deer season anticipation

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I am sure some one else gets this , seems I have had it all my hunting years about 2 weeks before season I can hardly sit still , every thought is of deer season , my wife hates this but has learned to live with it , It helps if I have outlets like this to talk deer hunting and not have to talk her ear off about it.


this affliction I will just call "deer season anticipation syndrome" DSAS for short

seems I have had this since about the 6th grade

if you have ever watched Escanaba in Da Moon Light , a Jeff Daniels film from the 90s the quote it "It's like Christmas wit guns " so true

for us it is like a big family reunion with deer hunting

I hunt by myself around home and it is good but not quite the same without the family.

I even have one uncle that will come hunting , he refuses to carry a gun and only carries a camera we just call him our imbedded photo journalist he doesn't come every year but has a good time when he does , another uncle sadly will be missing this year having complications with his knee surgery he can't hardly get in and out of the truck right now or sleep in a bed he has to sleep in his lift recliner.

so I make lists and pack and make calls to plan food and meals by the end of this weekend I should have the van packed and ready to go just needing to toss int he guns and go next week for opener Saturday morning


thanks for letting me open the release valve just a bit on DSAS to get me through

lets hear your stories and make this next week go by quickly cause I know the week of season will fly by to fast

[doingitmyself]

A far off snort, getting slightly closer, and closer.
The sound of antlers and branches being shredded, further at first then not so far.
The distinct scratching of hooves scraping the ground, about 40 yards away.
Something coming closer, and closer but nothing can be seen.
Then there it is, the first glint of hair in the sun between the trunks of Oak and Hickory trees.
Then suddenly without a noise, there in all his glory stands a stately mature Buck, with leaves and grass still hanging from his huge rack.
He's on alert, sniffing, bustling with pheromone energy.
He's but 25 yards away now, broadside and he looks mad, something is wrong his harem is too far away. Snorting and stomping he lets the harem know he's not happy.
Do you watch the moment unfold for a few minutes before you touch off the round? Or do you savor the moment and allow him a few extra precious moments to do what deer do? Did you remember to turn on your hat mounted video cam?

What, no, it can't be.... Wait, there is another Buck! There is tension in the air, they are going to fight not even 25 yards from your blind! What now, they are both beautiful animals, ivory toned bone, heavily bodied beasts. Do you shoot now and secure your venison reserves for the year or do you watch what few hunters have witnessed??

The moment turn into minutes and you have been treated to a front row seat of a well matched Buck fight!. Which one do you harvest, the victor, or the loser, each would dress the wall of your man cave with a hat hanger. Do you shoot or do you feel validated by seeing something awe inspiring, if you go home just a story it would be the best story in the bar, if you bag an animal you make a choice concerning the future of genetics in you local herd population.

You finish the story, fill in the blanks, change the details as you see fit, its a group written story for entertainment, have fun!!!

Disclaimer

This was a purely fictional story, the names, dates, events, and all that rot have been changed to protect the innocent, no animals were harmed in this story, and a donation to P.eT,a? was sent.... ya right...... LOLOLOL

[alleyyooper]

Deer season 2002

The 14th year of hunting my very own property or deer camp as we call it On Big Bay DeNoc.

The alarm went off at 5:30 AM a horrible shrieking noise to we who work during the night and never us a alarm. I roll out of bed dressing quickly for my trip outside to full the genset with fuel and get it started, I also went in the shed and started the burner in there to heat it up.. We need the power to get the fan on the furnace to run and to perk our pot of coffee made up the night before. Soon it is bubbling away as Rick set the griddle on the stove laying strips of bacon on one end then cracking eggs on the other end. I set down at the table with a cutting board and start slicing homemade bread. Soon the cabin is filled with the smell of coffee brewing eggs and bacon frying a nice smell on the morning of opening day at deer camp. We talk of past hunts ribbing each other about the crazy things that happened to us over the years. We had the radio on to catch the weather report for the day I went and looked that the outside temp which read a cool 21F outside and a nice comfy 78F in the cabin since Rick had filled the furnace with wood we had gathered the day before. Soon breakfast was finished so we sat back to enjoy a second cup of coffee then filled our thermoses with coffee to take afield with us. Finally it was time to go get dressed in our hunting togs out in the shed which was warm and comfy by then. We are still reliving past hunts as we made the dection as to where we were going to hunt for the day. We each had our favorite places which over the years we had names. We had Hemlock ridge where Rick had taken two bucks over the years, We had the beach blind where I had taken 4 during the years. We had skull point where we had both taken a buck. I had a favorite we called the point as it was a finger that stuck out from the cedar swamp between two cranberry bogs. We had the big ridge where I had got a nice buck one opening day and Rick that afternoon took a huge 8 point. One of my favorites was the field where we had set a blind 12 feet up in a stand of pines and the tin roof blind the first that had been built so we could hunt when it was raining and the one in the hardwoods. Plus the sand hill.
For this opening day I pick the beach blind after Rick had said he was going to skull point a favorite place on the edge of a cranberry bog. Along about 9:00 AM or so I hear the splashing of deer coming across a small drainage area that ran into the beach and then the bay. I seen them for just an instant a doe and a very nice buck. They get behind a thick screen or brush Rick had wanted to cut down and I told him to leave it because I never ever saw deer in that area. I am sure they crossed the road near where skull point was . I got on the Radio and told Rick a real nice buck was coming his way so watch to the left of the blind. He reply’s right, why didn’t you shoot him. I tell him that brush I wouldn’t let him cut hid the deer so I couldn’t get a good shot. Took about an hour before I heard his Winchester 300 Mag bark. Then he tells me over the radio the buck was down and was a very nice 8 point. I climb out of my blind and make my way over there to field dress the deer as we always do each other’s as we know the adrenalin is usually pumping pretty strong for some time aft wards.. As I am doing the dressing he tells me the buck was walking alone the cedars just inside a line of trees that were about 6 feet high with very small openings so he could not be sure if it was the buck or the doe. Finally the doe broke out of the cedars to make her way across the cranberry bog to a cedar island about half way across the bog. When the buck stepped out to follow Rick made his first attempt to get that new rifle to him out the window and managed on the second try, probably a case of buck fever. He got the cross hairs lined up and squeezed the trigger,
I finished the chore and washed my hands in a near by puddle and got a paper towel out of my pocket to dry my hands Had a cup of coffee with Rick and told him to set down and have a second cup while I walked back to camp to get the ATV and trailer to get the buck to camp. Once back at camp we hung him on our buck pole then had a early lunch. Once our lunch was over we headed out for more hunting that afternoon. That evening we decided Rick should take his buck home and process it as it was starting to warm to the high 50’s during the day and rain for the rest of the week. He also needed to get the rear window replaced in his truck from my braking hard for a buck crossing the road in front of us the day before the season opened and a 55 gallon barrel of gasoline slamming into it. I don't remember the reason that we took his truck into Escanaba in the first place but he wanted me to drive it. Wasn't a CUMMINS powered truck. He also didn't have a bed mat so I should have taken my mat and put in his truck. Just east of Gladstone we had went over the Rail road over pass and the road straightened out the buck ran out in front of us. He said he would return in a couple of days.
I was out in the blind in the pines in the field on day 3 when he came back. I had seen a couple small bucks while he was gone but decided I wasn’t going to shoot a small one yet so early in the season. We walked back to the cabin to have lunch and talk. Somewhere at the end of the first week I collected a nice 6 point, Rick got a 4 point. In the second week I finely settled on a spike to fill my second tag.. We didn’t set around during the evenings either while there. We strung wiring for lights and wall duplexes. We had installed a electric panel also the day before the season started. Once we were finished with the wiring we installed the sheets of insulation I had taken up there in my covered snow mobile trailer. We enjoyed that cabin and the hunting for 2 more years together.

My favorite blind over looks the Bay. This one was taken November 2003 about 7:30 AM after an extra heave frost during the night.
On the 29 I shot a fairly nice 6 point with the rifle my dad gave me just before he passed away. I wrote a story of that seasons hunt and it was published in Michigan Out of Doors magazine Nov 2004. Dad never got to read it how ever.




Al

[simi-steading]

The 24th is the big day here...

I'm thinking I'll pull my easy chair up to the window, plop my cup of coffee down next to me, open the window, and grab a rifle... That will pretty much guarantee me a doe..

I'll wait and see how cold it is out though. If it's not below 35 I may decide to take a walk down the path by the barns and climb up on top of the shed and sit there waiting for a nice buck...

[Dixie Bee Acres]

I have it too.
Season here starts day after tomorrow. Primary place I hunt is across the road from my house. 105 acre corn field, boardered by a wooded strip then a small field and a creek on one side, 100+ acre alfalfa field on the other side.
Since helping the land owners harvest the corn a week ago, I have walked the boarders of that field half dozen times looking at trails. I watch the field constantly with binoculars.
Last few days, every evening I go through my hunting gear, make sure my gloves, hat, coat, coveralls, etc are all together.
Yeah, I have the fever, my 14 year old son has it too.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

Originally Posted by doingitmyself

A far off snort, getting slightly closer, and closer.
The sound of antlers and branches being shredded, further at first then not so far.
The distinct scratching of hooves scraping the ground, about 40 yards away.
Something coming closer, and closer but nothing can be seen.
Then there it is, the first glint of hair in the sun between the trunks of Oak and Hickory trees.
Then suddenly without a noise, there in all his glory stands a stately mature Buck, with leaves and grass still hanging from his huge rack.
He's on alert, sniffing, bustling with pheromone energy.
He's but 25 yards away now, broadside and

there I finished the story , maybe a little early but as soon as there was a shot the shot was taken 12ga slug to the neck and down he went thrashing on the ground , but it is pointless just spinal reaction to the neck trauma it slows and then it is over the last breath taken

my other ending ends with me shooting them both but it's unlikely I waited that long , it wouldn't be a first but it has always been does , fast as the gun comes down on #2 from the recoil of #1 - my uncle was giving me a hard time at lunch one year the one who won't carry a gun , about how it was after lunch and i hadn't even shot yet , so when those 2 came out first drive after lunch and he was watching it boom boom and I was cleaning 2 a 3rd was coming out about 75 yards further down and my cousin shot that one

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

Originally Posted by Dixie Bee Acres

I have it too.
Season here starts day after tomorrow. Primary place I hunt is across the road from my house. 105 acre corn field, boardered by a wooded strip then a small field and a creek on one side, 100+ acre alfalfa field on the other side.
Since helping the land owners harvest the corn a week ago, I have walked the boarders of that field half dozen times looking at trails. I watch the field constantly with binoculars.
Last few days, every evening I go through my hunting gear, make sure my gloves, hat, coat, coveralls, etc are all together.
Yeah, I have the fever, my 14 year old son has it too.

I can see you got it bad , almost there Saturday

may the winds be light , the tracking snow just right and the deer perfect in sight

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

last year it was cold , 14 and blowing about 25 knots out of the north east so bad even the big ore boats were going to ride it out on back side of the peninsula rather than make the run north east heading under the bridge in Mackinaw

the old guys didn't want to head out right away so we decided we would go sit till we were to cold then start doing drives , with the cloud cover it was legal but not so light yet I am headed down the logging road to where i plan to sit and 65 yards out a good sized spike buck steps out on the trail he looks right down the load while I am raising my gun as he looks left right at me I squeeze of a round , I see him buck up in the middle like a cat surprised and take off he stumbles a bit a few feet into the wood on my left side then is gone I take note that he was at the birch tree that stuck out the furthest into the road , I look down to my right see that bright red 12 ga my 12 ga hull is laying in the tall grass about 8 feet to my right I grab it and place it where i was standing in the logging road and start walking of the distance to the birch , when i get to the birch i can see fur, blood and white tissue laying in the dirt road confirming I got the double lung shot I aimed for , look to my left and the next birch in is red with blood from waist to knee high , he had stumbled into it , the blood trail is good I follow it about 25 yards though the birch and poplar with ease , then trough the tall grass at the very corner of the field but now I am up to the thick patch of cedar , I can't see the blood , it is just to dark under there yet I call my dad he is just leaving the house having heard the shot from only a short ways off , I keep looking and mark the end of the blood trail go back and pick up my hull, by the time he walks over we can see just enough under those cedar to follow the trail through them , then it gets fairly easy again , big scuff marks in the leaves , that buck went near 125 yards before piling up face first legs still under him into the ground he had been dead and just not known it yet.

[big rockpile]

Well I have two Does in the Freezer, wish I had gotten another Archery Tag and been done with it. Got two Antlerless Tags for this Saturday.

big rockpile

[JJ Grandits]

Firearm season starts tomarrow morning. Can't decide if Im going out or not. Probably will, but the enthusiasm is not there. Life has been a little crazy and opening day vs getting some sleep has become a battle. I'll probably get out to my spot out back and nod off. If I don't go I'll regret it when Im better rested.

[simi-steading]

I've been thinking. I think I am going to go out and sit most the day on the back of the property to hunt.

A few weeks ago the pipeline company came in and cleared out the ROW that is on the property line at the rear of my property. It's been 20 years since it's been cleared. Looks like a huge super highway through the woods now.

I think I'm gonna go sit there so I can find out if anyone is thinking about trying to hunt my property or not.

I haven't posted the rear line of the property because it was so hard to get to, and a long way away from most places so a long walk.. Now that it's cleared, it's another story...

[Vahomesteaders]

Firearms is Saturday here in va. I use to get way fired up. And still do some. But now it's more about necessity than fun. I put alot of deer on the wall. Biggest being 178 inches. Guess I accomplished all I really wanted to. But I guess the biggest thing was I realized my wife says a deer widow and my kids deer orphans. Lol. Now I take my son and let him do all the shooting. I haven't shot a big buck in a few years. Let many walk trying to get my son lined up. Big bucks just dont mean much to me anymore. I've harvested hundreds of them. Now my wife complains about to many boxes of antlers. Infact the bed of van looks like this right now as I'm putting alot of my horns on ebay tonight. Still love the cold morning waiting for the sun to rise with anticipation though.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

I really want to just go sit where I hunt today, to watch and try to avoid freezing. But instead, i just threw another log on the fire and have been watching out the window with binocs.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

2 weeks ago when I set the start of my trap line I did it in the dark in the snow with my head lamp on I saw so many deer , when I saw a set of eyes looking at me I would grab my hand held flash light and put it on them had deer just stand there 10 yards away , I tried to get my camera out and take a picture of one that was maybe 7 yards , just as the lens opened it trotted off

if you walk to your stand in the total dark 30 minutes or more before first light with just the head lamp your not spooking them at all

[92utownxj]

JJ Grandits, I hear you on that. All I want to do tomorrow morning is sleep in, even if just a little while. I know I'll regret not going though. I have a couple perfect spots, trying to decide which one to go to for the opening day of firearms tomorrow morning.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

my first deer season

I was 12, after days of anticipation , we headed out , we drove up with a friend of my dads from work that hunted with us , in those days they turned the drive into an almost all day thing , leave at 8 am and roll into camp about 4pm to make 5 hour drive.
about 11 we would stop at a little bar outside Algoma , have a beer stretch the legs drive on an hour , stop for a beer and lunch , then fill up and continue on seemed the last miles took the longest.

we would get to camp ad between 4 and 5 the hole family would trickle in , have a beer and head to the Lions club hunters stew , then off to the party at Jim's, he and his wife had a get together in their garage and house for everyone to catch up as so many had moved away for work and deer season was the home coming. we would leave out of the party about 10 and head home and get some sleep.

now I am sure right about now some one is thinking this 12 year old kid is drinking a lot of beer and while that would not be Illegal or overly unusual in Wisconsin I hadn't acquired my taste for beer just yet and I drank coke , in the cooler next to the beer there was coke , every time some one ordered a beer in a bar they turned around ask asked me if I wanted a coke , I drank a lot of coke it was free and it was flowing

I was one of those kids big for my age , when asked if hungry unless I had pains from over eating my response was "I could eat" I don't recall my size at age 12 but by 13 turning 14 I was over 6 foot and 206 pounds I was the youngest kid in my class and wrestled heavyweight freshman year of high school the sports trainer told me I could loose 6 pounds no more so no point in giving up eating and still not move down a weight class 189 was out of reach.

but to address the beer and safety thing cause I am sure some one is thinking it the limit was 2 beers at any bar on the way up both my dad and his friend were professional truck drivers with spotless records and they knew how to keep their licenses clean and that was 2 beers max wait at least an hour before stopping again.

well for every beer anyone else had I had a coke or more at 10 pm I was tired at 12 I woke and looked at the clock , I was sleeping on the living room floor , 12 , 12:30 , 1 , 1:30 , 2:00 It went on like that all night sleeping 20-30 minutes then waking and looking at the clock finally 4:30 and someone else was up to start the coffee and I could get up , helped make the bacon , we ate bacon and eggs and toast , jam , orange juice

years later I have a little easier time sleeping I get to about 3 before I wake the first time and I even graduated off the living room floor into a bed after a few years , but opening morning my alarm goes off at 4:30 , and I am always up to look at my watch 2-3 times before it goes off, half the time I am in the kitchen starting the coffee at 4:10 cause I have been up 3-4 times to check my watch then try and sleep again.

now Sunday morning after hunting all day Saturday , the alarm will usually wake me

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

times changed , Jim's party went on one more year before his wife wasn't doing to well . she died a few years after that , Jim died about 5 years ago , everyone has gotten much older , now 2 beers is the limit for the day with their meds

I drive up with my little brother now as we both live on the same route to camp him about an hour closer then me , we drive strait through now with a brief stop for lunch and make camp about 2 with a 6 1/2 hour drive

my brother is in charge of the beer , he home brews and will make up some good stuff , we still meet up at camp then go to town but for fish fry

going to be missing 2 uncles this year one having complications with a hip replacement the other complications of knee surgery but some cousins that didn't make it last year will be back

with a bunch of them over 80 I fear the day it really changes.

[Dixie Bee Acres]

My day will start early. Will be up and anxiously waiting to walk out the door, probably by 5am.
Won't actually leave till around 6:30 or so.
Wish my boy would go, but, he says he doesn't want to tomorrow....I really wish he would.
We walked the field today, jumped a small buck and a rather large doe.


Good luck, safe and happy hunting to all.

[Vahomesteaders]

My wife and son are going in the morning. Daughter days to cold she is staying in the house. Son says if it's a doe mom gets the shot, if a buck he gets the shot. They are just starting to tail off the rut in va right now. Still a few cruising. We will see what happens.

[Vahomesteaders]

Our view this morning. Beautiful morning. But cold as heck.