April Coker, Author
My first deer was taken opening day of deer season in November 2010. I got my second deer Thanksgiving weekend 2011. Both were shot with my trusty Remington 243 rifle I purchased from Walmart! I must admit that I was sad to see them die, but the venison in the freezer has been well worth it. Here are the photos. . .
This is my first season climbing up in a deer stand with my new Mathews Mission Craze bow. Every Saturday morning and one Sunday morning since bow season started, I have gone with hubby to my brother’s fifteen acres to climb up in separate deer stands early in the morning and wait for deer to come out. Amazingly, we have seen several bucks and does in that small fifteen acre space! One morning I observed a deer emerge from his bedding area, pause, and then trot up a hill. It was still too dark to see if it had antlers or not. In my county we can’t shoot one unless it has a twelve-inch spread or is a spike or doe during archery season. One morning my husband saw a buck and several does, but he was either walking through the woods unprepared to take a shot, or the deer spotted him and bolted before he could take aim.
Hunting is so much more than the shot. It is so peaceful in the woods waiting for the sun to come up. I relish sitting peacefully in the dark, sipping on hot coffee, watching light gradually take over the forest. Nothing taken yet with my bow, and gun season opens this Saturday. Watch out, deer! The boomsticks are coming out!
School started late in August and I haven’t had a chance to blog. Bow season has been open since the first weekend in October. I have been out twice with hubby and actually sat in a deer stand both times. It is difficult to sit 12 feet in the air in the dark with a thermos full of coffee and maintain balance. But I love the sounds of the hour before twilight: faint rustlings in the leaves, owls hooting to each other, the night sky becoming lighter in teeny increments. I only burned myself once with my coffee as I poured it from the thermos into the built-in cup. It’s hard to see when it gets full! I hope deer don’t smell coffee. First and second time out, the only critters I saw were birds and squirrels. Dang, that deer feeder is loud when it goes off!
. . .but my hubby doesn’t think so. He was so proud when he came home the other day proclaiming that he had shot yet another wild pig with his Martin Firecat bow and Rage Broadhead! Since he was alone on his hunting expedition–believe me, if it is warmer than 80 degrees out, I am not interested–he took the photo of the pig alone. This population of pigs has been forced to hang out near the creek because it has been so dry and hot. Lucky for us!
www.martinarchery.com
www.ragebroadheads.com
April Coker, Author 