Tag: deer

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THRIFTY RANDOM HUNTING FRIDAY: Can I do that?

I skipped blogging last night in favor of going to bed early after an all-day last minute wedding shopping day, so I will do my best to combine the two today!  If you don’t mind. . .or if you do. . .

A couple of days ago hubby and I grabbed our hunting rifles and headed to the shooting range to sight them in.  I am READY.  My first and only two shots with my little Walmart Remington 243 were smack dab in the middle of the bull’s eye.  Now if I can just hold steady if I get the chance to get a deer or hog in my sights!

Hubby, on the other hand, had to sight in both his Remington 12 gauge slug gun and Remington 760 Game Master 30-06.  That took a little while, but we are both ready now.  Rifle season starts THIS Saturday!

Today on the last day to hunt does during archery season I actually saw a large buck but it ambled off before I had a chance to make sure its antlers were legal.  I learned that I should have done a “grunt” to make him stop.  Maybe he will amble back so I can introduce him to my 243.  He was about 50 yards away anyway, a tough shot for an inexperienced bow hunter like myself!

Here is a shot from my stand in our hunting area, a mere few acres belonging to my brother and sister-in-law but RICH with wildlife. It was so beautiful this morning with the still almost full moon shining like a headlight and then the leaves falling after daylight when a breeze stirred the trees.

 


Hubby and I stayed in our stands for a good 4 1/2 hours, which is my bladder’s limit, before grabbing some lunch, changing clothes and heading out to Canton for First Monday Trade Days.  I just HAD to visit my fave shop, Girls Gone Junkin’!  I got a cute little heart-shaped steampunk pendant to wear with my wedding outfit next weekend and a darling little wedding cake topper with bride and groom dolls whose eyes move!  For some reason I have started collecting vintage cake toppers.  They are just too adorable!  Why am I collecting again while trying to declutter?  I’m hopeless, I suppose. . .

So steampunky!  LOVE!
Cutest wedding cake topper EVER!

And then there was this sight:  Have you ever seen so many cow skulls?  Kind of creepy. . .



It was a long, hot day (yes, in NOVEMBER!) but it was a fun day.  Maybe November will soon realize it isn’t September and turn cooler!  How about a little cooler next Saturday?  But no rain, please!  I’m not picky, huh?  Happy junkin’ and huntin’, everybody!


XOXO




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THRIFTY HUNTER THURSDAY: It’s still bow season. . .

Going bow hunting at my sister’s place in Indiana

. . .and I haven’t killed a thing.  I haven’t even SEEN a thing to shoot, except the coyote I saw last Saturday morning, but he was traveling so fast in pursuit of a squirrel I didn’t have a chance to grab my bow.  It was still pretty cool to see, though. I mean, how many people can say that they have seen a coyote chase a squirrel?

At least the weather is finally getting cooler.  Jimmy has been going to the stand regardless of the temperature, but I cannot stand sitting in a tree stand sweating and swatting mosquitoes.  I am of the belief that deer don’t move much when it is too warm and humid anyway.  At least holding to that is a good excuse to stay home when it is too hot.

A cold front blew in earlier this evening and the morning low is supposed to be a blustery 52 degrees, which means that it will be even cooler in the deep, dark woods.  Love it!  It will be perfect for my Mossy Oak pink-trimmed fleece hoodie, thick Mossy Oak socks, new pink camo fleece and fur hat, and my big Thermos of steaming coffee.  I worried about the deer or hogs smelling the coffee with its pumpkin spice creamer, but that coyote running past 20 yards from my stand while I was standing and stretching proves me wrong there.  Coyotes are probably better sniffers than deer or hogs.

This last weekend of archery season might be my last chance to get a deer with my bow and earn the title of REAL bow hunter.  If I don’t, I don’t, but I would love to be able to add that one to my list of credentials and skills.  Don’t you think it would look good up there on LinkedIn with my master’s degree in educational administration?  M.Ed. Educational Administration, R.E.A.L. Bow Hunter.  I might have to have a plaque made. . .

Stay tuned!
XOXO


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THRIFTY HUNTER THURSDAY: Indiana hunting. . .

Anyone who read my post last week from Indiana knows that we saw deer and even got some shots, but nothing to bring home.  From my stand I didn’t even see a deer!  Jimmy said that I should have painted my face and hands because the deer probably saw me, but I  don’t think so.  After I left my stand that first day because I had been sitting for four and a half hours with a damp and cold behind, Jimmy got up there and saw three does!

Oh well, it was a lovely experience sitting in the trees in the quiet.  Here is a picture of my feet at sixteen feet from the ground.  

The green leaves make up the top of a small tree below.  Do you see the scattering of color on the forest floor?  It looked like a mosaic from the stand, not so much when I climbed down.

Me trying to take a self-photo while hanging on for dear life.  I did become more comfortable as time went on.  It was very scary at first!  Do you like my Primos pink camo and lace cap with the pink LED caplight?  That’s my pink Mission Craze bow hanging behind me.  If you look closely you can see a deer trail winding through the woods behind me.

I was trying to show the color of the trees in the woods.  They were changing color and it was just beautiful.  I can only imagine what that forest looks like when it snows, with snow covered branches and snow covering the ground.  

We left my tree stand in the tree for next year.  Yes, we were invited back!  Maybe we will have better luck.  Either way, we will enjoy visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and their four doggies!

Oh, I almost forgot!  How did this relate to thriftiness?  Well, we didn’t have to pay for lodging, and they fed us most of our meals.  (I won’t mention the $150 non-resident hunting license I had to buy.  My husband had to buy one, too.  That set us back a little. . .)  It was SO worth it!

XOXO




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TEACHER TUESDAY: What I Learned Today. . .

When I was teaching and didn’t know the answer to a question, my students would say:  “Why don’t you know?  You’re the teacher!”  That’s when I would explain that teachers don’t know everything about their subject, but what they do know is how to help you find the answer to your question.  And then I would point out that everyone should be lifetime learners, not just classroom learners.  Sometimes they would ask if I was still learning, and I would tell them that of course I was, and I hoped to never stop!

So, today, on our first day of deer hunting in the woods of southern Indiana, I learned a few things. . .

  • You should not attempt to predict the weather even if you have checked it on weather.com and think you know what it will be like.  It was actually much chillier today than the 75 degrees predicted.
  • When you are packing for a trip up north, go ahead and include that jacket you don’t think you will need, no matter what time of the year it may be.
  • In Indiana, it gets really cool when it rains.
  • Turkey ticks are much smaller than seed ticks and breed in the gazillions.
  • I should never get into my deer stand four hours before the deer usually come out.
  • Sisters who have a hot bath and dinner waiting when you return from a cold, damp day in the woods ROCK!
 
 
You are dying to know if I got a deer today, aren’t you?  Well, the answer is NO!  Dang it!  I sat on a wet deer stand for four solid hours until Jimmy came to check on me.  The back of my pants were damp and I was getting colder by the minute so I let him talk me into leaving.  I trekked uphill all the way back to the house, peeled off my damp clothes, and curled up in bed to warm up.
 
Two hours later, my sister woke me up to tell me that Jimmy needed me to help him find the doe he shot from my deer stand!  I left too early!  Then my brother-in-law rode up in the four-wheeler and asked Jimmy to help him with the eight-point he got!  Yep, I was the only one who left the woods empty-handed today.  At least I got a hot bath and hot supper afterwards.  Lord willing and my muscles aren’t complaining too much, I will try again tomorrow. . .
 
XOXO
 
 
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AT HOME MONDAY: Gobble Holler!

Welcome to my blog today from rainy Gobble Holler, Indiana!  I am visiting my sister in Marengo near where her husband grew up in an area they call Gobble Holler.  This is the country, folks.  In East Texas we think we live in the country, but that ain’t country.  THIS is the most country country I have ever seen.  It is some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen as well, with its rolling hills, some rocky hillsides, lush green meadows, and twisty-turny roads.  Even Jimmy said he might choose this area over Colorado.  That’s saying something!

Not only are my husband and I visiting my sister and her husband, we are going to do some deer hunting!  Today was the first official day of archery season and guess what?  It rained. It poured.  So no hunting.  Barry and Jimmy did get the deer stands set up.  Brenda and I had no choice but to go thrift store shopping!

We spent the afternoon shopping in Corydon at Goodwill, the Salvation Army Thrift Store, Big Boy restaurant for lunch, and then Walmart.


On the way back to Brenda’s house, the rain began to slow and the deer began to venture out.  I spotted two does together, and a little later a pretty buck!  Just before we reached her house, I spotted another doe grazing behind a barn.  I can’t wait for tomorrow!  We have decided to hunt even if it means sitting in the rain!  Now if only I can aim true. . .

XOXO