Thanksgiving Hunt

[RatherBHuntin]

Like most everyone else did I hope, I had a long weekend and since I have only had time to hunt twice since the begining of October, I was ready. My son who is 17 has apparently discovered, or seems to think anyways, that their is something more exciting and rewarding than deer hunting with the old man, uncles and cousins at camp. This more interesting distraction is of the type that smells better and has pretty hair, as opposed to very little hair.
 
The younger one still likes his dad and isn't aware of anything that is more interesting or exciting than chasing deer around the woods, would rather spend his time in the skinning shed than the movie theater and thinks emptying the gut bucket is fun. So after dinner at my dads (even less hair) we went home and grabbed the guns, dropped off the girls and the other boy and headed to camp. Two days and two nights at a luxurious 1/2 star resort in western Alabama. Camp fires, tall tales, Thanksgiving leftovers, fellowship and 15 yards of backstraps.
 
First morning we had two does come in on us in a remote field that we didn't even plant, thus assuring no one else would spoil it for me. They walked in about 20 minutes after dawn and were kind enough to stand perfectly still and broadside for my son to take a chip shot at 50-60 yards. He missed:huh: but I really wasn't surprised, he still gets very excited at the first deer he sees, he will settle down now, and has. Well these two deer, as I said, were very obliging. After he shot they jumped, ran a circle, stopped again broadside and at about 40 yards this time. Not wanting to risk them running off while reloading his single shot .243 I just grabbed my newly acquired Marlin in 35 Rem and let fly. There was a solid hit, she jumped up all hunched up in the middle and I knew she was hit good. We sat for a couple hours and nothing else showed. Went and inspected the scene of the crime and found some frozen pink blood on the ground and left it at that. Went to the camp so my brother could work his dog some and came back with him. She hadn't taken but a few jumps, and was only about 30 yards into the woods with a blood trail a blind man could have followed. Needless to say the dog found her right away, as well as triggering on the spot where the trail started right away.
 
Went back that night hoping her sister would come back but nothing showed. The next day we tried another field where my son has had some good luck before and offered close shots. Shortly after I told him that the deer don't come walking up the roads in the daylight, but only use them at night, thus explaining to him why we always see tracks on the roads but never deer, a doe and her two little ones came strolling right up the road :huh: towards us from an old loading deck the loggers had made last year, about 150 yards away. He immediately said "can I shoot" "(remember he gets twitchy), and I said "no boy, she is facing us, giving a bad shot and only coming closer, just wait."  I told him where to aim if she never offered a broadside and tried to keep him relaxed as this doe was coming straight to us. I knew she would turn to check her fawns (probably 75 pounds, nearly as big as her) and give him a better shot. And she did, and I told him to shoot. At about 50 yards he hit her just a couple inches further behind the shoudler than I would have liked, but he got her. . After diving off the hill we were on, which seemed nearly vertical after we dragged her back up it, I found her eventually. Bullet went in about two inches behind the shoulder, lodged in the off side in front of hip. The problem we later discovered was that she had turned, but was still quartering towards us when he shot.  Not a single drop of blood was found, she ran about a hundred yards. I was very lucky finding her right before light ran out. She weighed 110 pounds, same as mine. The boy was tickled and cant wait to get to school and show his friends the pics. He told me in his best grown up voice that he knew when he pulled the trigger that he had made a better shot that time, though I was not so sure, I had seen him shaking.
 
I am seriously thinking of changing bullets. This is the second doe with no exit and no blood trail that I was lucky to find. The last one was hit in a slight drizzle and I was afraid that if there was blood it would be washed away. Either a bang flop or a blood trail, I have to have one or the other.  He is using Winchester Supremes, 95gr BTs.  This is the one gun I dont load for, though I have the dies and plenty of cases now, the only bullets I have are....two boxes of CT Ballistic Tips.

[gitano]

My son who is 17 has apparently discovered, or seems to think anyways, that their is something more exciting and rewarding than deer hunting with the old man, uncles and cousins at camp. This more interesting distraction is of the type that smells better and has pretty hair, as opposed to very little hair.

Ya never know... He may be right. :D
 
Congratulations to all! Sounds like a great hunt!
 
When everything is said an done, I suspect the 17-year-old may a bit jealous of the younger one.
 
Paul

[Fieldmor77]

Funny thing how your Kids turn out, my eldest son who is 20, is a natural good shot, but avoids heading bush as much as possible and prefers the urban life. My young fella, who turns 18 this weekend, is a terrible shot, and has told me he has no desire to ever kill anything, yet loves nothing more than heading out with me at every chance he can.
 
Which is fine by me cause he's good company and carries the pack and most of the gear etc!.

[bowhunter 51]

Pretty good write-up, RBH'.......and congratulations to you and
the boy....sounds like ya'll had a good time of it.....bet ya'll rubbed
the older boy's nose in it when you got back to the house.....:) BH51..

[Antler3]

I enjoyed the story and a big congrats on meat in the freezer. Tell the young one he did good  

[RatherBHuntin]

bet ya'll rubbed
the older boy's nose in it when you got back to the house.....:) BH51..

You better believe we did, even telling him that I shot him out of the stand I was gonna have him sit the first day and that the boy's came out of the field I always tell him to sit.

[Alboy]

Great times there RBH
 
Those half star deer camps take it over the 3 star hotels any day

[davidlt89]

Great write up, congrats to all. God bless.

[Vermonster]

Very nice Glenn!  Congrats!!!