Photo from Ducks.org While drinking coffee and reading the latest issue of Ducks Unlimited, I decided that I want to shoot a goose. I know nothing about it; not what type of gun and ammo to use or how close I need to be. I did learned that the season in Maine is the fall, which will work well for my schedule and learning curve. When I was younger, my neighbor and I would track geese in the corn fields. We were not trying to hurt the birds, just wanted to see how close we could get. At our best, we got within 20 feet of a flock of snow geese before they saw up coming up over the knoll. The thunderous sound of the birds taking off was startling and amazing. I have never shot a bird, only deer. Dad and...
Dad saw a lynx in this area about five years ago... so don't rule it out... is this a lynx? a bobcat? This is the first time we have had a cat on any of the trail cameras... and luckily enough, the deer did not disappear because of it. Can you please let me know what cat this is? Thanks!
1. My child cries/moans in his sleep! Seriously - see #6. Is this normal? Who knew? 2. I needed to bring a lot of gear with me! My hunting clothes, my 'normal clothes', his toys, his clothes, his bedding, his food... I'm glad I have an Outback! 3. Bringing the wrong "flow" bottle top could alter how quickly he goes to sleep. Slow flow - forces him to slow down and puts him to sleep. Rapid flow - drinks too fast and throws up. And is not tired. 4. I had to make sure to pack enough diapers, food and clothes. 5. Don't forget the bathtub - routine is important! I forgot to bring this the first weekend and our bedtime routine was not the same. 6. You really can stay awake in a tree stand after 2-4 hours...
Our first tree house. During the last two weekends of hunting season, we headed over to the spot where it all started! ~~~ While Hubby and Dad decided to still hunt on the mountain, I needed a place to sit. Dad said that our original tree house was still safe if I wanted to go there. He advised me that the roof (made of canvas) had caved in a bit and that could pose an issue. I hate to be on the ground and trying to hunt, so I figured I would take my chances. When I approached the stand the first time, it looked good. Not as good as it did when we first built it seven years ago, but stable and strong. When Dad and I built it, (this was our first attempt at a tree stand), we haphazardly nailed boards to the tree...
This is what 7* looks like 7 degrees. 7 flippin degrees is what the thermometer read when we headed outside on Friday morning. I was as bundled up as possible with hand and toe warmers. Hubby headed to the Sky Condo with instructions to start walking around 7:30am. Dad dropped me off at our newest tree seat and he took off to make a loop around me. The plan was for Hubby to come from the right, Dad from the left and me, in the middle, shooting any deer that happened to get jumped. If it had antlers, it was going down. When it is this cold, I go into owl mode where I really don't move much more than my eyes. Plus, I had on so many layers, I could barely move. Ready for this: 3 pairs of socks...
For the past 10 1/2 seasons, we have been a two hunter show. I sit, Dad walks and we either find deer or move to a new spot. This time Hubby came along and it added new challenges for us. Dad and I have three seats up and decided that we would each get a spot to sit during the first few hours of Saturday morning. We put Hubby in the Sky Condo because he has not hunted/shot from a tree seat and we have some tiny/slanted seats that Dad and I are used to. It seemed a little awkward to try and get everyone in place early enough so that the last person was sitting at an early enough time to beat the deer moving. At 5 am, we were out the door and heading into the woods. The wind was flipping COLD!!! I was my normal,...
It was definitely not the best day of hunting we have ever had. We had planned to skip Friday afternoon so that Hubby could come up with me, but thanks to an illness, he didn't come and I missed the opportunity to catch the last couple of hours with Dad in the woods. With the moon almost full, Dad and I figured that we would walk in extra early on Saturday and get set up before the deer started moving. My 4 am wake up call (Mom coming to wake me up so an alarm does not wake the baby up) came at 4:26. I have never jumped out of bed and dressed so fast! The problem is that I sit when I hunt, so I dress in many, many... many! layers. It also means that it takes me more than 30 minutes to get dressed so that I...
Dad has hunted on the land that houses the Sky Condo for the better part of his life. About six years ago, we built the SC and started hunting there full time. At that time, there were no other hunters near by. A few years ago, a hunter bought a bordering piece of property, re-did the old camp that was there and brought his buddies along. We haven't had a lot of incidents with them (trespassing last year, putting pink ribbon on my tree seat and lying to us when we asked them what they shot - a search through the list at the tagging station said an 8-point buck). Two years ago, Dad bought a piece of land that is separated from the Sky Condo property by a powerline and a driveway that is privately owned by...
