Opening Day

The foliage was very pretty in the woods today.

Took a picture for Kristine so she can see my Gunslinger in use.

I asked Kelle to take a picture with Allen's 8 pt. She was hunting with her Dad, Andy. Last year Kelle harvested two deer. She is 11 years old.

Allen with his 8 pt.

Got to the deer camp at 6:00 this morning and everyone was getting ready to leave out for their stands. I signed up for my stand in the top field and walked in. About 7:15 someone shot in front of me, which was from another camp called Mill Pond. It was really close. Around 7:45 there was another shot to the right of my stand. I thought the shots came from the stands past the camp house. Come to find out, Allen, had shot an 8-point right down and across from my stand. Allen said that the buck came out of the bottom down from my stand and crossed the road towards him which was only 180 yards from my stand. I did not see it come across the road. Allen was about another 100 yards in or so towards the Big Black River. He also saw a doe running 30 minutes before the buck came through. So I had guns going off all around me. Did not see anything on my morning hunt or my afternoon hunt. I did hear a grunt sound this afternoon and was waiting for the big one to walk out, but never did. Squirrels were everywhere and the wind was blowing a lot. Before I left the camp this evening two of the hunters were still out. I am pretty sure they both got a deer from the shots I heard. Will find out in the morning. When I was walking back to the camp house tonight, I just happened to see a dark figure of a deer run across where the levee is no more than 50 yards in front of me. After awhile, Clay (who is a city policeman) had gotten turned around in the woods and had followed the levee out. I would imagine that he had spooked the deer that was in front of him that I saw. He said he got back to the camp by way of Albuquerque! That was so funny! I have gotten turned around in the woods myself walking out and had to wait to be rescued. It is very scary feeling!

Allen and the hunters will be moving my stand by next weekend, because this hunter has his stand too close to mine. Actually, it will be in a better spot with a long field and the road to watch in front of me. The borderline of Jasper Bottom and Mill Pond is approximately 100 yards down the left side of the road going into our camp. They also have their camp house across the road and it is a large camp. Ours is much smaller. I would not want to belong to Mill Pond because it is full of hills and hollers, but that's where the deer are! They just need to cross the main road and come see me!