FINALLY....

October has always been my favorite month but this one has been very challenging.

After seeing tons of deer, and hitting one, in September I didn't see a one the first 10 days of October. Then I got the news that my mom was failing so headed for the Cities. Mom did finally pass away but did live 93 years. She had a good life and is in a better place now.

After nine days I was anxious to get out of the chaos and stress in town and get back home to some peace and quiet. I needed some time alone in my tree stand.

Well. the weather turned. We had rain, snow and high winds that actually dropped a tree on our porch. After five days of that I had had enough. I hit the woods well before first light this morning. The rain had stopped but the winds were still real strong. I picked out a spot where the wind wouldn't knock me out of my stand and set up. At 7:15 this nice fork horn came by and I got him. My buddy Al helped me drag him out. Tomorrow it's time to start butchering and then Saturday it's back to the Cities to attend the wedding of a good friend. A good buddy will be up the following weekend to hunt grouse and two weeks later the whole crew will be up for the rifle season.

Oh, and if anyone wonders how I can talk about deer and losing my mom all in one blog, well then you didn't know my mom.

Her comment today would have been, and I quote, "Duane, that's a nice one".

Huntin' "Sconnie" style...

My good buddy Kurt came up this weekend to help me build another "edifice to the gods", a.k.a. deer stand. That makes number 11. Pretty soon I'm gonna need more woods. At any rate, after we were done it was time to walk the woods for some grouse. We didn't jump any but I told Kurt one or two normally come out before dusk and eat clover right beyond my drainfield. So, there we were, drinking a beer, sitting in lawn chairs waiting for a bird to appear. None did but we did enjoy our beer. Sorry the picture is bad but one of the girls took it with a cell phone through the screen on the porch.
This morning we did some more walking. We kicked 6 birds and got shots at two. Unfortunately those birds were once again flying in a different direction than we were shooting. We discussed the possibility that we were slowing down a bit....can't be can it??
Oh, and when we got back and put away our guns, a grouse walked across the drainfield..... Uffda!!
Ten days ago, I hit a doe archery hunting. My buddy Al and his two sons helped me track it. We spent two hours in the dark, with flashlights, sometimes down on our hands and knees trying to stay on the blood trail. We crossed a couple of swamps and finally lost the trail at 9:30 at night, a long way from my house. I went back the next morning and looked for an hour but couldn't pick up the trail. Hopefully the deer made it, but I don't know... I had the same shot two days later and passed on it. That was wrong. I should have taken it. You have to trust yourself. Lesson learned.
The deer have pretty much vanished during the day light hours. Probably the heat. It's so bad, I haven't hunted some evenings. Why? Cuz of the ^&**(*&&^ mosquitos. Pretty hard to be still and quiet when you are swatting those little guys. We need a good freeze!
Gonna have a T-bone steak tonight and pass on the hunting. But tomorrow morning.....