Hey, I feel like a stranger to this place after being largely under water the past few months. Divorce will do that to you, even when it's a good thing it doesn't mean it's an easy thing. Trying to get out from under $96K of individual debt my ex admits to running up all by herself (credit/gambling/who knows what else) yets wants me to cover has been challenging but there are brighter days ahead.
Anyway, thought I'd update you on my hunting season this year with stick and string, especially now that I'm out of buck tags in my home state of NE.
For the first time I shared many of my hunts (31 of my 74 hunts currently) with a hunting partner, a lady who shoots wheels but has traditional values and I wouldn't be surprised to see her try a stick in the near future. It's been enjoyable to hunt with someone with the same ethics and respect for the land and animals. Plus she's a natural and has taken a 152" 5x6 back in Sept. and three antlerless deer so far; most of which I got to see taken from ringside which was cool. Was shaking like crazy from 60y away as I watched her arrow the big one through my binos.
For me, I had a close call with that big 5x6 a few days earlier but my daughters (ages 7/9) spooked it off after being quiet enough to let numerous does and three small bucks walk by that night. Wasn't meant to be and I can't afford the taxidermy right now anyway! Ha. I've had the girls out with me about 10x as well.
I've been fortunate enough to still take two decent bucks and two big does, one of each with my hunting partner sitting beside me. All deer taken with a Pronghorn longbow and Wensel Woodsman heads. The latter buck was taken with my backup PH, a 'Curly Ash' special I purchased through TradGang! The others were taken with the 'Green Machine.'
This doe above taken Oct. 9 at 15 yds. and went 0. Through the front shoulder area and severed the spine where it drops low there.
This doe was taken Nov. 2 at 15 yds. and went maybe 40 with a perfect, tight double lunger.
Took this buck Nov. 12 at 14 yds. and he went maybe 50-60 after a great double-lunger. We were in a double-set stand just 10' up so it was really a cool, close encounter on a buck she had originally wanted to be one of hers but since she already had the big one in the bag, it was my turn and I was kind of feeling the need to let the air out of something.
Then on Nov. 20 during our rifle season (you can bowhunt with a special permit this year...$75 or so), I took this buck after a tense, stand-off and snort-wheezing him into action. The shot was 20y but I was a hair back and got liver. A long, arduous 250y trailing job but patience won out.
Still some more does hopefully to add to the freezer for myself or co-workers who don't hunt. Again, sorry I haven't been contributing much to this forum (or any others), but it's been that kind of summer and fall. Anxious now that the season's winding down to visit here more often and continue work on the second book.
Topic: Long Hiatus...Time to Catch Up (Read 944 times)
