A memorable hunt indeed!

Well, for those of you who don't know me very well the picture below sums up my personality :)

I love God, Family, Hunting, Sarcasm, and Mountain Dew. I try not to take life too seriously and in the last 15 months have been reminded that life is too short for that with the passing of my mom and grandma. So when something like this mornings hunt happens....well....you just roll with the punches!

Out of desperation, I made a "natural" ground blind last week because what few deer that were moving where I can hunt were out of bow range. (see above pictures)

In two weeks of bow hunting, the deer have been moving from south to north (right to left in the picture) so it was of course only a matter of time before I would "seal the deal." Cows are now out which means the deer had "no choice" but to move exactly where I wanted them to.

This morning from 8:15-8:45 I watched 8-10 does/yearlings spring by the cows, and graze directly under the deer stand I had hunted the previous two weeks without seeing one deer come within range. However, within a few minutes a few of the smaller deer were coming at me! My hear was pounding and I was pumped. I decided to get down on my knees to ensure I wouldn't be noticed. It was at this point that I discovered A) I'm not that flexible anymore B) I was never that flexible to begin with. Even so, this was the best shot I had at harvesting a deer with my bow. I crept into range, let er' fly, and watched as my lighted knock went sailing over the intended target. Hunt over right?

Oh no my friend, 15 minutes later, a smaller doe came up the same trail from the herd that had stopped for tea and biscuits and was currently discussing politics under my stand across the creek. I won't shoot over this time.....wack! My arrow hits right below this time. Now I'm laughing to myself thinking, what are the odds?

5 minutes later 2-3 more small does come down the trail but move south right in front of my stands 15 yards away, broad side. Thank you Lord! Pull back, and as I do...I picture myself bringing deer sticks to work, stopping by to show my grandpa on the way back out of the woods....and let her go! 4 feet from my blind the arrow strikes a large branch and goes directly into the ground in front of me.

What are the odds???? That pretty much summed up by bow season and that's ok! I had a great time enjoying creation this year and while the odds start to really be stacked against me, I do still have a few more times to get out and enjoy some late season hunting.

And as they say, that's why they call it hunting!

One last chance

The last five years of my bow hunting have had one thing in common: Bill the ol' buck. 

Bill has been on my camera for five years in a row, and he just showed up again this last week at 1:00AM!

I just happened to check my camera when I got back from spending our Thanksgiving in Huron, SD with my wife's family and I had to do a double take, but it was definitely him. He has to be 6 1/2 years old. I thought I saw him on November 12th around 165 yards away, and he wouldn't respond to my grunt tube. I'll post a pic of what he looks like this year in my next entry. Until then, Get Out There and enjoy the great outdoors!

Hay Bale Huntin'

Last night I tried hunting behind some hay bales in a picked corn field in an effort to have my son involved with my evening. I wasn't expecting to really have a shot at anything, I just wanted Hayden to be able so see some deer.

As "prime time" approached a black dog starting running through the corn field at us while his owner shouted all types of colorful words at him to get him back into his van which proved to be fairly fruitless. It was at this point that both Hayden and I realized the odds of us seeing anything were fairly slim, so we instead had a great conversation, Hayden tried out my buck growl deer call, and then we walked back to the truck.

While the evening didn't go quite as I had planned, it was still spent with my son, and we had a good time. I knew I hadn't turned him off from hunting for life when he asked about coming with me again the next time I went out.

Remember, memories can be made with our without big deer, and your kids are really more interested with just spending time with you, so get out there and enjoy the outdoors with your kids!

Outdoor Family Adventures

Here it is, my first entry!

Looking forward to sharing with you some great places to take your family, light hearted stories, and practical advice on how to enjoy the outdoors with your family.

I'll be posting a new entry every Thursday, so plan on checking in to see what is going on in my corner of the world and some of the greatest places in the world to enjoy with your family!

Mark