NEW! Blue's DEER PICTURES @@LOOK HERE@@

[Blue_Runner]

Alright all you picture junkies, grab a tissue cause its a sad sad day in BUCK LAND.

Had a dentist appointment this morning at 9:20 am. Found out about it yesterday afternoon. Thought to myself, "Self, I guess there's no sense in driving all the way to work (40 min) if I just gotta turn back around to make your dentist appointment. You might as well just slip into the woods and hunt until about quarter til nine."

I said, WOW self - that's a great idea!

The next morning the internal alarm clock in me goes off loud and clear at 6am. I hit "snooze" (open hand right to the snaggers) and laid up for 10 more minutes, thinking seriously about not going hunting and getting some extra shuteye. After the 10 minutes I jump up ready to go.

I've got a major hike to my hunting grounds - like 30 feet - so I have to really hurry to make it in time. I'm thinkin, "Self, its almost daylight! You shoulda been there by now!"

Twenty more minutes peel off the clock and I'm almost ready to go. One last trip upstairs to top off the coleman thermos with fresh ice water to keep me hydrated during the morning hunt.

It's now 6:30am and I grab the woodmaster 30/06 and pop a shell into the chamber before walking out the front door. Time for the grueling walk. Exactly 15 seconds later, I open the door to my stand. Which happens to be my small utility building about 10 x 12 with windows on each end. A small amount of light is creeping through the trees. I carefully close the door to the building and tippy toe over to my desk to sit down my thermos. Next, I plug in the electric heater and quietly have a seat before opening the window through which I observe my feeding lane.

By the way, so far I've only threw out two 50 lb bags of corn and 1 and one half bags of apples spread over 2 feedings a week apart. After all, this insn't my main hunt. Or should I say "wasn't"?

I'm all settled in and ready to see some deer. I know they are probably on the way based on the last several times I've hunted. The question is, will they arrive before my sister comes to pick the kids up from school at 7:50 am? The answer is, no. Actually, when my sister started down my driveway, a big buck walked hastily accross the back part of my feeding lane. I quickly got ready and put the crosshairs in his direction. I can see he's nervous about my sister's van, who just blew the horn twice mind you, and is now sitting in the driveway running waiting on my kids to come out. About 3 seconds pass and I think twice before electing not to shoot through branches and trees. Three more seconds and his head and neck are in a perfect little clearing, head high and staring back toward the running van. I put the crosshairs right on his adams apple and proceed to squeeze. Half way in the trigger goes....steady.....then he drops his head and moseys on off. I'm cursing myself. "Why didn't you shoot self?? Self - you are the biggest dummy! I knew I couldn't count on you - you idiot!"

And to think - I'd just been bragging about how I like my trigger because it has such a good feel to it.

So, at this point I'm ticked at my sis and MYSELF. I know I have close to an hour left to hunt, but my experience says you just won't see the nice buck twice in one day. Especially after he's been spooked.

Only 10 minutes pass and 4 does come in from the direction the buck exited. They feed for 30 minutes without a care in the world and walk off in the opposite direction - away from where the buck went. I'm still mad as fire but encouraged by the fact that deer came from the direction the buck went.

8:45 am. I'm getting ready to leave, dreading the dental cleaning because I don't floss like I should and all of a sudden a large doe comes flying out from the direction of where the buck had gone and crosses my lane without even thinking of feeding. I say, "Self, she's probably running from that nice buck so get ready!" I grab my hearing protection and steady the rifle. The doe is still within site but looking jittery. Not a minute passes and here he comes - right behind her! Its the same buck I saw an hour earlier! He's not interested in feeding so I know I must act at the right moment. A couple of steps into my lane and KABOOM! He jumps and trots off like he's unfazed. I went ahead to look for him since I was short on time. Followed a good blood trail about 30 yards and see him laying there. Its a nice 6 pointer! I hoped he was bigger, but this will do any day for me! Nicest buck I've killed in years!

I proceeded to drag him the whopping 40 yards from the house. I used my jeep to take it next door to dad's house. I had to wait around at his house for about 30 minutes for him to come home from work to help me get him hung so I snapped some pix while I waited.



Then when he got there, he took some pix of me posing. ;D



Got him hung!

This shot shows what looks like the beginnings of a drop tine? See it?

Here are the other 2 bucks I've taken over the last week and a half. The one I thought was a 5 point is actually a 4 point. I didn't notice the missing brow-tine on the one side til today. The other is the small basket 8 pointer from Saturday.

The 8 point rack looked kinda like a small moose rack. Perfect for a jackalope!


Hammer man, sorry there are no action shots. I was trying to get a pic of the bullet going in but couldn't reach the cam. I'll do better next time ;D