2018 Gun Season

Man, yinz all must be hunting really hard the past 10 days!  Guess I'll go first.  
 
My youngest is now on the mentored tag, and he worked hard this fall to earn some hunts, by becoming proficient with both the cross bow and the .243.  
 
We got out a few times in archery, but never had anything come close enough to even think about a shot.  
 
The rifle opener found my boys and I with the car loaded up with fishing gear, to make the 2 hour run to the Erie tribs to fish in relative peace and quiet as we did a few years ago on the first day, but too much rain in the early morning hours washed those plans right out.  The 15 year old tagged a buck in archery season, and so for the youngest, it meant an opportunity to hunt.  We waited out the morning rain, and hunted a few different places Monday afternoon in 2D, seeing only 4 does, which would have been too far for a shot even if they had been legal game.  
 
A little hooky was played on the first Friday morning, and we took to the woods on a friends' property in the Butler County portion of 2B with the hopes of at least some bald deer passing by.  Didn't even see a squirrel.  Saturday morning was a bust on one of the properties we hunted Monday, with only a yearling doe seen.  
 
On Saturday afternoon, I scored a honey of a deal to hunt a new property of an acquaintance I've known for a few years, when I found out he wanted some does shot on his 100+ acres.   I'm certainly not the bashful type - my wife says I'm shameless - so I made a beeline to him when I saw him early Saturday afternoon and said, "We can help you with the doe population if you'd like."  He also gave my son permission to shoot a buck, if given the opportunity.  
 
3:15 PM found us in a box blind on the edge of a small food plot on his property, and man was I thankful for that with the stiff East wind in our faces, and the mixed precipitation that fell on and off throughout the evening.  
 
After a couple of days of early mornings and cold hunts, his eyes were drooping pretty good by 4:15, and he was fast asleep and snoring about 5 minutes after I snapped this pic.  
 

 
 
At 4:45, I woke him - not easily! - when I saw some deer far off, slowly feeding our way.  We willed them to get closer, but I knew that unless something bothered them, they would remain at distance that was safe for them.
 
As they inched closer, we watched and waited, and he shivered and his teeth chattered, from the combination of a cold nap and his first time getting hit with Buck Fever!  
 
I leaned back to look out the door of the blind, and at 4:55 a doe with two skippers in tow came from the woods behind the blind and into the field.  I helped him get on the lead doe, and had him follow her until she got in shooting position.  At just the right moment as she stopped at about 35 yards, I clicked off the safety and told him to bury one.  
 
At the shot, she hunched up, stumbled a bit and ran.  But it was a death run, and I knew she wouldn't make it far.  She covered about 80 yards through a field and hit the dirt.  On her death run, she ran straight towards the long driveway that splits the property, and we only had a 30 yard drag - the easiest of my life with this big old nanny! 
 

 
 
 
 
 
Hope somebody else has some stories and/or pics to share!  Miss hearing the stories and updates we had going in archery season!  

R,

Way for the young man to go!

Tell him congratulations!

BT, that's awesome that you were able to help somebody out with that doe.  
 
Is the late season in Ohio archery, or is it still slug gun season over there?

It is good to help the hungry,we usually give a few to the "hunters helping the hungry" program ,it provides 1000s of meals of venison for the needy. By hunting here & in West. Va. we usually get some xtras & are glad to share,especially this time of year. btw if anyone needs a deer you used to be able to get 1 from your game protector.  sam

CAPTAIN HOOK
Dave tell your son to pull that camo mask down ....can't see that big smile !....lol
Congrats on a big cow kill ! 

I told him to Brock, but he was freezing cold by then!  He didn't get my build, so the skinny little punk doesn't have much meat on his bones.  

Congratulations great story