The week leading up to opening day 2014 was no different than those in the past. Just the prep was different instead of making sure food had been cooked packed and frozen for the 6 ½ hour trip north It was making sure the wood had been split small enough and stacked in the furnace room for Kare to feed to the furnace. No wait that wasn’t any different. I had to get to Kare’s moms and clean her gutters of all the leaves and litter. Had to buy some propane for the little deer blind heater as the future forecast was calling for below normal temps and strong winds making for some cold wind chills.
Woke up at 3:30 AM Saturday morning Nov 15th 2014, I have always slept fitfully the eve of deer season except when Hunting at the UP deer camp. I always slept well thru the night there as I had been awake over 24 hours when we would hit the sack on night of the 14th. I found a movie on the TV to watch till 5:00 AM when I went out and took my pup for here potty break and open her inside pen up to the outside. Had a tightness in my throat, felt like I was going to come down with a cold. I came in from taking the pup out got the range going under two pans, one pan would hold the bacon as it fried the other the eggs. I fixed the pot of tea I would drink with breakfast and fill my thermos with while breakfast was cooking. When breakfast was finished I sat down to eat and have a cup of tea while watching the Saturday morning news and weather which starts at 6:00 AM. I had laid out the clothing I was going to wear the night before, glad I had chosen wisely since the TV weather on 4 stations was saying it was 27F outside and I had felt it while out with the pup earlier. First was a layer of medium weight long johns, Next was a camo pair of pants just because I had them, heavy socks under the Lacrosse iceman Pac boots, with a lined insulated flannel shirt, Then the blaze orange camo insulated sweat shirt with a hood I seldom wear but like it on my back, Then the Wall’s hard wood pattern camo insulated bibs with coat that can be reverses to a snow pattern if we have snow. Fill the pockets with all most all the goodies I carry to my blind. One front pocket holds the talk about radio I carry so Kare can get ahold of me, In the other pocket My cell phone so the Brother in law who has had a triple bypass can call if he gets a deer and cannot get to it with his compact Ford tractor, also if the young fellow next door gets one and wants me to get it with my tractor and trailer. With it I place my glasses and a book to read. The range finder goes in the left cargo pocket with several sheets of paper towels and wet ones in case I need to clean blood off my hands and a water hole isn’t nearby. Around my neck is the camera, and binocs, in the right cargo pocket is my knife and a small stone with some emergency granola bars, emergency like in if I am crashing with a low sugar condition. The thermos filled with tea laced heavy with honey goes under my left arm on the home made sling I made. Then my 870 Remington slugger shot gun with Bushnell dusk to dawn 1.5x7 power scope sitting in the screen porch with 4 rounds of 2 ¾ inch Remington buck hammer rounds in the magazine. I strap the Ruger single six around my waist loaded with six 22 mag rounds to fight off charging coons.
Off to the blind I go, today I am going just behind the pole barn in my little 4x4 blind which is about 150 yards from the house. As I start down the path beside the pole barn deer scatter ahead of me. I have been walking the pup down that path every morning for months so the deer have been used to me but today they ran off to the east. I can hear them in the frozen leaves as they go over the hill to run across the old flood flats. I get to the blind climb up the 6 feet to go in, set the bag chair in place and unload stuff I will use. I sit down look at the time and it is perfect legal time so can shoot any legal buck with 3 inch antlers. At a quarter after 7:00AM I close the south facing window as the wind and snow is blowing in it.
About 8:00 AM the squirrels are going nuts final having woken up. I have counted 28 within 25 yards of the blind on 3 sides with windows. I am hearing a good bit of racket to the south so look out the window and see a deer. I open the window use the binocs to see a nice set of horns, I am sure it is a 8 point. I put the binocs down pick up the shot gun stick it out the window and look thru the scope. I do not see horns so turn the scope up to 4x. Now I see the horns wait till the deer takes the one step to get past a tree and squeeze the trigger. He spins goes about a foot then spins again and falls. I watch for a bit to make sure he isn’t getting up again. I fold the chair up out of my way rack the chamber of the spent hull and pocket it as I will reload it someday. Open the door to go out as the radio crackles, Kare said there was a shot real close just a bit ago. I tell her ya I know it was I who shot. I tell her I am getting down to go tag & field dress it. She asked if I wanted her to come take pictures. I tell her that would be nice I would be near the old fence line to the south. She comes down the hill not wearing a bit of Blaze orange even a stocking cap I had put out for her when she walked to check the mail and take the pup out latter. I give her my stocking cap and pull up my blaze orange hood. I know Jeff is a safe hunter but you never know who is trespassing. Kare had not brought her camera so walked back to the blind and got mine. By the time she was back I had the 7 point nearly dressed out. I finished drug the heavy buck about 180 pounds so we could get pictures without all the blood on the ground in the picture. Sorry I forgot to wipe his nose, something I normally take the time to do. Since I was so close to where Jeff hunts I decided to hand drag the buck farther away from the area before getting the lawn tractor and trailer to get him to the house. Kare decided she would help me, went a short distance when she called for a break. Said she now under stood how hunters had heart attacks. Just a little farther then I got the lawn tractor and trailer to take it to hang in the locus tree.
The blind I stained this summer. The left window is the one I had to close then open.
The deer a 7 point.
