Well as I sit here looking at a small opening that is -1 feeder I’m wondering what everyone’s worst opening morning experience is.

That stinks. When was the last time you saw it?

As I set here in my box blind at 63years old, I’ve had my share of opening days, some mot so good.

The worst was a least in South Texas. The guy running the lease tuned our per gun lease into a semi day lease. Woke up to about 14 people on a 7 man lease.

Rode up to my stand and a guy was sitting in it and not about to move. Went to my other stand and fought with an owl that wanted get in the stand with me. Got through that and then a horse came to my feeder and would run the deer off if the tried to get close.

The rest of the season wasn’t much better.

I would think that stinks bad. On the bright side you are in the woods with a chance to get a deer.

Not me but one of my lease buddies was driving his sxs to the stand last year opening Morning. his gun fell out and he ran over it. Done and done for the morning.
I’ve gotten stuck but ended up waking and dealt with it later.

Think positive.. it’s opening day and plenty of time to hunt. At least you’re not clocking in at work.

Last year I had the new neighbors drive up on my feeder. Scared all the deer off I was about to shot a spike. They we hog hunting...... ya I wasn’t too happy! Called my friend who owns the land and it got a little ugly. Then later that day they decide to have target practice over there just messed up to day

Running late for the morning hunt. Ran to turn in the key to my motel room and layed my gun on the roof of the car. Drove through downtown Comanche with people waving, staring, Mothers clutched their babies in fear. Got up to speed headed to Sidney. I hear rattling above, look in the rearview to see my 700 BDL hit the highway at 65 mph. Front objective on my Nikon scope exploded. No backup gun. Just like that my opening weekend was, uh, "shot".

Not opening morning, but yesterday morning I missed bow hunting, was locked in my hunting truck in the driveway. I was going to post about it, Dangest thing I’ve ever had happen. If my wife wouldn’t have been around I would have had to kick a window out.

How'd that happen?

How do you get locked in a truck? Or was your bow locked in the truck?

Man that really sucks, hope you had a TC on it and they missed that.

Dang that stinks is the feeder gone.

Woke up, felt sick, went and hugged the toilet. Repeated for 30 minutes. 13 year old comes downstairs on her own dressed and ready to hunt and I have to break the bad news. She’s disappointed but understands. Both of the bucks I want her to shoot have shown this morning (cell game cams).

I’d take a missing feeder right now.

Did have a missing deer blind several years ago, so I feel your pain. Was then and is still the nicest one I ever bought and I never got to hunt out of it once. Hope the rotten SOB that took it has a big dose of Khama.

Got everything laid out last night, was the most prepared I’d been in years. Get out the door on time, drive out goes great, see the 150” I saw last night in a pasture we don’t usually hunt but that’s okay. Go to drop my dad off and he says ‘hey, we didn’t bring any water’. Well no big deal. Then he says ‘at least we can communicate’. Nope, cell phone is on the couch. Turn the truck around to go to my spot and see two hogs in the headlights. These are the first two we’ve ever seen on the place but they get in the brush before I can get the 6.8 with the kill light out of the scabbard.

Get to my stand, Tikka won’t chamber a round. WTH? Slowly take that one out, next wont chamber. Now I start to panic. Third round finally chambers, no clue as it shot fine two weeks ago, same lot # but different box. Checked it just now at the house, the other seven rounds were fine.

Sixty years ago hunting packsaddle mtn in llano
We had to climb the east face walk over man and hunt west bluff
About half way up we would set on rock ledge and catch our breath
I was leading the group set down and the rattlesnakes cranked up
I jumped about 10 feet
Dad shined light and there lay two 4 footers in full war stance
Another guy shot them
I saw snakes everywhere I looked for two days

Today. Watched a 150”+ at 70 yards on consecutive hunts just two weeks ago. Been here since Wednesday trying to lay eyes on him. Gotta text from MLD manager about noon with a pic of the buck and a hunter from the neighboring property. The guy smoked him this morning. I’m sure he did tons of breeding the last two weeks. Probably more than enough to justify our “no trophy in October rule”. Saw only 4 deer all morning. Front brakes locked up on my 4 wheeler so I had to walk back to camp. ATV is still sitting in a road out in the pasture. Probably break an ankle walking back to the truck this evening.

I’m working, so.....

Well, I shot a really nice buck this morning. Thought I had a good shot on him. Found three little spots of blood trailing it for about 100 yard, it hit the creek and could not find anything after that. Took my dogs out there, walked for four hours. I can only hope that somehow I just winged him and he will live. This would have been my third buck Ive ever shot, Ive passed on some really nice ones over the years but this one was wide and tall. Im just disgusted. I know it happens but at this point I don't even feel like going back out.

Ok, a little embarrassing but crap happens.

In a deer blind not seeing anything so here it goes.

I have a 1997 two door Z71 Tahoe for a hunting buggie. New motor ang trans, lift kit, matte black paint, ptretty cool old truck, even has a paging alarm system with remote start. But old it is.

It was 31 degrees so I start it remote to let it warm up. When I went out side to get in remote would not unlock the doors. Best i can tell grease in door latch set up in the cold and when I hit the remote it didn’t open. Had to use the key to get the passenger door open. Nature called as I was using the key on passenger door and figured I better run back in the house as opposed to the woods at the lease.

Get back to my truck all excited about being off work and getting to bow hunt, jump in my truck hit the brake to put in drive and it dies, just like it supposed to after remote start with no key in the ignition. Not only does the truck die, it also locks the doors like it supposed to. I reach in my pocket for my keys and no keys. I try to unlock manually, both doors, everything. I freakin locked in my truck.

At least I hadn’t lost my cell, so I call my wife and wake her up which always goes over real good. She comes outside with my spare key and is able to get the back doors open and I climb out the back.

Now I start searching for my keys. Can’t find them and give up till it gets daylight to find them and work on the door locks.

About 8 am I see my keys hanging in the passenger side door, that’s where they were when nature called and I forgot.

Two cans of WD40 and half a can penetrating oil along with taking one panel off and door apart I got locks working.

The rest of the day wasn’t much better, it was on of those days. All a guy can do is laugh and go on!!

Wife and I got food poisoning yesterday that hit us around 8:00 PM, it is still kicking my back side. I looks like both days of opening weekend are done. Opening day of bow season there were logging trucks setting up in our parking area, then they started cutting drag roads thru the woods for the next 2 weeks. Cutting trees now so will head to my backup stands by the lake they cut last year.

Ricky - Any updates? Were there any pics of them on your camera?

Opening morning around 8:20 my dad shot a nice 9 point. It was not the best shot, it was a little back and it ran off onto the adjoining property. About an hour and a half later we hear a gun shot about 200 yards away. When my dad was looking for it, it got up and slowly walked right next to the neighbors stand. I felt bad for him!

Here in DeWitt County, I did not hunt yesterday morning. My observations from the ranch house, in the field, and the cams are that the activity has come to a halt since the 22nd; our first rut period has ended and couple with three high-wind fronts passing one behind the other, the acorns and pecans are on the ground in record numbers. In 3 hours I picked up 32 lbs from the large pecan tree in my yard, I've never done that good before.

Although I did not hunt in the morning, I was out before dawn doing things. I was inside little but can hear a shot some distance from the house as the windows were open. I sat in a blind over the noon hour and then from 3 pm to dark. I did not hear a shot until the sun was on the horizon. I heard a total of three, very distant and from different directions, all probably at least 1½ distant. Given the time, more than likely hogs and we hear that year-round.

Generally, the opener is a dud here. GIven the seven days it can roll through, it is square between our first and second rut periods.

Nathan, hang in there. It happens and it sounds to me like you did everything you could. No matter how well the shot is set up, hunting is a very dynamic situation. I've got a lot of years behind me doing this, I've lost a few, and have always felt the same. I feel if a person isn't feeling what you are now, they probably should not be hunting. I'd recommend you shoot your bow or rifle a couple of times to show yourself you have the skill to do this and get back out there and at least sit and enjoy our great outdoors. This is so much more than the shot. See how you feel through the next couple of sits.

******Mind Numbing Diarrhea******