Mike's Rabbits

[Paul Hoskins]

My buddy Mike in Maine got here Thursday, Nov. 6th before deer season opened on Saturday. We went down to the farm we lease for deer hunting after he rested a bit. He brought a friend Chris along. I think Mike brought him mostly to help with the driving. Mike had surgery recently to remove a cancerous tumor inside his rib cage that was attached to his ribs and one lung. He had a lot of muscle removed along with part of three ribs and part of one lung. This condition makes things pretty difficult for him to do the things he is used to doing. He is one tough person tho and is doing exceptionally good considering. His biggest problem is breathing and raising his right arm to shoot. The recoil from his favorite rifle hurts him considerably now too. (7mm Win. Short mag.)
 
We went around the farm and checked out everything I had set up for the past few months. While we were at it, we set up a small one man blind I bought, which for the most part was rather useless for deer hunting. It had a folding chair attached inside and the only way one could shoot from it was straight ahead. It is an ideal blind for bear hunting over bait tho. The two small side windows were useless mostly. At least it kept the rain off. I abandoned it after the first day and sat in the open on the hillside above the bait.
 
On Sat., opening day I didn't go down until after daylight because I wanted to shoot the knobby headed varmint in the back yard at daylight. He didn't show, so I went to the farm. After sitting in the blind for three hours and not seeing anything, I went up to the "barn." Mike and Chris came in in a little while with nothing. We sat around the stove drinking coffee and eating sandwiches and reliving the mornings events, which amounted to not much of anything. I didn't feel like going back out and came home. Mike and Chris didn't have any luck that evening anyway.
 
Next morning I sat around the dining room drinking coffee and waiting for daylight and the knob head out back. As it was gettig a little light outside I could see the silouette of a deer between me and the light colored gravel of the RR tracks behind the house. I loaded the 22/243 AI and sneaked to the back door and slid the door open a crack. I could tell the deer was looking right at me even tho it was almost dark. As I poked the barrel through the opening, the deer flipped it's tail up in indignation and got behind the wood pile out by the RR tracks. At the same time I saw another deer at the near end of the garden raise it's head and look back to see what was going on with the other deer. I put the crosshairs on the back of it's head and squeezed the trigger. It decided to make tracks at the same instant and moved it's head and I missed completely at 25 yards. Lucky sucker. No chance for a second shot as they ran across the neighbors back yard. Oh well, stuff happens. I went down to the farm, stoked up the fire, made a pot of coffee and waited for Mike and Chris to come in. They came in around 10;30 and Mike had killed two little deer not much bigger than big cottontails. We had coffee and talked it over and started processing them. I skunt them out and quartered while Mike and Chris cut, deboned and bagged them before putting them in the freezer.
 
Next morning I went down earlier but after Mike and Chris went out. I situated myself on a hillside overlooking the pile of corn below the pond dam. Shortly two small deer came running by me and headed toward Mike up in the wood lot. I didn't bother even raising my gun because I wanted Mike to kill them. They spotted Mike and came running back down the holler through the weeds. Only there was three of them now. Looked like a bunch of big rabbits going every which way. When they saw me they ran back up the holler. A few minutes later Mike started shooting and I turned around just in time to see a small deer come running out of the woods and pile up within a few yards. Out of three shots he got two of them and missed the third one. The guy is an amazing shot but the gun was really hurting his ribs and shoulder. On the third shot he couldn't get the gun against his shoulder good and got a half moon cut across the nose between his eyes from the scope. He went back up the road and brought his truck down and we field dressed them out and I picked them up and tossed them in the bed of the truck. When we got back to the barn, Chris was already there. He still hadn't seen a deer. We had sandwiches and coffee and started work on the last two rabbits. Again I skunt and quartered while the boys cut and packaged. I came home again and they went back out.
 
Next morning I got down there a little earlier and walked down below the pond dam and spotted a buck walking toward me. I had the 223 Contender with me this time. I sat down on the hillside and waited for a broadside. Soon as he went into the weeds beside one of our food plots and presented a broadside, I plopped him in the ribs behind the shoulder low. His rear end went up as usual and he disappeared into the ditchline between the food plots. I watched for him to come out but it didn't happen. Mike came down off the hill out of the woodlot and we walked down to see what had happened. He was laying in the mud of the ditch about fifteen feet from where he disappeared. We got him out and field dressed and loaded into the truck for a ride back to the barn. I didn't even bother counting the points. Must have been five or six tho. We checked him in by phone and I wrote out a posession tag for Mike and gave the varmint to him. Mike decided to have sausage made from it along with burger and we took it to a processing place and let them do the dirty work.
 
Nobody had any luck till next day when Chris finally connected with a doe and fawn. More rabbits to clean. Mike and I were begenning to wonder about Chris. Seems the fellow just can't adapt to hunting like we do here. One day he changed stands three times during the morning. He is used to walking the woods like it is commonly done in Maine. We just don't hunt like that here. Every time he came out of the woods or fields, he pulled his hunting clothes off and removed every burr and seed. That evening when he came out of the fields, he did the same thing again. Mike didn't say anything but just shook his head. I don't much think Chris will be invited back next year. They headed back to Maine Thursday night around 1 am after stopping to say goodbye and get a hug from my wife. It was another enjoyable hunt with Mike. He called last night around midnight and said they got home safe. Good to hear that. Mike is always a pleasure to hunt with. He invited me up for a bear hunt this coming year on him. He runs a small bear guiding business and limits the number of hunters. His success rate is one of the best. He had 12 hunters this fall and got 8 bear with another fellow wounding and losing a bear. This really disturbs Mike. ..........Mike turned 60 years old the opening day of deer season here. I'm glad I could share it with him. Ron, the owner of the farm we lease made a sign for Mike. Ron is a good artist and enjoys doing things like that.
 
In the attached pictures the first one is Mike and the first two rabbits he killed. The second picture is his second two rabbits and the third picture is the rabbits Chris killed. Mike took a picture of me and the ugly little buck I shot but somehow we didn't get together on the pictures. He might have give it to Ron. It was nothing to look at anyway. Just something to help fill Mike's freezer. Also attached is a picture of the 4X4 foot sign Ron made for Mike for his birthday and the knothead and some of his relatives out in the back yard just before the season opened. All in all, it was a good hunt even if the big boy never showed up. Maybe next year. ..........Paul H

[bowhunter 51]

Looks like quite a pile of venison, ya'll done skunt-out Mr. Paul Hoskins...
Great write-up and pics'.........:smiley: Thanks for sharing........I fiqure colder
weather will make them "Big Boys" show themselves........................BH51...

[davidlt89]

those all look like some good deer! those does don't seem that small in the picture. How long a drive is it for Mike to get there from Eustis? Never have been to Eustis, what towns are around it? All in all, 4 deer for your friend is not a bad tally, beats our deer season! God Bless.

[Paul Hoskins]

David, sometimes pictures are decieving. They are small when I can pick one up and put it in the bed of the truck by myself in my condition. The guy's should have taken four or five apiece if things had worked out like they usually do. The most one of us has killed in one week is eight. Sometimes four a day for one person isn't unusual. ........Mike travelled 1100 miles one way from Eustis. Eustis and Stratton are in the NW corner of Maine near the Quebec/New Hampshire border. Beautiful country up there. Sugarloaf Ski Resort is nearby.   ..........Paul H

[Daryl (deceased)]

Paul,
 
If those look like rabbits to you, you'd likely laugh at seeing our little coues deer down here.  A really big buck might weigh 100 lbs field dressed, and does are smaller.
 
They really do look like big rabbits.  
 
Congrat's on showinig your friend a good time, and getting him some venison and memories to take home.
 
Daryl

[LvrLover]

The 2 really big bucks I have shot both dressed over 200. A big doe around here will dress at 150. To tell you the truth though, the little ones taste better and aren't as tough. Good hunting by yall anyway. When it comes to deer, I adopt the special forces motto,   "Kill em all, let God sort em out!"

[Paul Hoskins]

LvrLover,   ...........That's my attitude when it comes to deer around here. I've been trying to kill that little knothead in the back yard but now he and momma are coming in at night. They ate all the corn and apples I put out yesterday. Guess I'll have to buy new batteries for the flashlight.    ..........Paul H

[Paul Hoskins]

Mike sent me a picture of my scrawny little buck today. Really not much of a buck but will make good eating anyway. Obviously, we didn't bother positioning him in the truck. Doesn't matter to me. ........Paul H

[davidlt89]

but will make good eating anyway.

Isn't that whats important! fine looking little buck. God Bless.[/B]