Guns | Diva in the Outdoors

December 13, 2020December 13, 2020

Big Buck Down!

Image may contain: sky, tree, twilight, plant, cloud, outdoor and nature — Marcus’s shadow in the sunset about 45 minutes before he shot his BIG BUCK!

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 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st 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 2^nd 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!

If the stocking cap wasn’t getting snagged enough it was my long hair, at times my hair looked like Cruella De Vil and I may or may not have said some bad words out loud.

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/ 2^nd 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 1^st 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 1^st 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 1^st evening hunt!

Good Luck guys!

Marcus took me all around a new area. Found ourselves over by Wayne. I got to see my 1^st bobcat.

I also got to see my 1^st 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!

December 6, 2020

Another Day of Adventure!

2020 Kansas Gun Season Day 3

We didn’t hunt this morning as we decided to shower and bask in a morning light, with a nice cup of coffee.

While we are pretty die -hard hunters, we do recognize that life needs balance. What is right for one, is not right for another. You gotta have a little bit of this, to appreciate a little bit of that. We sat around, relaxed, and visited with Mom and Ron most of the morning.

About afternoon we drove all over the county looking for the public walking ground.

Gotta keep our options open.

The scenery out here is beautiful. The rolling hills catch my eye and I am a sucker for old homesteads. They bring me a wonderment of lives past lived and the stories they hold.

The lands we were checking out didn’t pan out to our liking. Cattle were either in the field, the landscape unappealing or the razor wire fence deterring me from injury.

We headed back over to some public we had hunted on the last 2 nights. We may have found some other area but the clock stop for no one, and daylight was fading.

We parked on the side of the road and walked the edge of a green hay field. We decided to walk into the woods, we found ourselves on a shelf or isthmus type island with steep deep water ways on both sides. We were pretty high and had a look out point throughout the woods. The woods were so peaceful, except for that damn squirrel perched up in the tree was becoming quite annoying. Was it really necessary to make such noise.

The ground in the woods was dry. So, it would be easy to hear anything walking through the woods, as the leaves we dry, I would be able to hear movement.

The weather was decent as I did not even have my whole proper attire on for hunting. There was plenty of deer sign. The island we were sitting on actually had a deer tail right down the middle of it. The field we walked through had hoof prints all over it.

Well, we saw nothing tonight! The location we sat was amazing scenery, nothing like it is a home. Just the scenery itself makes the whole trip worth it.

The opportunity to hunt or harvest a deer is just a bonus.

However, I am pretty much done with this piece of public, as I feel it is over pressured all too much and I am starting to believe that possibly ghost deer live here. You could also tell the weekend was insight as more traffics had picked up and a tad bit orange could be seen.

December 4, 2020December 12, 2020

So close yet so far away!

Opening Morning 2020 Kansas Gun Season!

Start time is 7ish. So, getting up at 6ish aint so bad.

I had gotten up earlier during Wisconsin Gun Deer Season.

Forgot to pull my hair back, I am not a happy girl if my hair is not pulled back during hunting.

I have long hair, yes yes I do.

Plus, I found this new pullover hood thing in blaze orange that keeps me toasty, and when my hair is not pulled back , well let’s just say hair in the face and hair on my neck just don’t work for me, I don’t like the feeling!

Anyways, also forgot my Chapstick, oh my gosh yes Chapstick!

The morning was a little brisk, glad I started the jeep early as there is frost covering the windows.

The place we hunt is only a little way down the road.

The walk in not too bad, except for it was a lot colder and windier than expected.

The moon was bright and lite up the earth rather nicely for our walk in.

The chair placement in the blind was not ideal and needs a little tweaking.

It was a rather drab morning with little to no sun, the frost glistened on the ground.

I did not hear one gunshot all morning, which I thought odd for opening day.

Back home that is all you hear for the 1^st few hours opening day!

Plus, the wind was really nipping at my nose with an icy cold touch.

We had spotted a rather large buck on the far fence line, unable to get a clear ID on the big fella.

We headed in mid-morning for a rest and breakfast.

So, glad for electric start.

We decided to try some public walk in only land for this evening.

We drove up a big dirt road to get to the top of a hill.

There is no public parking so we parked off the road.

We walked in through this vast area of cedars and tall grass/weeds.

There was sign throughout the area with rubs and scrapes.

I had no idea how to navigate this area, but Marcus had a good grasp of where he was going.

Back home we don’t hunt much wooded area, so that is what he wanted to sit in and me to experience.

Well we ended up in a woods on a ravine with a very sharp drop off to a woods below.

This area was sloped so it was hard to find a flat spot to sit. I sat behind Marcus as bit.

The view was magnificent.

I am afraid of height so I don’t sit in tree stands back home.

SO, sitting up on this ravine overlooking the woods below, must be what it’s like for those who sit in tree stands.

The wind up here was blustery and cold.

The owls hooted and hollered throughout the woods.

A few birds flew here and there.

And that was all she wrote.

We saw nothing!

Heard 2 other shots in the distance all evening!

It was a nice sit, one that I won’t forget!

Oh, the shrimp, Ceasar salad, and twice baked potatoes were so yummy!

Marcus’s mother sure is a wonderful cook!

Better hunting tomorrow!

December 2, 2020December 2, 2020

That’s a wrap!

11/29/20 9^th day of Wisconsin 2020 Gun Deer Season

Last Hunt!

No body from the hunting party hunted or did drives today,

as they had a few more deer to process before the weekend is over.

The wind was a little blustery today and the sun had no interest in coming out.

This did not give me much motivation to hunt this last day of the season

I figured yesterday was my last day and time was dwindling down,

because we leave for Kansas for their 12 day gun deer season the very next day.

Marcus kindly reminded me that, “hey ya never know what you will see, we don’t absolutely have to leave for Kansas tomorrow, go shoot the big one will ya!”

He was right, live in the moment!

I didn’t go out until a little later than normal, just due to limiting my time in the wind

My propagative , I guess!

I had not seen anything, but did hear a bird, if that counts.

The animal world was not very busy today, I am guessing due to the wind.

The last 10 minutes of the night, 2 fawns came out in the big food plot to my left.

I felt they were alone but ma could have been nearby, but we did take a doe or 2 this season, so maybe mom isn’t here anymore.

That thought makes me sad, but that is part of nature, no doubt.

The fawns were fun to watch as they were playfully frolicked in the field.

Well…..that’s a wrap. 2020 Wisconsin Gun Deer Season Over.

I didn’t harvest a deer this season, but that was by choice, as I had some good opportunity.

It was the year of the girls as Hailey and Sierra both got their 1st gun deer. I got my 1^st bow buck as well this year.

The hunting party ended up harvesting 8 deer this season.

With all the flooding, I wasn’t sure if anybody would get any deer.

Focus on the blessings!

Until next year!

November 29, 2020

Friday Night Lights!

Matt and Brady's Doe — Matt and Brady’s Doe

Marcus and I trying to take a nice picture!

11/27/20 7^th day of Wisconsin 2020 Gun Deer Season

Black Friday everyone!

I sat on “The Hill” for the afternoon!

I got up there around 1pm.

Marcus had dropped me off as I was going to sit the rest of the afternoon and the hunting party was going to do a drive.

Marcus needed the Mud Duck for the drive.

It’s a long walk to where I sit on The Hill.

If I knew my yards from my feet’s I could tell you how long of a walk it really was.

But I can’t.

There is a grassy tree line between a bean field and a hay field off a woods.

This is important to know because there is hardly any flat spots to put a chair.

This is the same area I sat a few night ago but where I sat the other night was in an opening between 2 trees.

This is where I had my blind the last few years.

I felt this left me a little exposed so I moved over and found a flat spot in front of a tree.

Yes, it was windy as usual

And the sun was at my back but so was the wind, I was thankful for that.

The hunting party was going to drive the north half of the property and the deer use this route as an escape.

Shortly after the drive started a medium size doe was running the length of the bean field in front of me.

She stopped in the clearing to rest a bit, to catch her breath and then trotted away to safety.

A short while after that I had a small 4 point buck and a fawn running down the hay field even closer to me.

They too had stopped in the clearing right in front of me.

They were exhausted as I could tell, they stopped to catch their breath and rest a moment.

They stopped and looked back as if waiting for their friends or searching for danger.

They rested here about 5 minutes before they trotted off into the woods.

I was able to get a quick picture as I didn’t want to scare them anymore.

The rest of the night was rather dull and cold.

I thought the wind would die down but it didn’t.

I was hopeful something might step out of the woods the closer I got to closing time, but it didn’t surprise me that one didn’t.

I feel right now the deer are on lock down until it is safe to move and they hear no more bangs in the air.

A tag team effort from the drive, 2 of the guys harvested a doe. Congrats Matt and Brady!

Cindy was also sitting solo and she harvested a doe and nub buck as well. Congrats!

Only 2 more hunting days!

Why is it going so fast?????

November 29, 2020November 29, 2020

Thanksgiving Day!

11/26/20 6th day of Wisconsin 2020 Gun Deer Season

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!

Different kind of thanksgiving here this year, as I am sure was all around the world

Due to the lack of people getting together for thanksgiving most of the hunting party was less busy,

As we don’t normally do much hunting on Thanksgiving.

I had ordered premade food from a local meat market, so I didn’t have to make a thing

just heat and go for supper

We usually don’t get together for thanksgiving as we traditionally do an evening hunt

Marcus shot a nice buck a few years ago on thanksgiving.

The hunting party did a drive through the pines over on the farm.

I was part of this drive and was posted on a hill across the road as this is a route the deer

Have fled to over the years.

That is exactly what happened this time as well

I could see them racing through a small woods, cross the highway and head straight for me

This is the part of the drives that don’t excite me very much, the hunting party is much more experienced and have been hunting longer than I.

They were running fast, technically I couldn’t make out what they were. Somene radio’d they were fawns.

I don’t make it a habit to shoot at random things.

I most certainly don’t shoot at running things, I am way to inexperienced shooting at running targets.

Much less the idea of injuring a deer and not finding it doesn’t fare well on my do to list.

Plus, there is a good chance I miss and the thought of a happily flying bullets to freedom is kind of scary and something I don’t want to be a part of.

I had 3 fawns or youngsters run right up by me.

They were so close that they were almost going to run me over.

I had to wave my arms and talk in order to deter them from running me over.

The guys did another drive and I went out for a solo sit.

I sat on Degners, which is basically a big plowed up field right now, the field butts up

to tall grass and willows with cattails all around.

I know there have been deer in this area for years, I have seen them in person and on camera

This was not a traditional hunt, as I have never sat in this spot during gun season.

I have a few sits in this area during bow season over the years.

I thought it might be a promising sit, as I had seen tracks in the fresh mud as I was walking in.

I nestled into some tall grass with my back up against a tree.

I don’t have much shooting here, to my back left beyond the field is a road, my straight left is a house, and to my front left is a tree line and field and factories/building beyond that.

But good shooting to my front and my right if they come out of the woods.

The only excitement I saw were the geese flying off of the sewer pond and want to land in the field right in front of me.

I saw nothing this night as well!

Happy Thanksgiving again!

*Sometimes in the business and chaos of this life, I often don’t concentrate on my blessing enough!*

Only 3 more days of hunting!

November 28, 2020November 29, 2020

Rain, rain go away!

11/25/20 5th day of Wisconsin 2020 Gun Deer Season

I had to work until 1:15 pm today

The hunting party did 2 drives, about halfway thru the 1^st one it started to rain.

They pushed the drives through

However, it rained into the evening and I did not go out hunting.

2 days of nu hunting, bummer!

5 more hunting days to go!