I was so worried about my son waking up in the middle of the night and subsequently waking up my parents, that I barely slept. This was our first overnight and every little whimper had me ready to jump out of bed and make him a bottle. When I got up at 4:30 it seemed as though I had just gone to bed. But it was opening day and there were deer to find! Dad and I had looked over the memory cards from our cameras the night before. Dad asked me to keep track of how many bucks I saw in the photos. One spike, one crotch horn, another spike, a small six (maybe) pointer, two more crotch horns, a NICE, wide six-pointer and a bunch of does. More does. The same does. Turkeys. Grass. Grass. A coyote (boo!) and then... a perfect, beautiful, thick...
Deer season starts tomorrow!!! Dad and I have had the cameras up seriously for about a month or so. The excitement of bringing the memory cards home, waiting to see if there are new pictures and then of what... it's almost like Christmas morning for us. We have three cameras out, two by the Sky Condo and one by my tree seat. One of this year's photos (the last one, below) got Dad and I talking. Is it better to know what you have out there, even if you never see it? or is the element of surprise better? For example, here are some photos that we have taken from the trail camera of deer that came, got their photo taken and disappeared. This buck is right below the Sky Condo A different buck (look at the tines and...
This little story has been locked away since last season. I was sworn not to share it. It was a story I was willing to lock away forever. But, when Dad told a few people, it was like getting the ok to share it. Dad and I were in the Sky Condo the weekend before the last week of deer season. It was about 3:30 pm and we were waiting to see if any deer would come in. To look out from the SC, the left front corner has canvas around it to help cut the wind down. It can also cut down on a clear view of the woods from that direction but move about 6 inches to the right, and that small piece of woods is visible again. That is where I was sitting; about 6 inches to Dad's right. We heard a noise...
Dads play an important role in getting the next generation of hunters interested and out in the woods. It takes almost as much skill to get the kids out there as it does to make that shot and harvest an animal. There is the concern over getting cold, keeping their attention and talking about what it means to kill (and then eat) an animal. In honor of Father's Day and all of the great outdoor Dads, I thought that it would be perfect to hear how Bryan includes his sons with his hunting and the excitement they had this past deer season when the boys were with Bryan as he shot his first buck. I have interviewed Bryan before about hunting, fishing and getting his kids involved from an early age but his dedication and his...
As I write this, I am almost 38 weeks pregnant. I finished up my first season (more like sample) of turkey hunting with Dad and have found some things are vastly different than then were 22 weeks ago when I was deer hunting. For starters, Dad and I are novices when it comes to figuring out how turkeys operate. Give me a rainy weekend and I can tell you the times of day that the deer will be moving and when they will bed down. With these turkeys, that rule doesn't seem to apply; they are out in a complete downpour. When I make noise by rattling antlers or using a bleet, I know if I am trying to imitate another buck or a doe. I have no idea what sort of bird I sound like when I use my box call. In the...
Well, we know we are in a good area and that our calls work. We got into the woods by the Sky Condo a little earlier than we did on the first day. The weather predicted rain so we wanted to get in as much time as possible. We got to our ground blind, set up the decoys and settled in to start calling. This morning though, we didn’t have to start anything. We heard a gobble within five minutes of sitting down. I got my box call out and called back. He answered almost immediately. We had a great conversation for a steady 30 minutes with him often double or triple gobbling. Then the gobbles became more spaced apart but did not stop. Dad decided that be would circle down to the power...
It is hard to hunt anything when there are rain drops falling off the trees. It is probably the worst during deer season when everything sounds like the snapping of a branch. But, this was my first day of turkey hunting and having never been before, I had no idea what I should be listening for besides a gobble. Our turkey decoys Dad and I had two decoys set up about 15 yards away from us. I had a slate call, a box call and my camo on. It was starting to get light out when we reached the blind; that time of morning when you can not tell if you really are seeing something move or if it is just your eyes. It was probably a little later than we should have been in the woods, but we are new and learning. About...
For 10 years, I have been trained to look for that quarter-sized spot, half way down the crease of the shoulder. That is where I would set my cross hairs and shoot. That one small spot to ensure that the deer I was hunting would die a quick death. The idea that I would have many pellets in a shell and just sort of aim at what I was trying to kill is something I am trying to wrap my mind around. Hubby and I were up at Mom and Dad's for Easter weekend and decided to break out the guns on Saturday afternoon. We were using #6 and #8 shells (I apologize right now for any and all incorrect terminology that I am about to use! I will get it after a while) but will be hunting with #4. Dad has a pump 12 gauge and a break action 12 gauge. The...
Somewhere, there is a photo of Dad and I in our matching red and black plaid wool jackets at Christmas. They look like this but red: Although last year, Dad did not wear his wool pants as much, we usually look like twins when we head off into the woods. It's our hunting uniform. So, when I was shopping for baby clothes hangers and I saw a red and black plaid fleece pull over, I had to buy it. Had to. Sure, it is for a 24 month old and I have about 26 months until the baby will fit into it, but it was a small hunting uniform that I needed to buy. To all of you parents out there... what else should I buy?...
