Yesterday was opening day of Fire arm deer season

[alleyyooper]

Yesterday was a nice day to spend reading. Doe deer were going along the edge of the corn field next door very early in the morning. Later in the morning the deer were coming out of the corn in the far back corner cutting across the corner of our place to a patch of heavy multli flora rose behind us. Seen one shooter buck about 10:00 AM cross there, it is about 150 yards back and I am not comfortable to make the shot thru the trees that far with my shot gun.

The after noon skys cleared and the sun was shineing so the snow on the roof started melting and running off. Squirrels which I had not seen many of in th emorning came up and were busy. One decided to climb up on the blind and I felt it wiggleing the door, soI quickly opened the door with the squirrel streache dbetween the door and the frame. Scared the **** yup out of it, and had no more come near the blind the rest of the day.
About 3:00 PM the deer started making the trip from some place west of me to the corn fields in front across our west line fence. Most were does with smaller but grown fawns taking their time sampleing things as they traveled thru. About 4:00 PM a shooter buck came by, odd looking rack on him looked to be a good systrimich rack with one point about 12 inches long on the right beam and a couple normal points Maybe 6 in total or 7.
About 4:15 PM had several does come from the Mult flora rose tangle in back going some place west, I suspect some illegal baiting across the road west of us. But for some reason once they got up about where the pond is they came back and were milling around in the flood flat in front of me. They finally cross the creek ice was saft for two of the 3 but the 3d one broke thru got up on the ridge across the creek came back to the east and slipped into the corn there.

I'm thinking today isn't going to be as nice out as it is presently 15F with a NNE wind making it feel like 10F. Am sure I will light my heater today. I had made sure there was another bottle of propane in the blind befor the season and the stove would light. It is the only blind I have a propane heater in. the only other blind with a heater has a Colman duel fuel back back type stove. I keep a oil jug of Colman fuel in it, I tried unleaded 87 octane gasoline in it and it did work for a season but the next season it wouldn't work till I tore it apart and cleaned it.
Doesn't use that much fuel a day so just ran Colman fuel in it. But now I have learned how to make non Ethnol gasoline I may try that again.

Time to get cracking here got a can of hominy to put in the fry ban and get it steaming hot lay about 5 strips of bacon on top whipp up 3 large eggs and pour it on top with a bit of colby chease then cover for a couple minutes for Breakfast.

Couple coursants to slice and add some slices of ham for my dinner and a quart of tea laced with about a 1/4 pound of honey. a 1/4 pound of honey is about half of a honey bear.


Al

 

[FergusonTO35]

Our gun season has been in for a week now. I have passed on a couple of small ones so far. Went hunting most of today, didnt see a darn thing. On the way back, an average size doe trotted out in front of me and offered an easy broadside shot. Of course, my house was immediately behind her so I could only watch her trot away without a care in the world.

 

[alleyyooper]

As predicted it was dang cold out as I steped off the screened in porch. As I am walking the path out toward the pole barn where I make the turn and go along beside it, I note deer tracks in the path. I have the electric fence gate undone for ease of getting to the blind and the deer came up in the yard just a couple feet from the screen door. Yes the Mecury light is bright as well as the clear sky. I make a note to close the gate when I return and use the long way path in the future. Once past the barns light I stop and let my eyes adjust to the weaker light from the Moon then continue on. Had no sooner cleared the 40' of pole barn when I hear deer running thru the crusty snow and hit the leaves at the woods edge. I stop and listen and look about, didn't expect to see any thing from there as the edge of the woods drops off in some spot nearly straight down a good 15 feet to the flood plain. From where I stood to my blind is about 30 yards so I deer walked the rest of the way.

Deer walked you wonder what that is. If you have deer hunted very long and have taken the time to become attuned to how critters move you know most times deer do not walk straight true and steady. they walk a few feet stop and browes (during deer season ya they know.)they also stop every so many feet and use their radar ears to listen their super noses to smell about them and their eys to detect things which were not there a week ago or yesterday even. They live in those woods just as you live in your living room and if the wife moves a piece of funiture you know quickly.

So even in the moons light I walk a few steps and stop so I sound like a deer moving and use my eyes as I am stopped to scan the area. I was only about 10 yards from my blind when I see a lone deer climbing up the bank on the orther side of the creek on my logging road. It was stopped and I am sure it saw me standing back lit by the moons light. When it finally decided I was not a threat it moved on up the hill so I moved on to my blind and startede to climb up as it disappeared.

Get up in the blind and remove my thermos I keep slung over my shoulder as I am traveling set it on the shelf. Then remove the slung shot gun and lean it in the easiest corner to grab when needed. Then I remove my back pack and hang it from a hanger I have on the right hand wall about 2 feet high. then I set in my chair reach up and open the front window. No wind coming thru it, open the left hand window a bit of wind thru it so close it again. open the right window and no wind comeing in it so I am set to unpack. First the binoculars a good pair of Minlota 12x50's I bought many years ago before the company went out of bussiness, they woork well in my manture hard woods lot. Then my camera the Cannon Power shot 812S zoom ones, I like it OK except it doesn't have a view finder so as I am zooming to get a picture I some times loose the subject and have to start again. It is not my car show camera at all. But that one only has small fixed lenes you need to change for longer shots. I pull my bag of trail mix out next and put it on the shelf also.
I used to make my own cause I hate those dried dried up raisins all all boughten ones have in them and a over abundance of them.

But the bulk food store where I could buy a half pound of this and quarter pound of that to make what I liked went out of bussiness.
So I resorted to buying a bag of M&M's, Reeses pieces, Some small prtezal sticks a bag of combos and other things. then after deer season I would have partial bags of this and that around tempting me.
It is cold deer hunting so I burn the sugar& carbs some what then. just setting around the house nibbling that stoff raises my blood sugar way hi so I just don't do it.
Last is the Kindle and my glasses.

I set back to wait for legal shooting time one half hour before sun rise. Isn't long and I see the sun riseing up out of the trees and I check thre time and it is now sun rise.
I see my first deer of the day when it would be legal to shoot and it is a shooter buck looked to be a small 6 pointer. It's hair and antlers was covered with frost as it walked a bit stopped and stood then turned and went back the way it had came from the corn field. It only went a few feet and stopped and turned with its nose to the ground. It disappear soon behind a clump of out huge Oak trees and a small dip. Then it reappered on my logging trail and headed due east to thre multflora rose mess behind my place and the corn field beyound it.

About a hour later anopther shooter buck Way back near 200 yards of come out of the corn and followed the fence to the ridge and then over the hill to the creek. Two more deer came out of the corn almost straight out my closed north window. One a small button buck went and pawed up under a Oak tree ate I few acorns I think and laid down. the other a small doe decided to lay down straight out the north window and about 40 yards away on the oppsite creek high bank. Decided i would take a picture, start opening the window, no creaks squeeks or other sounds but she had to have seen the glare of light change because she was on her feet in a instane and off running with her little brother for the multri flora rose brush.

About 10 AM 3 does come from the south the horse pasture area, get to the creek and mill around a bit and then cross and follow along it to the west. I tell Kare On the radio she has 3 does coming along rhe creek. I know Kare has been up for a bit and fed her cats and has now sat down for breakfast.
At dinner (mid day Meal.)she said she saw them but turned her back for only a couple minutes and they were gone.

I am starting to get chilled so I light my little stove, continue to read and watch for dee rtill Kare calls and tells me dinner is near complete.

After dinner Kare had fixed I went back out in some bright sun shine and a bit warmer to a different blind. This blind is my PCV frame portable it is cozy inside and on the roomy side.
My short little Remington slugger has to lean up againest the cloth that makes upo the roof and sides but I also sort of lay it againest one of the close at hand up rights. I will make a shot gun rest for this blind once the season is over.

Cool thing going to this blind is a Hawk screaming like crazy from one of the tall Oak trees on the edge of the woods. I finally locate it and it is the pure white one.
I saw nothing untill about 4:00 PM when 6 does come sneeking down thru the drain from the pond to the flood plain flats.

That finished up My second day of the season.

Looking back I did mention I used to make my own trail mix because I don't care for those dry dry dried up raisins.

This year I finally found one at Walmart that is pretzel sticks, peanuts, peanut butter drops and NO RAISINS.

Also found My year old replacenment 2 QT. thermous doesn't keep my tea hot all day. In fact by 1:00 PM the stuff is like sweet ice tea.

I have another I got as a gift in 96 that stopped working so I contacted Stanley and they took the information off the bottom and sent me a new one.
I have came to the conclution that the 2QT. bottles just don't work below 40F to keep things hot. Monday morning I will have both my quart Thermos brand bottles with me. Is sort of a pain but I carry one with the home made sling and the other fits in my back pack.

Al

 

[alleyyooper]

After dinner Kare had fixed, I went back out in some bright sun shine and a bit warmer to a different blind. This blind is my PCV frame portable it is cozy inside and on the roomy side.
My short little Remington slugger has to lean up againest the cloth that makes upo the roof and sides but I also sort of lay it againest one of the close at hand up rights. I will make a shot gun rest for this blind once the season is over.

Cool thing going to this blind is a Hawk screaming like crazy from one of the tall Oak trees on the edge of the woods. I finally locate it and it is the pure white one.
I saw nothing untill about 4:00 PM when 6 does come sneeking down thru the drain from the pond to the flood plain flats.

That finished up My second day of the season.

Looking back I did mention I used to make my own trail mix because I don't care for those dry dry dried up raisins.

This year I finally found one at Walmart that is pretzel sticks, peanuts, peanut butter drops and NO RAISINS.

Also found My year old replacenment 2 QT. thermous doesn't keep my tea hot all day. In fact by 1:00 PM the stuff is like sweet ice tea.

I have another I got as a gift in 96 that stopped working so I contacted Stanley and they took the information off the bottom and sent me a new one.
I have came to the conclution that the 2QT. bottles just don't work below 40F to keep things hot all day. Monday morning I will have both my quart Thermos brand bottles with me. Is sort of a pain but I carry one with the home made sling and the other fits in my back pack.

. Al

 

[alleyyooper]

Sunday morning was another cold morning at 15F but no wind so that was nice. Since I had turned the electric fence on I needed to take th elong way around to my blind, the only one with any kind of heat.
I was able to have all the windows open and didn't start the little stove till about 9:00AM. was about then some one south but close shot and about 20 minutes latter you could hear them talking that way but could tell what they were saying.

Saw a doe way back come out of the corn she was covered with frost. Amazes me every time I see them so covered with frost and they are evendently warm.
Close to 10:00 am a shot then a quick second shot unexpected caused me to start. Was in the north east corner area of the corn field. I see a buck run into my woods a small racked one then it dropped dead about 30 yards into my place.

About 15 minutes later my cell is ringing and it is Dan 2 houses north of me calling to say a deer they shot had ran onto my place. I say come get it, I climb out of my stand and go bact to it a small 4 point. His grown son old enough to have 2 kids had shot it with a 450 bushmaster one of the new Michigan shot gun zone legal rifles. told me it was a break action single shot.
Kare agreed with me that the two shots came so close together it sounded like a semi auto.

I really am trying to be a good neighbour but it is really trying to do so. I and Kare looked for close to 4 months when we found this blace in mid 1985, then with the crap we put up with on selling Our homes and the woman who had this place would not renew our purchase agreement and then going to the court house auction when she was finally forced to take what the place brought took us 10 months.
We had 7 acres of woods with a creek running thru it a 1800 sq ft home with wooden inside walls root celler double concrete floor space and a dirt floor space, 3 car garage and a 30x40 pole bar.

A developer bought the 10 acres north of us and put a modular home on iot a narrow strip of woods about 30 feet wide and the rest farm field. Then when it sold the devloper got the next north of us 10 acres and put another Modular on it and sold it.

They got so used to tresspassing on our place with my working the night shift and going to the UPPER to deer hunt that I had a hard time getting it stoped with the first next door neighbour. Had to take him to court not once but twice to get it stopped. Can't tell people they can't use property they have become use to useing like it was their own private hunting grounds.
That guy doesn't even hunt there any longer.

At least the guy in the second house comes before the season starts and askes for permission to come and recover deer. that is Michigan law they need permission to tresspass to do even that.

More on this later.

I figured my hunting now with then coming down along rhe corn with their side by side was sort of screwed up so I go to the house and change into work cloths and go retreave a ladder to one of my deer blinds that had broken so I can repair it today.

Al

 

[Lightning Performance]

Use eth free gas and you won't have anymore trouble with the stove or the heater.

 

[alleyyooper]

Day 8 was yesterday.

Saturday I had decided I would go all the way back to my farthest back blind. The morning was just how I like it a crisp frosty 24F could hear a nat in the leaves a 100 yards away.

Made a quick breakfast ham and eggs and got ready and headed back. I could hear some thing to my north and behind a bit as I walked along side the pole barn. when I got to the bridge to cross the creek I heard it no longer.

I make it to my blind and get settled in by 6:45 a half hour before legal shooting time so I settled back to take a nap. By 7:00AM I am fully awake and can hear some thing behind and to the blinds right.

Deer while snow was on the ground had been in there and dug up the snow searching for acorns.

Finally I see the shape of a big body deer smelling around in that area so think it is just a doe as it moves back where I can not see it any longer. Soon it is back out and I see horns this time grab the binocs and see it is a nice 6 point but not the buck I am looking for.
OH sure I am tempted but have till the end of the month and have heard very little shooting so am sure the big fellow I have seen is still around.

I watch this one as it goes north tward the corn field then I see a pair of does to the west a bit near the corn field and think he is going to go hang out with them.
He goes up close to where they are but when he gets close to them he just walks on by them. The doe's goes on into the corn but that buck goes on up along the fence line till I can no longer see him.

I start watching a scrape about 40 yards from the blind thinking he will turn and come back to check it out.
I hear frosty leaves in front of the blind so look out the window and here comes a 4 point buck walking right up my logging road trail to with in 30 yards of the blind and stops. Looks around paying attention to his rear then heads down the hill to the creek.

At the creek he turns and follows it to the east out of my sight.
I saw about 8 more doe's before I pack up and go to dinner stopping along the way to swap out my deer cams card And get the broken zipper pull off the blind so I can get a zipnfix tomorrow at Joanns fabric after going to Kare's uncles furnanel in afternoon.

Al

 

[FergusonTO35]

Our muzzleloader comes in two weeks so I better get sighted in. Poured some 250 grain Lee slugs last night.

 

[alleyyooper]

Our ML season Opens Friday Dec 6th. Today is the last day of fire arm deer seasonan d I have an afternoon appointment so can not hunt this afternoon.

Oh Well been an exciteing two weeks with many small 6 point, 4 points and spikes sighted and even a weird 3 point buck.

Al