Hunting

2007 HUNTING SEASON

The gun and muzzleloader seasons have come and gone and we both could have taken very nice bucks in the 120 -140 class range but we elected to pass. On the very last day of the muzzleloader season and in the final hour I passed on three nice bucks starting with a small 10, then a nice 8 and finally a very nice 8. As soon as the rain stops we will back at it with our bows. The corn plots are drawing the deer in in nice numbers and we are hoping that the bucks will soon be hungry enough to lead the way during shooting hours! We’ll keep you informed.

Well it finally happened. Marcia took her first big buck with a bow!!! On Sunday, November 11 at 4:50 PM, Marcia shot and killed a 5 1/2 year old monster buck with her new Mathews Drenalin from the stream crossing ladder stand located at the south end of the bottom corn plot. I was sitting in a stand at the north end of the plot and saw the whole thing. I’d like to say that it was more exciting for me than for Marcia but I doubt that’s true. She was so excited that I had to caution her to remain calm and get down from the stand very slow and carefully.

Many of our friends came over to see the big buck and give their congratulations to M. Pulling into the small crowd with M’s buck in the bucket of Big Red, the MF tractor, was one of my proudest moments. Marcia’s buck scored 151 6/8 and will easily make Pope and Young. (Look for pictures of Marcia and her buck on the website soon). Marcia’s two biggest bucks have been aged at 6.5 and 5.5 years. Most guys go a lifetime and never kill a buck 4.5 years old much less two totaling 12 years!!

I, on the other hand, took a nice bow buck three days earlier from the NW corner of the farm. It was exciting and I made a nice shot with my Drenalin using Grim Reaper broadheads. My buck scored 135 5/8 but did not have the character and mass of Marcia’s deer. 

Then on Thanksgiving evening I took my first wild turkey by bow. A flock of 18 came into the same corn plot in which M killed her buck and the Grim Reaper mechanical head did it’s job. The turkey was a large jake weighing 16 pounds. There were a couple of longbeards in the flock but I thought it best to take a jake while the opportunity was there. Wild Turkey is my favorite meat and we will enjoy.

During gun season I passed on a number of nice bucks including a very nice buck that I failed to get a shot with my bow. Marcia had on shooter in range but could not get a clear shot. I will try again during the 2nd gun season which begins Thursday November 29( in 2 days!!) and Marcia will start on Saturday unless she can get home from school in time to get into one of the East stands…the Hay Bale stand or the Tripod. 

The dove season was very good. Marcia and I took limits a number of times but did not hunt as much as normal due to working the dogs and catching up on work around the farm.

Marcia did find time to shoot the Illiana Bowhunters end of year shoot and won the women’s division, shooting her new Mathew’s Drenalin in competition for the first time. She shot a 265 on 30 targets and won easily. (I shot 246 just for the record). That’s my girl!!

We are behind with preps for deer hunting, in large part due to dog stuff, but we have begun by taking some big limbs off a sycamore so that we can put up a two-man ladder stand where I hope Marcia will nail a wallhanger. The two man stand is put together and new seats are going on some stands today( Sept. 20). On a sad note we are seeing some deer dead from EHD. We are praying for cold weather to kill the midges that transmit the disease, commonly called blue tongue.

One of our main goals for this year is for Marcia to take her first deer with bow and arrow. She’ll be shooting a new Mathews Drenalin. October 1st is the date.

We intend to use this area to post pictures and shorts about our hunting exploits and those of our wonderful Blindfaith Labs. We’ll try to keep it updated.

GOOD HUNTING !!! BE SAFE !!!!