Posted By: LarryCopper
Weird weekend - 11/05/18 06:12 PM
We made the decision to NOT go all around the place getting game cam cards on Friday. Go in stealthy and make it a surprise. Got to camp and noticed a few wasps. I'm allergic to red ones, not sure about the yella jackets that are on the camper. Start spraying and they just kept coming out dropping by the dozen. Must have been over 100, but at least I managed to not get stung. Can't say I slept all that great.
Saturday morning I hunted our big bad arse blind. About halfway into my walk I hear hogs about 10 yards away. Puckered up a bit, but kept the lights off and kept moving. Got to the top of the stairs and noticed a smoky smell. Quietly, got in the blind with lights off and the first thing I noticed was all the felt window covers were all torn up. Grabbed a chair to pull it to me and my hand was all sticky. WTH? Turn on my headlamp and the entire inside of the blind is covered in sticky soot. Covers and carpet melted/burned. The blind got hit by lightning in the storms mid-week. One corner is all melted and busted up. Gonna have to gut the carpet, clean it up, and patch it. New windows too. We had one folding chair in the corner I could use so at least I got to hunt. I thought two things... at least we weren't in it at the time and the windows that mattered still open. And on the bright side, the sure as heck didn't smell me. Had a few walk right under me with the windows wide open.
That afternoon I headed to the north stand on a bluff that overlooks a creek draw. My brother hunted there in the morning and watched a 3.5 year old 8 pt that had a hot doe holed up on the creek right below the stand. When I got there they had moved a bit north in some thickets by the property line. I saw him chase off a little 6 pt so I knew where he was. He and the doe crossed into the neighbor's hay pasture. Then BOOM so dang loud I could feel it. Got out my specs and saw the neighbor to the north hanging out his stand aiming at the buck. Our blinds are 600 yards apart and about equal distance from the property line. The deer didn't move... then watched four more shots. They never flinched, just slowly walked off to the east. Not to be judgmental... nothing illegal about it, but it is disappointing to find out that your neighbor doesn't have the same perspective.
Neighbors to the west don't hunt and it is a big place. We have a ravine on that side with a feeder and stand. Last year there were 3 decent bucks that didn't show up anywhere else. It's our "management" area, meaning anything that is nice but not quite a wall hanger gets a walk. We're trying to end up with life time bucks. Last year we had a 4 year old 10 point that had good length but not a lot of mass. Well, he showed up and had a lot more mass. But, he had broken off the left side just past the brow tine. Dang it, at least he is still kickin' and maybe he'll survive till next year and be the one.
I decided to fill feeders and head home. Will be back next weekend, hopefully without any new surprises.
Saturday morning I hunted our big bad arse blind. About halfway into my walk I hear hogs about 10 yards away. Puckered up a bit, but kept the lights off and kept moving. Got to the top of the stairs and noticed a smoky smell. Quietly, got in the blind with lights off and the first thing I noticed was all the felt window covers were all torn up. Grabbed a chair to pull it to me and my hand was all sticky. WTH? Turn on my headlamp and the entire inside of the blind is covered in sticky soot. Covers and carpet melted/burned. The blind got hit by lightning in the storms mid-week. One corner is all melted and busted up. Gonna have to gut the carpet, clean it up, and patch it. New windows too. We had one folding chair in the corner I could use so at least I got to hunt. I thought two things... at least we weren't in it at the time and the windows that mattered still open. And on the bright side, the sure as heck didn't smell me. Had a few walk right under me with the windows wide open.
That afternoon I headed to the north stand on a bluff that overlooks a creek draw. My brother hunted there in the morning and watched a 3.5 year old 8 pt that had a hot doe holed up on the creek right below the stand. When I got there they had moved a bit north in some thickets by the property line. I saw him chase off a little 6 pt so I knew where he was. He and the doe crossed into the neighbor's hay pasture. Then BOOM so dang loud I could feel it. Got out my specs and saw the neighbor to the north hanging out his stand aiming at the buck. Our blinds are 600 yards apart and about equal distance from the property line. The deer didn't move... then watched four more shots. They never flinched, just slowly walked off to the east. Not to be judgmental... nothing illegal about it, but it is disappointing to find out that your neighbor doesn't have the same perspective.
Neighbors to the west don't hunt and it is a big place. We have a ravine on that side with a feeder and stand. Last year there were 3 decent bucks that didn't show up anywhere else. It's our "management" area, meaning anything that is nice but not quite a wall hanger gets a walk. We're trying to end up with life time bucks. Last year we had a 4 year old 10 point that had good length but not a lot of mass. Well, he showed up and had a lot more mass. But, he had broken off the left side just past the brow tine. Dang it, at least he is still kickin' and maybe he'll survive till next year and be the one.
I decided to fill feeders and head home. Will be back next weekend, hopefully without any new surprises.