by RAGGED on Sun Nov 13, 2011 5:59 pm
I was tagged out with two does by 8:30 on opening day and that was after passing on a dozen or so does that were either small or with young. Would have waited for Buckzilla but had to get home for other plans so took the first 2 nice does I saw. While sitting in my stand waiting for my buddy (his land) to tag out I had a REALLY nice 12pt buck roll up on me, but with two down in front of the stand it was his lucky day. By 10:30 I was getting sick of seeing deer I couldn't shoot, made my buddy swap into my stand, before I even got back to the truck I heard a shot ring out, buddy nailed a nice 10pt buck. Both my does were real nice, likely 2-3 years old, dressed out close to 130, one shot one kill for both. First was a direct broadside shot at 125 yards, that one didn't move an inch, perfect heart shot, Savage 210F bolt action slug gun shooting the 300gr Hornady SST round. Second one was a taken with a shot to the front of the chest that clipped the heart and exited the ribcage, that one tumbled forward and never got up.
Due to my schedule I brought them in this year for the first time ever, and I must say, it was kind of nice! Picked up the goods yesterday, 10 pounds of the best Jerky I’ve ever had, 15lbs of pepper jack beer sticks, 5lbs of hot beer sticks, 12lbs of pepper jack smoked ring sausage, 5lbs hot Italian, 5lbs breakfast, 7lbs cheddar summer, 7lbs pepper jack summer and 7lbs of ground along with the tenderloin and loin chops, all roasts went to jerky and that was just one deer.
All in all it was a successful year but I can’t help but miss pulling 2-3 weekends in the woods at a proper deer camp. The current place I’m hunting is much more productive, and honestly the deer taste better (diets of mostly corn with some soybeans), but every year when its done so quickly I find myself wanting to drive up to some of my old haunts and sit by the fire with a bunch of guys and bs about this and that, this in and out business leaves something to be desired on the experience end of things, can’t wait to have my own land some day.