Wrapped up-I'm Done
Whitetail Deer
Unless something special comes along, I'm done. Deer season 2017, is finished and in the books. And dadgum, I enjoyed it tremendously. The tally for the season was seven does, one buck and a hog. That is just about par for my seasons except for the hog. I don't usually kill one cause we don't have them, here. Oh, I forgot, I also killed a turkey.
But the main thing is, I really enjoyed this past season and I think the reason is, I only went when I really wanted to go and I only hunted as long as I was enjoying it. It quit being about killing anything a long time ago. I went on days when the weather suited me and I got down and came back to the house as soon as I got bored or started hurting. I think four hours is about the longest I hunted at any one time.
I also did a lot of "prowling". I got permission to hunt a new piece of ground totaling about 100-acres and I did a lot of walking and looking at it, planning next year. I wish I had kept count of the number of pictures I took, this season. I would guess somewhere around 1,000. I could total up the number of deer I saw, I do keep records of that but quite honestly, see no real reason to do so. I think I may have had three or four times I did not see deer.
What I do know is, on the last day of my deer season 2017, that would be Dec. 30, I saw 11 deer, seven bucks, four does; five hogs and I caught 17-bass. The deer, a 60-pound butterball doe and the fish are in the freezer. The hog, is feeding a host of varmints. (I do not eat the meat of feral pigs, won't go into the reasons.) On this last afternoon, four of the bucks would have been shooters. That is at least 8-points and 16" inside spread. I say would have been but three of them only had one side. Other side was broken or deformed. The fourth was a bonafide shooter-dang big- but was too fast for me. So, me and a new friend just watched.
Great season and I hope yours was, too. Now, planning for 2018 and my new writing job and new woods to prowl. Hope the Lord blessed you and yours and hope we all get another year of prowling. For now, he is keeping watch for me.
I have a new name for one of my stands. It is called the "root tree stand." I love this view and it is not nearly as open as the picture makes it look.
Just getting suited up. 31 Dec is last day of our season. Will sit out all day, but warm up by sitting in three different stands (there is a 10 minute drive in truck between Stand 1 and the other two. -15 C here with -25 C wind chill temp! Have shot three deer this year, but have a tag left and I've never missed a 31 Jan evening hunt since I started bowhunting in 1990. Best wishes to everyone from Canada!
just back in! doe winded me, season over! Man I think that I will warm up from this year in June!!!
best to all!
I have been fishing for over a month , I may try monday as it is are least day , but might just fish.
All done here in the Northeast. Had a great season thanks to my buds in PA.
We've still got a month is season left in North and Central MS and until Feb 15 in the coastal areas.
Our general ends Jan 7, muzzleloader starts the next day. I may or may not hunt it depending on what happens next week. The way our laws are written, I can't shoot another buck in Rusk Co., and can't shoot a buck in Cherokee Co. after the 7th unless it's with a muzzleloader. Can't shoot a doe with anything after Thanksgving until muzzleloader starts. I can shoot a doe in either with a muzzleloader after the 7th. Almost too much crap to keep up with. It would be much simpler (IMO) to let muzzleloaders hunt in rifle season and designate the two weeks in January as primitive weapons for traditional muzzleloaders and vertical bows, but that ain't happening. While I'm bitching, we have a number of doe tags and a season limit, so why not shoot the legal amount any time during general season and forget this split season crap ?
Sorry John, didn't really mean to hijack the thread with my rant.....
I saw a guy here in MN that had a tree very similar to that one flipped upside down so that the root system was "planted" up-side-down in his yard. He had it set up so the root system was about 10' above ground - it looked as if he cut the roots off about 5 feet from the trunk of the tree all the way around. Not sure how many feet into the ground he dug the tree down to keep it standing upright, but it was really cool looking to see that root system "up in the air".
North Carolina ends today @ 5:43 here for me, not a bad year, two nice does. Even though it is cold for North Carolina, 14 this morning, high of 30. I will be sitting till the bitter (cold) end. I'll be ready for turkey season soon.
I should clarify, I still have some season left. But I am am done.
