More Poop on the Poop
You know, with all that was going on at deer camp last weekend, I kind of forgot to mention some important deer-related stuff. Yes, it still is a little poopy, but . . . well, you’ll see. I was out doing my first bit of serious scouting for turkeys and I found deer scat everywhere. The snow had just melted. This was the first weekend where it had gone above 50 F in quite a while. There were endless acres of deer poop, preserved from all the snow and cold. This was a good time to be out scouting for … More . . .
Hydrostatic Shock — More Distance Traveled
A mentor of mine on the subject of outdoor writing told me what his mentor told him: save everything you write for 8 years, and you will never have to write an original piece after that. You will spend the rest of your career re-purposing the first 8 years. Then again, my grandfather told me that when a man started to repeat himself, you pretty much knew that he had given you all he knew on the subject. Go figure. Anyhow. I vaguely remembered this topic, and I dug around a bit on the weblog. Viola! (How does she keep … More . . .
Whitetail Deer — What is Overkill Anyway?
I am putting the deer rifles away for the year. Yes, my tail is still dragging, but I figure coming away with a zip is better than it could be. A day spent at Deer Camp is usually going to be better spent anywhere else. My mind still wanders back there, and I am forever working things through my head. I got to thinking about Overkill yesterday, and I thought I would share my thoughts. I see the idea of Overkill show up in a lot of threads out there in forums. I see it here on the search strings … More . . .
So Now What?
I could have been out for late ML season in KY this weekend, but between the rain and the dismally few deer that seem to be on the property at the moment, I figured that it would be better to stay home, clean guns, and count the ammo. It has been rather dreary the past few days. The light is just coming up this morning– fog, drizzle. Blech! This is a good time to search the soul, contemplate my sins, and await the day when my thoughts will turn towards turkey. The Savage 99, and the Eternal Search for the … More . . .
Tag Soup
I look back now on that nice 10-pointer I had standing broadside to me in October and I have to wonder.  If I knew I would be sitting here today with no tags filled at the end of season, would I have shot?  Was there something more I could have done during season? Did I mess up somewhere along the way? Normally, I would not be all that worried. I have had bum years before. If I had really thought about this season, I would have seen it bore a close resemblance to 2002. Yes, we had a few acorns … More . . .
Report from Deer Camp — Week 2, 2012
Forty Years ago, I remember a writer for a fishing magazine proposing a time machine for every tackle box. You get to the bait shop and everyone is saying “You should have been here last week. Boy, were they biting!”  I was reminded of that when stopping in to the processor to pick up SuperCore’s doe. We had missed two fantastic days of hunting, last Wednesday and Thursday. Peak of the rut? Probably. It was certainly the peak of an otherwise unsatisfying season. Often times Weekend 2 of KY’s Modern Weapon Season rivals the Opener.  This one was a fizzle. … More . . .
Report from Deer Camp — 2012 Opener
First it was the Reds, then the Bengals, then the Republicans. There is a lot that sort of thing running around this year. Deer hunting can have years like that too. A good part of it is the expectations. The Reds really looked like the could go all the way this year. Let me begin by giving you the good news. SuperCore broke his losing streak. It was a long, roundabout path from the end of 2010 to now. He had a lot of disappointments along the way, but the dry spell ended Sunday morning at 0730 when a doe … More . . .
The Eve of the Opener
“. . . The stockings were hung by the chimney with care” Actually, the clothesline IS filled with hunting socks at the moment. Last night Angus did his last load of hunting clothes. Preparations have been going on for some time. Last weekend, I was out at camp, puttering around the whole weekend getting the last of chores done prior to the Opener. It was down to all those little things that would not exactly make or break the hunt, but could put a dent in getting out the door on time. A new battery had to be put in … More . . .
Happy Saint Hubert’s Day, Y’all!
It was back in 2005 when a bunch of us regulars on 24hourcampfire.com were discussing the problem that hunters face when it comes to Christmas. You get all this cool stuff for presents, but then you have to wait until the next year to use it. I suggested that the gift giving be moved to Nov3, the Feast of Saint Hubert. Hubert is the patron saint of hunting. In Europe it’s a big deal in places. Bavaria really gets into it– lots of processions and the like. We’re down here at deer camp, but I’m about to get KYHillChick up … More . . .
Twilight Zone Buck
It all started back last Sunday. I was up in my stand, getting to the end of my second morning of hunting in KY’s early muzzleloader season. I had the .54 Hawken along. It was a nice bright morning. I’d seen a few doe over the weekend, but nothing worth popping cap. It was nearing 10 AM. I had decided that I would come out about then. There was a lot of things to do back at camp. I had to sight in some deer rifles. The next weekend was going to be our designated “Bye” week in season. Most … More . . .
Yute Season
Angus was out for KY Yute Season yesterday. We did not bag anything, but we had a good time. The trip brought up a whole lot of issues, that I feel need airing. First off, as you know, Angus is a bagpiper. He’s not just a good bagpiper. He’s a phenomenal bagpiper. They threw him out of Junior competition a couple of years ago, because he was walking off with all the medals, and it was decided it would be more fair for him to compete as an adult. He’s 14 now. He is playing with North Coast up in … More . . .
Lazy Boy
It is just a little past sunrise, but there is a quite a bit of ground fog this morning. I sent Angus out scouting a new spot. We call it Lazy Boy. Part of it was because we’re trying to standardize the naming scheme of all our stands; this is in Lima Section, so stand names have to begin with and ‘L.’ Part of this was because Angus did not want to go through all the hassle of developing it like a normal stand site– clearing shooting lanes, putting up a tree stand, etc. Lazy Boy is a flat spot … More . . .
Favorite Memories from Deer Camp
I went my first 5 years hunting with my buddies. Then they all started dying off, and in short order I was hunting alone. It took two wives and 15 years to get me back to the point where I had two sons to hunt with, and a deer camp I could call my own. I literally had to go out and breed my deer camp from the ground up. Our first deer camp was convened in the fall of 2001 with me as the patriarch. Mooseboy was 9. Little Angus was only 3, and had not yet taken up … More . . .
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