That DOES sound like a  good day!  We had our first cool weather yesterday.  I wanted to go for a walk in the woods, but this is our applesauce making weekend so no can do.  Still no rain in the forecast for the next 10 days, but temps stay in the 70’s.  10 deg above normal seems cool these days…

Seen a number of deer in the woods this year, all way off.  They seem to be on to me right away…

I got out and hunted with my 56# @ 28” Northern Mist longbow the other morning. This was my very first traditional only hunt.

I went into a valley that I usually hunt with a North wind. The valley is a hardwood streamside management zone with a creek down the center running East to West with mature pines to the North and South. That morning we had a South wind so I took my little Lone Wolf climber and ascended a tree near the creek that runs through the center of the valley. The plan was to cover a deer trail that runs along the upper third of a hill to the South. Deer tend to funnel through this valley early in the morning going back to bedding to the East or late in the evening heading back to a pasture to the West to feed after dark. Last year about this time I observed 3 deer take this exact trail moving East to bedding around 7:30 AM. If they followed this same trail it would put them broadside at 10 yards.

I was up the tree and all set to hunt a little before 6:45 AM. Around 7:25 I heard tipping coming from up the valley to the East heading toward my location. This was the opposite direction I had expected the deer to come from. I also soon realized that the two does were on the North side of the creek from me and were about 50 yards out. I turned to watch them as they passed by me going West.  So much for best laid plans. At least they did not seem to get a whiff of my dreaded human scent. I stayed on stand until 11:00 AM and climbed down. I will be back in there soon.

It was a fun hunt. I was happy to take the longbow out for the first time after deer. Hopefully I will have more to report soon.

Dave, Dave, Dave…

Anybody that knows anything, knows that 6 yards is way to close.  It is obvious to me that your instincts were finely honed Saturday morning.  How else would you know to avoid such a luckless shot?  Offering salutations and a tip of the hat to ye buck was the right thing to do.

We archers must remember our most important asset, our bag of excuses.  How else are we gonna get off the hook?

What if you had missed?  Six yards offers no room for excuses.  You would have had to stretch that distance in the telling.  Worse yet, what if you had gored that regal beast?  You would hear no end of felicitations and who wants that?  A nice peaceful morn spent in quiet solitude is much to be desired.  Not to mention the sweat and labor you saved yourself.

We bowhunters are a indolent lot.  Why else take to field an forest with such a dubious weapon?  No sir, you did right.  You are the man of the hour.  I’d tip my hat to you right now ‘cept my hands are busy round my coffee cup and scratching parts due south.

I expect you will see that fine buck again on a crisp cool frosty morn.  Now should that yon buck show his self to you while you are simply minding your own business, I wouldn’t blame you one iota for sending your silvan shaft amongst his viscera.  A’course if the distance were to be 6 yards, or 60 yards, you’d still be unblamed for shooing that fellow away for disturbing the peace.

Its a fine fellow knows his priorities

My first go at things was trying to stalk a nice 4×4 muley buck that was escorting five lady mulies.  Needless to say that didn’t get me to far along.

Couple days later I was in the same area and spotted a really nice 8 point whitetail buck roaming the higher country (?) that mulies always call home.

Umm I say, “cain’t not give this a whirl”…………. I was closing the distance, 50-60 yards, when all hell broke lose….that same muley buck was in that area also and I had not a clue. My focus was on the whitetail. The muley snorted and exploded as did the whitetail… and me too….

In this country of few trees,and a plethora of sagebrush, yuccas, prickly pear and scattered mesquite trees, stalking deer is way tough enough without a spooky audience.

But I love trying.

A mule deer buck when spooked might go for a spell then stop and look back and ‘what the….was that?.

Whitetails…. no question asked, they be goners.

I was on a ridge and could see for miles. That 8 point hit the bottom of the canyon crossed a half mile of flat land and was still going when he looked about the size of a jackrabbit.

Dunno if he’ll be back in that area.

Y’all haven’t seen the pic I took of my rifle hunting blind, we call it my “hunt hut”, getting hit by a rainbow..

Cheryl has a ‘she shed’, Ralph has a “hunt hut” :-))

There wasn’t a pot of gold in there but I did go up there and enjoy my breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee while I enjoyed nature for an hour or so.

There are different kinds of “pots of gold”.

I just had a week of GREAT bowhunting.  I got close to half a dozen nice bucks and twice that many does.  Always just one mistake away from shooting.  On the last day, I was finally able to drop the string.  The doe whirled at the shot and the arrow brushed past the front of her chest.

I did my part, she did her part, and the best part is I didn’t have to get messy or sweaty in the end.

Good luck with the ice storm.  We had a bunch of rain yesterday.

And good luck with one of those does…

Good luck!

I’ve been out a few times and things have gotten quiet.  Even the squirrels are gone scarce.  It’s getting to be that time of year when it seems like the woods are abandoned.  There are a few leaves and clumps of fern that are the worse for wear though…

I did find a fresh rub line on a hill that runs along a clear-cut that is 6 or 7 years old.  There’s a good spot to sit and wonder, so when my boy comes home from college in a couple weeks, I’m gonna point it out to him so he can worry that place a little.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night ( eve). I hope everyone has a great holiday.

Feliz Navidad

Scout aka Ray

Merry Christmas to all from me and T.J. And best wishes for a great new year.

Hunting was good …………… Getting was poor.

Wolves up on the Rim got the turkeys and most of the deer. Skipped a few arrows across the desert toward coyotes  & thumped a few rabbits.  Won a few tournaments and improved my form a bit.

Got a javelina this Jan. and now getting ready for spring bowfishing.

Thanx !!! ……………… Semi Retirement is agreeing with me. My goal this spring & early summer is a 35# carp.  My biggest ever was a 33#-er out of Black Lake up in Washington.  I’m here to tell ya, a >30 # carp will pull a canoe around for a bit !!!

I’ve given most of the carp away.  Somewhere around here though, I have a recipe for fish cakes that I want to try.

I’ve tried eating our local carp.  Can’t do it.  Nasty.  Stinks like rotting garbage as its cooked.

Part of it depends on the water the carp were taken in and how they were handled once in possession.  Kinda like bear meat; there’s garbage dump bears and there’s berry patch bears………………..