Deer Hunting 2019

Only deer I saw from the stand on opening weekend firearm season A.  Shot placement very good with rifled barrel and red dot.  Twisting back to left shooting downslope approx 45-50 yards.

Crossed the gully and then died; slid downhill during the throes.  Never got out of my sight.

Pausing during long drag out.  Probably around a quarter mile but all downhill; pretty good feeling.

View from stand looking downslope over left shoulder; deer came kind of up and across this view.  Into a really good shooting window.

Spent good amount of the weekend trying to move deer to hunting mates.  Did move one but no shot came of it.  Also sent one up a slope as I was walking back to stand after dragging deer out.  Heard but did not see that one.

There is no place on this property that does not afford a spectacular view.  Count myself fortunate to be welcomed into this hunting party year after year.

They hang in the cedars on the steep sideslopes.  This rub was right on a worn-to-dirt highway they use to go in and out of the cover.  My stand is not on any of the cedars; my two hunting partners post those.

DNR communication, coordination and execution re CWD testing was very good.  No hassles.

Gun kill on left; road kill we picked up on right.

Stayed at a small farm in Houston County for the second weekend, with older son.  His photo credit here.

Sat out two nights in a really good stand.  No deer seen.  First time ever logged two consecutive blanks in that stand.  Neighbors got blanked too; we heard only three instances of shooting.  Saturday night was windy; too windy.  Sunday night felt pretty good; nothing.

Monday night after that second weekend, big deer right by our house.  City deer have it pretty good.

Doing some rounds of grinding and jerky rather than all at once.  17 lbs of neck meat and scraps in three ziplocks.

Only hunted one night of first weekend second season.  Sat with younger son on a property we were seeing for the first time, again by the good graces of a friend.

He was very quiet and careful; did a great job in the stand.  Also fell asleep.  One doe came into view right at the very edge of range, coming from behind us.  Got the gun up but it would have been very marginal; so I waited.  She was unawares.  Steadily angling away from us; never giving a shot; never angling toward.  Was hoping to wake the kid up with a start.  He never did see the deer.

Stratification of chili spices.

Final check

Walk up, shoot three, everything tight, walk away.

Picture says it all.  The shots patched under with white are from past years, shooting rifled slugs through a smooth bore barrel at 50 yards, open sights.  The three shots just above heart, grouped in couple inch radius are sabots through rifled barrel this past weekend, using red dot.  50 yards.  The rifled slugs - just can't keep them tight.  Remarkable difference; predictable but still interesting study.  Ready to go.