food plot to my left
I kept this window zippered up a little as I feel it helps the deer
As I think it provides them security as they eat
Plus, I have been told I move around a lot
Whatcha talking about????
Yes, I am not quite sure how I will handle the situation when there is a buck there and I am not ready
Game time decision I guess
Is its meant to be its meant to be
40 minutes later around 528 pm I now have total of 7 deer in the food plot
Just does and several fawn, maybe one or two teens as well
Well the doom and gloom arrived
The sky turned grey and then dark
The wind picked up to almost Gail force winds
A few times I actually grabbed on to the blind
Preparing to be blown over
Oh, lookey there a tree had fallen in the woods
The deer didn’t seem to be awfully concerned
As they remained in the field
It sprinkled, rained, stopped, rained again,
Stopped, some more heavy rain and then stopped
I stuck it out
The whole time worrying about taking a shoot and losing the blood trail due to wet ground or rain
The wind/rain kept my mind busy so it wasn’t as peaceful of a sit as usual
I decided to sit out the rest of the hunt
The wind calmed down a bit the last 30 minutes or so
I tried to picture in my mind a big buck stepping out from the willows or walking straight at me down the path.
But it didn’t happened, however I sure do want to be ready when it does
Well, its closing time.
As I stepped out from the blind there were still deer to the left of me in the big food plot
One was fairly large bodied.
It was to dark to make anything out
I was a tad bit concerned walking back to the Mud Duck
Earlier in the week we had a Germain shepherd running deer below the house in the
Middle of the night.
I thought he was located by his owners as Facebook had reported
But as I was leaving the house Marcus was on the phone with someone who had seen
A Germain Shepard spotted down the road from us.
My intention was to make sure a knife accessible
You know one of those things you keep saying in your mind as your packing up to leave
Knife, remember the knife, knife, get the knife, remember the knife
And then I walked away and forgot it THE KNIFE.
So, I armed myself with the crossbow bolt( its an arrow with a special end that I use to dry release by bow)
Not sure what that would have done
But I was going to give it my best shot if I ran into that loose Germain Shepard
The closer I got back to the Mud Duck I noticed this white stuff in the air
Yup them would be snowflakes, the 1st of the year
It snow flaked on my ride back home
Brats, potato salad, and chips for supper
Sure, was yummy
Another successful hunt
I saw deer, got some peace and quiet, cleared my mind, enjoyed the simpler things in life, bonded with mother earth and sat in silence and basked in the blessing I have been given in this life, did I mention the deer.
Until next time shoot straight! Its RUTTIN time soon!
Saturday October 11, 2020
I didn’t hunt my usual Friday night
We had an appointment in the afternoon
And I did not think I would make it back in time
Well we were back in time but it was windy
I am not a fan of bow hunting in very strong winds
Saturday was sunny for the most part and a little breezy
I had made the decisions early on to go hunting and once I had that in my head
There is no changing that
I was a tad bit worried this would be an uneventful hunt
As the guys had been down on the land mid afternoon
Working on a stand
So, I figure if there was any deer they be gone by know
However, the wind was not right to sit anywhere else
So, I choose to sit in my enclosed blind.
We had gotten the Mud Duck back from the oil change
I was able to take her to the hunting grounds
I took the back way into my stand
I had to drive through the neighbors back yard
Follow the cornfield around to the bean field
Then thru this small area in a tree line to follow a grassy path around several bean fields
To where I parked the Mud Duck called the cherry trees
I had the thermal cell all fired up already anticipating lots of skeeters
They were not so bad
I hadn’t walked this way yet to my blind
It was a little rough
As had to walk through taller grass and lots of uneven grass
The walk was a little more aggressive than going in the front way, plus let’s face it I ant no model for physical fitness.
I was all settled in a little after 4
Didn’t need the thermal cell as the skeeters were not out due to the wind
I opened a new window this time around, a bow windows to my left.
I attached the picture for you to see
Wasn’t sure how I would shoot out of the window
What kind of shot I would get
But it was another option.
It was colder and windier than I had expected.
The wind was really blowing through the window
I ended up closing the left windows about ¾ ways
Which actually worked in my favor
Not only was I warmer, the wind blew less
But the deer I saw later would be less concerned that something was different with my blind because the window wasn’t open.
I didn’t see anything for over any hour
The birds have migrated
So, I missed watching them dance in the sky
It was a peaceful sit
Except for the tractor far off in the distance doing some harvesting, is my guess
I always find that annoying this time of year, but I get it
I don’t get enough quite time, this is my quiet time
It the only time that the world stops for me
It just sits quietly and still
And I think about nothing, and lord knows there is enough to think about in this world
I even didn’t mind the wind so much as I try to soak up as much fresh air as I can
Even if it triggers an allergy attack.
Finally, 2 deer I can see in the big food plot to my left at 534 pm.
It’s a mom and fawn, came out the same location as always
I figure they must bed in the tree line right up against the cattails
Way too far to shoot
I don’t pay them much attention.
Eventually they get spooked by something coming behind then and trot off
At 550 I realize what spooked them, as I now have 6 deer in the big food plot field to my left
No bucks but a family with littles.
They have come to munch on the food plot.
At 556 pm I see a rather large doe come from the other direction
On the opposite end of the food plot, she must have jumped the ditch
She is alone and moves slowly to the group of six
She nibbles on the goodies in the ground
Eventually she wonders back where she came from
The group of six move to a part of the food plot I cannot see
And a few short minutes later
The mom and fawn I first saw at 550 peek their head out from the cattails
I waited patiently as the sun goes down and darkness overtakes the sky
The party of dear ate in the field until closing time, about an hour.
No big buck wondered my way.
I pack up quietly as the does/fawns eat in the field.
I am all packed up and peek my head out of the blind around 645 pm
And what do I see……a mom and fawn had come out of the willow behind me as I was packing up
And are now eating in the big food plot
50 yards from me
They were never spooked by the noise of me packing up
I waited a while and they never spooked.
I was hungry and had to use the bathroom
I could not wait forever for them to move
So, I slowly got out of my blind, zippered the door closed, climb down the ladder
And left and they were not any the wiser.
Long walk back to the Mud Duck when you’re hungry cold and have to pee.
On my way out I had to try to maneuver back through the maze of fields
To get back home
Got held up on a rock or something through the tree line
Had to try to use the four wheeled drive to get a going
The boys had supper ready when I got home
We had purchased from the fire department fund raiser earlier in the day
Hot dogs, brats, and wings
They were yummy!
All in all not a bad hunt.
Again, any day in the blind is a good day!